Spellfall - Softcover

Roberts, Katherine

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0439472202 ISBN 13: 9780439472203

Publisher: Chicken House, 2003

Synopsis

A powerful fantasy from the talented author of the Echorium Trilogy (Song Quest and The Crystal Mask).

Someone knows Natalie is special. And now he wants her power. But when the evil villain kidnaps Natalie, she manages to escape. Guided to the Thrallstone by a mysterious hound, she slips through the gateway between worlds, to Earthaven! It is a place of breathtaking wonder where unicorns roam, giant trees talk, magicians control the powers governing two worlds - and she has a very special destiny. As soon as Natalie learns of her magic powers, she is forced to put them to use. Earthaven is under siege, and now Natalie must use her magic to foil an evil plot before Earthaven is destroyed.

About this title

Review:

On a gray, rainy day in England, 12-year-old Natalie crosses a sodden supermarket parking lot carrying a bag of empty beer bottles for the recycling bin. Her attention is caught by a colorful piece of crumpled metallic paper in a puddle. Curious, she picks it up. From this prosaic opening bursts a story that whirls off on wings of fantasy as the bit of litter turns out to be a spell planted by Hawk (the sinister leader of a band of outlaw spellmages) as bait to trap Natalie into becoming the essential 13th member of their spellclave. Halloween approaches, and, during the 24 hours of the Opening, the outlaws plan an assault on the society of true mages who live within a gigantic spelltree in Unicorn Wood. Four teenagers--Natalie, her stepbrother, Tim, her best friend, Jo, and Hawk's fearful son, Merlin--are catapulted into the conflicts of this magical world that lies just outside of ordinary reality. At the same time, while they deal with kidnapping, black magic, unicorns, animal familiars, and the ultimate chemical weapon, they work out more ordinary problems with parents and each other. Hardcore fantasy fans will enjoy the complexities of this intricate and fast-moving tale. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell

About the Author:

Katherine Roberts is an English author with a bit of Welsh and Spanish blood too. She won the Branford Boase Award in 2000 for her debut novel SONG QUEST and has been writing her own blend of fantasy, legend and myth for young readers ever since.

About this edition

• Publisher: Chicken House
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0439472202
• ISBN 13: 9780439472203
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256