There May Be A Castle (Winner Of Guardian Children'S

Description: A remarkable story about love, loss and the power of the imagination, from an award-winning, celebrated writer for children.On a frozen Christmas Eve, Mouse Mallory and his family set off across a snow-white valley to visit his grandparents.They never arrive.As the wheels skid off the icy road, Mouse is thrown from the car. When he wakes, he finds himself in a magical landscape, with only a talkative sheep and a very bossy horse for company.And they tell him: this is your story now.So begins Mouse's extraordinary quest through a world of wonder. A world of monsters, minstrels, dangerous knights and mysterious wizards; a world of terrifying danger but also more excitement than Mouse has ever known.All to find a castle, somewhere, beyond.But why is Mouse looking for a castle? As thoughts of his family back at the car begin to surface, Mouse realises this might be the most important journey he will ever make ...This is a novel about love and death. It's about the power of stories to change the way we view the world - and it's about the power of a child to change their own world. Emotionally arresting but ultimately uplifting, this is a remarkable novel for our times.

Review: Piers Torday...is the new master of books for children who like magic and modernity with their lust for adventure. * The Times * A gripping, memorable adventure which celebrates the power and scope of our imagination * TheSchoolrun.com * Mouse wakes up in a magical world complete with a full-sized version of his beloved toy horse * Scottish Daily Express * Piers Torday...is the new master of books for children who like magic and modernity with their lust for adventure. * The Times * A moving and very original children's book ... investigating the subject of love and loss in the way a child can understand * Hexham Courant * A gripping, memorable adventure which celebrates the power and scope of our imagination * The School Run * Torday's story is alternately sombre, thrilling, and silly, filled with eccentric human and animal characters with distinctive voices * Publishers Weekly on The Last Wild Trilogy * A whimsical yet thoughtful tale that brings to mind the smarts and silliness of Roald Dahl and Norton Juster * New York Post on The Last Wild Trilogy * Wildly inventive, moving and gripping ... full of suspense without ever sacrificing warmth * The Guardian on The Last Wild Trilogy * An excellent, punchy adventure tale with vivid characters and an impassioned eco message * Financial Times on The Last Wild Trilogy * A must-read: brings to mind the smarts and silliness of Roald Dahl * New York Post on The Last Wild trilogy * Written in vivid and urgent style ... As thrilling as James and the Giant Peach ... The Last Wild may be as critical to the new generation as Tarka the Otter * The Times on The Last Wild trilogy * Gripping, original and memorable * Francesca Simon on The Last Wild trilogy * A remarkable story of about love and loss from the winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize * Hexham Courant * It's an adventure set on the moors. It's very funny but the end was unexpectedly emotional and it stays with you * Ham & High * The narrative is skillfully strung together and the ending deeply surprising, challenging the norms of what might be expected in a children's novel, which is all to the good. -- Philip Womack * Literary Review * A magical new adventure from the winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction prize. We're loving the cover illustration too by Rob Biddulph * WRD About Books * Shows the power of imagination to help us conquer fear, and the importance of friends and family even if they are not physically present, or indeed are a toy horse and a robot dinosaur. An outstanding book and a future classic * School Librarian * Original in its accurate representation of the actual experience of children and its satirical approach to the fantastical...this novel works emotional truth and tension into its adventure and comedy * The Sunday Times * Piers Torday continues to demonstrate that he is one of the best writers for children working today * The Guardian * Piers Torday ... is the new master of books for children who like magic and modernity with their lust for adventure ... Torday understands the lot of the younger sibling, the power of the imagination to heal and the strong, irregular rhythms of grief * The Times * Full marks [...] for a story not afraid to take on some of the fundamentals of life while still managing to preserve the lightest of touches * Books For Keeps * Heartbreaking, surprising, uplifting - Mouse's snowbound journey is one you'll remember for a long, long time. There May Be a Castle proves that stories matter. They really do * The Bookbag *





Author Biography: Piers Torday began his career in theatre and then television as a producer and writer. His bestselling first book for children, The Last Wild, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Award and nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal as well as numerous other awards. His second book, The Dark Wild, won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. The third book in the trilogy, The Wild Beyond, was published in 2015 to critical acclaim. His next book for children, There May Be A Castle, will be published in October 2016. The son of the late Paul Torday (author of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen) Piers recently completed his father's final unfinished novel, The Death of an Owl.In regular demand as a speaker at schools and festivals, Piers is also a reading helper with Beanstalk, a former judge on the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, a Patron of Reading at Heathmere School and a trustee of the Pleasance Theatre.Born in Northumberland, Piers now lives in London with his husband and hopefully a cat.