Kit'S Wilderness

Description: Kit has just moved to Stoneygate with his family, to live with his ageing grandfather who is gradually succumbing to Alzheimer's Disease. Stoneygate is an insular place, scarred by its mining history - by the danger and death it has brought them. Where the coal mine used to be there is now a wilderness. Here Kit meets Askew, a surly and threatening figure who masterminds the game called Death, a frightening ritual of hypnotism; and Kit makes friends with Allie, the clever school troublemaker. As Kit struggles to adjust to his new life and the gradual failing of his beloved grandfather, these two friendships pull him towards a terrifying resolution. Haunted by ghosts of the past, Kit must confront death and - ultimately - life. A stunning novel from the author of the modern children's classic Skellig - winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Book Award. David Almond is also winner of the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen award.

Review: Magic of a very different kind -- Erica Wagner The Times An enthralling, multi-layered and complex story with a tension that builds and grips the reader. A wonder ful read. The Bookseller A writer of subtle, page-turning and daring exactness. The Times Educational Supplement Extremely good. Written with an acute sense of place plus a touch of the supernatural. The Independent Sensitive and absorbing. The Observer Has the same mesmerising quality of writing and a hauntingly intense plot. The Sunday Times The book treats all the great universal themes of literature - love, loss, redemption, mortality - with elegant, tender simplicity, and it is bound to touch any reader of whatever age. -- Raymond Seitz The Daily Telegraph Very touching. The Daily Telegraph An essential read from an original voice. The Daily Telegraph A haunting read for thoughtful readers. The Daily Telegraph A moving rites-of-passage novel. The Guardian Weekly This superb piece of lyrically-written literary fiction captivates teenagers and their parents alike. The Guardian Almond's magic is subtle, breath-taking, redemptive. The Times Gripping, convincing and effortlessly well-written The Observer Review Dark and gripping. The Times Could a children's book win the Booker? The best writing is the kind that defies categories, and Almond's Kit's Wilderness makes the grade. The Times Almond's masterpiece: Kit's Wilderness is one of those rare works that changes how we see the world The Guardian You can feel the chill from the ghosts that haunt its pages. An essential read from an original voice in children's books. The Daily Telegraph David Almond is a writer of subtle, page-turning and daring exactness, and he applies the same potent poetic and emphatic skills in his equally moving new novel. Times Educational Supplement A children's book of stunning freshness and individuality. Literary Review Deeper and more unsettling than Almond's breakthrough book. Books For Keeps Dark and gripping. The Times

Author Biography: David Almond is twice winner of the Whitbread Children's Book Award. His first novel, SKELLIG, won the Whitbread Children's Award and the Carnegie Medal and was made into a feature-length film on Sky1. His second, KIT'S WILDERNESS, won the Smarties Award Silver Medal, was Highly Commended for the Carnegie Medal, and shortlisted for the Guardian Award. THE FIRE-EATERS won the Whitbread, the Smarties Gold Award and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, and his most recent novel, CLAY, was shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book Award, and the Carnegie Medal. David has also won the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Award for his lasting contribution to children's literature and is widely regarded as one of the most exciting and innovative children's authors writing today. His books are bestsellers all over the world. He lives with his family in Northumberland. www.davidalmond.com