An exciting new stand-alone adventure by the internationally bestselling author of The Letter for the King.
Seven paths, seven unlikely friends, and one extraordinary adventure featuring magicians, secret passages, conspiracies, hidden treasures, a black cat with green eyes and a sealed parchment which predicts the future.
At the end of every schoolday, new teacher Mr Van der Steg entertains his pupils with tall tales of incredible events, which he claims really happened to him - involving hungry lions and haunted castles, shipwrecks and desert islands. One day, when he can''t think of anything suitably exciting to tell them, he invents a story about a very important letter which he''s expecting that evening, with news of a perilous mission. Evening arrives and so, to his surprise, does an enigmatic letter...
And so Mr Van der Steg is drawn into a real-life adventure, featuring a grumpy coachman, a sinister uncle, eccentric ancestors, a hidden treasure, an ancient prophecy and Geert-Jan, a young boy who is being kept prisoner in the mysterious House of Stairs.
Industry Reviews
A cracking adventure... so nail-biting you'll need to wear protective gloves The Times A magical, strange, gripping tale Spectator Draws the reader seductively along its spiralling paths... the language... is beautifully lucid, with a clear sense of playfulness and urgency... a wandering, winding ballad with occasional joyous percussion, to the spell of which the reader can't help but succumb Guardian A lovely present for a young person from 10 upwards and beyond to grown-ups who will be as enchanted as I was! Reading Zone Brilliant imaginative storytelling. It is full of eccentric characters and mystery, with a slight touch of humour. The Song of Seven is sure to go down as a classic in children's literature. It's only a shame it wasn't translated into English sooner BookTrust A fantastic new book from a legendary writer... gloriously written with tons of plot twists and turns, and a barrel-load of excitement Read it Daddy (blog) An extremely cleverly constructed story NBD Biblion A fantastic story, exciting and mysterious Chicklit.nl The Song of Seven is an engaging adventure which twists and turns... The Song of Seven offers a challenging read for those who enjoy something a little different North Somerset Teachers' Book Award A riveting story The Bay Praise for The Letter for the King: A Sunday Times, Metro and Times Book of the Year; 'A true page-turner' Sunday Times; 'Thrilling' Daily Telegraph; 'A pulse-pounding epic' Metro; 'Spellbinding' Financial Times; 'A cracker' Spectator. Praise for The Secrets of the Wild Wood: A Daily Telegraph and Sunday Times Book of the Year; 'Action-packed drama' Daily Mail; 'Thrilling' Metro; 'A spellbinding tale that will appeal to the young and old' The Lady .