LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
Interest Age 8+ Reading Age 8 | In a nutshell: magic, knights and double-dealing
Free Lance is a knight for hire, and sometimes has to take jobs he really shouldn’t, which is definitely the case here. The local lord offers him a bagful of gold to go and retrieve a crown from an island in the middle of the alarmingly – but accurately – named Lake of Skulls. The story involves much fighting, most of it underhand, encounters with some really nasty supernatural creatures, and an awful lot of double-crossing. It’s thrilling, gruesome and comic all at once, the authors drawing scenes and characters brilliantly in very few words, while Chris Riddell’s illustrations ooze menace or humour as required. ~ Andrea Reece
Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 8+
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About
Free Lance and the Lake of Skulls Synopsis
Free Lance has no master - he journeys from village to village and castle to castle, competing in tournaments and working for his keep. When his horse throws a shoe and he must seek shelter overnight in Lord Big Nose's village, he accepts his most dangerous mission yet - retrieving an enchanted crown from the Lake of Skulls.
Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 8+
About This Edition
Press Reviews
Paul Stewart, Chris Riddell Press Reviews
... a smashing mix of modern, wry humour and lots of manly fighting ... all grit and grunt and comic line drawing illustrations. The language has a comic-book style narrative which is balanced with delightfully gross descriptions ... accessible to the weaker reader, while there's enough humour and plot to keep better readers interested. There's even a teasing wench to add sex-appeal. If you're looking for a book to catch reluctant young teenage boy readers, this is for them. The School Librarian
Offers nail-biting excitement ... Beautiful production and superb integration of illustration and story make this a very attractive book. Times Educational Supplement
Thrill-a-minute quests that are fraught with danger. They may be short on words but these great little books are jam-packed with excitement and double-dealing thrills. Sunday Times
Author
About Paul Stewart, Chris Riddell
Paul Stewart was born in London. He is a graduate of Lancaster University and of the University of East Anglia's creative writing course. For several years he taught English as a foreign language in Sri Lanka. Returning to England, he continued teaching before becoming a full-time writer.
He is a highly regarded author of books for young readers - everything from picture books to football stories, fantasy and horror. His first book was published in 1988 and he has since worked for a number of publishers and had over fifty titles published.
Together with Chris Riddell, he is co-creator of the Far-Flung Adventures series, which includes Fergus Crane, Gold Smarties Prize Winner, Corby Flood and Hugo Pepper, both Silver Nestle Prize Winners and the Muddle Earth series.
They are of course also co-creators of the bestselling Edge Chronicles series, which has sold over two million books and is now available in over thirty languages.
Paul lives in Brighton with his wife and children.
Chris Riddell is an accomplished graphic artist whose distinctive line drawings, with their clever caricature, fascinating detail and often enchanting fantasy elements are familiar to both children and adults.
He studied illustration at Brighton Polytechnic and has illustrated many acclaimed books for children, including the Ottoline series, Pirate Diary by Richard Platt, and Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver, which both won the Kate Greenaway Medal. Chris has also won the Costa Children’s Book Award 2013 for Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse.
In addition to his childrens book work, Chris is a renowned political cartoonist, whose work appears regularly in UK newspapers the Observer and the Guardian, as well as The Literary Review and The New Statesman.
Chris lives in Brighton with his wife and children.
www.chrisriddell.co.uk
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