Set in an otherworld England, in which Lady Jane Grey became queen and where her descendants still rule alongside six magical Guilds, Kieran Larwood’s new story is bursting with magic, intrigue and excitement.
Sickly, bullied orphan Jed Greenleaf is as surprised as anyone to discover that he is a member of the Guild of Leaf, with the magical ability to transform his skin into the rough, solid bark of an oak tree. Competing at the Arthanfest trials alongside members from the other Guilds, he finds out that Iron and Fire are cheating, and this realisation puts him and his gentle new Leaf friends in deadly danger.
Can Jed prevent Albion falling into the power of these ruthless Guilds for ever, or can he restore the older, juster way of things? In his efforts, he discovers he has even more power than anyone realised, and is helped by Hobb, a merry and very, very old dryad.
This self-contained story is a wonderful adventure and feels as though it has sprung from ancient folktales particular to our green and pleasant land. As fresh as the brightest green shoots and as sturdy as the oldest oak, this is a wonderful piece of storytelling.
Albion city is governed by a puppet queen, secretly controlled by Oliver Cromwell, and strange magic is afoot as six Guilds all compete to rule it. Although the Leaf Guild is the weakest, no one has reckoned with newcomer Jed Greenleaf's extraordinary ability to transform into a half-tree, covered over with bark . . . he just needs to learn how to harness that power.
Could he be the hero that the Guild needs to win at the Punchbowl tournament? It just might be that this year Jed can turn over a new leaf in the history books, and bring glory to the decaying Guild and peace to Albion . . .
‘Stunning, complex and wildly imaginative.’ - BookTrust
Author
About Kieran Larwood
Kieran Larwood was born in Kenya. He moved to the UK when he was 2 and lived in various places before settling on the Isle of Wight where he can still be found: exploring rockpools, climbing trees and writing - slowly disappearing behind a mountain of notebooks and empty coffee mugs. He taught Reception class in a primary school for fifteen years before becoming a full-time author.
Kieran’s books have won several awards, including the Blue Peter Best Story and the Prix Sorcières.
He is inspired by a life-long love of fantasy stories, which all began when – as a young boy – he picked up a copy of The Hobbit and saw the map inside. It just goes to show – you never know where opening a book will lead…
