The Marvellous Land of Snergs

LoveReading4Kids Says

Taken from an original story by E.A Wyke-Smith, published in 1927 and acknowledged by Tolkein as an inspiration for The Hobbit, which has been brought back to life, with the agreement of the author’s family, by a writer who has already demonstrated her storytelling skill with her previous books - The Extincts and The Halloweeds. The glorious cover and internal line drawings by Melissa Castrillón are just perfect for this perfectly whimsical and imaginative tale. We have two feisty characters, Pip and Flora, who run away from the Sunny Bay Home for Superfluous and Accidentally Parentless Children, ostensibly in pursuit of their newly acquired puppy, but really in search of adventure- which they find in bucketloads as they dive through a gap in a yew tree into another world! A world where they meet the eponymous Snergs - the creatures who are so hobbitlike in their physique and their obsession for communal feasting. They did not realise they already knew a Snerg - the delightfully comic and more than slightly gormless Gorbo who had just been sacked from Sunny Bay. He becomes their guide to the world, as they come up against the Snerg’s arch enemies, the Kelps, and witches, ogres, cinnamon bears and all sorts of monstrous vegetation. Told with great verve and wit, this would make an excellent read-aloud. The adventure is fast paced and with just the right amount of peril and mystery and a very satisfying resolution. The characters grow and develop and the hapless Gorbo actually saves the day and brings harmony to both the worlds. This could make a fascinating book to read alongside The Hobbit and is a real delight in its own right.

Joy Court

Find This Book In