The Brockenspectre

Name: William Joseph
Price range: $

by Linda Newbery, illustrated by Pam Smy

Interest age: 7 to 8
Reading age: 8+

Published by Random House, 2014

Adventure
Around the world
Coming-of-age

About this book

Tomas' father is a Swiss mountain guide, who loves the mountains and spends as much of his time as he can climbing. He resents the times when the weather prevents him being outside, and becomes morose to his wife and children. One day Tomas rejects his father's offer of companionship and his father leaves. After a year's absence Tomas is so racked with guilt that he sets out to find his father, terrified that the Brockenspectre - a mountain monster which his father had told him about - has got him.

What Tomas discovers is that the greatest sorrow can lead to joy, and that the most important things in life are courage, loyalty, our love for others and theirs for us.

About the author

Linda Iris Newbery is a British writer known best for young adult fiction—where she entered the market, although she has broadened her range to encompass all ages. She published her first novel Run with the Hare in 1988, while still working as an English teacher in a comprehensive school.

Linda is a regular tutor for the Arvon Foundation and is a member of the Society of Authors and the Scattered Authors' Society.