The Cradle of All Worlds
by Jeremy Lachlan
Interest age: 9 to 11
Reading age: 9+
Published by Farshore, 2018
About this book
It's a tough life being The Cursed One. It's all Jane Doe has ever known since she appeared as a baby on the steps of the mysterious Manor with her father, who has been sick ever since.
The residents of Bluehaven treat Jane and her father with contempt and fear, but she has a lot of questions... like who is she? What's really going on in the Manor? And are all those earthquakes on Bluehaven really her fault?
Well, she's about to find out when, on one fateful night, Jane's father enters the Manor - and she follows him inside.
The Cradle of All Worlds is a classic adventure story set in a captivating labyrinth stuffed with monsters, double-crossing and heaps of peril. Jane's a vibrant, winning heroine, full of wit and sarcasm, and Jeremy Lachlan's cinematic writing is a joy, keeping the Indiana Jones-esque action skipping along.
The chases and near misses will have readers gripped, but there's something deeper going on, too, as Jane gradually unravels the truth of her identity and her place in the world.
With another book to come, we're already dying to know what will happen to Jane Doe next.
More books like this
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Quill and the Last Generation
by C M Lewis, illustrated by Maria Vidal
9 to 14 years
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The Uninvited
by Ross Mackenzie
9 to 14 years
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Riverskin
by Mike Edwards
9 to 14 years
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Hero Wanted!
by Mark Powers, illustrated by Coralie Muce
9 to 14 years
Lists of recommended reads
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Magical stories for 9- to 12-year-olds
These books are brilliant for older children who want to get lost in a magical journey. There are classics and new titles, picture books and chapter books and some books containing magic realism rather than traditional fantasy.
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Adventure books 9-12
From an ape getting involved in a murder case to schoolgirl cat burglars and mysteries taking place across the world, there are some brilliant capers out there just waiting to be devoured.