The Time of Green Magic

Name: William Joseph
Price range: $

by Hilary McKay

Interest age: 9 to 12
Reading age: 9+

Published by Macmillan, 2019

Fantasy
Thriller

About this book

Moving house is the last thing Abi needs. She has enough stress in her life trying to get on with her two incredibly annoying stepbrothers but their house is rented and the landlord wants it back.

When the only option seems to be to move into an eerie, but strangely enticing, old house, covered from doorstep to chimney with dense ivy, everyone tries to make the best of it. But it’s not long before odd things start to happen when the children are at home alone.

Strange shadows lurk just beyond the corner of your eye; books seem to leak into real life and a dangerous guest enters through the bedroom window at night. Can the children reverse these uncanny events before they reach the point of no return?

This unsettling, magical thriller will leave you unsure where reality ends and the supernatural begins.

The initial exploration of family relationships and a culturally diverse, blended family explodes into a skilful and compelling contemporary fable that will grip you in its jaws and refuse to let you go.

About the author

Hilary McKay was born in Boston, Lincolnshire and is the eldest of four girls. From a very early age she read voraciously and grew up in a household of readers.

After reading Botany and Zoology at St. Andrew's University Hilary then went on to work as a biochemist in an Analysis Department. Hilary enjoyed the work but at the same time had a burning desire to write. After the birth of her two children, Hilary wanted to devote more time to bringing up her children and writing so decided to leave her job.

Hilary now lives in a small village in Derbyshire with her family. When not writing Hilary loves walking, reading, and having friends to stay.