The Cat and the King

When the royal castle is destroyed in an Unfortunate Incident involving a fire-breathing dragon, the King and his best friend, the cat, are forced to find an alternative home.

As they settle in to their new semi-detached house in a very ordinary street, the King discovers that the things he is really good at (like walking on red carpets and balancing a heavy crown on his head) aren't very useful anymore and he has to learn a whole new set of skills like opening the biscuit tin and standing in a queue. Then one day the pesky dragon returns.

Nick Sharratt's debut novel is an entertaining mix of familiar experience and fairy-tale fantasy underscored by a thread of anarchic humour. This is a beautifully-presented storybook, in which the fabulous illustrations are as integral as the text, and will appeal to adults as well as independent readers.