Impossible Creatures - by Katherine Rundell (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The special first printing of Impossible Creatures will feature a foil and embossed jacket, full-color designed endpapers, red stained edges, and a red case cover with gold stamping.

Two kids race to save the world's last magical place in the first book of a landmark new fantasy series, from "a writer with an utterly distinctive voice and a wild imagination." (Philip Pullman, author of The Golden Compass)

"Katherine Rundell is a phenomenon. She crafts original and brilliant books that delight readers of all ages and kinds." ―Neil Gaiman, Newbery Medal Winner for The Graveyard Book

"An instant classic from one of the most gifted storytellers of our time, Impossible Creatures is an astonishing miracle of a book." --Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal Winner for The One and Only Ivan

The day that Christopher saved a drowning baby griffin from a hidden lake would change his life forever.

It's the day he learned about the Archipelago--a cluster of unmapped islands where magical creatures of every kind have thrived for thousands of years, until now. And it's the day he met Mal--a girl on the run, in desperate need of his help.

Mal and Christopher embark on a wild adventure, racing from island to island, searching for someone who can explain why the magic is fading and why magical creatures are suddenly dying. They consult sphinxes, battle kraken, and negotiate with dragons. But the closer they get to the dark truth of what's happening, the clearer it becomes: no one else can fix this. If the Archipelago is to be saved, Mal and Christopher will have to do it themselves.

Katherine Rundell's story crackles and roars with energy and delight. It is brought vividly to life with more than 60 illustrations, including a map and a bestiary of magical creatures.

Review Quotes

"An instant classic from one of the most gifted storytellers of our time, Impossible Creatures is an astonishing miracle of a book." --Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal Winner for The One and Only Ivan

"Katherine Rundell is a phenomenon. She not only understands what fantasy is for and why children (and the rest of us) need it, but she crafts original and brilliant books that delight readers of all ages and kinds, while stretching our minds and filling our hearts." ―Neil Gaiman, Newbery Medal Winner for The Graveyard Book

"The action is gripping. Every sentence sparkles." --The Times (London)

"The most staggering children's book of the year. A tour-de-force." --The Telegraph

"An absolute WOW of a book. Utterly enchanting and full of wonder, readers are in for a treat!" -- B. B. Alston, author of Amari and the Night Brothers

"Rundell is an extraordinary writer and this first in a fantasy trilogy grips, thrills and moves--sometimes to tears." --The Daily Mail

"I love Katherine Rundell's writing. . . . Readers who already know her books will seize this with delight, and new readers will love it and demand all her others at once." --Philip Pullman, author of The Golden Compass

About the Author

KATHERINE RUNDELL is the author of Rooftoppers (an ALA-ALSC Notable Book, winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize), Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms (a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award winner), The Wolf Wilder, The Explorer (winner of the Costa Children's Book Award), and The Good Thieves. She grew up in Zimbabwe, Brussels, and London, and is currently a Fellow of St. Catherine's College, Oxford. Her books for adults include Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne (winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize) and Why You Should Read Children's Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise.

ASHLEY MACKENZIE is a Canadian artist and illustrator with a special affinity for dragons, dryads, and all magical creatures.