Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest

by Matt Haig

Overview

Funny and captivating fantasy from rising star Matt Haig!

Samuel and Martha's new life with their Aunt Eda in Norway is filled with rules, but most important is rule number nine: NEVER?UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES? GO INTO THE FOREST. Sure their Uncle Henrik disappeared in the forest ten years ago, but it can't be the forest's fault?can it? Samuel is skeptical until he finds an unusual book, The Creatures of Shadow Forest, which describes the fantastic and sinister creatures supposedly living there. Could Aunt Eda be right? Samuel discovers the truth about the forest's dangerous secrets when Martha becomes lost in the forest, and it's up to him to save her.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101200674
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	06/21/2007
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	204,828
File size:	441 KB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Matt Haig’s writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Sunday Times, The Independent, and The Sydney Morning Herald. The Dead Fathers Club is his American debut. He lives in Leeds, England.

Editorial Reviews

No one does what 12-year-old Samuel Blink tells them to. Not his parents, killed by falling logs although he told them to stop their car. Not his grieving sister, who walks off into the forest near their Aunt Eda's house, although it was explicitly forbidden. The forest, in a remote part of Norway, had already taken their uncle. It's filled with evil creatures, including trolls, truth pixies, huldres and worse. Samuel finds a book describing them in the (also forbidden) attic of his aunt's home. Naturally, he has to follow his sister. Also naturally, he discovers the forest's secrets and the role of the Changemaker, Professor Horatio Tanglewood, who wrote the book. But it takes some adult help and a timely javelin throw to make things right again. The author's love for the Norwegian setting is evident. A table of contents, intriguing chapter names and occasional authorial warnings add interest. Solid middle-grade adventure with fantasy elements, this would be good even for able young readers who can stomach the early unfortunate event. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews