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  • Published: 2 July 2021
  • ISBN: 9780670075126
  • Imprint: Puffin
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 368
  • RRP: $24.00

The Kingdom of the Lost Book 4: The Velvet City




The final book in the award-winning and beloved fantasy series, The Kingdom of the Lost, by the acclaimed author of Little Fur and the Obernewtyn Chronicles.

In this last part of their long journey, Bily and Zluty must each travel to the dangerous Velvet City, where they will learn the shocking truth about themselves . . . even as their beloved Monster faces the fate he fled.

A thrilling series for younger readers from the award-winning author of Little Fur and The Obernewtyn Chronicles.

  • Published: 2 July 2021
  • ISBN: 9780670075126
  • Imprint: Puffin
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 368
  • RRP: $24.00

About the author

Isobelle Carmody

Isobelle Carmody is one of Australia's most highly acclaimed authors of fantasy. At fourteen, she began Obernewtyn, the first book in her much-loved Obernewtyn Chronicles, and has since written many works in this genre. Her novel The Gathering was joint winner of the 1993 Children's Literature Peace Prize and the 1994 CBCA Book of the Year Award, and Greylands was joint winner of the 1997 Aurealis Award for Excellence in Speculative Fiction (Young Adult category), and was named a White Raven at the 1998 Bologna Children's Book Fair.

Isobelle's work for younger readers includes her two series, The Legend of Little Fur, and The Kingdom of the Lost, the first book of which, The Red Wind, won the CBCA Book of the Year Award for Younger Readers in 2011. She has also written several picture books as well as collections of short stories for children, young adults and adults.

Recently she completed a PhD at the University of Queensland and currently divides her time between her home on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria and Brisbane.

Also by Isobelle Carmody

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Praise for The Kingdom of the Lost Book 4: The Velvet City

I didn’t think Isobelle Carmody could create a more delightful creature than Little Fur, but I was wrong! Bily and Zluty are such sweet, good-natured, caring characters that I was captivated from the start. On a bare, unyielding plain the two brothers have worked tirelessly to create a natural paradise around their stone home, but . . . their world is threatened by the brewing of an unnatural storm. Carmody relentlessly builds the sense of foreboding with her wonderful storytelling, and – as in the Little Fur series – also with her ethereal illustrations. I couldn’t put it down. This lovely little hardback is a perfect gift for children eight and up.

Readings (on The Red Wind)

From the very beginning of the tale I was hooked. The world of these books is endlessly fascinating . . . something about it reminds me of the kinds of stories I read when I was a child, they have in them an innocence – a simple belief in the goodness of people and the world – and yet there are darker elements, represented by the characters and situations that place the protagonists in peril. A journey into the unknown, strange forces at work… all concepts that enthral the younger reader. Bily and Zluty are our heroes, and while we (the readers) sometimes know more than they do, their unique way of interpreting the world around them has us looking at our own world in a different way (referring to snow as “coldwhites”, etc). Perhaps that is one of Carmody’s aims – to challenge the reader to examine what they think they know from a different point of view. Carmody’s writing is simple enough for young readers to follow on their own, but beautiful and poetic enough to paint a rich tapestry of colours, emotions and exciting adventures.

Reading Time (on Book 3: The Ice Maze)

Cloud Road is a delightful read for parents to share with their children and a must-have . . . This story will engage children at the right stage to read independently; many children given this novel will continue to reread and treasure it. I envisage the current generation of children sharing Cloud Road with their children because the story is timeless.

Dark Matter [on The Cloud Road]