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]