The Ransom of Dond
  • Published: 7 November 2013
  • ISBN: 9781448172597
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 112

The Ransom of Dond

Formats & editions
EBook
7 Nov 2013
Paperback
15 Sep 2016
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A haunting tale of love, fate and truth from acclaimed, multi award-winning author, Siobhan Dowd.

Darra is an omen of unluck: a thirteenth child. To appease the dark god, Dond, and bring good fortune to her small island community, Darra must be sacrificed at the age of thirteen - by drowning.

On the eve of her final birthday, Darra begins to dream of the twin brother she has watched from afar but never met, and dares to hope that she might escape her fate . . .

The scouring wind and remorseless waves which beat against Darra's island world are matched in Pam Smy's powerful, wild and emotive illustrations. The Ransom of Dond is our final story from Siobhan, and a book to be treasured.
  • Published: 7 November 2013
  • ISBN: 9781448172597
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 112
Categories:

About the author

Siobhan Dowd

Siobhan Dowd lived in Oxford with her husband, Geoff, before tragically dying from cancer in August 2007, aged 47. She was both an extraordinary writer and an extraordinary person.

Siobhan's first novel, A Swift Pure Cry, won the Branford Boase Award and the Eilis Dillon Award and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and Booktrust Teenage Prize.

Her second novel, The London Eye Mystery, won the 2007 NASEN & TES Special Educational Needs Children's Book Award. In March 2008, the book was shortlisted for the prestigious Children's Books Ireland Bisto Awards.

Siobhan's third novel, Bog Child, was the first book to be posthumously awarded the Carnegie Medal in 2008.

The award-winning novel A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness was based on an idea of Siobhan's. Her novella, The Ransom of Dond, was published in 2013, illustrated throughout by Pam Smy.

portrait photo of Siobhan Dowd

Also by Siobhan Dowd

The Guggenheim Mystery
A Swift Pure Cry
Bog Child
Solace of the Road
The London Eye Mystery
See all

Praise for The Ransom of Dond

Embraces the magic of myths, with animal transformations and transporting dreams. Movingly, it is above all about the power of a mother's love and how much anyone facing death would want to live

Nicolette Jones, Sunday Times

A riveting story . . . Raises questions about religion and highlights the dangers of ignorance. But equally, it is a tale of love and family, and their ability to conquer all . . . As a physical thing, it is a beautiful book. From the dustcover to the endpapers, it is a joy to hold

Children's Books Ireland - Inis magazine

One of the most attractively produced works of junior fiction

Robert Dunbar, The Irish Times

This new title, in its elegance, wisdom and lyricism, provides a poignant coda to Siobhan Dowd's earlier achievements

Robert Dunbar, The Irish Times

A beautiful, mystical fable for our time . . . The Ransom of Dond is a book to be read aloud or alone. It provides a marvellous opportunity for storytelling and discussion

Clare Morpurgo, The School Librarian