The Book of Storms

Description

Eleven-year-old Danny's parents are storm chasers - which sounds fun and exciting, and it is, so long as you aren't the son who has to wait behind at home. And one night, after a particularly fierce storm, Danny's parents don't come back.Stranger still, the old sycamore tree in Danny's yard seems to have been struck by lightning, and when he picks up a fragment of wood from the tree's heart, he finds he can hear voices...including that of the next door's rather uppity cat, Mitzy. The stick is a taro, a shard of lightning that bestows upon its bearer unnerving powers, including the ability to talk with plants and animals - and it is very valuable.

Ruth Hatfield is from Cambridge, although she travels around a bit as she is a field archaeologist by profession. It's a good job for inspiration! Ruth has been writing stories for most of her life just to please herself; however, what she loves to explore is the way in which imagination gives us limitless possibilities to make our own lives extraordinary. In her spare time she eats books, gallops around on horses, pedals around on her bike and tries not to break too many bones.

This is really something special. An 11-year-old boy searches for his storm-chaser parents and unravels a shadowy world of magic, menace and a truly terrifying foe. Wonderful storytelling with echoes of Susan Cooper. It's her debut and she's most certainly a name to watch ... Don't miss it. -- Fiona Noble * The Bookseller - Book of the Month (November) * A powerfully conceived and executed story that adds a wholly original element to the fantasy genre * Kirkus Reviews, starred review * This is a book that encourages imaginations to run riot for a while, at times scary and sad it also has an undercurrent of reassurance and strength running throughout. -- Julia Eccleshare * Lovereading4kids - Book of the Month * Debut author Hatfield weaves a dark and twisted tale in the vein of Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book ... Hatfield creates an imaginative, whimsical world. * Publishers Weekly *