The Oracle, the first volume in the Oracle trilogy, blends Egyptian and Greek elements of magic and adventure and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Books prize. Arriving at Plas-y-Fran in the dead of night, she finds a house as cold as the landscape she has travelled through – icy with grief, shrouded in secrets, and apparently occupied by only a handful of staff. Es hat etwas märchenhaftes, wenn der Mondscheinvogel zum Leben erwacht und die Geschichte hat einen schönen Spannungsbogen.

In her quest to find out the truth, she is surrounded by magic and stories of fairies who control time. The mystery is creepy, but there are clues all around Seren, she just needs to open her eyes and follow them. I really, for a moment, was there in Plas-y Fran and felt the loneliness hanging in the air of the dark mansion. Stella war mir von Anfang an sympathisch, ich mochte ihre aufgeweckte, etwas vorlaute und neugierige Art unheimlich gerne und habe mich jederzeit problemlos in sie hineinfühlen können. I have even talked the head into a little revamp of the library so that we can display them properly!

Seren can picture it all: Captain Jones would be mustached, tall and imposing, and Lady Mair is sure to be lovely and kind. Yet even the magical creatures are not all alike and further add to the lessons of the story without being dreadfully moralistic and dull. Als Stella dieses zusammenbaut und als sie beginnt, das alte Gemäuer zu erkunden, beginnt für sie ein Abenteuer, das sie sich in ihren kühnsten Träumen nicht hätte vorstellen können.

Recently in reviews I've read, I've seen people complaining about children's books using the same formulas for storytelling. Yourself and Bob are much cherished in our booky world and I personally really appreciate everything that you do. You guys are such a force for good and I am a passionate supporter of Indie booksellers, so I'm so happy this worked out well (I'd love to know how many books were sold if you have it to hand - it felt like quite a lot!and imagine yourself stranded in a spooky old house, on the edge of a frozen lake, in the middle of nowhere, listening to this story unfold. With the train departing and the man nowhere to be found, she makes a split-second decision to take the parcel with her.

Once she arrives in Wales, she finds her Godfather’s house is empty apart from her and a skeleton staff of servants. Man meint die eisigen Temperaturen regelrecht spüren und das Knarzen der Dielen förmlich hören zu können.When the station master takes pity on Seren and speaks with her as she stomps around the platform, trying to stay warm, he inadvertently gives her another option.