Most Popular Books by Marcus Sedgwick

From the author of The Jungle Book comes a magical fantasy story, rich in historical detail and filled with intrigue and excitement Una and Dan, reciting Shakespeare on a summer''s evening in rural Sussex, unwittingly summon the elf Puck. They are taken on a fantastic journey through Britain''s past, their magical companion plucking from history an array of fascinating characters for them to meet: Parnesius, a Roman centurion who manned Hadrian''s wall; Wayland, a Saxon warrior and blacksmith; Sir Richard, a Norman knight who made an extraordinary journey to Africa; and many others. Each offers a story from his own life, mixing war and politics with adventure and intrigue. Each is rich with historical detail. One of the great classics of children''s literature, Puck of Pook''s Hill is by turns a fantastical story of magical otherness and a compelling exploration of history. A runaway success on first publication, it still has the power to excite children and their parents alike.

Originally published in Great Britain by Orion Children''s Books.

Seven stories of passion and love separated by centuries but mysteriously intertwined—a tale of horror and beauty, tenderness and sacrifice. Winner, Michael L. Printz Award A Publishers Weekly Best Children''s Book of 2013 A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of 2013 "Part love story, part mystery, part horror, this is as much about the twisting hand of fate as it is about the mutability of folk tales. Its strange spell will capture you." ― Booklist (starred review) An archaeologist who unearths a mysterious artifact, an airman who finds himself far from home, a painter, a ghost, a vampire, and a Viking: the seven stories in this compelling novel all take place on the remote Scandinavian island of Blessed where a curiously powerful plant that resembles a dragon grows. What binds these stories together? What secrets lurk beneath the surface of this idyllic countryside? And what might be powerful enough to break the cycle of midwinterblood? From award-winning author Marcus Sedgwick comes a book about passion and preservation and ultimately an exploration of the bounds of love. "A tale for the ages, expertly spun and completely satisfying." —Eoin Colfer, The New York Times Book Review "Reminiscent of David Mitchell''s Cloud Atlas. . . . Stark, suspenseful writing." — School Library Journal "A story that''s simultaneously romantic, tragic, horrifying, and transcendental is more than enough to hold readers'' attention, no matter their age." — Publishers Weekly (starred review) " The Time Traveler''s Wife meets Lost in this chilling exploration of love and memory. . . . Haunting, sophisticated and ultimately exquisite." ― Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Sedgwick''s prose is unadorned yet melancholic." — Bulletin of the Center for Children''s Books (starred review) "Sedgwick''s prose is taut, careful, and chilling." — The Horn Book (starred review)

''Do monsters always stay in the book where they were born? Are they content to live out their lives on paper, and never step foot into the real world?'' The Villa Diodati, on the shore of Lake Geneva, 1816: the Year without Summer. As Byron, Polidori, and Mr and Mrs Shelley shelter from the unexpected weather, old ghost stories are read and new ghost stories imagined. Born by the twin brains of the Shelleys is Frankenstein, one of the most influential tales of horror of all time. In a remote mountain house, high in the French Alps, an author broods on Shelley''s creation. Reality and perception merge, fuelled by poisoned thoughts. Humankind makes monsters; but who really creates who? This is a book about reason, the imagination, and the creative act of reading and writing. Marcus Sedgwick''s ghostly, menacing novel celebrates the legacy of Mary Shelley''s literary debut in its bicentenary year.

THE DAYS BETWEEN Christmas and New Year’s Eve are dead days, when spirits roam and magic shifts restlessly just beneath the surface of our lives. A magician called Valerian must save his own life within those few days or pay the price for the pact he made with evil so many years ago. But alchemy and sorcery are no match against the demonic power pursuing him. Helping him is his servant, Boy, a child with no name and no past. The quick-witted orphan girl, Willow, is with them as they dig in death fields at midnight, and as they are swept into the sprawling blackness of a subterranean city on a journey from which there is no escape. Praise for The Book of Dead Days: “Beautifully paced and sometimes blood-soaked. . . . A very tangible sense of evil.”—The Guardian “Subtle menace and power.”—The Independent “Packed with drama, mystery, and intrigue.”—The Bookseller

The Marcus Sedgwick Chapter Sampler includes chapter excerpts from Revolver, White Crow, Midwinterblood, and She Is Not Invisible—available for free—check out Marcus Sedgwick''s website for more information about these YA reads.

An interactive activity title for 9-12-year-olds on the power of kindness You can choose to make the world a better place. The power is within you! Every one of us experiences the world differently – we have different worries and problems, and we all have unique hopes and dreams – but there’s one thing that can unite us and make the world a better place, and that’s KINDNESS! Kindness is cool! No, really! Kindness can create positive change in all our lives. Whether it’s being a friend to someone who seems lonely, or simply smiling or giving somebody a thumbs up. When we support each other, we can be our best selves. Be the Change: Be Kind is your handbook on how to use your own voice to empower yourself and others to spread kindness. Award-winning children’s author Marcus Sedgwick tells the story of kindness – where it comes from, what it feels like and perhaps most importantly why it matters – and asks YOU what you would do in different everyday scenarios. ARE YOU READY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Marcus Sedgwick''s award-winning debut novel about surviving in a sinking world. Winner of the Branford Boase Award, FLOODLAND is an unstoppable force in young adult fiction. Imagine that a few years from now England is covered by water, and Norwich is an island. Zoe, left behind in the confusion when her parents escaped, survives there as best she can. Alone and desperate among marauding gangs, she manages to dig a derelict boat out of the mud and gets away to Eels Island. But Eels Island, whose raggle-taggle inhabitants are dominated by the strange boy Dooby, is full of danger too. The belief that she will one day find her parents spurs Zoe on to a dramatic escape in a story of courage and determination that leads to an unexpected and touching conclusion. FLOODLAND has a powerful and emotive theme, handled with warmth and humanity.

Scarlett Hart, the world''s toughest monster hunter, is on the case in this rip-roaring steampunk adventure! Scarlett Hart, orphaned daughter of two legendary monster hunters, is determined to carry on in her parents'' footsteps—even if the Royal Academy for the Pursuit and Eradication of Zoological Eccentricities says she''s too young to fight perilous horrors. But whether it''s creepy mummies or a horrid hound, Scarlett won''t back down. With the help of her loyal butler and a lot of monster-mashing gadgets, she''s ready to take on any challenge. However, with her parent''s archrival, Count Stankovic, ratting her out to T.R.A.P.E.Z.E. and taking all the monster-catching rewards for himself, it''s getting hard for Scarlett to do what she was born to do. And when more monsters start mysteriously manifesting than ever before, Scarlett knows she has to get to the bottom of it and save the city . . . whatever the danger! In his first action-packed adventure for middle-grade readers, acclaimed YA author Marcus Sedgwick teams up with Thomas Taylor (illustrator of the original edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher''s Stone) to create a thrilling romp full of hairy horrors and villainous villains. Join Scarlett Hart as she proves herself as the world''s toughest monster hunter in this action-adventure steampunk science fiction graphic novel for kids!

A present-day boy, a seventeenth-century girl, an ancient crone: for a single moment, their lives are fused by fire. A tense, brilliant and eerie novel, nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award. The fire was a family tragedy that Jamie can''t forget, even in his dreams. And now there is something terrifying happening to him in Crownhill, the village where he''s been sent to get over his problems. Something to do with an evil old witch who gets into his nightmares, and a frightened girl, the victim of a long-ago witch hunt, whose presence lingers on . . . As the dark secrets of Crownhill are revealed, Jamie has to confront his worst fears in order to free himself from the horrors of the past.

It is 1915 and the First World War has only just begun. 17 year old Sasha is a well-to-do, sheltered-English girl. Just as her brother Thomas longs to be a doctor, she wants to nurse, yet girls of her class don''t do that kind of work. But as the war begins and the hospitals fill with young soldiers, she gets a chance to help. But working in the hospital confirms what Sasha has suspected--she can see when someone is going to die. Her premonitions show her the brutal horrors on the battlefields of the Somme, and the faces of the soldiers who will die. And one of them is her brother Thomas. Pretending to be a real nurse, Sasha goes behind the front lines searching for Thomas, risking her own life as she races to find him, and somehow prevent his death.

There never was a story that was happy through and through. When writer Arthur Ransome leaves his unhappy marriage in England and moves to Russia to work as a journalist, he has little idea of the violent revolution about to erupt. Unwittingly, he finds himself at its center, tapped by the British to report back on the Bolsheviks even as he becomes dangerously, romantically entangled with Trotsky''s personal secretary. Both sides seek to use Arthur to gather and relay information for their own purposes . . . and both grow to suspect him of being a double agent. Arthur wants only to elope far from conflict with his beloved, but her Russian ties make leaving the country nearly impossible. And the more Arthur resists becoming a pawn, the more entrenched in the game he seems to become. Blood Red Snow White, a Soviet-era thriller from renowned author Marcus Sedgwick, is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats. This title has Common Core connections.

WHEN TOMAS AND HIS SON, Peter, settle in Chust as woodcutters, Tomas digs a channel of fast-flowing waters around their hut, so they have their own little island kingdom. Peter doesn''t understand why his father has done this, nor why his father carries a long, battered box, whose mysterious contents he is forbidden to know.But Tomas is a man with a past: a past that is tracking him with deadly intent, and when the dead of Chust begin to rise from their graves, both father and son must face a soulless enemy and a terrifying destiny.

A loaded gun, stolen gold, and a menacing stranger make for a thrilling frontier tale in this Printz Award–winning novel set in the Alaskan Gold Rush. In an isolated cabin, fourteen-year-old Sig is alone with a corpse: his father, who has fallen through the ice and frozen to death only hours earlier. Then comes a stranger claiming that Sig''s father owes him a share of a horde of stolen gold. Sig''s only protection is a loaded Colt revolver hidden in the cabin''s storeroom. The question is, will Sig use the gun, and why? This title has Common Core connections. A 2011 Bank Street Best Children''s Book of the Year

If life has taught me one thing, it is this: that the worst monsters are entirely human. It began in a hole in the ground, in Paris, in the days after the liberation. What I saw there I saw only for the time it takes a match to burn down, and yet it decided the rest of my life. I tried to forget it at first, to ignore it, but I could not. It came back to me; he came back to me. He hurt people I loved... And so I took the first step on a journey from which there would be no return; a path that led me to fear, to hatred and to revenge - but, above all else, to blood.

When the Emperor decides that he needs a new outfit, the arrival of two wily tailors seems fortuitous. But little does the Emperor know that his grand plan is about to go very wrong.

In the morning you should think You might not last unto the night In the evening you should think You might not last unto the morn Boy has survived the terrors of life with the magician Valerian, dark magic, and deadly chases, but he is still on the run. Now, as the City lies frozen, he is captured and incarcerated in the Emperor Frederick’s palace. Boy is transported to a world of splendor, and wealth beyond his wildest imagining. But beneath its golden veneer, this world is full of madness and cruelty, closely guarded secrets, and terrifying revelations. In a mesmerizing conclusion to the enthralling story begun in The Book of Dead Days, Boy and Willow are plunged into the heart of it–the furies of the Emperor; the tricks of necromancers; a trail of blood that will lead to the grisly Phantom. Holding all their lives between its pages, The Book of Dead Days waits to deceive its next reader.

Download the first 15 chapters of THE GHOSTS OF HEAVEN by award winning author, Marcus Sedgwick for FREE! Timeless, beautiful, and haunting, spirals connect the four episodes of this mesmerizing novel from Printz Award winner Marcus Sedgwick. They are there in prehistory, when a girl picks up a charred stick and makes the first written signs; there tens of centuries later, hiding in the treacherous waters of Golden Beck that take Anna, who people call a witch; there in the halls of a Long Island hospital at the beginning of the 20th century, where a mad poet watches the oceans and knows the horrors it hides; and there in the far future, as an astronaut faces his destiny on the first spaceship sent from earth to colonize another world. Each of the characters in these mysterious linked stories embarks on a journey of discovery and survival; carried forward through the spiral of time, none will return to the same place.

SIG IS A boy in a coastal tribe, the Storn, long ago in a Northern land. On the day of the wolf hunt, the life of the tribe changes forever, for Sig rescues a small girl, more like the wolves who shelter her than a human. Sig’s family adopts her and names her Mouse, and he becomes a loyal brother to this girl with mysterious powers and a secret past. The shocking discovery of Mouse’s true identity brings to life a terrifying legend and leads to war, betrayal, and Sig’s coming of age as he finds the wit and courage to save his tribe. “Like an ancient cave painting come to life, Sedgwick’s tale of dark enchantment depicts a primitive tribe in a north country.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred “Will . . . find a solid readership among historical fiction fans, thanks to the fast pace, hint of magic, and satisfyingly enigmatic conclusion.”—Booklist “Employing a lean narrative voice and writing in short chapters that encourage page turning, Sedgwick draws readers along . . . rich, involving, and vivifying.”—School Librabry Journal, Starred