The Last of the High Kings by Kate Thompson
JJ Liddy sometimes blames his unreliable temperament on the visit he made to Tir na n'Og, the land of eternal youth, when he was fifteen years old. It's perhaps not surprising that his children have also turned out to be a little eccentric, especially eleven-year-old Jenny. She forgets to go to school, can't bear to wear shoes, and spends entire days roaming the mountainside. It's up there that she meets the ghost. He is guarding a pile of rocks known as the beacon, and when some archaeologists arrive to excavate it, they run into the strangest kind of obstruction. But it is not people the ghost fears, and when the real enemy finally reveals itself, the future of the entire human race is threatened. Only Aengus Og and his fairy kin can help now.
"Written in a disarmingly matter-of-fact style, this novel is often weird but sometimes wonderful as well" -- Nicholas Tucker Times Educational Supplement "An elegant and original novel, which combines imaginative flair with an accessible and rich reading experience" -- Patricia Kennon Inis "Thompson's brilliantly low key writing embroiders these flights of fancy into the earthy warp and weft of family life and landscape, all beautifully described in a way that relates the fantastical to everyday issues of ecological and social responsibility" Books for Keeps "It's a powerful book that dares to think as big as this one" -- Mary Medlicott The School Librarian "Imaginary and realistic worlds effortlessly coalesce" The Irish Times
Kate Thompson is one of the most exciting authors writing for young people today. A born storyteller, her work is highly original and she is thought provoking in her ideas. She has travelled widely in the USA and India and studied law in London. After living in County Clare, she moved to Kinvara in County Galway and there, she discovered her passion for playing the fiddle. She is now an accomplished player and also has a great interest in restoring instruments. Kate is the only author to win the Children's Books Ireland Bisto Book of the Year award four times - in 2002 for The Beguilers, in 2003 for The Alchemist's Apprentice, in 2004 for Annan Water and in 2006 for The New Policeman. The New Policeman also won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2005, the Whitbread Book Award Children's category 2005, the Children's Book of the Year in the Irish Book Awards in March 2006 and has been longlisted for the Carnegie Medal. In 2008 Kate was again shortlisted for the Children's Books Ireland Bisto Award for her book, The Last of the High Kings, a beautiful and haunting story that delves deep into the magic of Irish myth and folklore.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781862303034 |
| ISBN 10 | 1862303037 |
| Title | The Last of the High Kings |
| Author | Kate Thompson |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Penguin Random House Children's UK |
| Year published | 2008-06-05 |
| Number of pages | 368 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |