The Forbidden Library

Alice always thought fairy tales had happy endings. That–along with everything else–changed the day she met her first fairy…

When Alice’s father goes down in a shipwreck, she is sent to live with her uncle Geryon–an uncle she’s never heard of and knows nothing about. He lives in an enormous manor with a massive library that is off-limits to Alice. But then she meets a talking cat. And even for a rule-follower, when a talking cat sneaks you into a forbidden library and introduces you to an arrogant boy who dares you to open a book, it’s hard to resist. Especially if you’re a reader to begin with. Soon Alice finds herself INSIDE the book, and the only way out is to defeat the creature imprisoned within.

It seems her uncle is more than he says he is. But then so is Alice.

(Middle-Grade Fantasy)

Praise

“I was attracted by the cover, which is a work of art, and as I started to read, I was enthralled… very quickly. My initial reaction was that this owes a little to A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS and the SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES, but as I got further into the story, I realised that it owes nothing to either of those series, but possibly finds its origins in the children’s adventure stories of a previous century – not Narnia, and not Alice, but something at the back of my mind that I simply can’t place, and I have to say, therefore, that it is entirely original. And brilliantly done – this is a package, which means that it is not only a rattlingly brilliant story, it is also a story that’s given special treatment in terms of its printing and binding, and to cap it all, it contains superb illustrations by the outstanding David Wyatt, whose talents I am familiar with from his illustrations for Lord of the Rings. This is a brilliant story, and Django Wexler is a name to remember – as if you could forget it!”

—Books Monthly (Children's Book of the Month, 4/14)

“The plot also had enough mystery to keep me constantly guessing; I could never be sure what everybody’s motives were. I felt for Alice and her predicament of being suddenly thrust into a strange environment where she couldn’t trust anyone, though she was far from helpless and I’m sure she had no need for anyone’s sympathy. Courageous and headstrong, Alice is a good role model for young readers, being a take-charge kind of girl who doesn’t take obstacles or setbacks lying down.”

Mogsy at BiblioSanctum