Malamander

...a wonderfully imaginative and atmospheric adventure, rich in myth and legend and with a delicious gothic edge... Taylor is best known as an illustrator - he famously created the original jacket for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - but Malamander confirms him as a ferociously talented writer... this really is one that deserves all the buzz. -- Fiona Noble * The Bookseller, Children's Book of the Month * I was steeped in the briny world of the Malamander from the very first page. Set in Eerie on Sea, where mythical beasts to walk the misty shores, Thomas Taylor introduces us to a wonderful pair of detectives - Herbie and Violet - with a riddle to solve. This is fantastical storytelling at it's best with a Dickensian cast and a terrifying beast from the deep. This enthralling oceanic adventure had me hoping our heroic lost and foundlings will have more mysteries to solve in books to come. I wanted to read on and on. * M. G. Leonard, Author of Beetle Boy * Full of unforgettable characters and brimming with maritime mystery, Malamander is a masterclass in original story-telling. Taylor's magical touch makes you believe in the impossible. * Catherine Doyle, author of The Storm Keeper's Island * Mermonkeys, monsters and magic, oh my! Malamander is a brilliantly plotted mystery swirling with secrets, myths and the enigmatic residents of one unforgettable sea-side town. * Jennifer Bell, author of The Uncommoners * Taylor is a supremely elegant writer, who does not dilly-dally. The plot is delivered like gunfire, and even less confident readers will be encouraged by cliffhanger chapters and knuckle-whitening prose. But this is also a touching story of friendship and loss, with wonderful vignettes of children on the cusp of growing up. Children's fantasy has become a crowded landscape in which new novelists can vanish without trace, but Taylor stands out. This is a sumptuously imagined book, which works a powerful spell. * The Telegraph *