FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE

'She was a literary treasure, and her books will continue to delight for years to come' PHILIP PULLMAN
'Witty and endlessly inventive' CHRIS RIDDELL
'She's one of the most important and interesting children's fiction writers of the last fifty years' NEIL GAIMAN

'The Under People. They live in a huge Cave. They are thought to be boring upwards. Giant worms and flying ants. Underground magic'

Mickle, the palace cat, knows the kingdom is in danger. He can feel it in his whiskers and he has found a mysterious note in the royal library ... (Yes, of course he can read, and speak - if he chooses to!) Mickle can't trust the King and Queen with his mission, so he and Prince Michael, with the help of their animal friends (and quite a bit of magic!), set out on a perilous quest to find the sinister Under People, discover their secret power and save the Kingdom of Astalon.

In her first novel, written when she was only a teenager, Joan Aiken showcases the imagination, wit and storytelling zest that would lead to classics like Arabel's Raven and The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.

About the Author
Joan Aiken (1924-2004) was born in Rye, Sussex. She was the daughter of the American poet Conrad Aiken, and her step-father was English writer Martin Armstrong. Joan Aiken wrote over one hundred books for young readers and adults and is recognised as one of the classic children's authors of the twentieth century. Her best-known books are The Wolves of Willoughby Chase chronicles and the Arabel's Raven series, but she is also famous for her brilliant short stories. Joan Aiken received the Edgar Allan Poe Award in the United States as well as the Guardian Award for Fiction. She was decorated with an MBE for her services to children's books.

Reviews
Joan Aiken's invention seemed inexhaustible, her high spirits a blessing, her sheer storytelling zest a phenomenon. She was a literary treasure -- Philip Pullman
It is the mixture of irrepressible gaiety and invention with the tragic that makes Aiken one of the great children's authors ... impossible to calculate the number of people who have enjoyed her books - who have had some magic injected into the mundane * Sunday Telegraph *
She was a consummate story-teller, one that each generation discovers anew -- Amanda Craig * The Times *
She's one of the most important and interesting children's fiction writers of the last fifty years
It is the mixture of irrepressible gaiety and invention with the tragic that makes Aiken one of the great children's authors ... impossible to calculate the number of people who have enjoyed her books - who have had some magic injected into the mundane * Telegraph *
She was a consummate story-teller, one that each generation discovers anew -- Amanda Craig * The Times *
If Joan Aiken chooses to indulge in a Hobbity/Prydainy pastiche one might; expect her to have something more than imitation in mind. But though the route from kingdom to cave and back again must be judged a comic success, Aiken hardly extends - and only now and again hints at parody of - the familiar themes and cast * Kirkus Reviews *
She was a consummate story-teller, one that each generation discovers anew -- Amanda Craig * The Times *
A writer of wild humour and unrestrained imagination * Oxford Companion to Children's Literature *



Book Information
ISBN 9780349005874
Author Joan Aiken, MBE
Format Paperback
Page Count 192
Imprint Virago Press Ltd
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 160g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 126mm * 14mm