Spellbinding middle-grade fantasy adventure of loyalty, courage, and being careful what you wish for . . .

'The Grimmelings is a compelling, lovingly crafted novel about magic, liminal spaces (of several kinds), language and folkloric fusion. Rachael King's characters live and breathe. Her dialogue glitters quietly. She discovers new perspectives in inherited narratives to create a world that is familiar yet unexpected, tense and eerie with flashes of beauty.' David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas, The Bone Clocks 'Rachael King's The Grimmelings is one of those very rare books that feels like it has always existed, as if the world has been holding space for this story. With wonderfully assured writing, this is Susan Cooper for the next generation. King writes with the utmost respect for her readers, for the story and for language itself. The Grimmelings is a beautifully written story of old magic; uncontainable, unpredictable, wild and true - I could not put it down. And although the phrase is thrown around a lot, this genuinely is a future classic. I cannot wait to recommend it far and wide. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this remarkable story.' Zana Fraillon, The Bone Sparrow, The Raven's Song 'The Grimmelings is a riveting adventure set on a horse-trekking farm in the lakeside wilds of the South Island of New Zealand, where lonely thirteen-year-old Ella, the granddaughter of a rumoured witch, finds herself the target of an ancient and vengeful water horse. Ella's courage, grief and grit make her a worthy protagonist; the reader cannot help but sympathise with and root for her as she fights to save her family from the saddle of her feisty pony, Magpie. Exquisitely crafted and thrumming with old magic, The Grimmelings wraps the reader like an heirloom quilt, stitched with glittering folklore, mysterious family secrets and the love of horses.' Rachael Craw, Spark trilogy 'An eerie and beautiful contemporary fantasy full of very real characters - humans, horses and a monster - all grounded in warm and abrasive family life, and the daily surprises and hard grind of making a living from working with horses.' Elizabeth Knox, The Absolute Book, Dreamhunter 'I was gripped until the very end and it left me in tears - which is always the sign of cracking good book. The writing just sings; it's evocative and atmospheric with the moodiness of Wuthering Heights. And the horse action is epically good! I completely loved this book! Totally genius.' Stacy Gregg, The Princess and the Foal 'If I had this book when I was twelve, my child-self's reading heart would have been changed in the same way as it was by Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising series and Elyne Mitchell's The Silver Brumby series. Like those books, this novel expands the imagination. Today's young people are here gifted with an exceptional way of seeing story, words, and the world. The Grimmelings is set to become an all-time favourite for adults and children alike and, for me, now one of my favourite stories.' Tania Roxborogh, Charlie Tangaroa and the Creature from the Sea 'The best book I've read this year. Rachael has delivered a story that transcends time and place, playing with old words and mythical creatures in a stunningly original way. I loved it!' Bren MacDibble, How to Bee, The Raven's Song