The Grimmelings

Description

The same evening Josh Underhill went missing, the black horse appeared on the hill above the house.

Thirteen-year-old Ella knows that words are powerful. So she should have known better than to utter a wish and a curse on the same day, even in jest. When the boy she has cursed goes missing, in the same sudden, unexplained way as her father several years earlier, Ella discovers that her family is living in the shadow of a vengeful kelpie, a black horse-like creature. With the help of her beloved pony Magpie, can Ella break the curse of the kelpie and save not just her family, but the whole community?

Rachael King's writing is immersive and vibrant, rich in lore and an appreciation of the natural world that fans of Katherine Rundell, Susan Cooper and Kiran Millwood Hargrave will love.

Promotion info

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

Author description

Rachael King is a writer, reviewer, former literary festival director and ex-bass player from Aotearoa New Zealand. She is the author of two novels for children: Red Rocks, which won the Esther Glen Medal in 2013, and The Grimmelings, which is due for publication in 2024. Her novels for adults, The Sound of Butterflies and Magpie Hall, were together published in nine different languages. Red Rocks is currently in development for television by Libertine Pictures (Mystic) and Sky TV.Rachael was the programme director of the WORD Christchurch Festival for eight years until the end of 2021; in her time, it was transformed it into an internationally renowned event, partnering with some of the biggest festivals in the world. Her invitation to WORD in 2019 allowed exiled Kurdish writer Behrouz Boochani, author of No Friend but the Mountains, to visit New Zealand, where he successfully applied for asylum after six years in Australia's notorious Manus Island detention prison. Rachael received a Waitangi Day Honour Award from the New Zealand Society of Authors for her role in securing his freedom.In 2023 Rachael was named Best Reviewer at the Voyager New Zealand Media Awards. She lives in Ōtautahi Chrischurch.