"Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest"

Matt Haig's first novel for young readers, Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest, is just out in the U.S. (The U.K. title is Shadow Forest.)

About the book, from the publisher:

Aunt Eda’s Rule #9: NEVER—UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES— GO INTO THE FOREST.

Samuel and Martha have just moved to Norway to live with their aunt Eda, and she’s taking some getting used to. She has too many rules, no TV, and insists that they eat local delicacies like brown cheese and reindeer soup. And then there’s the most peculiar thing about her—her irrational fear of her own backyard. Sure, Uncle Henrik hasn’t been heard from since he disappeared into it ten years ago, but that can’t be the forest’s fault ... can it?

Samuel is skeptical, until he disobeys Rule #1 — Never go up to the attic — and finds an unusual book: The Creatures of Shadow Forest, which gives scary descriptions of the fantastic creatures supposedly living in the forest. So when Sam starts seeing strange things venture past the treeline after dark, he can’t help wondering ... could Aunt Eda be right, and what really happened to Uncle Henrik?

This highly inventive fantasy is full of amazing characters and unexpected twists that will elicit both laughter and chills.

Visit Matt Haig's website.

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