Shadow Forest
Shadow Forest is a children's novel by Matt Haig, published in 2007. It won the Nestlé Children's Book Prize Gold Award,[1] was shortlisted for the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize[2] and has been nominated for the Carnegie Medal.[3]
Author | Matt Haig |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Children's |
Publisher | The Bodley Head |
Publication date | 3 May 2007 |
Pages | 416 pp |
ISBN | 978-0-370-32936-9 |
OCLC | 81452950 |
Plot
Samuel Blink is a 12-year-old boy living in England. He and his family, consisting of his ten-year-old sister, Martha Blink, his Mother, Liz Blink and his Father Steve Blink. Whilst en route to a surprise location for his younger sibling's birthday, a log falls onto the front portion of the car killing both their parents.
A week later, a letter comes from their Aunt Eda in Norway. The letter states that they will be coming to Norway the following day. Upon their arrive in Norway, Samuel is not impressed with the surroundings .They arrive at their new residence, located next to the infamous 'Shadow Forest', which Samuel has a feeling he had been to before. One evening Samuel is told the secret of Shadow Forest. Uncle Henrik had gone into the forest 10 years ago and never came out. Not long after, whilst rummaging through his aunt's attic, Samuel finds a book entitled Creatures of Shadow Forest'’. Later he discovers that Martha has disappeared.
He enters the aforementioned forest in search of his sibling, encountering multiple creatures described in his newfound book, Eventually he locates his sister and the family dog who has been under a curse implemented by the sinister 'Change Maker', whom they battle and inevitably defeat revealing the dog to be their uncle. The family is reunited and continue to live in Norway.
Audiobook
An audio book version of Shadow Forest, read by James Daniel Wilson was released by Clipper Audio. It strayed slightly from the main storyline.
References
- Nestlé Children's Book Prize Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- Waterstone's Children's Book Prize Archived October 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- The CILIP Carnegie Medal & Kate Greenaway Children's Book Awards