Mysterious and utterly mesmerizing, this graphic-novel-within-a-novel pairs the extraordinary prose of David Almond with the visual genius of Dave McKean.
Blue Baker is writing a story — not all that stuff about wizards and fairies and happily ever after — a real story, about blood and guts and adventures, because that's what life's really like. At least it is for Blue, since his dad died and Hopper, the town bully, started knocking him and the other kids around. But Blue's story has a life of its own — weird and wild and magic and dark — and when the savage pays a nighttime visit to Hopper, Blue starts to wonder where he ends and his creation begins.
SELECTION ALA Best Books for Young Adults
"Remarkable." — THE TIMES (U.K.) — Times, The (UK)
"An extremely touching and cleverly conceived story of how wounds can gradually heal." — THE IRISH TIMES — Irish Times, The
David Almond, the author of My Dad's a Birdman, illustrated by Polly Dunbar, is known worldwide for his novels Skellig, Kit's Wilderness, Heaven Eyes, and The Fire Eaters. The winner of a Carnegie Medal and a Michael L. Printz Award, he lives in Northumberland, England. Dave McKean is the illustrator of the children's books Coraline, The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, and The Wolves in the Walls (a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year), all by Neil Gaiman. He also created art for Neil Gaiman's series The Sandman and designs for two Harry Potter films. He lives in Kent, England.
Mysterious and utterly mesmerizing, this graphic-novel-within-a-novel pairs the extraordinary prose of David Almond with the visual genius of Dave McKean.
Blue Baker is writing a story — not all that stuff about wizards and fairies and happily ever after — a real story, about blood and guts and adventures, because that's what life's really like. At least it is for Blue, since his dad died and Hopper, the town bully, started knocking him and the other kids around. But Blue's story has a life of its own — weird and wild and magic and dark — and when the savage pays a nighttime visit to Hopper, Blue starts to wonder where he ends and his creation begins.
Awards
SELECTION ALA Best Books for Young Adults
Praise
"Remarkable." — THE TIMES (U.K.) — Times, The (UK)
"An extremely touching and cleverly conceived story of how wounds can gradually heal." — THE IRISH TIMES — Irish Times, The
Author
David Almond, the author of My Dad's a Birdman, illustrated by Polly Dunbar, is known worldwide for his novels Skellig, Kit's Wilderness, Heaven Eyes, and The Fire Eaters. The winner of a Carnegie Medal and a Michael L. Printz Award, he lives in Northumberland, England. Dave McKean is the illustrator of the children's books Coraline, The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, and The Wolves in the Walls (a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year), all by Neil Gaiman. He also created art for Neil Gaiman's series The Sandman and designs for two Harry Potter films. He lives in Kent, England.
