The Divide [Hardcover]

A well-paced and intelligent story laced with wry humour that still manages to unobtrusively educate and tackle such important themes as globalisation without ever become preachy. Ms Kay expertly juggles, weaves, and final neatly knits together at least half a dozen different plot threads.

A rich cast of quirky and varied characters who avoid the stereotypes so often found in the average children's book. Every character, (even those with only bit parts), in this book feels real. The heroes and heroines have flaws and foibles and the villains all have at least one likeable or redeeming feature. (My personal favourite is Ironclaw; a loveable, fearsome and occasionally pompous brazzle - The Divide's equivalent of a griffin - who specialises in pure mathematics. Yes - The Divide manages to make even abstract maths both interesting and fun!)

Best of all though, is the setting. A wonderfully well thought out magical other world that engages the imagination, wraps you up in a sense of wonder and leaves you longing for more.

In the book's introduction, the publisher says he is trying to persuade Ms Kay to write a sequel. I sincerely hope he succeeds!

I have four goddaughters all of whom are the right age for this book. I have bought a copy for each of them.

Young terminally ill Felix collapses on the Great Continental Divide, falling in such a way that he slips into an alternate universe. He wakes up in a land where all the mythical beasts: griffins, dragons, elves, fauns, vampires, centaurs etc., are commonplace - and humans are mythical! He finds himself trapped in a world where most of the characters he meets don't believe he exists!

This is a lengthy book with a multi-stranded plot - yet it never feels long, as it moves along at such a brisk pace. In many respects, it reminds me of the old Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree stories, yet much more plot driven and contemporary. Furthermore, what really makes this book fizz is the constant humor.

Many reviewers have admired the unusual cover design - but I thought this was the book's one failing. Both the hardback (with a split cover) and paperback (with a hole in the cover), are very abstract in design. This, coupled with the ambiguity of the title - and the reader's first glimpse of the book conceals what lies within its pages. I suspect that a cover depicting the multiplicity of mythical fantasy creatures found within the text would work better and attract more fans of the genre.

Probably best suited to 8 - 12 year-olds, rather than young adult as suggested above.

I needn't have worried. In no time, I was roaring along on an adventure ride in a fantasy land filled with beautifully described creatures and beings. The fantastical Brazzles, the unmentionable shadow beasts, the extraordinary Shreddermouth and the noble Brittlehorns all giving something to the plot along the way.

As much as I wanted our friendly heroes, Felix now joined by his tangle-child friend Betony and the Brazzles of course, to succeed I wanted Snakeweed to get his comeuppance.

The sting in the tale of this book leaving me itching for a sequel to see what havoc Snakeweed can cause and how our friends from the other side of The Divide can be brought back into the story. Any chance?

If I enjoyed this magical ride this much, I just can't see how the kids that read it are going to contain their excitement. Any bedtime story reading adult has got his or her work cut out trying to find an appropriate place to stop this story for the night! My guess is most kids won't be sleeping until they've heard the lot.

A cracking read, a great insight into a fantastical world and I'm only left with one question...When will Snakeweed get a taste of his own medicine?