Spellbound

by Anna Dale

Overview

An innocent summer holiday turns out to be anything but for Athene and her younger brother, Zach, when they find themselves caught up in a skirmish between two groups of gnome-like creatures: The Humble Gloam live above ground and get along with humans; the Low Gloam live below ground and despise everyone. But when Zach stumbles into Low Gloam territory, Athene disguises herself to rescue him—and discovers a secret that could bring the two Gloam tribes together—if it doesn't tear them apart, first.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781599908717
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	10/01/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Anna Dale lives in Southampton, England, where she works part-time as a bookseller. She has written two previous novels for Bloomsbury, Whispering to Witches and Dawn Undercover.

Editorial Reviews

In the Enright family, Athene and Zach are as opposite in every way as the letters of their names. Zach is sunny, finding ways to be happy, while dour Athene hasn't quit resenting his birth. When the family takes a vacation to rural England, Athene happens upon a curious creature who calls himself a "Gloam," a gnome-like creature who inhabits the night. Athene is thrilled with her adventure until Zach trails along one evening. In a fit of pique, she decides to send him into the tree inhabited by the Low Gloam, an evil, nasty bunch that holds new arrivals in magical, eternal thrall. An unbelievable personality change transforms the unlikable Athene, who decides to rescue her lost brother from an underground world described as both fascinating and miserable. Athene assembles a cadre of helpers to break the spell, as the plot hurtles forward in a manner equally logical and improbable by turns. Breaking the spell requires both work and cleverness in the classical fantasy tradition without much else to make it stand out. (Fantasy. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews