{"product_id":"the-kingdom-and-the-cave","title":"The Kingdom and the Cave","description":"Review\n\nJoan Aiken's invention seemed inexhaustible, her high spirits a blessing, her sheer storytelling zest a phenomenon. She was a literary treasure -- Philip Pullman\n\nIt is the mixture of irrepressible gaiety and invention with the tragic that makes Aiken one of the great children's authors ... impossible to calculate the number of people who have enjoyed her books - who have had some magic injected into the mundane ― Sunday Telegraph\n\nShe was a consummate story-teller, one that each generation discovers anew -- Amanda Craig ― The Times\n\nShe's one of the most important and interesting children's fiction writers of the last fifty years\n\nIt is the mixture of irrepressible gaiety and invention with the tragic that makes Aiken one of the great children's authors ... impossible to calculate the number of people who have enjoyed her books - who have had some magic injected into the mundane ― Telegraph\n\nIf Joan Aiken chooses to indulge in a Hobbity\/Prydainy pastiche one might; expect her to have something more than imitation in mind. But though the route from kingdom to cave and back again must be judged a comic success, Aiken hardly extends - and only now and again hints at parody of - the familiar themes and cast ― Kirkus Reviews\n\nA writer of wild humour and unrestrained imagination ― Oxford Companion to Children's Literature\n\nProduct Description\n\nFROM THE AUTHOR OF THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE\n\n'She was a literary treasure, and her books will continue to delight for years to come' PHILIP PULLMAN\n'Witty and endlessly inventive' CHRIS RIDDELL\n\n'The Under People. They live in a huge Cave. They are thought to be boring upwards. Giant worms and flying ants. Underground magic.'\n\nMickle, the palace cat, knows the kingdom is in danger. He can feel it in his whiskers and he has found a mysterious note in the royal library... (Yes, of course he can read, and speak - if he chooses to!) Mickle can't trust the King and Queen with his mission, so he and Prince Michael, with the help of their animal friends (and quite a bit of magic!), set out on a perilous quest to find the sinister Under People, discover their secret power and save the Kingdom of Astalon.\n\nIn her first novel, written when she was only a teenager, Joan Aiken showcases the imagination, wit and storytelling zest that would lead to classics like Arabel's Raven and The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.\n\nBook Description\n\nJoan Aiken is the author of many favourite children's books, including The Wolves of Willoughby Chase series. When she was just seventeen she wrote her first novel, The Kingdom and the Cave,a thrilling adventure about a cat and his boy.\n\nFrom the Back Cover\n\nJoan Aiken is the author of many favourite children's books, including The Wolves of Willoughby Chase series. When she was just seventeen she wrote her first novel, The Kingdom and the Cave, a thrilling adventure about a cat and his boy.\n\n'The Under People. They live in a huge Cave. They are thought to be boring upwards. Giant worms and flying ants. Underground magic.'\n\nMickle, the palace cat, knows the kingdom is in danger. He can feel it in his whiskers and he has found a mysterious note in the royal library... (Yes, of course he can read, and speak - if he chooses to!) Mickle can't trust the King and Queen with his mission, so he and Prince Michael, with the help of their animal friends (and quite a bit of magic!), set out on a perilous quest to find the sinister Under People, discover their secret power and save the Kingdom of Astalon.\n\n'She was a consummate story-teller, one that each generation discovers anew' Amanda Craig, The Times\n\nAbout the Author\n\nJoan Aiken (1924-2004) was born in Rye, Sussex. She was the daughter of the American poet Conrad Aiken, and her step-father was English writer Martin Armstrong.\n\nJoan Aiken wrote over one hundred books for young readers and adults and is recognised as one of the classic children's authors of the twentieth century. Her best-known books are The Wolves of Will","brand":"Virago Press Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40597523464277,"sku":"9780349005874N","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2481\/5790\/files\/0b8a3925-dcc4-4dc5-a77b-74804f6e1c12.jpg?v=1682529480","url":"https:\/\/smeikalbooks.co.uk\/en-us\/products\/the-kingdom-and-the-cave","provider":"smeikalbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}