The Poisoned King

<p><b>'Katherine Rundell returns with a perfect fantasy' <i>Telegraph</i></b><br><b><br>** BOOKS ARE MY BAG READERS' AWARD WINNER **<br><br>The unmissable new story in the No.1 <i>Sunday Times</i> bestselling Impossible Creatures series, for fans of Philip Pullman, Percy Jackson and Skandar. </b><br><br><b><i>'There was Tolkien, there is Pullman and now there is Katherine Rundell' </i>– Michael Morpurgo</b><br><br>When Christopher Forrester is unexpectedly woken by a miniature dragon chewing on his face, his heart leaps for joy. For months he’s dreamed of returning to the Archipelago – the secret islands where all the creatures of myth still live. But he did not know it would involve a rescue mission on the back of a sphinx, or a plan to enter a dragon’s lair. Nor did he imagine it would involve a girl with a flock of birds at her side, a new-hatched chick in her pocket and a ravenous hunger for justice...<br><br><b>Awards and praise for <i>Impossible Creatures</i> </b><br>WINNER Waterstones Book of the Year<br>WINNER British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year<br>WINNER Foyles Children's Book of the Year <br>WINNER Books Are My Bag Readers Award<br><br>'A book stuffed full of fantastical, magical delight' – Cressida Cowell <br><br>'Readers will seize this with delight<i>' </i>– Philip Pullman <br><br>'A masterpiece to rival Tolkien<i>' </i>– <i>Daily Telegraph</i> <br><br>'Every sentence sparkles ... Magnificent' – <i>The Times</i> <br><br><i>Impossible Creatures</i> Sunday Times bestseller, December 2023</p>