WILD MAGIC
Cat’s latest book! In the shops 5 July 2007

Marianna and her brother Jakob are trapped in a world of wild magic. A world as cruel as it is beautiful. Before they can go home, they have to brave the enchantments of the dark Whispering Forest, where even the elves are forbidden to trespass. And all the time they are being stalked by a fearsome Beast, who needs one of the children to break a centuries-old curse.

But the price of breaking the curse is a terrible one…

WILD MAGIC is a powerful reworking of the Pied Piper legend. A spellbinding and wild adventure, full of unexpected magic and danger!

Barkbelly

One shiny egg falls down, down, down through the midnight sky. A wooden egg, no larger than a goose egg, but much heavier. And out of the egg springs BARKBELLY!

Barkbelly is an outsider – a wooden boy – and when a terrible accident happens, everyone in the village blames him. Suddenly Barkbelly is on the run for his life.

Through the mountains and on he runs. A dark and dangerous journey to the other side of the world and back again. Barkbelly sleeps under the stars, rides on a circus wagon and sails on the deck of a pirate ship. He runs faster than he has ever run in his life. And along the way, he learns the truth about where he
comes from.

Once he knows where that place is, he has to go there. But will it be where he belongs?

Barkbelly is a magical, fast-moving adventure story, packed with amazing machines, giant hedgehogs, salty pirates, a circus and a jam factory!

What they’re saying about BARKBELLY

A startling fresh voice in children's books! Cat Weatherill is one of our great storytellers, vivacious and inventive. She brings all her consummate skill to the creation of her first magical book – Michael Morpurgo, Children’s Laureate

The real star of this month’s fantasies is Cat Weatherill’s BARKBELLY. What makes the book special is not just the quality of the author’s imagination but her richly poetic style – Amanda Craig, The Times

Cat’s curious fable of a wooden boy cries to be read aloud – Helen Brown, The Daily Telegraph

Cat Weatherill’s BARKBELLY falls squarely in the glorious category… As in all the best stories, what he learns on the way about love, friendship and courage becomes the real point of the tale – Christina Hardyment, The Independent

I think it's just wonderful. Cat has brought her vivid storyteller's gifts straight on to the page -- her Barkbelly is a lively, affecting wooden hero, as much a real boy as Pinocchio ever was. This is a magical and moving debut –
Erica Wagner, Literary Editor, The Times

This is magical and wonderfully exciting storytelling, which lifts effortlessly aloud off the page, fuelled by the musical rhythms of the language and the tidal rhythms of traditional stories – Books For Keeps

SNOWBONE

If you’ve read BARKBELLY, you’ll remember Snowbone! She’s the strange, pale wooden girl whom we last saw sitting on a beach in Ashenpeake, ‘lost to the wind and the waves.’

In SNOWBONE, the thrilling sequel to BARKBELLY, Snowbone becomes a fierce warrior, determined to fight for her people’s freedom. With Figgis, Blackeye and her gang of tiddlins marching beside her, Snowbone hunts for the slave traders. But the slavers won’t give in without a fight… Will Snowbone live to tell the tale?

Flying ships, exploding volcanoes, man-eating plants, hungry cannibals, burning buildings – they’re all here, in a brand new, whirlwind adventure!

What they’re saying about SNOWBONE

This book is a testament to the imagination. A children’s novel that will appeal to adults, Cat Weatherill’s sequel to Barkbelly broaches issues of slavery, love and death while maintaining a magical charm – The Big Issue

My particular favourite… a journey of discovery where they learn more about themselves than anything else – Level Up, BBC 2 / CBBC

The book is filled with action… made all the more powerful by a spiritual undercurrent and moments of intense lyrical beauty. As the story progresses Snowbone grows in maturity, gaining wisdom and knowledge through her experiences. This is a dazzling book, inventive in plot and rich in language. – Carousel Guide to Children’s Books

BARKBELLY and SNOWBONE are published by Puffin books buy these books online

Read more about Cat on the Puffin website: www.puffin.co.uk

WILD MAGIC LIVE, BARKBELLY LIVE and SNOWBONE LIVE (high-energy introductions to the books, including performed extracts, Q & A and book signing) are available for schools and literature festivals. Please ask!