Product Description

In Stoneygate there was a wilderness where the ancient coal pit had once been. In the wilderness Kit met Askew, who has a strange ability to draw other children to his game called Death. When Askew disappears, it is up to Kit to find him and bring him back.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #85110 in Books
• Published on: 1999-11-18
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 233 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
When Kit moves to Stoneygate--a once-thriving mining village haunted by a long-ago tragedy which killed 117 children--he is befriended by the wretched, sullen John Askew, a boy whose very soul has been fractured by his violent upbringing. As Kit's grieving grandfather begins to lose his grip on life, Kit is irresistibly drawn into a treacherous game played for the highest of stakes. Coming face to face with the ghosts of the wilderness--the space between the houses and the river where the ancient mine once flourished--this game ultimately tests his perceptions of life and death.

David Almond, the award-winning author of Skellig, has set this extraordinary novel on a canvas of bleak, uncompromising landscapes which perfectly echo the simmering tensions that drive the story. With its all- consuming, chilling and surprisingly sensual depth Kit's Wilderness is packed tight with emotions that resonate on the page, making it a truly remarkable and unforgettable novel for older children. (Ages 11 and over). --Susan Harrison

LITERARY REVIEW
'A children's book of stunning freshness and individuality.'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
'An essential read'

Customer Reviews

A stunning mixture of Darkness and Light.
This book is brilliant at evoking a particular place. The old mining town of Stoneygate is laid before us in engaging detail, complete with kids playing on the wilderness by the river, unemployed miners stumbling out of the pubs, and Kit, newly arrived in the town where his family have been miners for generations. At first it seems as if Kit has got in with the wrong crowd, as he plays dangerous games with local thug John Askew in the wilderness causing his teachers and his family concern. But as he listens to his Grandpa's stories about the past, he realises that he has an important role: out of the darkness of the past, his own imagination, and the dark places he falls into, he can bring light. He needs the help of a ghost called Silky, an Ice Girl with silver claws, a Caveman called Lak, and the magic pebbles from the past, but in the end he shows the town that a new spring is possible.
This book is a delight to read; it takes you on a journey that will change you as it changes Kit.

Almond's best
I know this is a short review but I have to object to the book having an average rating of only 4 stars. This is one of the finest two childrens' books of all time. The only one to compare is 'Two weeks with the Queen' by Morris Gleitzman.

If you have ever lived in a place even remotely like Stoneygate then you must be able to recognise life there, and the games they play.

This novel kept me gripped, reminded me of my home town and of childhood.

Special.

Truely Brilliant
My sister got this book from the libary and finished it in 2 days. Shes not usually into reading in a big way, so I thought wow this must be something special and decided to pick it up myself.
I am so glad I did. This is one of the best books I've enjoyed in ages. From the language to the plot to ideas behind it, it really is wonderful. But most of all for its creation of the amazingly real and yet immensly interesting Askew, I challenge you not to understand completely what kit means when he says he feels drawn to him.