Age 9+

Six publishers competed to buy this debut novel, and the winner paid six figures for it, and its sequel. It is a classic tale of good and evil with an orphan hero, a plucky girl to befriend him, dastardly villains, a bit of a twist and an element of magic. What distinguishes the story is that it draws on Viking legends and succeeds in creating an atmospheric setting — a gloomy Scandinavian landscape and a neglected mill, which occupy a lingering place in the mind’s eye. It begins with a grieving boy beside his father’s funeral pyre, who is claimed by a worryingly uncouth uncle and taken away to a grim new life of servitude. This plight is mitigated only by getting to know a kind girl and a rebellious house sprite. An avaricious plot to sell children to trolls in exchange for gold is ultimately foiled in a dramatic finale that takes place in the lair of the trolls in the core of the mountain. Although it is sometimes sinister, this novel successfully marries the supernatural and the mundane in the manner of fairy tales, and is engagingly told, with tantalising developments. It should have the wide appeal that all those bidders were counting on.

TROLL FELL by Katherine Langrish

(Collins £10.99)

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