Joseph Delaney, The Wardstone Chronicles

The author: Former English teacher living in Lancashire, using its landscape and legends, signed to do a seven-part series.

The books: Tom is the seventh son of the seventh son, so the ideal apprentice to the local Spook, or exorcist. He learns to battle boggarts, ghosts and witches with the help of his elderly master, a young witch called Alice and his mysterious mother’s silver chain. The fourth, The Spook’s Battle, just published.

The buzz: A sense of realism and strong characterisation dramatised by gripping plot-line and a darkening sense of evil makes this one to watch. Lacks the humour and rich detail of Rowling’s books, but has a sense of wisdom and mysteries waiting to be discovered. Film optioned to 20th Century Fox. Grew by word of mouth. Rights sold to 20 countries.

Critical verdict: Impressive and intriguing, especially now it is blending Greek myth with English legend, but may be too limited a canvas.

Bottom line: Less nasty than the horror-writer Darren Shan, its creepy overtones make it perfect for fans of the Leakey Cauldron’s darker clients.

Philip Pullman, His Dark Materials

The author: Pullman, a former English teacher, wrote eight novels before the trilogy His Dark Materials. He became the first children’s author to win the Whitbread Book of the Year with The Amber Spyglass.

The book: Inspired chiefly by Paradise Lost, His Dark Materials tells how a new Eve, Lyra, finds her way into another world from an Oxford where souls are visible as animals, or daemons. Her Adam is Will, armed with a magical knife that Lyra’s father needs to aid him in his battle against the Authority – God Himself. A fourth volume, The Book of Dust, is in the pipeline.

The buzz: Witches, angels, armoured bears and daemons make this the hottest ticket of the year, with the film of the first book (The Golden Compass, pictured below) out in November. Made by New Line, which brought us Lord of the Rings, it is the best bet to succeed Harry Potter as family entertainment.

Critical verdict: A towering imagination and a prose style that knocks spots off Rowling. He is loved by children, parents and critics – and his audience can only get larger.

Bottom line: Sheer genius, it will be read in 100 years’ time – but lacks Harry’s comfort factor.

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