Ark, or Arktorious Malikum to use his full name, is a plumber who lives in the trees. His home, a place he thinks boring and mundane, is Arborium, the last forested island on earth. Though Ark doesn’t yet realise it, the wood it holds is more precious than gold, a fact that has not escaped Arborium’s greedy elite.
Long ago, in the beginning, the goddess Diana created this incredible forest land, with its giant trees and branches, strong enough to hold roads, houses and life. The people of Arborium moved up from the polluted earth and into the trees. It stayed that way for so long that the very idea of going back down to the ground filled most of the tree-dwellers with fear and dread. Even worse would be to get lost in the forgotten Ravenwood, a dark and unforgiving place, home to the ravens, which are both feared and revered by Arborium’s people.
But when Ark overhears Arborium’s high councillor making a terrible deal with a rival island, Maw, the land of glass and steel, he knows he might need to travel to the very places he fears the most to save his land and people. His quest to save Arborium will take him down to the dirty earth, into the mind of a lonely mealworm, across the path of the mysterious Rootshooters and lastly, into the arms of the terrifying Ravenwood and its queen Corwenna.
Andrew Peters’ Ravenwood (PB $17) is a brilliant adventure that will have you laughing out loud AND gripping at the edges of your seat. Ark and his friends will utterly charm you as you ride along with them on their incredible journey to save Arborium.
Recommended for 11+, a great read for lovers of Timothee de Fombelle’s Toby Alone.