Katherine Rundell

Impossible Creatures is one of those great children's books like Narnia or Northern Lights, which comes along as an action-packed fantasy romp while reminding us of some of the very deepest themes of being human.

Our two heroes are Christopher, a boy from our world discovering he is the Guardian of the Archipelago, and Mal, a girl from the Archipelago who has a magical flying coat. The Archipelago is populated by a chaotic mix of creatures from myth - more famous ones like unicorns, mermaids show more and griffins, and lesser known ones like kluddes, ratatoskas and kankos.

The book is really quite dark and heavy, much more so than the cover suggests. The magical creatures are dying out, and our heroes must try and work out how to save the world. The book addresses head-on the question of suffering - is the world worth living in, dark and evil and full of pain as it is? - and answers emphatically 'yes', that the joy and love and beauty are all worth it. "It is so difficult to be alive, and so beautiful."

Katherine Rundell is a fellow in English literature, and although the prose is simple and compelling there is a feeling of richness in what she writes, with echoes of everything from Donne to Ulysses. show less

“If I had a serious brain injury I might well write a children’s book,” Martin Amis once said when asked if he’d ever thought of writing for younger readers. He added that writing for kids would force him to write “at a lower register” than the level at which he was capable of performing. Katherine Rundell duly notes Amis’s disdain for children’s literature, as it is so much in keeping with people’s indulgent and mildly dismissive response to her when she tells them what show more she does for a living. There’s “a particular smile that some people give,” she says, “roughly the same smile I’d expect had I told them I make miniature bathroom furniture out of matchboxes, for the elves.”

However, as Rundell goes on to reflect in her little (literally)--4” X 5”— book: “the human heart is not a linear train ride”. She says there’s a general sense among adults that we should always be progressing, but we actually do not turn to books of increasing difficulty and complexity. That’s where children’s literature comes in. The best works of literature for the young, she intimates, aren’t just for them. “Children’s fiction necessitates distillation” rendering “in their purest, most archetypal forms hope, hunger, joy, fear.” Children don’t tolerate authorial pontificating, meandering, and self congratulation, so when authors, including Rundell herself, write for them, they use fewer words to put down the things they want children to know (arming them for life) . . . and adults to remember: “that there are and always will be great, sustaining truths to which we can return.”

I can’t argue with any of the above, and while it was nice to see these ideas written down, I was disappointed with this very slight book, which ultimately amounts to a Christmas stocking stuffer for the already converted—i.e., those who know children’s literature is not some lesser form of writing. I wished the book had provided more examples to flesh out the ways in which high quality children’s books can remind us (without being preachy or didactic) of enduring truths and the magic of being alive. show less

“But it’s not always sensible to be sensible.”
KATHERINE RUNDELL, THE GOOD THIEVES

Historical fiction is one of my top genres, so I was eager to read this book set in depression-era New York City with my Li’l Peach. Just like mum, the budding bookworm is a lover of history. We had only ever read non-fiction books about the past, so this was an exciting read that introduced him to a beloved genre.

At the commencement of this fast-paced story, Vita and her mother had just traversed the show more ocean from England to assist her ailing grandfather. Her mother was hopeful that with the clearing up of his financial affairs, he would return to the UK with them in the coming weeks. The loose ends would take a little more work to clear up than anyone had imagined, least of all Vita.

The frail man defeatedly admitted that for a mere two hundred dollars, the equivalent of three thousand today, he had been scammed out of ownership of the historic family castle by a bulldozing, real-estate mogul. Although her grandfather seemed resigned to this fact and his inability to do anything about it, Vita had other plans.

If she could get into the castle and dig out some abandoned treasure, they would use the proceeds from the sale of the gem to get a fancy lawyer and set things straight. This lofty goal would seem all the more difficult to achieve given her apparent limitations: the painful and maldeveloped foot she acquired from her battle with Polio years earlier and her ignorance about the big city that she now must expertly navigate.

Possible impediments aside, our fearless heroine ventures out on her own to do a recognisance mission when she ends up crossing paths with my favourite character of the book. Silk, a homeless young teen, rough around the edges and tough-as-nails, is a hustling pick-pocket, the perfect match for the courageous Vita. As fate would have it, she also befriends Samuel and Arkady – performers in a travelling circus running temporarily at Carnegie Hall, just across the way from where her grandfather lives. Together they form a tattered yet tenacious crew of ‘good thieves,’ and the story jets off from there.

Bravery, ability, and determination are the guiding forces for this talented gang of kids as they seek to defeat the scoundrel Sorratore as he stealthily attempts to snatch up historic properties across New York City. Thanks to their diverse skillset: Samuel the acrobat, Arkady the animal whisperer, Silk the street hustler, and Vita with the expert aim – a skill she picked up when she was a small child, under the tutelage of her now infirm grandfather – a tightly-woven plan was all they would need to succeed.

The all-important red notebook held the path to victory as Vita prepared every step needed for things to come together. Unfortunately for them, they met much friction along the way. Vita is an admirable role model for young readers, as her organisational skills and strong leadership are matched only by her grit to fight through the discomfort and pain of her mission.

There were teachable moments throughout the story, as themes of family, friendship, loyalty, racism, crime, and dishonesty are in abundance. Visually evocative scenes play out as Rundell transports us through the bustle of Manhattan, the landscapes of suburban New York, and the majesty of the decaying castle.

Endearing characters, an exciting plot, appropriate pacing, and sheer enjoyment have me rating this middle-grade fiction gem 4.5 peaches and adding Rundell’s other popular offering, Rooftoppers, to my list without delay.

To see Rimsky, the crow bookmark I made in honour of Arkady's helpful feathered friend, visit my blog post here: https://peachybooks.ca/2021/07/29/book-review-the-good-thieves-by-katherine-rund... show less

Holy crap, you guys, I just LOVE Katherine Rundell. I love her storytelling, I love her world, I love her uncomplicated but still rich prose, I want to gobble up her books but then read them again for the first time.

The Poisoned King is the second in the Impossible Creatures series, and yes you need to read them in order to understand the world and its characters because we meet many of them again here. The good news is, this book will not emotionally wreck your soul the way the first one show more did. The even better news is, there's still plenty of life-and-death stakes, general mayhem, and emotional upheaval (with less bittersweet in the ending this time).

Yeah, these are children's books. In the old school sense of having 12 year old protagonists deal with big world-ending shit and learning/growing along the way. Rundell is the newest in a long line of great British children's book authors and in some ways she is a throwback, willing to sadden and terrify her readers with quests that have substantial stakes... and willing to throw medieval, Shakespearean, and even ancient Greek references at them at the same time. Like her predecessors, though, she is also a master of hope and reading this books is ultimately a joyful experience.

Have I mentioned that I FREAKIN LOVE THESE BOOKS!?!!

I would like more please, right now, but alas I shall have to wait like everyone else. Guess I'll go read something else in the meantime. Whatevs. show less