The Companions Quartet, Book Four : The Chimera’s
Curse
The Companions Quartet, Book 4 : The Chimera's Curse
ISBN
9780761454403
Specifications
5" X 7 3/4"; 336 pages
Author(s)
Julia Golding
Ages
Ages 10 and up
List Price
US$ 16.99
About
the Book Connie Lionheart is the only Universal Companion,
able to communicate with all of the mythical creatures hidden in our world.
She’s the most important member of the secret society sworn to protect the
bonds between humans and creatures. But the shape-shifter Kullervo wants to use
her power to wipe out humanity. Connie must stop him, but how? There are no
simple answers in the exciting conclusion to this award-winning eco-fantasy
series by a Nestlé Prize-winning author.
"Come to
the mark. Come to me. You know you must. Connie surfaced from sleep, struggling
like a swimmer caught in weeds, thrashing to reach air. When she woke, she found
the bedclothes twisted around her. She threw them off and sat up to gulp some
water from the glass on her bedside table, her handshaking slightly. The voice
had crept into her dreams again: the voice of Kullervo, the shape-shifter, her
enemy—and her companion creature. He said the same thing each time,
repeating the message again and again so that she could hear its echo during the
daylight hours as well as in the stillness of the night. She knew where he
wanted her to go: he wanted her to meet him at the mark he had made deep in her
mind, the breach in the wall between her and his dark presence. But she would
not give in to him."
Julia
Golding’s debut novel,
The Diamond of Drury Lane,
won the Nestlé Children’s Book Prize and the
Ottakar’s Children’s Book Prize in the U.K. She lives in Oxford,
England. While working as a diplomat in Poland, Julia Golding traveled high and
low, from the Tatra Mountains to the bottom of a Silesian coal mine. She later
joined Oxfam as a lobbyist on conflict issues, campaigning at the United Nations
and with governments to lessen the impact of war on civilians living in war
zones.
"This lively, descriptive, and exciting fantasy for
middle-grade readers should have wide appeal. Recommend it to young Percy
Jackson and the Olympians fans."
—VOYA
"Readers who enjoyed book 1 will welcome the second
helping of Golding’s conservation-minded storytelling and multidimensional
characters."
—Booklist
"Julia Golding infuses this book with warm and caring
friendships, mystery and adventure, and an awareness and concern for the
environment and animals."
—Library Media
Connection
"Definitely read this! It is a compelling, suspenseful
sequel to the spellbinding first novel! It’s pure magic, filled with
twists and turns, action and adventure. I eagerly await the next book!"
—S.H., age 16,
KY
The Companions Quartet, Book 4: The Chimera’s
Curse
"This installment is the most action-packed of the
series, and Connie’s fans will be on the edge of their seats from page
one." —VOYA,
December 2008
"This series is unique in the way
it sketches broad dangers—vast population and the end of humankind and
both real and mythical animals (who are real here)—in a tranquil style of
prose that’s unlikely to frighten readers but is helpful for seeing
environmental analogies."
—Kirkus Reviews,
October 1, 2008
