Overview

From acclaimed author and Costa winner Hilary McKay comes The Time of Green Magic: a beautiful, spell-binding novel about new families, a magical old house and a mysterious cat . . . When Tom and Polly marry, blending their single parent families together, their children find it hard to relinquish their old lives. Max realizes his birth dad will never come home now, while Abi suddenly finds herself a middle child, expected to share far too much - especially with grubby little Louis. The family start over together, stretching their finances to the limit and renting an eerie, ivy-covered house, big enough for all of them. But when the children are alone there, strange things start to happen. Worried, Louis summons comfort from outdoors, and a startling guest arrives - is it a cat, or an owl, or something else? Abi reads alone, tumbling deep into books. Max loses his best friend and falls in love. Meanwhile, Louis' secret visitor is becoming much too real. And when Max and Abi too start to see the great spotted cat-thing that arrives in the night, it becomes a problem the three of them must find a way to solve - together. But where has the creature come from, and how will he get back?

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9781529019230

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Reviews

Hilary McKay writes with a wry wit, warmth and just the right amount of now-characteristic whimsy -- Anne Fine, BookTrust Books of the Year, 2019 McKay is a superb writer -- Sally Morris * Daily Mail * Hilary McKay has a rare gift for novels about families and their interplay. -- LoveReading4Kids Picking up a book by Hilary McKay is like slipping on bed socks on a chilly night. She knows how to look after her readers by ensuring that her characters are interesting and loveable from the start . . . -- The Times on <i>The Skylarks' War</i>, selected as Children's Book of the Year McKay couples warmth and grace with wry humour like nobody else out there -- Katherine Rundell * The Guardian * Hilary McKay is one of the great writers of children's fiction -- Sarah Hughes * Independent * A bewitching tale about blended families and the power of books told with all the wisdom and heart you would expect. * Bookseller * Vivid, hilarious, and heartbreaking, Hilary McKay's radiant characters touch my heart like real people, friends and loved ones I know well. Possibly the finest writer of our time. -- Elizabeth Wein Wise, funny and thoughtful, there are so many touching moments in this lovely book. * ReadingZone * This story of blended families and a house where books come to life would make a perfect Christmas present for any bookish nine- to 12-year-old. -- Sally Nichols * The Observer - Children's Books of the Year * Wise and kind and utterly heart-wrenching and full of characters you will give your whole heart to -- Anna James The real pleasure of McKay's fiction lies in her eye for the everyday. There is always drama in her books, but she is too confident a writer to feel the need to shatter any teacups - and unusually for a children's author, many of her tales have no obvious villain. * The Telegraph - Best Books of the Year * A wonderful, sensitive depiction of the highs and lows experienced when trying to blend two families. * The Times - Children's Books of the Year * This is magic without whimsy, a story about secrets and the power of books, with enough edge-of-the-seat moments to keep you hugging a cushion. * Observer * The emotions of real families have always been [McKay's] forte, but in this evocative novel she makes something fantastical happen * Sunday Times *

Hilary McKay has a rare gift for novels about families and their interplay. -- LoveReading4Kids McKay is a superb writer -- Sally Morris * Daily Mail * Picking up a book by Hilary McKay is like slipping on bed socks on a chilly night. She knows how to look after her readers by ensuring that her characters are interesting and loveable from the start . . . -- The Times on <i>The Skylarks' War</i>, selected as Children's Book of the Year McKay couples warmth and grace with wry humour like nobody else out there -- Katherine Rundell * The Guardian * Hilary McKay is one of the great writers of children's fiction -- Sarah Hughes * Independent * A bewitching tale about blended families and the power of books told with all the wisdom and heart you would expect. * Bookseller * Vivid, hilarious, and heartbreaking, Hilary McKay's radiant characters touch my heart like real people, friends and loved ones I know well. Possibly the finest writer of our time. -- Elizabeth Wein Wise and kind and utterly heart-wrenching and full of characters you will give your whole heart to -- Anna James This is magic without whimsy, a story about secrets and the power of books, with enough edge-of-the-seat moments to keep you hugging a cushion. * Observer * The emotions of real families have always been [McKay's] forte, but in this evocative novel she makes something fantastical happen * Sunday Times *

Hilary McKay has a rare gift for novels about families and their interplay. -- LoveReading4Kids Vivid, hilarious, and heartbreaking, Hilary McKay's radiant characters touch my heart like real people, friends and loved ones I know well. Possibly the finest writer of our time. -- Elizabeth Wein wise and kind and utterly heart-wrenching and full of characters you will give your whole heart to -- Anna James McKay is a superb writer -- Sally Morris * Daily Mail * McKay couples warmth and grace with wry humour like nobody else out there -- Katherine Rundell * The Guardian * Hilary McKay is one of the great writers of children's fiction -- Sarah Hughes * Independent * Picking up a book by Hilary McKay is like slipping on bed socks on a chilly night. She knows how to look after her readers by ensuring that her characters are interesting and loveable from the start . . . -- The Times on <i>The Skylarks' War</i>, selected as Children's Book of the Year

Hilary McKay has a rare gift for novels about families and their interplay. -- LoveReading4Kids McKay is a superb writer -- Sally Morris * Daily Mail * Picking up a book by Hilary McKay is like slipping on bed socks on a chilly night. She knows how to look after her readers by ensuring that her characters are interesting and loveable from the start . . . -- The Times on <i>The Skylarks' War</i>, selected as Children's Book of the Year McKay couples warmth and grace with wry humour like nobody else out there -- Katherine Rundell * The Guardian * Hilary McKay is one of the great writers of children's fiction -- Sarah Hughes * Independent * A bewitching tale about blended families and the power of books told with all the wisdom and heart you would expect. * Bookseller * Vivid, hilarious, and heartbreaking, Hilary McKay's radiant characters touch my heart like real people, friends and loved ones I know well. Possibly the finest writer of our time. -- Elizabeth Wein Wise, funny and thoughtful, there are so many touching moments in this lovely book. * ReadingZone * Wise and kind and utterly heart-wrenching and full of characters you will give your whole heart to -- Anna James This is magic without whimsy, a story about secrets and the power of books, with enough edge-of-the-seat moments to keep you hugging a cushion. * Observer * The emotions of real families have always been [McKay's] forte, but in this evocative novel she makes something fantastical happen * Sunday Times *

Author Information

Hilary McKay won the Costa Children's Book Award for The Skylarks' War, the Guardian Fiction Prize for The Exiles, and the Smarties and the Whitbread Award for The Exiles in Love and Saffy's Angel respectively. Hilary McKay's Fairy Tales was her first book with Macmillan Children's Books and is a critically acclaimed collection of clever retellings.

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