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The Beasts of GrimheartKieran Larwood
The Beasts of Grimheart
by Kieran Larwood
Podkin's warren is found at last, and the rabbits must hold it while the Gorm close in from every side.
A story about animals, adventurous and epic in tone. We would put it with children of 8–11, and at a reading age of about 9 for reading alone.
Worth knowing before you buy
- Mild peril
- An animal dies
None of this makes it a bad book — often the opposite. It is here so you can decide whether it is right for your child now or in a year or two.
Part of a series
This is book 3 of the The Five Realms series, so there is more to read if it goes down well — which is worth a great deal with a reluctant reader.
Our take on this book
Podkin's long flight is over: his family's warren is found at last, and the rabbits must make a stand and hold it as the iron-cursed Gorm close in from every side for a final reckoning. This third book in the Five Realms series pays off the saga Kieran Larwood began with Podkin One-Ear, bringing the bard's tale to its climactic battle with the confidence of a story that has built its world thoroughly. The stakes are high and the peril is real, including the deaths of animal characters, in keeping with an epic about war among the warrens — so it suits a child who has grown up through the earlier books and can take a darker, weightier finale. For an eight- to eleven-year-old already invested in Podkin's journey, it is a gripping, satisfying culmination; it should be read after the first two books, whose events and characters it assumes throughout.
If they like this, try these
Chosen by matching age, reading age, tone and subject — not by what is selling.
Podkin One-EarKieran Larwood
The Gift of Dark HollowKieran Larwood
Asha and the Spirit BirdJasbinder Bilan
The Girl Who Speaks BearSophie Anderson
The Jungle BookRudyard Kipling
Or let them write their own.
Nothing gets a child reading like a story they invented themselves. Your child plans the characters and the plot, and we write, illustrate and print it as a real book with their name on the cover as the author.
Find another book
Tell us the age, the reading age and what they like, and we will suggest a handful.