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The Gift of Dark HollowKieran Larwood
The Gift of Dark Hollow
by Kieran Larwood
Podkin and his sisters go looking for the next of the twelve gifts, with the Gorm still hunting them across a frozen countryside.
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 2 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
The bard's tale of Podkin continues: the young rabbit chieftain and his sisters, still hunted by the iron-cursed Gorm, journey on in search of the scattered magical Gifts that might turn the war — and the legend of Podkin One-Ear grows with every trial. Kieran Larwood's second Five Realms book deepens the sweeping animal fantasy he began, with the same rich world-building, mythic feel and clever framing device of the story being told aloud. There is real peril and the darkness of a war among the warrens, including danger to beloved characters, so it suits a reader who has grown up through the first book and can take some shadow. For an eight- to eleven-year-old already invested in Podkin's saga, it is a gripping, satisfying continuation, best read after Podkin One-Ear, and it keeps readers firmly locked into one of the best epic animal-fantasy series for this age.
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 Beasts of GrimheartKieran 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.