Orla and the Magpie's Kiss
Binding: Paperback
Imprint: Walker Books
New-found witch and eco-warrior Orla is up against some seriously dark magic in this creepy and funny adventure, the second in the series.
Orla, her brothers and Dave the dog are on holiday in Norfolk, visiting their eccentric Uncle Valentine. Orla may have recently learned she's a witch, but she's not looking for trouble. Nope. Definitely not.
Unfortunately, her timing is terrible.
She quickly discovers the beautiful Anna's Wood, due to be bulldozed any minute for shale gas. The locals are all convinced that GasFrac's plan is a great one. Make way for a new shopping centre and car park! But why doesn't anyone care about the destruction of the wood? Where are the protests? Orla soon begins to suspect that this isn't just indifference ... there's dark magic involved here. With the help of a magpie, she finds out who is behind GasFrac. And what he wants is worse than she could possibly have imagined.
Creators
C. J. (Chris) Haslam is the award-winning Chief Travel Writer at The Sunday Times, specialising in extreme adventure. He appears regularly on the BBC and has written three black comedy thrillers for adults. One of them, Twelve Step Fandango, was shortlisted for the Edgar Allan Poe award. Orla and the Serpent's Curse was Chris' first book for children.
Reviews
[…]It’s a gripping read and while it is aimed at young readers aged nine and over, it has won lots of grown-up fans too.
North Norfolk News