Overview

Three starred reviews! A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year A girl must unravel the mystery behind disappearances in her community and the arrival of a strange boy and a wild horse in this ""dark, lyrical, and unforgettable"" (School Library Journal, starred review) middle grade fantasy adventure perfect for fans of Katherine Rundell and The Whisperwicks. Thirteen-year-old Ella lives a lonely life near a remote lake where the horses that make up her family's business are also her only friends. Ever since her father went missing years before, the family household has been made up entirely of women, something that's viewed with suspicion by their neighbors, who sometimes call them witches. Ella doesn't believe in magic, but she does know words have power. She really should have known better than to utter a wish and a joking ""curse"" on the same day--a wish for a true friend and a curse on the boy bullying her little sister. Before long, the bully goes missing the same strange way her father did, and a strange boy and a beautiful black horse seemingly appear in his place. At first, the new boy seems to be the friend Ella wished for, but he's pushy, quick to anger, and knows more than he should about her family. As Ella digs deeper into the mysterious occurrences, she discovers her family is living in the shadow of a vengeful kelpie, and she must break its curse to save not just her family but her entire community.

Full Product Details

9781665984225

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Reviews

""Oh glory: A horse book that is also a beautifully written, deliciously creepy supernatural mystery, The Grimmelings weaves myths and monstrosity into a deeply human story of family love and salvation. A perfect read for kids and people who used to be kids. I couldn't put it down."" --Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of Daughter of Smoke & Bone ""Rachael King's characters live and breathe. She...[creates] a world that is familiar yet unexpected, tense and eerie with flashes of beauty.""--David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks ""A tense tale of animal companionship, wild magic, and the majesty and awe nature inspires.""---- Sydney Morning Herald ""So multilayered and intelligent and fascinating. Ella and Fiona and their world absolutely held me. Alan Garner, Susan Cooper, their great classics came to mind. The blending of mythology and humanity. A very special book.""--Hilary McKay, author of The Skylark's War When a New Zealand family is menaced by a creature of Scottish legend, they fight back to protect themselves and their neighbors. Grimmelings are ""the first or last gleams of the day,"" and Ella learned about them from Grizzly--her Scottish grandmother, Griselda, who calls herself a ""word-hoarder."" Ella lives with her family (who are cued white), including little sister Fiona, their mother, Morag, and Grizzly, whose cancer has returned. Morag runs a horse-trekking business with help from Hana, who's Maori. Grandad drowned in the nearby lake, and Dad disappeared by the lake as well, six years ago, although his body was never found. When a class bully goes missing after Ella curses him, she feels guilty, although Ella isn't from a house of witches, contrary to local rumor. But a kelpie has pursued her grandmother from Scotland through a ""thin place"" in the lake that allows passage between worlds--and it won't leave their family in peace until they defeat it. Each woman and girl is strong in her own way, and Ella's bond with her pony, Magpie, proves crucial in the fight, which ends in a climactic scene at the spring fair. A final chapter set at midsummer serves as an epilogue. Ella is a fierce hero, and the kelpie is a ferocious adversary. King effectively weaves together horses, Scottish mythology, and family history, threading the story with themes of conservation, awe of the natural world, and delight in new words. Prepare to be beglamoured. (Fantasy. 9-12)--Kirkus ""October 1, 2025""

Author Information

Rachael King is a writer, book reviewer, and former literary festival director from Aotearoa (New Zealand). When she was young, she played bass guitar in rock bands, rode horses bareback along a beach, and voraciously read fantasy books. Now, she writes books of her own: Red Rocks and The Grimmelings for young readers and The Sound of Butterflies and Magpie Hall for adults. Visit her online at Rachael-King.com.

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