Cressida Cowell was the Waterstones Children's Laureate (2019-2022). She is the author and illustrator of the bestselling The Wizards of Once and How to Train Your Dragon books series, and the author of the Emily Brown picture books, illustrated by Neal Layton. The Wizards of Once series has been translated into 38 languages and has been signed by DreamWorks Animation. How to Train Your Dragon has sold over 8 million books worldwide in 42 languages and is a major DreamWorks Animation film franchise, as well as being made into a TV series on Netflix and CBBC. Cressida is an ambassador for the National Literacy Trust and the Reading Agency, a Trustee of World Book Day and a founder patron of the Children's Media Foundation. She has won numerous prizes, including the Gold Award in the Nestle Children's Book Prize.
Cowell's short sentences and scribbly pencil illustrations carry
considerable skill and humour, advocate love, and manage to be
lively and momentous.
*The Sunday Times*
Welcome to the fourth and final book in the absolutely sparkling
Wizards of Once series... a wonderful series to be savoured by fans
of How To Train Your Dragon. It's so well written, the characters
and story come totally alive on the page - and Cressida Cowell's
beautiful, expressive scratchy drawings add so much. This is
mesmerising, truly captivating world-building. The final battle
scenes are breathtaking, too - Cressida's imagination knows no
bounds, and this is epic stuff! On top of all that, there's real
wisdom here about how adults need to take responsibility to sort
out the world, which is timely in this era of children protesting
against climate change. A great finale to a great series.
*BookTrust*
Children's Laureate Cressida Cowell returns with the fourth and
final instalment of her marvellously magical Wizards of Once
series...The pages of this funny, clever adventure story are
bursting with lots of exuberant artwork. It's a brilliant
conclusion to a wonderful series.
*The Week Junior*
The final book in this incredible series is a rollercoaster ride of
adventure. Xar and Wish have found the ingredients
for the Spell to get rid of Witches. But first they must negotiate
tiny tunnels, defeat a hungry Tatzelwurm monster and escape with
the Cup of Second Chances. With surprises and laughs galore, the
Children's Laureate delivers once again. ***** Five stars
*The Sun*
Scotland's Children's Laureate is back with the final book in the
best-selling The Wizards Of Once series.
Cowell, author of How To Train Your Dragon, reunites nine to
11-year-olds with Xar and Wish who are on a quest to unite their
worlds in time to save the WiIdwoods. The duo are now locked in a
rollercoaster adventure in which the Kingwitch is calling them to
the lake of the lost. Pure magic!
*Sunday Post*
Better than ever....everything you could want from our wonderful
Children's Laureate
*Angels & Urchins*
Readers will love this fourth and final book in Cowell's
high-octane WIZARDS OF ONCE series. Cowell is one of our greatest
living storytellers and readers will be left of the edge of their
seat/beds
*School Notices Magazine*
The final book in the Wizards of Once series, Never and Forever, is
every bit as wonderful as its predecessors. Quirky illustrations
and engaging characters make this a compelling read...This is a
story full of action. The mysterious narrator is revealed at the
close of the tale, having guided the reader through it, offering
dire warnings and words of wisdom along the way. Many touches set
this apart from other series - the antics of the key, the spoon and
the fork; the satirical treatment of the children's parents; the
children's wonderful entourage of companions, especially the
adorable Squeezjoos, who deserves a novel all of his own!
Mayhem and madness brilliantly combine to create a highly engaging
series, culminating in the final story, Never and Forever, a
triumph of fantasy!
Five stars *****
*Reading Zone*
This is everything you'd expect from the Laureate: engaging,
imperfect characters who have much to learn, a strong narrator that
guides readers through the story, and sprinklings of cultural
references and stretching words to keep readers of all levels
stimulated....Another energetic page turner
*Children's Book of the Week, Press Association*
Cressida Cowell is a phenomenon, producing volume after volume of
fantasy adventure stories without ever losing quality or zest. She
also illustrates them in wild black pencil, with cartoonish figures
sometimes taking up whole pages or else cropping up mid
paragraph... Characters are more human than heroic, as often as not
possessing a fragile dignity that never quite succeeds in covering
up their faults however hard they try. The only exception is
Looker, Xar's older brother, happy to exhibit his essential
selfishness until the very end. At this point it gradually becomes
clear that all the main characters are in fact junior players in
the future court of King Arthur. But the unhappiness and division
that is now bound to follow as they get older is not part of this
jolly story's remit. Readers can simply sit back and enjoy
rollicking fun from an author-illustrator working at top form as
well as high speed. The perfect choice as the current Children's
Laureate in 2019, her tenure has now been extended to June 2022.
Children are lucky to have her, and so are we.
*Books for Keeps*
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