The Secret Country [Paperback]

Ben wants a Mongolian Fighting Fish more than anything. But when he goes to Mr. Dodds's Pet Emporium with his hard-earned savings, he buys a cat instead. He doesn't have a choice, really. The cat insists.

Iggy (as the tabby likes to be called) has been kidnapped from his home, a parallel world known as the Secret Country. And as the two soon discover, Iggy is not the only animal to fall victim to the pet-store owner's devious scheme: Mr. Dodds is stealing the Secret Country's magical creatures and selling them to England's rich and curious. Being away from their homeland causes the creatures with any connection to the Secret Country to be under immediate threat. What's more, it seems Ben's mother is their long-lost queen.

With his mother's life hanging in the balance, it's up to Ben to play his part in an ancient prophecy and prove he's worthy of the title of Prince of Eidolon.Jane Johnsonis the director of HarperCollins UK's fantasy and
science fiction list and for many years was the publisher of J. R. R.
Tolkien's work. While she has written adult novels as both Gabriel King
and Jude Fischer, the Eidolon Chronicles is her first series for
children. Ms. Johnson lives in London and Morocco. Visit Ms. Johnson at
her website, www.janejohnson.eu.

Adam Stower has a rich imagination and loves fantasy and adventure stories. He studied illustration at the Norwich School of Art and Design and at the University of Brighton, and lives with his daughter in Brighton, England. InThe Secret Country, Jane Johnson introduces us to a whole new world of enchantments, filled with amazing characters and outlandish situations, all brought together with a welcome warmth and wit, and presented in Jane's elegant, effortless prose. It's a marvelous start to what promises to be a wonderfully off-beat and original series. -- Clive Barker Reminiscent of C.S. Lewis's Narnia Stories. --School Library Journal