Finn lives in a perfectly ordinary village – a place where nothing strange ever happens (other than the occasional person mysteriously disappearing). Much to his ornery grandfather’s disgust, Finn spends every spare moment sketching dragons and monsters that are not there. When a severe and enigmatic housekeeper offers to buy Finn from his grandparents, they happily take her gold and Finn soon finds himself in an empty Manor staring at paintings of a strange land. He is then forced to recreate these paintings over and over, until one day he wakes up to find himself in the ravaged world of the painting and on a desperate quest to stop a deadly war with dragons.

The Glimme is a perfect combination of Emily Rodda’s two styles of writing in one. Like Finders Keepers or the more recent His Name Was Walter, it’s a story that offers a doorway from an ordinary world into another more magical one – one you might just be able to see if you have the right heart – but like Deltora Quest and Rowan of Rin, The Glimme is also a traditional quest story, a heavy fantasy with magic and dragons. In addition to the wonderful story, Marc McBride’s excellent, imaginative illustrations will have kids revisiting the book over and over again. It’s a beautiful-looking book and with Christmas around the corner it will make a great gift for all kids aged 7+.

Dani Solomon is the assistant manager at Readings Kids.