When Kit moves to Stoneygate--a once-thriving mining village haunted by a long-ago tragedy which killed 117 children--he is befriended by the wretched, sullen John Askew, a boy whose very soul has been fractured by his violent upbringing. As Kit's grieving grandfather begins to lose his grip on life, Kit is irresistibly drawn into a treacherous game played for the highest of stakes. Coming face to face with the ghosts of the wilderness--the space between the houses and the river where the ancient mine once flourished--this game ultimately tests his perceptions of life and death. David Almond, the award-winning author of Skellig, has set this extraordinary novel on a canvas of bleak, uncompromising landscapes which perfectly echo the simmering tensions that drive the story. With its all- consuming, chilling and surprisingly sensual depth Kit's Wilderness is packed tight with emotions that resonate on the page, making it a truly remarkable and unforgettable novel for older children. (Ages 11 and over). --Susan Harrison