Another brilliant unmapped chronicle book from the queen of middle grade! My daughter loved the other books in year 5 and 6 and happily returned to them for Crackledawn. Thank you

The third in the Unmapped Chronicles series, is just as great as the others. Abi Elphinstone is a wonderful world builder and doesn’t cease to amaze her audience with her beautiful descriptions. Always a joy to read her writing.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for a review.

Having read Everdark, Rumblestar and Jungle Drop, I was really looking forward to reading The Crackledawn Dragon!

A perfect conclusion to the Unmapped Chronicles. This is a fantastic, magical adventure, encompassing themes of friendship, believing, hope and trust.

Once again Abi Elphinstone brings the middle-grade audience on a brilliant journey, through a magical world that will have readers on the edge of their seats!

Thank you Simon & Schuster UK Children’s and NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Crackledawn Dragon.

I have adored the Unmapped Chronicles series since the World Book Day book, Everdark, so I was very excited to get my hands on an early copy of the final book in the series, and what an impressive finale!

The Unmapped Chronicles is Abi's Narnia, a vast, complex world of magic and wonder. Like Narnia, it is a world that runs parallel to our own, with people, mainly children, from our world occasionally finding their way there through magical portals of all kinds when an appropriate saviour or two might be needed.

The imagination, the inventiveness, the ridiculous yet oh so clever naming of everything and everyone, the Unmapped Kingdoms are alive with magic and wonder, and I've come to care about each one and all their brilliantly bizarre inhabitants.

But the true magic in these stories is that Abi Elphinstone takes characters who are broken, who are hurting, who don't fit in and lash out at the world around them, and drops them into these magical stories where they're able to find what they need.

This, for me, is the most striking difference between Abi's books and the children's fantasy I grew up reading, and it's sometimes startling, occasionally upsetting and always rewarding. Zebedee Bolt, alone and distrusting of the world, is another brilliant example of this.

The Crackledawn Dragon is another Abi Elphinstone story that is just bristling with empathy and understanding and compassion and love, and that's as magical and beautiful as the dragons, merfolk and Unmappers in the story.

It's a beautiful conclusion to the series, I can't wait to see what Abi does next, and it's all wrapped up in a gorgeous George Ermos cover.

With the Unmapped Chronicles series, Abi Elphinstone has secured her position as one of the great children's fantasy authors.

I requested this for my 10 year old daughter. She has read books by Abi Elphinstone in the past and was very excited to see this on Netgalley.
She gave it 5 out of 5, telling me she loved the book and struggled to put it down, as she desperately needed to know how the author was going to finish the Unmapped Chronicles.
She was not disappointed with the ending and would recommend it to any fans of Cornelia Funke and Terry Pratchett

Devoted readers of the Unmapped Chronicles, of which I am one, have become accustomed to the detailed and whimsical introduction to each new book in the series. Its presence at the start of The Crackledawn Dragon, means that this book can be read and enjoyed as a standalone although it is the conclusion to the series. Fortunately, Abi Elphinstone is not one of the grown-ups who she tells us are “far too busy to believe in magic.” She doesn’t just believe in it, she creates it with abandon, infuses it with wisdom and wonder and spins it into gloriously enchanting stories which leave a glow of pure delight when read.

Zebedee Bolt is the hero of this plot, a boy with three remarkable talents; running away from foster families, succumbing to spectacularly drenching outbursts of sobbing and a natural flair for music! Although he would like to emulate his hero, a TV survival expert known as The Tank, it seems unlikely that this dream will be realised. As we meet him at the start of the story he has run away from his latest foster parents, the Orderly-Queues (yes, the witty names are here in abundance) and is hiding out in an abandoned New York theatre when a kind social worker ( who fans will recognise from Jungledrop) finds him and reassures him that: “One day you will realise that you matter.”

Unfortunately, Morg the evil harpy is also hiding out under the theatre and uses her wily cunning to manipulate Zeb into bringing her the remaining Phoenix tears which will supply the magic she needs to break into the kingdom of Crackledawn. The insidious power of false promises and the deals that individuals can make with themselves to justify their actions or even inaction in the face of wrongdoing is very subtly explored through the interaction of Morg and Zeb during the first part of the story.

Once they burst into Crackledawn, readers are propelled through the sparkling blue waters on the deck of Darktongue, Morg’s ship of shadows. Zeb discovers that his mission is to ride on Morg’s bone dragon all the way to the sun, protected only by the Stargold Wings, to retrieve the lost Ember Scroll so that Morg can write herself into permanent power over the Unmapped Kingdoms. When this plan goes awry, Zeb is rescued by a young Sunraider called Oonie, whose blindness has made her fearsomely independent as she sails the waters of Crackledawn aboard the enchanted dhow, The Kerfuffle. I will not give away any more plot details as readers will want to discover the story for themselves. Suffice to say that the twists and turns leave you breathless as you marvel at the array of magical creatures; in this case I was most taken with a hurtle turtle, which I would love to employ to do my own housework! As always the names sparkle with invention, my favourites in this book being an exuberantly maternal chameleon named Mrs Fickletint, closely followed by the merglimmer, Perpetual Faff! Oh, and there is humour in abundance, with laugh out loud moments to lighten the tension, such as Mrs Fickletint scolding Dollop the goblin for his suggestion of treetop yoga when the end of the world is imminent!

Abi is such a brilliant writer. You can tell that she totally understands children’s yearning for fantastical adventures, and this she conjures with great panache. On top of this she layers validation, reassurance and love; her characters exhibit flaws and doubts but learn the power of trust and friendship throughout the arc of the story. Then into this already heady mix she stirs in contemporary themes; most obviously the environmental crisis and more subtly, the way in which those with disappointed hopes can be taken in by the empty promises of individuals who wish to use them for their own nefarious purposes. Most of all, it is a story, like an unopenable purse... filled with hope.

This is an amazing, magical end to the Unmapped Chronicles. It also stands well as a read-alone, but I enjoyed it more having read Jungledrop, and I will be going back and reading the two previous instalments in the series too. It takes place years after the previous book, and the main character from Jungledrop, now grown up and a social worker, tries to hep Zeb, who's run away from home. However, before she can come back to help, he is tricked into helping Morg the harpy try to take over the Unmapped Kingdoms.
This was a perfect book for any confident reader aged 8+ who enjoys adventure, magic, a sprinkling of danger and threat and wonderful, fully-realised worlds and characters. Mrs Fickletint was loving and funny, and Oonie was a great female foil to Zeb. The lessons about learning to love and trust were well integrated to the story, as was the environmental message that has threaded through the Unmapped Chronicle series. Absolutely recommended to any fan of Dahl, and a lovely magical feel to the stories that would appeal to Harry Potter fans too.

I have loved Abi’s collection of the unmapped chronicles! This was a superb addition to the series and linked beautifully to the others. Another magical journey through a world brimming with imagination.

The conclusion to the Unmapped Chronicles is superb, just as wonderful as the other books. Full of adventure, suspense, magical places and fantastic characters.
The descriptions really brought the places to life and I loved all the whimsical names and creatures. I absolutely adored it just as much as the previous books, I've been trying to think of some more original emotions but I can't do any better!
My only criticism is that I'm sad it's over and I want more books in the Unmapped Kingdoms!

This is the final instalment to the Unmapped Chronicles series and it is a fitting ending. It does help if you have read previous books in the series as there are threads that run throughout the books.

In this book we meet Zeb, a boy who has moved between foster homes many times and who trusts no one. Having run away from his latest home, he meets Morg - the harpy who is trying to take control of the Unmapped Kingdoms. Has Zeb found someone he can trust? Has Morg found someone who can help her to achieve her dreams?

The characters that Zeb meets on his adventures are so brilliantly written - they are not perfect but as you read through the book you start to understand their actions and behaviours.

This a fantastical, magical adventure about friendship, believing and - most of all - trust.

Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't read it on my phone in the format. It wouldn't expand, so the words were tiny. Shame as I really like this author. So, I can't review it.

With thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the digital ARC.

The final book in the Unmapped Chronicles, but stands alone very well. Zeb has accidentally crossed into the Unmapped Kingdoms and is on a quest to save them and the Faraway from the evil harpy, Morg. Zeb has to learn to trust others, and Oonie, Mrs Fickletint (the talking chameleon) and Snaggle the Dragon have a challenge on their hands to prove to him they are worthy of his trust. Together the crew have just 2 days to solve the riddles and save their worlds.

A fantasy adventure with an amazing sense of place, where magic is believable, and Morg has just the right amount of evil. The novel also reaches a very satisfying ending for Zeb and a major character from an earlier book in the series. The writing style flows and the reader is swept along from beginning to end, with some light-hearted humour used exactly when needed to break the tension.

Great for fantasy and dragon fans, will appeal to readers of Cornelia Funke, Michelle Harrison, S.A. Patrick and Sophie Anderson.

A wonderful ending to a wonderful series!

With quirkiness reminiscent of Terry Pratchett, Elphinstone brings us finally to the magical lands of Crackledawn and Silvervrag, the last of the Unmapped Kingdom. I found the story really well put together, and very well linked to the rest of the series (through Fox, and a great prologue), though the lore and history of the worlds are also very well re-introduced so new readers shouldn't feel alienated.

Our main characters were all charming, Mrs Fickletint in particular being very good fun, and Zeb's struggles with trusting people, and Oonie's struggles with her pride were very well represented. Speaking of which, it was also nice to see blind representation, and that part of Oonie's development was in accepting her limitations and accepting help sometimes, because her blindness doesn't make her weak, it makes her appreciate the world in her own way, and can sometimes even be an advantage.

Though a pure adventure thrill ride from start to finish, there is also a strong environmental message throughout the book, giving magical reasons for the 'symptoms' of global warming. My only qualm would be that the ending is a little too easy in that regard. Restoring the Phoenix immediately and fully restores the Faraway's climate in a way that might undercut the positive envornmental message slightly. All of the puns were really fun though, and Zeb's emotional journey towards not giving up on people, and always having hope in better, because the world is a big place and the more you live, the more good you'll see was a wonderful message.

A brilliant tale of magical adventures across two worlds to stop the evil Harpy Morg from take over The Unmapped Kingdoms and The Far Away. Zeb , Oonie, Miss Fickletint work together to pool resources to stop Morg’s Midnights.
This is the third book in the Unmapped Chrinicles Series. It’s dramatic and exciting, a great insight to climate and environmental issues. A highly recommended book for children (and adults) from age 9 upwards.

Apologies for the late review.

My son has enjoyed all the Abi Elphinstone books and particularly loved the crackledawn chronicles, so was delighted to have the chance to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC which we loved.

The Crackledawn Dragon was my most anticipated MG release of 2021 and it did not disappoint!

Zeb's life is filled with broken promises, lost homes and loneliness. When he finds himself cornered by a Harpy who promises him his own world in return for a favour, he can't see much point in saving the current one - particularly when he has a strong suspicion the Harpy will react badly to him saying no. Zeb is immediately whisked off to Crackledawn on the back of a dragon made of bones, where the sun chatters instead of shining and friends appear in the most unlikely of places.

The third novel in the Unmapped Chronicles series was just as exciting and magical as those before it.

I've been reading these stories with my six year old and she loves the endless wonder of Elphinstone's world. There's action and adventure to be found in every chapter, ensuring that the pace never slows and young readers never lose interest. Monsters and perils aplenty will keep you turning the pages long after bedtime.

There's plenty of humour too, as well as wonderful characters who grow in the most extraordinary of ways. Zeb, Oonie and the incredible Mrs Flickletint were all so much fun and readers will root for all three - as well as everyone else they encounter on their bid to save the world from Morg. Both Zeb and Oonie show that anyone can be a hero, and that hope and courage can often achieve more than physical strength. No matter how Morg stacks the odds against them, they never give up and have the bravery to trust in others even when doing so feels impossible.

As with all of Elphinstone's novels, The Crackledawn Dragon contains strong messages of hope, friendship and learning to trust those around you. The Unmapped Chronicles is a series which encourages young readers to see the wonder and good in the world, but never feels didactic. The environmental themes are handled with a similarly light touch, but will still inspire readers to seek out the beauty in our own world.

When you start a story by meeting a boy called Zebedee Bolt, you know you're in for a treat, and Abi Elphinstone's latest and final installment in the Unmapped Chronicles series did not disappoint.

Zeb is sure the world is against him, so when the opportunity comes to enter a different one and write his own ending, he jumps at it; of course, how is he to know that the harpy who offered it to him is the Unmapped Kingdoms' (and the Faraway's) biggest problem? Soon though, Zeb realises his mistake, and on a boat called The Kerfuffle, alongside Oonie and Mrs Fickletint (a rather bossy chameleon), he aims to make things right.

If you've enjoyed the rest of the Unmapped Chronicles as I have, you won't be disappointed in this explosive finale. The story is full of both heart and humour, as Abi does so well, and the nods to previous installments bring the whole thing full circle. Plus, you get to meet a character called Perpetual Faff, which is worth the cost of the book itself if you ask me!

Abi Elphinstone does it again with Crackledawn, and though I'm disappointed that the Unmapped Chronicles will finish with Zeb's adventure, I couldn't possibly ask for a better finale.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review.

This is the final instalment in the Unmapped Chronicles and draws together all the threads, woven through the previous books in this series. As with each book in this series, we follow a different main character and in this story Zebedee Bolt is our protagonist.

Zeb is a young boy that has been let down by the system. Moved from foster home to foster home too many times, Zeb has come to the decision that he can't trust anyone. When his most recent placement fails to work out, 11 year old Zeb runs away, straight into the path of Morg.

It has been many years since Morg's defeat by the Petty-Squabble twins and the harpy has finally clawed her way back to the Faraway. However, she needs a Faraway child and the magic of a phoenix tear to return her to the Unmapped Kingdoms. Will Zeb fight against Morg and free the world from her rule, or has Morg finally found a Faraway child who's on her side?

There were some parts of this story that I absolutely loved. First, the characters. Abi Elphinstone has such a gift for creating flawed but loveable characters. In every book, her characters make mistakes, get angry and sometimes choose the wrong path. However, instead of hating these characters, you fall in love with them because the author shows you glimpses of their vulnerable side, of times that they were hurt and why things we may think are simple are the hardest thing in the world to them. You end up just wanting to hug them tight and never let go. Zeb, Oonie and Snaggle are all wonderful characters.

Secondly, and linked to the first. I love the honest and uplifting messages throughout the book. There are at least 10 quotes in this book that I've highlighted as they are so poignant and things we all need to remember: be a little kinder, be a little braver, don't lose hope.

The third thing I love about this book are the hilarious names for objects and characters. Perpetual Faff has to be one of my favourite character names ever and it suits her so brilliantly. I also love the thought that went into naming objects such as the threadbear rug and the alarm croc. These names are similar enough to the real ones that you know what they're based on, but the slight difference in spelling gives them a whole new meaning.

Now we cone to the parts I didn't enjoy as much. I did love the puns and magical objects created from slightly changing the spelling or meaning of real objects. However, after a while, there was so many of these that the world started to feel a little ridiculous. Instead of Zeb being handed the next magical item, I just wanted him to eat a normal meal or put on a normal item of clothing and get on with saving the world. For me, the amount of bizarre items, started to distract from the main story.

The second thing I was less keen on, and this is just personal preference, was the number of times things just worked right 'because that is what magic can do'. I definitely prefer hard magic systems and so I'm less likely to get on board with things being different to what I understood was possible. Others with different preferences might see this issue differently.

Overall, this is a good conclusion to the Unmapped Chronicles and I think readers will enjoy the links it makes to previous stories.

I am a MASSIVE fan of Abi Elphinstone's books, so I have been itching to read this ever since finishing Jungledrop last year; it was a definite drop-all-other-reads-immediately when this arrived!

This is the third Unmapped Chronicle, following on from Rumblestar and Jungledrop, which in turn follow on from the prequel Everdark. If you're new to the Unmapped Kingdoms, this will read fine as a standalone, as each book in the series is set in a different world with different characters. However, the later books do refer back to the earlier ones and you'll get so many more squeals of delight and surprise and excitement out of them if you read them in order.

Here, we rejoin Morg plotting once more to return. Biding her time, she's patiently prepared for one final attempt to seize the Unmapped Kingdoms and Zebedee Bolt is just the boy to help her...

On the run from the most recent in a run of an apathetic foster families, an inept social worker and a life in which Zeb feels very alone, the offer of a new start full of riches is too tempting to resist. And so, Zeb is brought to help Morg find the Ember Scroll that will seal the fate of the worlds forever.

Luckily, a combination of fates, fear and phoenix magic sees Zeb embark on a mission to save the worlds from Morg and her midnights instead

And here our adventure truly begins. Zeb joins forces with the Kerfuffle - a gloriously magical boat - and its crew, the equally wonderful Mrs Fickletint and Oonie.

And so we sail straight into another of Abi Elphinstone's fantastically crafted worlds; To have an imagination that comes up with what Abi's does is quite something. Her worlds are always fizzing with magic and bursting with the weird, wondrous and wonderful. And Crackledawn is no different.

From hurtles and squidges and threadbears to fusilly and calm trees and DIY-trees to spectacular underwater scenes and sea witches, the way Abi's storytelling mind works and the wordplay, names and creations it conjures is nothing short of joyful. I'm grinning again just thinking back on them all now.

Oh, and then there's the dragon(s!). Imposing, imperious and mightily impressive, with an ancient air of magic and mystery, wisdom and understanding - these are the sort of dragons you immediately think of when thinking of storybook dragons. I want to say so much but don't want to spoil any surprises, please just believe me when I say if you're a fan of a dragon in an adventure YOU NEED TO READ THIS.

This is a gripping adventure with a finale fans of the series are going to absolutely ADORE! I loved it.

Drama, tension and excitement in the race against time to beat Morg. Heart, hope and understanding in the personal stories of Zeb and Oonie. Imagination and joy in the wonderful world, journey and characters we encounter. This is a fantastic end to a fantastic series.

Thankyou to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an early sampler of this book. what i read was amazing, ive loved this series from the beginning. I loved Zeb from the first chapter and im so happy that Fox has returned. Cannot wait for the finished copy to be released.

In the final book of The Unmapped Chronicles series, Morg is hiding out in The Faraway, in New York to be specific, where she meets Zebedee (Zeb) who has run away (again) from his foster home. Disillusioned by the foster system and determined to find his own way (without having one of his outbursts), he finds himself taking shelter in an abandoned theatre where he finds a piano sat under a rather magnificent chandelier. Unbeknown to anyone, Zeb has taught himself to play the piano and is very good at it, so much so, it draws the attention of one of the locals ... who just happens to be Fox Petty-Squabble! She heads to the theatre to investigate and finds Zeb. Using her skills as a social worker, she manages to talk to him and promises to help once she has run home for her purse. However, in the time that she is away, Morg puts in an appearance and manages to persuade Zeb that Fox is lying to him, and that she can give him all the riches he desires, if he will help her by getting the last of the phoenix tears that have been hidden in the chandelier above his head. He does so but, as you may expect, things don't go quite as he expected and he finds himself dragged into Crackledawn, one of the Unmapped kingdoms, where he does the only thing he knows how to: he runs away. With no idea where he is, he finds himself stumbling into Oonie and Mr Fickletint, the talking chameleon, aboard their boat, The Kerfuffle. Despite vowing to never trust anyone again, he realises that he may have to trust Oonie, in order to save himself and defeat Morg once and for all.
I have loved this entire series and am a big fan of Abi's work; Jungledrop got my class through the first lockdown last year the entire series is incredibly popular in school, so much so that there were squeals of excitement from my book group when I told them what I was reading! (quickly followed by loud moans of despair when they discovered it was an electronic copy so they wouldn't be able to borrow it from me!). Knowing that once I'd picked it up I wouldn't be able to put it down, I decided not to begin reading it until the weekend. The suspense was unbearable but the wait was worth every second of anticipation!

The first chapter was reminiscent of Rumblestar and felt like coming home. With a blend of warmth and humorous touches, Abi's writing is welcoming and draws you in from the first page. Throughout the book she is both wise and poetic in her writing ...

'Every sunrise and every sunset you see in your world is, in fact a symphony,' Mrs Fickletint explained. 'A unique piece of music made up of a thousand sounds hauled up from the bottom of the sea by Sunraiders here in Crackledawn.'

... and has a brain that comes up with THE best character names I have ever come across - Perpetual Faff and her bag that swallows her belongings is a particular favourite, but I'm also rather partial to the idea of a hurtle turtle to keep everything tidy!

Zeb has had a difficult life and struggles to trust people. He hasn't spent much time with one family and chooses to hide himself away instead of risking getting to know people and getting hurt - his past has clearly effected him. Then when he meets Oonie, he is taken aback by her and her independence. She is quite the character and her fierce sense of self and determination, despite the challenges she faces, will be an inspiration to every reader. I was incredibly pleased to see Fox again; in fact the links to the previous books are all wonderful to see.

Abi builds yet another wonderful world through her descriptions, scene setting and clever use of vocabulary, which results in an marvellously immersive book. I found myself transported to Crackledawn, travelling alongside Zeb and Oonie, quite forgetting that I was actually curled up on my sofa!

I have to admit that I stayed up way past my bedtime reading The Crackledawn Dragon as I couldn't put the book down; however, I was also completely torn as I was desperate to eek it out as much as possible as I wasn't ready to say goodbye to this world!

Finally, I'm going to be honest and say that, bizarrely, I found it difficult to write this review as I don't think that anything I'm saying is actually doing justice to the book! In short, The Crackledawn Dragon is a masterclass in writing; a feast for the senses and an absolute joy to read.... I highly recommend pre-ordering it and then finding the time to hide yourself away so you can read it one go!