I grew up watching Spirited Away and started loving other Ghibli films for many years, so when I read Mountainfell with its dragon and forest creatures and magic, it felt like I was transported into another Ghibli masterpiece ✨

This lovely middle-grade fantasy follows Erskin who lives on the edge of Mountainfell with her family, a mountain of dangerous magic and creatures. When her sister is snatched by the cloud dragon, she does not hesitate to climb the mountain to save her sister.

This is a story of bravery, friendship, family love and accepting yourself. Erskin’s journey is joined by Leif, a curious boy from the village, and Scrat, a sort of a cat but not really a cat. I love these characters with all my heart, and it’s wonderful to read about the growth of their friendship as they learn their newfound powers together.

The way Mountainfell was written is easy to follow, yet also vividly excuted that I truly felt like I was watching a Ghibli film unfolding. I love the journey Erskin and Leif went through (I may be more biased towards Leif because he’s such a soft boy 🤍) and I love how the ending is tied together. I definitely would love to read more books from this author!

Mountainfell tells the enchanting story of
Erskin as she embarks on a journey filled with peril and self discovery. It’s a captivating story of good versus evil and will be enjoyed by children in Year 5 and above.

I loved this whimsical and magical children's/YA tale! Rich with adventure, dragons, magical discoveries, family and friendship; this read will warm your heart while perhaps bringing to attention our own current ecological crisis and what humans will do to nature for their own gain. Erskin was a wonderful and relatable MC and the pace at which you follow her on her adventure to save her sister will grip you! I especially liked the magical fish. Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this lovely book.

From first seeing the cover, I knew this book would appeal. After reading the blurb which revealed a quest which promised dragons, witches and magic, I was hooked. I read this from start to finish in one sitting.
Can't wait to purchase a copy for our school library and then recommend to my children.
In fact, I'm looking forward to reading it again myself!

This is a great middle-grade children's adventure story, with dragons, witches, a quest, and magic! Erskin sets out to rescue her sister, who has been taken by the dragon, and stumbles upon the real reason why the mountain is forbidden to the villagers. When she starts having magical powers, a whole new world opens up to her...

Children of all ages will love this story, with its magical creatures and a desperate fight of good against evil. Recommend!

What a gorgeous story is told within the pages of this book. Erskin and Birgit are typical sisters, argumentative, tempestuous and teasing. They live in the shadow of Mountainfell, a looming menacing mountain that the villagers have been told to fear. The Lords of the village have built a wall between the village and mountain and send “offerings” to the dragon living there for continued peace between the two. These offerings are more sacrificial as they are villagers themselves.

Recently, tremors are causing fear and worry amongst the village and one night the dragon appears and snatches Birgit from her home. Erskin does not hesitate but runs directly after her sister and up into the range of the mountain.

Sensing company, she discovers a village boy following her, Leif. They are now away from home in the unknown and uncertain of what they can do.

Words keep speaking to Erskin in her head and she comes to realise she can hear animals speaking, warnings, calls for help and she can also hear the voice of the witch threatening her and Leif. The witch and dragon are angered over the actions of the village, something neither Erskin or Leif are aware of but are now caught in the midst of. Discovering the truth of her village’s leaders, the actions taken against the mountain and the danger they all face are hard truths for the children to understand but …

“Mountainfell was dangerous and wild, but it was also wondrous, and special, and home to so much innocent life. She had to do what she could to protect it.”

Erskin and Leif form a special friendship based on their extraordinary experiences on the mountain but also because of their differences, trust in their talents and a whole hearted belief in their cause. They also recognise their lack of belonging in the village. “Don’t try to fit in…We can be different together.”

“Everything was different, and everything affected something else in an unbroken circle..And everything, no matter what it was, belonged.” The true heart of the story, Mountainfell, takes care of all who live within her boundaries and would do it so much better if humans took more time and care as well.

Utterly beguiling, full of adventurous journeys on dragon’s back, through Enchanted forests and into the tunnels beneath it all, these children are on the path of saving, not just their village but the entire mountain and its creatures.

Beautifully told and with descriptions of places we could only dream of, this story will enchant!

A gorgeously rich world, and a great message about learning to trust yourself and your instincts and seeing magic in what makes you uniquely you.

There are so many lovely messages in this book, and some pretty complex relationships between the younger characters and the adults, the corrupt and those who try and both fight and understand them, and friendships and family. All of these bonds are woven like golden threads of luma (read the book to find out what that is) within an incredibly rich, nordic-sounding world, focused on a village perched in the shadow of a mighty mountain, and cursed by the presence of a gigantic dragon which is appeased only by the offering of a villager or two. Until Erskin, a young hex-addled, girl, treated as other for her affinity to animals and strange ways is forced to cross the wall and venture up the mountain to find her sister...and the truth!

This is written so well, the imagery is beautiful and the writing style is lovely, I will definitely seek out more of Katherine Orton's work.

Fell in love with the cover and then I fell in love with the world building and the plot. An excellent story that can be loved by adult and children.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This is One of the Best Children's Novels I've Read So far this Year, Shall Be Looking forward to Buying Mountainfell when it's Released.
(Thanks to Walker Books & Net Galley for this Book).

Would really like to review this book as the children love the books of Katharine Orton, but it won't open - I have tried a few times. This author does not write bad books so we shall assume it was brilliant and buy the book when it comes out.

I realised that there is no Kindle option, so I unfortunately cannot give a review for this. I wish I could and will edit this review if this is made available.

Mountainfell by Katherine Orton is set on a mountainside where its main character - a young girl named Erskin lives with her parents and elder sister - away from the villagers.

One day, Erskin and her sister Birgit visit the village, when Erskin's cat (cats are not supposed to be kept as pets) manages to cause a commotion. Birgit is upset by Erskin's secret and she heads home to inform her parents, when she is snatched by a mountain dragon. Legend has it that the mountain dragon is not satisfied with its human offerings and that it is causing earth tremors - Birgit's kidnapping leads to Erskin leaving home and setting off up to the mountain to rescue her sister.
As we delve further into the story a tale of magic, friendship, and love unfolds within the pages of the book.

It’s funny how the blurb of a book can sometimes tell you so much about it and sometimes so very little. Having adored Katharine Orton’s other titles, Nevertell and Glassheart, I had been looking forward to reading this for some considerable time but now that I’ve sat down to review it, I realise how little of the story is covered by the blurb and how much of it I dare not mention here for fear of spoilers.

If, like me, you are a fan of Katharine’s writing then you will already know to expect her trademark fantastical narratives which sweep you up and here again is what I would describe as almost a modern fairy tale, packed with magical creatures, a brave and bold heroine and a storyline that will hook you in very swiftly and refuse to let go of you until you reach the end of the book. I read it in two sittings, over two days but I suspect this will be a one-sitting read for many readers and who could blame them.

For the inhabitants of Lofotby, a small village seated between the sea and the imposing structure of Mountainfell, a brief earthquake followed by a loud thunderous crack is enough to rouse them from their slumbers. In bed at home, at the very bottom of the mountain, Erskin lies awake in the dark listening to the cries of the strange creatures who live on the slopes above, wondering just what sort of monsters they might be. With the coming of the light, the frightened villagers gather in the market square looking for answers and reassurance from the Lordsson.

Frightened that their village will be attacked, Erskin thinks about the legend of the cloud dragon who lives high on the mountain and who is appeased by being sent one or two villagers each year – villagers who never return – so that Lofotby is left in peace. Sliding her hand into her satchel, Erskin calms herself by stroking Scrat – the cat she has hidden away there – and is relieved that older sister Birgit has not noticed its presence. When Aleksander, the Lordsson, speaks to the crowd, he tells those assembled that they have nothing to fear, that the earthquake was a natural phenomenon and that were there any threat, the Mountain Keeper would have sounded the alarm.

After Birgit grabs her by the arm in her haste to leave, Erskin is horrified when Scrat jumps out of her satchel, frightening the villagers who do not keep pets. Furious at her sister’s behaviour, Birgit rounds on her – telling her that she is hex-addled, like everyone believes, and upsetting her greatly. Once home, the two girls continue to argue but their fight is interrupted by the ground shaking again and their parents try to get them both safely inside. Before they can do so, the cloud dragon appears and snatches a terrified Birgit and flies away with her. Determined to bring her back, Erskin sets out to scale the mountain to find the beast’s lair but she has not reckoned on the creatures who inhabit Mountainfell, or the magic of the mountain itself…

The author has dedicated this title to anyone who has ever felt different and it is clear from the off that Erskin is very different from everyone around her. Experiencing the sort of friction with Birgit that many siblings do, and with no real friends within the village, Scrat provides Erskin with the type of companionship that many of us rely on our pets for and an outlet for the great platonic love that she wants to give. When Birgit is taken, Erskin is devastated at her loss not just to herself, but also to her parents – who she worries will never forgive her – something that I think most of us would experience under the circumstances, showing that she is possibly less different than she at first appears.

Entering the world of Mountainfell, Erskin is quick to notice the differences and similarities between her new environment and her home and has to decide whether or not she can trust her instincts to keep her safe. In tune with the natural world, and in particular its animals, she decides – possibly quite logically – simply to head to the top of the mountain with no real understanding of what that will entail and is fortunate to soon meet up with another individual, with whom she makes a great partnership.

There is so much more I want to add at this point, but I will leave it to you to discover just how much more there is to this story than I have included here when you read it. And I hope that you do read it – this is a beautiful story, perfect for confident readers in Year 5 upwards and one that I adored. As ever, my enormous thanks go to publisher Walker Books and to Net Galley for my virtual advance read, ahead of publication on November 3rd.

Hey, I can't read this as there's no kindle option but thank you for approving me! I have to review and rate every book I'm approved for or my netgalley ratio won't hit 100%, sorry.