Alth0ugh I enjoyed it I found the story quite muddled. Not a patch on Harry Potter or. Philip Pullman which are classics. This story was clever it just didn't flow for me. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

A fabulous adventure story and my favourite Katherine Rundell book by far.
Make lives in the archipelago, home to creatures of myths and legends. Christopher lives in England and knows nothing of the archipelago until he goes to stay in Scotland with his grandad.
Suddenly the two are thrown together and must fight to save the glimoire and restore the world to rights.
A great book, devoured in a day. Highly recommend.

honestly, Katherine Rundell weaves stories like there’s only one story left to tell. If you’ve read anything by her before, you’ll know. This newest adventure is so rich and glorious: dragons, secrets, creatures of all kinds, love, hope, deceit, protecting what matters. I just adored this from the get go. Christopher and Mal are incredible characters and their ship gang and everyone they come across just filled my heart with such joy. It’s storytelling at its finest! This is going to go down an absolute storm!

A fun fantasy novel for younger readers. A great introduction to mythical creatures old and new. First one I have read by this author - would be great adapted for screen

Impossible Creatures is a fantastical & joyful journey into a world where mythical beings and magic are hidden safely away from our knowledge on a cluster of uncharted, unchartable islands. Only the “Guardian of the Way” knows of it’s existence and keeps the knowledge and magical Glimourie Tree safe from theft, ruin and time.

The book has stunning illustrations a map and descriptions of the beasts, creatures and beings that you will meet on your journey as you read and adventure with two brave and bold children, Christopher and Mal.

I don’t wish to offer any spoilers so feel it suffice to say that the book is brilliant. I look forward to having more adventures on the islands in future.

This was very accessible and engaging despite being a mid-grade book (which I am well outside the target audience for in terms of age!) Animal lovers will be spell bound by this story about a boy who discovers his family are guardians of a sanctuary of magical beasts. A very easy read and absolutely charming. Highly recommend.

Christopher has always had an affinity with animals but it isn't until he goes to stay with his grandfather that he learns exactly why that is: his grandfather is the guardian of one of the entry points between our world and the Archipelago, a group of islands where all animals we believe are mythical live. His grandfather tells Christopher that one day he will become the guardian but, until that time, he shouldn't approach the area. However, when magical creatures appear along with a girl called Mal who begs for his help, he has no choice: he follows her to the Archipelago where the pair face a race against time to find the truth of what is happening to the land.

Katherine Rundell is one of those authors whose books I don't need any encouragement to read and so being able to read Impossible Creatures before its publication date was something I jumped at. The book starts with a map of the Archipelago and extracts from The Guardian's Bestiary which describes the mythical creatures in the book. Fantastic online, I can only imagine how beautiful this will be in the final, physical book. The writing is beautiful and the world-building incredible, perfectly combining existing mythical creatures and world with Rundell'd own new twists. You are drawn in easily and captivated by both the land and the creatures there.

You are drawn into the book from the beginning and the combination of fantasy and adventure is guaranteed to keep readers engaged until the very end as you never quite know what will happen next. It's an escape of the very best nature and is a perfect read for upper KS2 lovers of fantasy but will also appeal to those looking to begin to bridge the MG/YA gap.

Impossible Creatures is an immersive read and one which I believe will steal many readers' hearts.

This is a book full of wonders. Rundell's first fully fantastical story is everything that I wanted it to be. The world building is confident and rich, both built upon a rich tradition of storytelling yet fresh and inventive. The characters are immediately appealing and complex and the beasts that populate the fantasy world are so wonderful in themselves that I would love to read about them in more detail them in spin-off stories. Her language is beautiful, her vocabulary is incredibly rich and I think that her core readers will enjoy the wonders of this as much as the fantastical beasts.

Most children don't tend to view their grandparents as heroic figures, but Christopher is about to find out something very interesting about his extremely private grandfather.

While Christopher himself has had an affinity for animals, he has never encounted creatures of myth before. But on a visit to his grandfather, he quickly finds himself making up for lost time in this regard.

As Christopher discovers, his grandfather is one of the guardians of the dimensional pathways between worlds like ours, and a group of enchanted islands known as the Archipelago, where mythical beasts live alongside humans.

Now, the protective barriers between two very different worlds are becoming permeable, with creatures from the Archipelago crossing over to our side. In the course of this series of events that he has unexpectedly become part of, Christopher meets Mal, a determined girl who has embarked on her own quest - despite the fact that she has a killer on her trail!

With so many wild cards (including a baby Griffin and murderous Centaurs) in the mix, can Christopher's adventure possibly end well?

This is some impressive world-building that Rundell has pulled off, to accompany a very enjoyable story. It was easy to get drawn into the world Christopher has unwittingly been exposed to, and this story will most likely take its place alongside other classics in the genre of children's books about magical worlds where nothing is impossible.

"Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell is definitely a really good book and at times I did find myself getting lost in the world. However, I feel as if The Chronicles of Narnia and His Dark Materials have a small edge over this book. I'm sure in time I can be won round into convincing this is a classic, only time will tell.

Fun and very emotive, this book combines a romp through a land full of mythical creatures with subtle and engaging character development. I found the middle a bit slow (lots of action, but little plot development) but it was well worth reading on: the conclusion was both moving and climactic, everything I could have wanted.

This was a good fantasy story linking a strong well written character Christopher in the real world with another, Mal from the Archipelago, a land full of strange, mythical creatures and a magic coat. It's a story that's full of adventure and mayhem that flows well. It has been compared to children's/teenage classics His Dark Materials and the Narnia series, but in my honest opinion I don't think it quite makes this level but still enjoyable.

A good fantasy novel, bridging the real world and mythical creatures. Christopher, heir to the guardianship of the entry point to the Archipelago, meets Mal, the mysterious orphan with the magic flying coat. Their quest to find the Immortal is required in order to save the magic that powers the magical creatures.

What a book!!

I am amazed by how much I loved this book. It is full of magical creatures, the descriptions of which are so vivid, I could see them in front of me. I was really transported to the Archipelago.

The characters, especially Mal and Christopher, were wonderfully created - I definitely felt attached to them. (Special shout out to Jacques!)

I laughed, cried and cheered reading this one and I can’t wait to have a physical copy in my hand.

Thank you yo NetGalley for the arc.

A sweeping, spellbinding fantasy adventure from the magnificent Katherine Rundell. Loved spending time in this wondrous world with its incredible creatures and its brave young protagonists. This book has all the hallmarks of a classic. A superb start to an exciting new trilogy.

As well as the content on my social media pages being almost exclusively children’s book-related, the type of emails I receive is also heavily skewed by the various newsletters I am sent by publishers, bookshops and Net Galley. Usually, I don’t give them more than a quick scan but when one dropped into my inbox from Net Galley to tempt me with this gem from the incredible talent that is Katherine Rundell, I immediately paid significantly more attention.

Ignoring my usual strict rule that I won’t request a virtual read if have several paper titles waiting patiently on the bookshelf for their turn to be picked up, I checked my emails slavishly until one appeared to tell me I had been approved. Finishing what I was then reading, I bumped this to the front of the queue and was quickly drawn into a wonderfully drawn magical world – one populated by the impossible creatures of the title and one full of mystery and the most fantastic adventure.

Like all the best adventure stories, this one is preceded by a beautiful map – however readers are treated not just to a map of The Archipelago but also a copy of The Guardian’s Bestiary, a detailed written guide of a wide assortment of the mythical animals which live there to whet their appetites for what is to come. These creatures are far from the mind of Christopher when he arrives in Scotland to stay with his grandfather and is distracted from what is going on around him by a crowd of squirrels that gather around him, to the astonishment of those looking on. At the same time, within the Archipelago, Mal has returned from flying above the treetops to the home she shares with her Aunt Leonor, unaware that a murderer is lurking outside.

Arriving at his grandfather Frank’s home where he is to stay while his father is away working, the two of them discuss their ability to attract all sorts of wildlife to them – something that Christopher’s father doesn’t approve of – before Frank warns his grandson that his father has requested he is to stay well way from the top of the hill close to the house – a rule that Christopher very quickly decides is pointless and chooses to disobey. Meanwhile, Mal has taken off again and heading deep into the forest, sets up an experiment to investigate the increasing areas of grey soil which are expanding between the trees, only to also discover the latest of many creatures that have inexplicably died there. Alarmed by what she has found, Mal returns home again only for the murderer to burst in and told to run by Leonor does just that, leaping into the nearby river in her efforts to get away.

When Christopher climbs towards the top of the hill, he is stunned when an assortment of unfamiliar animals stampedes past him before he becomes aware of a high-pitched cry and rushes to the top to see what has caused it. Spotting something thrashing about in the small lake there, he wades in and finds an injured griffin. Taking it back to Frank’s, Christopher is shocked when his grandfather produces a map of the Archipelago, telling him that it is the last magical place on Earth, and he is a guardian of the way through which is hidden at the bottom of the lake, before revealing that something bad is affecting the magic and the creatures of the islands. Taking the griffin back to the lake, in the hopes of returning it, Christopher meets Mal who tells him she needs his help. Together with the griffin, they travel back to the Archipelago, only to be confronted by the murderer from whom they manage to escape. Deciding to head to the Azurial Senate – the court of law which covers the Archipelago – Mal and Christopher set off with no real plan other than to ask for help but it soon becomes apparent that they will not find support there. With the murderer in pursuit the two children soon find themselves on an astonishing adventure, one on which they will find allies and enemies in the most unexpected places. Will they be able to work out what is damaging the Archipelago and its wildlife and put things right before it is too late?

To describe this as an adventure story or a fantasy is to sell it very short, it is complex and richly imagined with a cast of characters that I cannot imagine any reader not becoming emotionally involved with. Christopher and Mal are opposite sides of the same coin and when they meet it is soon clear that their relationship is going to be the sort that not everyone is fortunate enough to be blessed with during their lifetime. Both brave and determined, they are prepared to do all that is necessary to bring the magical world back into balance and as a result go above and beyond what might be expected of them time and time again, making this an unputdownable read.

There will be many readers who – like me – pick this up simply because it is Katherine Rundell who has written it and for those individuals, I promise you are in for an astonishingly good read – one which is destined to be on many Best of 2023 lists, my own included, and one which will surely be enjoyed for many years to come. I adored it and cannot recommend it highly enough for those in Years 5 and 6 upwards.

Publishing on 14th September in hardback, this will make a very special Christmas or birthday present and is one that I am already hoping will be the Primary School Book Club read for October on Twitter as I am desperate to chat about it and know that I will not be alone in that.

As always, the most enormous thanks go to publisher Bloomsbury Children’s Books and to Net Galley for my advance virtual read.

I’m actually going to rate this a five because although it’s aimed at younger readers I as an adult found it thoroughly captivating. I’d like to say Christopher is a normal boy but actually he’s pretty much not as animals follow him and it’s not until he goes to stay with his grandfather that he learns his family guard the entrance to a world full of mystery. The group of islands known as the Archipelago are home to creatures of myth and legends and Christopher encounters a baby Griffin but trust me he has no idea how to handle it ! Luckily Mal, a young girl from the Archipelago finds them both but she’s running away from a very bad man who seems determined for whatever reason to murder her !
This was an adventure that just kept me eagerly turning the pages. I loved Christopher from the start as he’s pragmatic and dare I say kindhearted ? Mal is a slightly precocious young miss , stubbornly brave and yet there’s a certain vulnerability to her that the author captures. The supporting characters add greatly to the proceedings and the various creatures we meet are well thought out with attitudes that made me smile. It’s not just creatures that the author brings to life though as she’s given us humans with their faults, fallibilities , fears and hopes to cheer for too with emotions that never feel sentimental. I did find myself drawn in and indeed touched by these events as the story progressed. Yes I happily recommend this book and will certainly look for more by this new to me author.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

How can anyone resist a book where the first chapter starts with "It was a very fine day, until something tried to eat him" and the second with "It was a very fine day, until somebody tried to kill her."? In very few words, we are introduced to Christopher and Mal, the problem which will unite them, and given a succinct impression of the world we are about to enter. Add to this a cast of fantastic creatures, each described in detail in the Guardian's Bestiary, and wonderfully memorable supporting characters - Ratwin is a brilliant creation - who accompany the two on their world saving quest. Full of suspense, peppered with humour, especially through the dialogue and imbued with a real sense of danger where some characters do not survive, this is a thrilling and totally absorbing read. I have no hesitation in adding any Katherine Rundell children's book to our library: her writing is of the highest quality, and the variety of setting and plot is a breath of fresh air when so many children's novels, many of them extremely good, are part of a series. The minute I had finished reading this I wanted to start again at the beginning, so enraptured was I with the world I had inhabited for a short time and enamoured of the characters I had shared it with. I absolutely loved it.

An incredible story of adventure and fantasy. Rundell's best book yet and one that cements her as the successor to Diana Wynne Jones and CS Lewis in perfect time. She is clever, and kind and understands the exact perfect way to write a story.
My book of the year.

Thoroughly enjoyed this fantastical romp through the world of mythical beasts. The story is fast paced and you never know what might happen to the group of travellers next! Will they achieve the goal and mission they have set out on or will it end in disaster? The very end of the story leaves you wondering about what might happen in the future. It’s a great read and I would recommend it. This author was unknown to me prior to reading this book but I think she’s set to be one of the great names in YA/children’s fiction.