Twelve-year-old Alfred has spent much of his life moving around for his dad's job. This time, they are heading to his granny's, a place he hasn't been to since he was only a few months old. Alfred is going to stay there whilst his father is working nearby as part of a team who are intent on building a tunnel through a near by hill to provide easier access to the city.
As Alfred settles in, he gets the feeling he is being watched but puts it down to the numerous carvings of animals his granny seems to be very protective of. When his dad leaves, he heads out to the car with him where he meets Saga, the daughter of an old friend of his dad. The pair quickly become friends and Alfred begins helping her in her efforts to stop the construction of the tunnel.
Whilst all this is going on, Alfred discovers that he can see and speak to faerie creatures. Mr Tumbleweed is Saga's faerie creature friend, a tree sprite, most people see as a toad, but Saga - only Alfred can understand what he is saying.
As the campaign to save the hill intensifies, Alfred realises that he is connected to the faeries and this may be the key to finding out about his mother (somebody he never knew and somebody his dad and his granny refuse to talk about). He determines to enter Faerie in search of answers; however, it seems that the creatures need help from Alfred and Saga as much as he needs help from them. Can they work together to stop construction of the tunnel and will Alfred get the answers he is so desperately seeking?
This is Helle's third book and, having loved The Missing Barbegazi and falling completely under the spell of The Hungry Ghost, I was very excited to find an early copy of Into The Faerie Hill waiting at home for me.
Alfred is a character I warmed to quickly. He really doesn't want to be at his granny's but simply can't persuade his dad to change his mind. He is a strong swimmer but struggles, at times, with the fact that one one of his legs is shorter than the other. It certainly doesn't define him and doesn't stop him doing anything - I love this and I know it will send a strong message to readers. I also found Saga a captivating character: where Alfred is determined to hide in the shadows, Saga is happy to stand out and, at times, actively seeks to be different. She is fiercely determined to protect the hill in any way she can and her eco-warrior fierceness will appeal to readers.
Into The Faerie Hill is a wonderful mix of magic, mystery and folklore that weaves in respecting the environment and the world around us. Family and friendship are strong themes in the book and the message to be proud of who you are sings out of the pages. This is a story that will lull you in and cast a spell over you so you won't want to leave the village and Faerie. You'll be torn between gobbling the book in one go and languishing amongst the pages to savour every moment for as long as possible.
Due for release on the 2nd March, Into The Faerie Hill is a book you should definitely pre-order.
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