Vanessa Walder » The Magical Curse of the Elf King « Illustrated by Almud Kunert 8+, June 2008 240 pages, 15.3 x 21.5 cm ISBN 978-3-7855-5984-0 hardcover 10,90 € (D) Rights sold: Hungarian, Romanian, Russian, Ukranian

Ariane is captured by a dragon and taken into the Enchanted Forest. The magical creatures need her as a hostage because Ariane's brother, Erik, is holding a fairy prisoner. However, Ariane manages to escape and attempts to break the spell on her house that is preventing her from returning home. With the help of the snake Lukretia, she sets off for the elf palace. However, the two soon find themselves in the middle of a dispute between the forest animals and the magical inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest. Then, to complicate matters, Erik appears! He offers to exchange the prisoners, but the grievances on each side have been simmering for too long and the children get caught in the middle of the conflict.


The author has created a fantasy-filled novel for children which is exciting and moving and funny to boot. Her depiction of the magical beings and extraordinary events is both affectionate and amusing.
In the tradition of classic children's fantasy books, Vanessa Walder has created a story in which a fantastic adventure is sensitively mixed with the everyday experiences of ordinary children.