A boy orphaned by invaders. A strange fairy girl in the forest. A serpent god seeking blood. A book to turn darkness into light. Brendans uncle, Abbot Cellach, forbids him to set foot outside the walls of Kells. The Vikings are coming, he warns. But Brendan longs to help the famous illuminator, Aidan, with the Great Book. In the dark of the night he sneaks into the forest to collect ink berries for Aidan. There he is attacked by wolves, meets a strange fairy girl and stumbles on the cave of the evil Crom Cruach, the Dark One. Can Brendan outwit the serpent god? Will the Great Book ever be finished? And will the walls of Kells protect Brendan and the monks from the invading Vikings? Adapted from The Secret of Kells, the Oscar-nominated film by Cartoon Saloon, Les Armateurs, Vivi Film.

 

 

This book has been graded for interest at 10 years.

There are 192 pages in this book.

It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.

This book was published in 2012 by O'Brien Press Ltd .

Cartoon Saloon is a Kilkenny-based animation studio formed by Paul Young, Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey in 1999. They are best-known for their Academy Award-nominated feature-length animations The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea, but have also done a wide range of television programmes and some lovely illustration work for O'Brien Press books. Eithne Massey has written many books for both adults and children, mainly based on the legends of Ireland. Her adaptation of the award-winning movie The Secret of Kells is set in the time of the early Viking raids; The Silver Stag of Bunratty and Where the Stones Sing are set in Norman Ireland and Blood Brother, Swan Sister at the time of the Battle of Clontarf. All blend together historical detail with myths, legends and folklore, resulting in stories which will appeal to "young readers who enjoy an adventure with well-rounded characters and a touch of magic and history" (www. childrensbooksireland. ie).