The Secrets of the Wild Wood

By Tonke Dragt and Laura Watkinson

A stunning gift edition of the Sunday Times and Telegraph Children’s Book of the Year—the “action-packed” sequel to The Letter for the King (Daily Mail)

Young Sir Tiuri searches for a missing knight in the perilous, magical forest of the Wild Wood—where discerning friend from foe is no easy task . . .

One of the King’s most trusted knights has vanished in the snow, so young Sir Tiuri and his best friend Piak must journey into the shadowy heart of the forest to find him. The Wild Wood is a place of mysteries, rumors and whispered tales. A place of lost cities, ancient curses, robbers, princesses, and Men in Green.

As the darkness surrounds him and reports grow of secret plots and ruthless enemies, Tiuri finds himself alone and fighting for survival—caught in a world where good and evil wear the same face, and the wrong move could cost him his life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Dec 18, 2018
• ISBN: 9781782690627

Tonke Dragt

Tonke Dragt nació en Yakarta en 1930 y pasó en Indonesia la mayor parte de su juventud. En 1941 se desencadenó la guerra en el Este, Japón invadió la India neerlandesa y Dragt, con 12 años, fue a parar a un campamento japonés con su madre y sus dos hermanas pequeñas. Allí, inspirada por Jules Verne, escribe su primer «libro». Acabada la guerra en 1945, se traslada junto con su familia a los Países Bajos y estudia en la Academia de Bellas Artes de La Haya, convirtiéndose en profesora de dibujo. En 1961 apareció su primer libro: Aventuras de dos gemelos diferentes. Un año después llegó Carta al rey, que fue elegido Mejor libro juvenil del año y en 2004 recibió en su país el Griffel der Griffels («Premio de los Premios») reconociéndolo como el mejor libro juvenil de los últimos cincuenta años.  En 1976 Tonke fue premiada por el conjunto de su obra con el Premio Nacional de Literatura Infantil y Juvenil.

Reviews for The Secrets of the Wild Wood

[reading_fox · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Surprisingly much better than the first in the series. The action is more focused and characters more nuanced and less one dimensional.Thiuri and Piark don't have an official Quest as such yet, but they decide to meet up with their previous travelling companions just outside the Wild Wood. Here they learn that another Knight of renown as gone missing, and I was very concerned that this would be a repeat of the first book, but fortunately events take a different turn. The Wild Wood is different place to anywhere we've met previously, there's a chance of genuine harm occurring to at least some of the characters, and Thiuri get's his first look at romance, although poor Piark is left yearning. A complex situation develops with knights from the three kingdoms all in the same place, and mostly at the whim of the renegade Wild Wood inhabitants. It's never quite clear if there's actual magic involved or just subtle trickery and skill - a distinction which makes the reading more interesting. The pacing was better, the story more complex and just generally a better book all around. It still has a lot of the first books' naive charm, but it's more tempered with reality now which appeals to older readers. I can see the love for the series based on this book, but probably not enough to explore any of the author's other works.