NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The highly anticipated third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Impossible Creatures series. Join Christopher and Anya on their next daring adventures in the magical Archipelago!
*This spectacular book features foil and embossing on the jacket, full-color designed endpapers, stained edges, and gorgeous interior illustrations.*It’s the Midsummer Feast on the islet of Glimt, and on this magical moonlit evening, the word on everyone’s lips is
bandits. Reports of masked men wreaking havoc are spreading throughout the Archipelago.
Christopher and Anya have faced danger before; they think they are prepared for this threat—until they are ambushed and someone very close to them is kidnapped.
Their frantic quest to pay the ransom will take them on a wild journey across Glimouria. Together they must face giants, duel with pirates, and race against deadly karkadanns.
But just when they think they might succeed, there will come the most Herculean task of all . . .
On sale: September 1, 2026
Age: 10 and up
Grade: Grade 5 & Up
Page count: 336 Pages
ISBN: 9780593809945
Reading level: Lexile: 640L | Fountas/Pinnell: Z
Katherine Rundell is the #1
New York Times bestselling author of
Impossible Creatures and
The Poisoned King. Her other books for children include
Rooftoppers,
Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms,
The Wolf Wilder, The Explorer, and
The Good Thieves. For adult readers, Rundell has written
Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures and
Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne, which won the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. She was the recipient of the British Book Award for Book of the Year and Author of the Year. She grew up in Zimbabwe, Brussels, and London, and is currently a Fellow of St. Catherine’s College, Oxford.
Ashley Mackenzie is a Canadian artist and illustrator with a special affinity for dragons, dryads, and all magical creatures.
★ "This is a perfectly paced, mythology-laced tale of action, adventure, and heart....
Brilliant." —
Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"As an adventure story,
The Neverfear is top-notch. Christopher and Anya’s adventures unspool at a breathless pace as they hop from island to island, dueling with pirates, trespassing among giants and competing in a deadly street race featuring some of Glimouria’s nastier creatures." —
The Wall Street Journal
★ "Rundell continues to deliver
whimsy, charm, and action in
The Neverfear, a
spellbinding and lively addition to her magical series." — Shelf Awareness, starred review
"
The Neverfear, the latest installment of her Impossible Creatures series, shows
a writer at the height of her powers. The plot is
brilliantly imagined, with every twist and turn seeming both surprising and, once revealed, satisfyingly inevitable…
She’s fast becoming one of the most consequential children’s authors of our times.” —
The Telegraph
"
It doesn't get much better than this—brilliant storytelling, rich world-building, relatable, inspiring characters, creepy villains, epic battles . . . and quite a few laughs.
[A] not-to-be-missed book (and series)." — Common Sense Media
"It’s easy to see why
kids and adults alike are obsessed with these books." —
Vogue
"The Neverfear is Harry Potter meets The Odyssey.
Rundell has the type of descriptive writing style that
can fully transport a reader to another world." — Polygon
