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A young soldier, a captive princess, witches, wolves and Death walk hand in hand in COSTA AWARD winner Sally Gardner’s gothic retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s THE TINDERBOX.
Otto Hundebiss is tired of war, but when he defies Death he walks a dangerous path. A half-beast half-man gives him shoes and dice, which will lead him deep into a web of dark magic and mystery. He meets the beautiful Safire – pure of heart and spirit, the scheming Mistress Jabber and the terrifying Lady of the Nail. He learns the powers of the tinderbox and the wolves whose master he becomes. But will all the riches in the world bring him the thing he most desires?
Fairy tales are often the cruellest stories of all; this spellbinding book tells of both great love and great loss.
Beautifully illustrated by David Roberts.
Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2015 and the Kate Greenaway Medal 2015.
Otto Hundebiss is tired of war, but when he defies Death he walks a dangerous path. A half-beast half-man gives him shoes and dice, which will lead him deep into a web of dark magic and mystery. He meets the beautiful Safire – pure of heart and spirit, the scheming Mistress Jabber and the terrifying Lady of the Nail. He learns the powers of the tinderbox and the wolves whose master he becomes. But will all the riches in the world bring him the thing he most desires?
Fairy tales are often the cruellest stories of all; this spellbinding book tells of both great love and great loss.
Beautifully illustrated by David Roberts.
Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2015 and the Kate Greenaway Medal 2015.
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Reviews
Dazzling and haunting...a dark and deliciously macabre read with an unexpected twist
Fast-paced and gripping
Profoundly beautiful and thought-provoking ... mesmeric ... ultimately, we are in the hands of a consummate storyteller who provides her readers with nothing less than a meditation on desire, maturation, reality and death.
Luminously written ... rich and rewarding
A dark but delightful read
Exquisite ... as dark and captivating as you would hope
Profoundly beautiful
David Roberts' elegant illustrations are integral to the beautiful design ... A volume to treasure and re-read
Mesmeric ... another jewel in Gardner's crown
The natural elegance of Roberts' style marries perfectly with the supernatural elements of Gardner's powerful narrative -- by turns ghostly, tender, dramatic
Exquisite
A dark dream -- an exploration of memory, grief, fear, lust and love. Gardner's delicate, eerie rendering lends it a new grace
Gardner's prose in Tinder is adventurous and hugely energetic ... Its a beauty
An exquisitely macabre fairy story for teenagers