Moonlight Bay and the Land of Seven Suns

Scott has always thought that what makes him different are his flaws. On his adventures in Moonlight Bay, those quirks might be exactly what saves the day.

Eleven-year-old Scott has a warm home, a fluffy cat and parents who adore him. School, however, is another story. The class laughs when Scott says he wants to build model aeroplanes when he grows up, and he walks the long way home so the older boys can't nick his pocket money. He worries about almost everything, and he's quite sure he isn't brave.

So when a glowing toy steam train appears inside the antique cabinet his mum bought for his room, the last thing Scott means to do is touch it. One flash of light later, he tumbles out of a stone tree into Moonlight Bay. It's a town of squabbling sprites, singing elves, frogerts in monocles and one very pompous mayor, who promptly throws Scott in jail for a crime he didn't commit.

To clear his name and find his way home, Scott sets out on a Noble Quest with the oddest companions he could imagine:

• Sol, an outcast fire sprite who bursts into sparks at the worst moments and has never once been listened to;
• Bianca, a fiercely protective coconut who can command plants and rarely pauses before she leaps;
• Hypatia, a generous mage whose spells sometimes slip her mind;
• Min, a shadow elf hunting for answers to her village's curse, who would rather fight than make friends; and
• Friedholt, an old soldier trapped in a wolf's body.

Every one of them struggle with their flaws, and some of them don't trust the others at first. Scott is frightened for most of the journey. Somewhere between the swamp and the mines, though, he learns that courage means pushing on while you're still afraid, and that it's a lot easier with friends who believe in you. Sol is ashamed of his sparks, and Scott is embarrassed by his worrying and his fiddly models. Both of them discover that the things they tried to hide might be exactly what everyone needs.

Moonlight Bay and The Land of Seven Suns is a funny, zany fantasy adventure for readers aged 9 and up. It's for anyone who has ever felt like the odd one out and is still looking for their people.