posted on 27 Jun 2024

Elf Dog and Owl Head by M.T. Anderson, illustrated by Junyi Wu

Cast your mind back to the spring and early summer of 2020. We were, you’ll recall, all trying to understand what dealing with a pandemic actually meant as we confronted lockdown, social distancing and life without friends to visit. Here in the UK we were lucky that the weather that year was so good and many of us discovered the joys of walking in the countryside and in areas we hadn’t thought to explore before. But I bet none of us can quite match the extraordinary experiences that 12 year-old Clay has when he takes off with his Frisbee to explore the woods near his house.

Clay lives at home with his parents and two sisters, Juniper and DiRossi but he’s really struggling with being forced to be home from school and away from his friends. On this occasion he stumbles on something remarkable – a white dog with red ears that seems to be lost. When boy and dog return home, the family assume that the rightful owners would soon claim such an unusual dog. But they don’t and we, as readers know why. This is a very special dog (as its collar should have alerted them) that belongs to the magical world of the Queen Under the Mountain and was part of a pack that hunted the dragon-like Wyrms that were also part of this magical world usually invisible to humans. Unable to find its way back to the magic portal to its own land, the dog is now stranded in the human world.

Gradually, Clay and the dog begin to bond and the boy starts to spend more and more time in the woods. One day Clay is led by the elf-hound (for that’s what it was) into a magical place inhabited by ‘people’ but have the heads of owls! Rather stupidly, Clay steals a container full of magical fast-growing powder from them – an act of foolishness that will pull him and his two sisters into danger and also provide a new, remarkable friendship with an owl-headed boy.

Be prepared for plenty of helter-skelter action, some distinctly weird costume parties and a frightening encounter with a Wyrm. The story has plenty of full-page, black and white illustrations provided by Junyi Wu that provide added atmosphere for the book.

Available now from Walker Books, you will be able to get a copy from your local independent bookshop – who will be happy to order you one if they don’t have it on their shelf.

 

Terry Potter

June 2024