Stones Are Hatching

After centuries of undisturbed slumber, the Stoor Worm—the World Eater—is waking. A creature of monstrous proportions and unimaginable evil, the Stoor Worm must be destroyed. Already its murderous hatchlings are bringing terror and destruction to every corner of Britain. And an odd trio—a Fool, a Maiden, and a Horse—is desperately trying to convince one quite ordinary boy that he alone can save the world.

Drawing upon the centuiries-old lore of Britain's Old Magic, acclaimed novelist Geraldine McCaughrean has created a bold, original fantasy. Richly textured, this gripping tale of perilous adventure is filled with unforgettable scenes of terror, heroism, and treachery in the timeless fight between good and evil.

It was from out at sea that Phelim got his first glimpse of the Stoor Worm: Alexia pointed it out to him. A mass of land thrust out into the sea, interrupting the smooth curve of the coast. Within it and behind it, the land was far higher than round about, and it had a reddish tinge to it. There was no eye, no ear, no claw, no thorny tail. It was simply a piece of land. How can you be afraid of a piece of land? Phelim, who had been expecting the fright of his life, felt absolutely nothing. The Stoor Worm was simply a morsel of legend, untrue. "It doesn't even look like a dragon," he said, half laughing with relief.

"Well, that is only the snout," Alexia said.

Author Biography: Geraldine McCaughrean is the winner of England's most prestigious children's book award, the Carnegie Medal, for A Pack of Lies. An expert in world mythology, she is the author of The Golden Hoard, The Silver Treasure, and The BronzeCauldron. Other prizewinning books for young readers by Ms. McCaughrean include Plundering Paradise (published in the U.S. as The Pirate's Son), winner of England's Smarties Book Prize Bronze Award; Forever X, short-listed for the Carnegie Medal; and Gold Dust, winner of the 1994 Beefeater Children's Novel Award. Ms. McCaughrean makes her debut on the HarperCollins list with The Stones Are Hatching. She lives in Berkshire, England.