A Riddle for a King

LoveReading4Kids Says

A joy to read aloud, with a droll, knowing voice that invites dramatic delivery, Mark Forsyth’s A Riddle for a King is a fabulously quirky treat for readers who relish the razzle of brain-bending riddles and the fizz of quest-driven adventures.

Philo lives with his punctuality-obsessed aunt and uncle and is going about his ordinary day when something quite extraordinary happens: “It’s not every day that a little creature looks out of a grandfather clock and asks you whether you’re the king”.   

Looking “a bit like a giraffe, and a little like a human, and rather like an elephant, and almost exactly like a monkey, and very like a rabbit”, the besuited creature goes by the name of Mr Spronkel and has a confusing habit of speaking in Alice in Wonderland-esque absurdities.   

In the weird world beyond the grandfather clock, Philo finds himself having to locate the Penguin Gate to reach the King in his Flying Castle if he’s to return home. Faced with countless conundrums, and encountering a giant named Og, the Bridge-Riddler and the Midnight Witch along his puzzling path, A Riddle for a King is riotously good fun, and thrilling to boot.

Reviewed by Joanne Owen
Joanne Owen is a writer, reviewer and workshop presenter whose lifelong love of books began when she was growing up in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
More reviews by Joanne Owen

About A Riddle for a King

An exciting adventure, filled with magic, fun, friendships, and weird and wonderful creatures! The story introduces readers to some brain-bendy puzzles and might just convince you that up is down and down is up . . .

Read the full description

Find This Book In