November 2014 Book of the Month Creatively chilling, this debut novel takes the whimsically charming idea of talking to animals and turns it on its head. Eleven year old Danny, with his new found link to an ancient and dangerous magic is understandably scared and confused, this makes him feel alive and so very real. Danny’s determination to find his missing parents creates a feeling of optimism, which is needed to battle the fear that the sinister and shadowy Sammael creates as he stalks through the pages. This is a book that encourages imaginations to run riot for a while, at times scary and sad it also has an undercurrent of reassurance and strength running throughout. There are questions left unanswered and as this is the first in a trilogy, the door is left wide open for another exciting tale. ~ Liz Robinson
A boy on a quest against the power of the storm. Eleven-year-old Danny's parents are storm chasers - which sounds fun and exciting, and it is, so long as you aren't the son who has to wait behind at home. And one night, after a particularly fierce storm, Danny's parents don't come back. Stranger still, the old sycamore tree in Danny's yard seems to have been struck by lightning, and when he picks up a fragment of wood from the tree's heart, he finds he can hear voices ...including that of next door's rather uppity cat, Mitzy. The stick is a taro, a shard of lightning that bestows upon its bearer unnerving powers, including the ability to talk with plants and animals - and it is very valuable. So valuable, in fact, that it attracts the attention of a Sammael, an ancient figure of darkness and a buyer of souls. And he will do anything to get his hands on it ...And so begins a dangerous and daring quest. Danny, who is bewildered, alone and unaccustomed to acts of bravery, must confront his fears, find his parents and unravel the secrets of The Book of Storms ...
This is really something special. An 11-year-old boy searches for his storm-chaser parents and unravels a shadowy world of magic, menace and a truly terrifying foe. Wonderful storytelling with echoes of Susan Cooper. It's her debut and she's most certainly a name to watch ... Don't miss it. -- Fiona Noble The Bookseller - Book of the Month (November)
Author
About Ruth Hatfield
Ruth Hatfield is from Cambridge, although she travels around a bit as she is a field archaeologist by profession. It's a good job for inspiration! Ruth has been writing stories for most of her life just to please herself; however, what she loves to explore is the way in which imagination gives us limitless possibilities to make our own lives extraordinary. In her spare time she eats books, gallops around on horses, pedals around on her bike and tries not to break too many bones.
November 2014 Book of the Month Creatively chilling, this debut novel takes the whimsically charming idea of talking to animals and turns it on its head. Eleven year old Danny, with his new found link to an ancient and dangerous magic is understandably scared and confused, this makes him feel alive and so very real. Danny’s determination to find his missing parents creates a feeling of optimism, which is needed to battle the fear that the sinister and shadowy Sammael creates as he stalks through the pages. This is a book that encourages imaginations to run riot for a while, at times scary and sad it also has an undercurrent of reassurance and strength running throughout. There are questions left unanswered and as this is the first in a trilogy, the door is left wide open for another exciting tale. ~ Liz Robinson 
