Cressida Cowell is the author and the illustrator of the globally bestselling How to Train Your Dragon series. Her next series, The Wizards of Once, was an international bestseller. Cressida is also the author of the Emily Brown picture books, illustrated by Neal Layton. The Which Way series is her most recent and has already been translated into 15 languages.How to Train Your Dragon has sold over 8 million books worldwide in 42 languages. It is also an award-winning DreamWorks film series, and a TV series shown on Netflix and CBBC. The Wizards of Once has been translated into 38 languages and also signed by DreamWorks.Cressida was the Waterstones Children's Laureate (2019-2022). She is an ambassador for the National Literacy Trust and the Reading Agency and a founder patron of the Children's Media Foundation. She has won numerous prizes for her books, including the Gold Award in the Nestle Children's Book Prize, the Hay Festival Medal for Fiction, and Philosophy Now' magazine's 2015 Award for Contributions in the Fight Against Stupidity.She grew up in London and on a small, uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland and she now lives in Hammersmith with her husband, three children and a dog called Pigeon.
World-conquering
*The Guardian*
The first volume of a new series by author and illustrator of the
How to Train Your Dragon series is an event....Funny, thoughtful
and surprisingly wise and lively, this is another coup from
Cowell
*The Sunday Times*
Cowell's latest work offers a fully realized fantasy world
abounding with witches, sprites, killer plants, and talking ravens.
Her scrappy teenage protagonists are wonderfully flawed and almost
scarily realistic in their bravery, selfishness, and desire to
please their parents yet not surrender their individuality. The
omniscient narrator's voice is pitch-perfect, sounding
appropriately young without ever talking down to the target
audience. Readers will fall in love with the imaginative
worldbuilding and humorous dialogue and asides....A delightful
magical romp.
*Kirkus Reviews*
The detail of Cowell's world is a delight...This one will run and
run.
*The Observer*
I am pleased to report that The Wizards of Once...is terrific. It
introduces us to a new fantasy world, though its roots again lie
deep in a familiar mulch of history and legend. Not the Norse myths
this time, but a fantasia of ancient Britain, a land of dark,
mysterious forests and powerful magic. What follows is a
rollercoaster of suspense and surprise...The book has all the
familiar Cowell trademarks. The story never flags, even at moments
of calm and reflection, and the writing has humour, grit and depth.
She provides her own illustrations, and their scratchy style and
scribbled annotations strike the right note. It all adds up to a
beautifully designed hardback volume.
*The Guardian*
... sustain a sense of wonder and mayhem from start to finish.
Cowell skillfully mixes adventure with silliness in a satisfying
story for younger fantasy fans.
*Publishers Weekly*
... it is by turns grim, poignant, philosophical and terrifying,
woven through with Cowell's slapstick humour.
*The Times Literary Supplement*
An exciting and promising start... A fantastical adventure ensues,
filled with mythical beasts, cliff-hangers and an epic struggle
between good and evil
*The Scotsman*
bristles with rambunctious energy and humour, and feels as if it
has been slapped down on the page with glee and mischief....its
characters, Xar the wizard who has no magic, and Wish the warrior
princess, who happens to have a magic spoon, are irresistible.
*Herald Scotland*
Wizards, warriors, sprites and snow cats in a brilliant new fantasy
adventure.
*The Bookseller*
The Wizards of Once is... terrific... a rollercoaster of
suspense.
*The Guardian*
I loved The Wizards of Once. Of course! The new world Cowell has
created is just as vivid...There's plenty of magic in Cowell's wild
woods and it rises from the pages fresh and clear and with fizzling
energy... And it's funny, as you'd expect. Cheerfully funny with
daft jokes and slapstick and sharp dialogue... The underlying theme
is one of tolerance of difference. She writes with empathy and
encourages it in her readers that way. So much better to let kids
come to their own conclusions once you've gently pointed them in
the right direction. I think this is one reason why Cowell is so
popular - there is a trust between author and reader that both feel
and respect.
*The Book Bag*
It's so brilliantly entertaining, exciting and scary, you'll be
desperate to get your hands on the sequel.
*The Week Junior*
Cressida Cowell is a gifted author with a real talent for taking
her readers right inside her fantasy worlds. Now we have the start
of a great new series, with more to look forward to...The
illustrations by the author are an outstanding feature of the book
- they really convey the atmosphere and propel the reader into this
fantastical world. Totally absorbing.
*Parents in Touch*
I really enjoyed this book because there were moments of suspense
where you could guess what would happen and 9 times out of 10 be
shocked by what happened.
It was really fun and a good read, I love how it all intertwines
and locks. It is a book you get drawn into and can't put down and I
can't wait for the next book in the series to come out because it
leaves a real cliff hanger of an ending! An incredible read. 5 out
of 5
*Primary Times*
Fans of How To Train Your Dragon who have been waiting for Cressida
Cowell's new series will not be disappointed. Wizards, warriors,
magic and two fab new mini heroes.
*Weekly Scoop*
Without ever losing the qualities that have made her books so
deservedly popular, very gently (and cleverly) Cressida Cowell
leads her young readers into something deeper, something richer,
something even more magical. In doing so, her contribution to
children's literature follows exactly the same path. She is a true
hero of current children's fiction. Her books are a gift and
children, parents, carers, and teachers should all be deeply
grateful for it.
*Magic Fiction Since Potter*
A treat for old fans and newcomers alike.
*S Magazine*
Packed with Cowell's own quirkly illustrations, and as imaginative,
funny and warm-hearted as the Dragon books, The Wizards of Once is
a pacy, exciting read that's sure to herald another hit series.
*Gainsborough Echo*
Funny, thoughtful, lively and suprisingly wise, it is another coup
for Cowell.
*The Sunday Times Ireland*
The book bristles with rambunctious energy and humour, and feels as
if it has been slapped down on the page with glee and mischief. And
its characters are irresistible.
*The Glasgow Herald*
This is a spellbinding adventure. It's so brilliantly entertaining,
exciting and scary, you'll be desperate to get your hands on the
sequel.
*The Week Junior*
A wildly entertaining and funny adventure. It is a visual treat to
snuggle up with or read together with an adult.
*South Wales Evening Post (Swansea)*
If your kids adored How to Train Your Dragon, they'll be thrilled
by the new The Wizards of Once.
*Family Traveller*
The illustrations of Xar, Wish, the magical creatures, notices and
maps will be familiar to fans of How to Train Your Dragon but they
are darker and have more of a feel of Tinder or A Monster Calls. An
enjoyable read for anyone who loves the idea that 'Once there was
Magic'.
*The School Librarian*
Full of quirky illustrations, it is a pacy read.
*Cornish Times*
Packed with Cowell's own quirky illustrations and as imaginative,
funny and warm-hearted as the Dragon books.
*The Wrexham Leader*
A new fantasy world drawing on the background of Ancient Britain.
The book is engagingly written with humorous illustrations and
sketches adding to the flavour and vividness of the writing. A must
of any KS2 reader who likes fast-paced adventure.
*The English Association*
The story moves at a cracking pace.
*Teaching English*
I would recommend this book to people who like long adventures
stories. I would say people aged 9 to 12 would like the story. I
would say that this one of the best books I have read. 10 out of
10.
*Cork Evening Echo*
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