- Graphic Novels
- Ages 8–12
- Fantasy
Hilda and the Stone Forest
Book 5 of 6 in Hilda Graphic NovelsView the full series
Part of the Hilda universeOpen the collection
A more dramatic, emotionally charged Hilda adventure that pulls her mother directly into the fantasy world. It is ideal for readers ready for stronger peril and a more serialised arc.
- Best for8–12
- FormatGraphic
- Length64 pp
- Read aloud~30 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Literary
Tone
- Adventurous
- Exciting
- Suspenseful
- Heartwarming
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Hilda may be grounded, but staying put has never been her strength. When another adventure goes wrong, her mother is pulled into danger with her, and the two find themselves lost in the land of the trolls. Their bickering and worry sit alongside a much larger fantasy journey through a strange, rocky world full of danger, beauty and unanswered questions. The book deepens the series by making Hilda's independence collide with family responsibility: adventure is thrilling, but choices have consequences for the people who love you. It also pushes the troll mythology into the foreground and leads into the final main graphic novel. The tone is still full of wonder and charm, but this is one of the more perilous and emotionally intense Hilda books.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 8–12
- Read aloud · 7–11
- Independent · 8–12
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Works well for
- Reluctant readers
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: scary imagery, violence.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
1 / 5 · Tough fit
Graphic intensity
5 / 5 · Intense
Best for
- Bigger stakes
- Parent child story
- Fantasy peril
- Serialised reading
- Troll folklore
Avoid if
- Very sensitive to peril
- Wants standalone story
- Bedtime only
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Nightmares or fears
- Anxiety and worry
In the classroom
How it works in school.
Luke Pearson's enchanting Hilda graphic-novel series — a beautifully drawn reluctant-reader favourite and classroom-library cornerstone.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific weight is Hilda's mother being pulled into danger with her — adventure no longer just Hilda's choice but a family disaster, the bickering and worry sitting alongside genuine peril. The Hilda where independence collides with family responsibility, and a child reading it feels the shift.
- Adventure and freedom
- Secret world
- Shapeshifting
- Surviving danger
- Transformation
Why parents love it
The Hilda where the mother-daughter relationship becomes the actual story — adventure with stakes for the parent in the room. More emotionally complex than the earlier books, and the volume that sets up the finale. Best read in sequence; carries straight into Mountain King.
- Beautiful illustrations
- Conversation starter
- Great writing
- Shared humour
In the series
Hilda Graphic Novels.
6 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Luke Pearson.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
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