- Chapter Books
- Ages 9–13
- Fantasy
Impossible Creatures
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Book 1 in Impossible CreaturesView the full series
A major modern fantasy adventure with extraordinary mythical-creature world-building, high peril and unusually rich prose. Best for confident readers who are ready for a big, emotionally gripping quest in the tradition of Pullman, Tolkien and classic children's fantasy.
- Best for9–13
- FormatChapter
- Length368 pp
- Read aloud~11 hr
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The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Literary
- Conversational
Tone
- Adventurous
- Exciting
- Suspenseful
- Thought provoking
- Heartwarming
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Christopher is staying with his reclusive grandfather when he discovers a hidden route to the Archipelago, a secret world where the creatures of myth are still alive: griffins, unicorns, sphinxes, dragons, krakens and stranger beings besides. There he meets Mal, a fierce girl on the run with a flying coat and a baby griffin, and together they are drawn into a desperate journey to understand why magical creatures are dying and what ancient force threatens the world. Katherine Rundell writes with huge confidence, combining old-fashioned quest storytelling, fierce emotional stakes and dazzling mythological invention. The book is long and intense enough to need a confident reader, but it is also highly propulsive, full of danger, friendship and awe. Tomislav Tomic's illustrations and bestiary material add to the sense of a complete fantasy world worth lingering inside.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 9–13
- Read aloud · 8–12
- Independent · 9–13
Prose load
Heavy
Visual support
Low
Reluctant-reader friendly
Workable
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Gift-buying
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: violence, scary imagery, animal harm.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
2 / 5 · Use judgement
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Epic fantasy
- Mythical creatures
- Confident readers
- Big read aloud
- Modern classic feel
Avoid if
- Very sensitive to animal peril
- Wants short easy read
- Prefers low peril
Particularly good for children who are…
- Interested in science
- Reluctant reader
In the classroom
How it works in school.
Katherine Rundell's epic modern fantasy — a glorious class read-aloud and discussion novel with rich language and big themes.
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 kick is the bestiary — Christopher discovering a hidden archipelago where every mythical creature is real, baby griffins, sphinxes, krakens, dragons all alive. The Rundell that gives a confident nine-year-old reader a proper modern fantasy quest of the kind that makes them re-read.
- Secret world
- Animal companions
- Adventure and freedom
- Making a difference
Why parents love it
The Katherine Rundell middle-grade event of 2023 — extraordinary mythical-creature world-building, fierce emotional stakes, big quest pacing. Strong for a confident nine-to-thirteen reader ready for something in the Pullman/Tolkien tradition. The series that's worth waiting for the next instalment of.
- Great writing
- Conversation starter
- Beautiful illustrations
- Beloved classic
In the series
Impossible Creatures.
3 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
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.