- Chapter Books
- Ages 10–14
- Fantasy
The Worlds We Leave Behind
A dark, unsettling illustrated novel about blame, revenge and the temptation to erase the people who hurt you. Best for older, emotionally robust readers who enjoy Neil Gaiman-ish strangeness, moral ambiguity and Levi Pinfold's atmospheric art.
- Best for10–14
- FormatChapter
- Length272 pp
- Read aloud~8 hr10 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Literary
- Conversational
Tone
- Dark
- Suspenseful
- Thought provoking
- Melancholic
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
When Hex causes a terrible accident and runs from the consequences, he finds a clearing in the woods that should not be there. An old woman offers him a terrible bargain: she can remove those who have wronged him, and Hex can return to a world where things seem easier. But the changed world carries its own damage, and revenge proves much more complicated than relief. A.F. Harrold writes with the eerie moral intensity that made The Song from Somewhere Else stand out, while Levi Pinfold's illustrations deepen the sense of folk-horror unease. This is not a cosy fantasy adventure; it is a strange, thoughtful story about anger, guilt, responsibility and the stories people tell themselves when they cannot face what they have done. It is ideal for confident older primary and early secondary readers ready for darker emotional territory.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 10–14
- Read aloud · 10–14
- Independent · 10–14
Prose load
Heavy
Visual support
Moderate
Reluctant-reader friendly
Workable
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Gift-buying
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: violence, scary imagery, mental health.
Bedtime suitability
1 / 5 · Wide awake
Sensitive-child
1 / 5 · Tough fit
Graphic intensity
3 / 5 · Some
Best for
- Dark fantasy
- Moral ambiguity
- Revenge story
- Older primary
- Levi pinfold art
Avoid if
- Sensitive child
- Under 10
- Wants cosy fantasy
- Avoids revenge or threat
Particularly good for children who are…
- Anger management
- Anxiety and worry
- Being bullied
- Low self esteem
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A dark, gripping novel about consequences and what we owe each other — a powerful discussion and class read for older readers.
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 the old woman's bargain — Hex causing a terrible accident and running, finding a clearing in the woods that shouldn't exist, being offered the chance to remove the people who hurt him from the world. The Harrold novel for a reader ready for moral consequence to genuinely bite.
- Having a nemesis
- Surviving danger
- Magic powers
- Trickery and cleverness
Why parents love it
The A.F. Harrold dark fantasy — eerie moral intensity, Levi Pinfold's folk-horror unease illustrations, anger and guilt and the stories we tell ourselves at the centre. Not cosy; not for the easily unsettled. Strong for emotionally robust older middle-grade and early YA readers.
- Great writing
- Conversation starter
- Beautiful illustrations
- Indie gem discovery
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.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Where you’ll find it
On these reading lists.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
When you buy through the links above, we may earn a small commission — it never costs you more, and it never changes the books we choose. How we’re funded →