The Alchemist's Apprentice

While quite a number of children's books set out to convey the sense of what Kate Thompson calls 'a world full of contradictions and obstacles', few succeed in doing so with such power and wisdom as she does here. Set in the early 18th century, this is the story of Jack, a 14-year-old apprentice farrier, whose discovery one morning of a strange object floating in the Thames is the prelude to a journey into, and out of, the fascinating world of alchemy. En route, as the plot moves between London and Yorkshire, Jack's encounters with a colourful (and occasionally sinister) gallery of characters provide him with many opportunities to experience both the rapture and the disillusionment of materialistic endeavour. Is it gold in the hand or gold in the spirit that ultimately matters? Thompson's skill in encompassing such speculation within a beautifully paced and atmospheric narrative is truly remarkable and goes far to illuminate what Jack, as the story ends, designates 'our long painful darkness'.