Jed Greenleaf

The fact that the title of this book has Jed’s surname as Greenleaf at the beginning of the story is a bit of a giveaway, as he is only given that name at the very end, but it helps to know that the young orphan will turn out all right. Jed finds out accidentally, when he is about to be beaten by a fellow farmhand, that he is able to turn his whole body into Skin of Bark, tough and resistant to blows. The farmer, encouraged by the anxious villagers, arranges to have him collected by Madam Stump, and he goes to a huge house where the inhabitants partly live in the enormous tree that grows through it, and starts his training as part of the Leaf Guild. A girl, Hazel, is also in training , but specifically for the Arthanfest, a competition that decides which Guild will provide the Prime Minister and look after Queen Jane 3^rd, whom we have already seen being drugged and manipulated by  representatives of the Iron guild which won last year. Jed’s magic skills develop quickly, and he is able to summon a helpful creature called Hobb, who used to work with their hero, Jack Greenleaf, and Hobb also brings some humour to lighten the atmosphere.

The Arthanfest slightly resembles the competition in The Hunger Games, in that it is an obstacle course, fraught with danger, in which some participants have died, though the aim is not to kill opponents, but to collect glowing globes, dropped from the air into the pit known as the Punchbowl. Jed finds out why and how Iron and Fire have been winning in alternate years, but the knowledge means that he has to run for his life.

This is a very exciting story, and Kieran Larwood is an experienced and award-winning author of the Podkin One-Ear series and the Uki stories, among other books for children and young adults.