Books For Keeps
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Articles
  • Past Issues
  • Latest Issue
  • Authors and Artists
  • Latest News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
March 1, 2013/in Fiction 10-14 Middle/Secondary /by Angie Hill
BfK Rating:
BfK 199 March 2013
Reviewer: Andrea Rayner
ISBN: 978-0552565561
Price: £6.99
Publisher: Corgi Childrens
Genre: Fiction
Age Range: 10-14 Middle/Secondary
Length: 352pp
Buy the Book

Skylark

Author: Meagan Spooner

Lark Ainsley has never seen the sun. She has never seen flowers, grass or the sky. She has never been outside the walls of her city.

Lark is waiting. She hopes that this time she will be harvested. Finally, like all the other children, her magic will be taken and used to sustain the city. Only then can she become an adult. However, there is something wrong with Lark’s harvesting. It is painful, repeated and intense. She escapes, but outside the city walls lies a world that has been devastated by the wars. It is a frightening land of broken cities, dark forests and endless skies. There are many dangers here: magic pockets that become nightmares at sunset; inhuman creatures that are cannibals; and the mechanical pixies sent as spies.

As she crosses these lands to get to the promised sanctuary of the Iron Wood, Lark realises she has help, in the form of a half-wild boy. But is he really her friend or is he something much more frightening? Will the Iron Wood be a place where Lark can be safe at last or will it be yet another deception?

Skylark is an imaginative and ambitious fantasy novel. It is fast-paced and engaging with an impressive sense of suspense. Occasionally, the description is so involved that it distracts slightly from the plot, for example when describing the mechanical workings of Lark’s city. But, in spite of this, it is an extremely enjoyable and exciting read with many unexpected twists that will keep the reader guessing throughout.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png 0 0 Angie Hill http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png Angie Hill2013-03-01 01:00:442021-11-10 15:47:08Skylark

Search for a specific review

Author Search

Search







Generic filters




Filter by Member Types


Book Author

Download BfK Issue Bfk 272 May 2025
Skip to an Issue:

About Us

Launched in 1980, we’ve reviewed hundreds of new children’s books each year and published articles on every aspect of writing for children.

Read More

Follow Us

Latest News

Margaret McDonald and her editors Alice Swan and Ama Badu win the 2025 Branford Boase Award

July 9, 2025

‘The magic of poetry by heart’ Champions of the 2025 National Poetry Speaking Competition Announced

July 8, 2025
IBC

New National Year of Reading launching January 2026

July 8, 2025

Contact Us

Books for Keeps,
30 Winton Avenue,
London,
N11 2AT

Telephone: 0780 789 3369

ISSN: 0143-909X (this is our International Standard Serial Number).

© Copyright 2025 - Books For Keeps | Proudly Built by Lemongrass Media - Web Design Buckinghamshire
The Horse Road The Girl with a Brave Heart
Scroll to top