The Children of the King

Three children have been sent to live in the countryside, safe from the war in London. When they find two boys hiding in a castle, the past and future come together to make an extraordinary adventure.

"[a] wonderful book from a superlative storyteller." -- Readings
"Hartnett deftly interweaves dark, eerie passages with episodes of domestic realism - either of the banalities of English village life, or of juvenile squabbles at Heron Hall.The result is a sustained ventriloquism. Remarkably, Hartnett has reproduced the tone and voice of a girls' own adventure story from the 1940s and has channelled it through the emotional consciousness of an upper-class pre-teen who's a bit of a ninny. And yet, it works.The Children of the King is a wise and elegant exploration of growing up. If that's ''mere'' children's lit, then I want more." -- The Sydney Morning Herald
"As the wealthy Lockwood family flees London during the Blitz of WWII, they decide to take in an evacuee. Twelve-year-old Cecily chooses May Bright to join them at remote Heron Hall. Narrator Jennifer Vuletic is sublime; the two girls are vastly different, and hearing their voices adds tremendously to listener interest. She also captures 14-year-old Jeremy Lockwood’s feeling of helplessness towards the distant war. Through their voices, we can almost SEE their cold mother and charming but disappointing father. Every night Uncle Peregrine (and Vuletic) splendidly regales the children with tales about nearby Snow Castle. The lyrical story illustrates how everyone in society is affected by war and the misuse of power. An epilogue allows listeners to follow the characters long after the war." -- AudioFile Magazine

Sonya Hartnett is the internationally acclaimed author of several award-winning novels, including Of a Boy, which won The Age Book of the Year and was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award. Her work has been published internationally with editions available in the UK, US, Canada, Germany, Italy, Norway and Denmark.In 2008 Sonya was the recipient of The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. The prize is awarded to authors, illustrators, narrators and promoters of reading whose work reflects the spirit of Astrid Lindgren. It is the first time this award has gone to an Australian.Sonya lives in Melbourne. She has a dog named Shilo and a cat named Marcus. Jennifer Vuletic is an Australian actress, singer and NIDA graduate from the class of 1984. She has enjoyed a varied career travelling all over Australia and the world, and has toured internationally with the hit show Mamma Mia!, playing the role of Tanya. She also performed in Menopause The Musical, The Women of Troy and Jerry Springer: The Opera. She has recorded audiobooks for over 24 years and has won numerous awards for her narrations, including the Trish Trinick Award for The God of Small Things.

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