The Song of Seven
Tonke Dragt author Laura Watkinson translator
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Pushkin Press
Published:20th Nov '25
Should be back in stock very soon
'A magical, strange, gripping tale' Spectator
'A cracking adventure... so nail-biting you'll need to wear protective gloves' The Times
Deep in the woods, a young boy is kept prisoner by his uncle. He sees no other children, and has no friends. But he does hold the key to a secret.
Meanwhile, in a nearby village, schoolteacher Frans invents stories of perilous deeds, shipwrecks, and haunted castles to entertain his pupils. Then one stormy evening, he is summoned to a clandestine meeting, and sent on a real-life quest - to free the boy in the woods. His adventure will involve hidden treasure, magicians and a prophecy. He will learn the secret of the Seven Ways. He will find seven allies. And he will make a fearsome enemy.
But will he accomplish his mission?
Part of the new Pushkin Children's Classics series of thrilling, magical and inspiring stories from around the world, which young readers will return to time and again.
Translated by Laura Watkinson.
Tonke Dragt was born in Jakarta in 1930 and spent most of her childhood in Indonesia. Her family moved to the Netherlands after the war and, after studying at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, Dragt became an art teacher. She published her first book in 1961, followed a year later by The Letter for the King, which won the Children's Book of the Year award and has been translated into sixteen languages. Dragt was awarded the State Prize for Youth Literature in 1976 and was knighted in 2001. She died in 2024.
Laura Watkinson is a full-time translator from Dutch, Italian and German. She has translated many titles for Pushkin Children's Books, including Jan Terlouw's Winter in Wartime, Tonke Dragt's The Letter for the King and Annet Schaap's Lampie. She lives in Amsterdam.
A cracking adventure... so nail-biting you'll need to wear protective gloves * The Times *
A magical, strange, gripping tale * Spectator *
Draws the reader seductively along its spiralling paths... the language... is beautifully lucid, with a clear sense of playfulness and urgency... a wandering, winding ballad with occasional joyous percussion, to the spell of which the reader can't help but succumb * Guardian *
A lovely present for a young person from 10 upwards and beyond to grown-ups who will be as enchanted as I was! * Reading Zone *
Brilliant imaginative storytelling. It is full of eccentric characters and mystery, with a slight touch of humour... Sure to go down as a classic in children's literature. It's only a shame it wasn't translated into English sooner * BookTrust *
A fantastic new book from a legendary writer... gloriously written with tons of plot twists and turns, and a barrel-load of excitement * Read it Daddy (blog) *
Enchanting... American readers finally have the chance to experience the many delights and peculiarities of Dragt's story... Dragt's tale is a curious, magical adventure that will appeal to those who love Tolkein and Lloyd Alexander * Booklist (starred review) *
Dragt's twisty, light mystery tale has the charm of an old classic (which it is, having been published originally in Dutch in 1967). The pleasure in this whimsically Kafkaesque tale is in its unfolding... the slow reveals will keep the pages turning for fans of Elizabeth Enright and E. Nesbit * Kirkus *
Whimsical and adventurous * Barnes and Noble Blog *
An extremely cleverly constructed story * NBD Biblion *
A fantastic story, exciting and mysterious * Chicklit.nl *
The Song of Seven is an engaging adventure which twists and turns... The Song of Seven offers a challenging read for those who enjoy something a little different * North Somerset Teachers' Book Award *
A riveting story * The Bay *
Praise for The Letter for the King: A Sunday Times, Metro and Times Book of the Year; 'A true page-turner' Sunday Times; 'Thrilling' Daily Telegraph; 'A pulse-pounding epic' Metro; 'Spellbinding' Financial Times; 'A cracker' Spectator. Praise for The Secrets of the Wild Wood: A Daily Telegraph and Sunday Times Book of the Year; 'Action-packed drama' Daily Mail; 'Thrilling' Metro; 'A spellbinding tale that will appeal to the young and old' The Lady * . *
ISBN: 9781782695042
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
352 pages