The Thickety: A Path Begins (Thickety series, Book 1)

[ Children (Ages 10 - 12) ][Read by Susan Duerden]A fantasy series set in a world where magic is forbidden - but exists in the dark woods called the Thickety - for fans of Neil Gaiman and Septimus Heap. When Kara Westfall was six years old, her mother was convicted of the worst of all crimes: witchcraft. Years later, Kara and her little brother, Taff, are still shunned by the people of their village, who believe that nothing is more evil than magic . . . except, perhaps, the mysterious forest that covers nearly the entire island. It has many names, this place. Sometimes it is called the Dark Wood, or Sordyr's Realm. But mostly it's called the Thickety. The villagers live in fear of the Thickety and the terrible creatures that live there. But when an unusual bird lures Kara into the forbidden forest, she discovers a strange book with unspeakable powers - a book that might have belonged to her mother. And that is just the beginning of the story.