The Land of Neverendings

by Kate Saunders

Overview

A beautiful and heartbreaking novel from an award-winning author about a girl who gets swept up into an adventure involving forgotten toys, perfect for fans of Lauren Wolk and Kelly Barnhill.

"A delicate, funny, poignant exploration of grief, love and memory that has the welcoming warmth of an instant classic."—The Guardian

Emily and her sister, Holly, were as close as sisters could be. They did everything together. But Holly died three months ago, and Emily's world is shattered.

Amid a sea of changes—her best friend is acting distant, she's just started at a new school, and she's been cast as the lead in the school play—Emily is surprised to find that she misses Holly's teddy bear, Bluey, almost as much as she misses Holly herself. But Bluey was buried with Holly, and there's no getting either of them back.

Then one night, Emily dreams of talking toys, who tell her they have come from the toy world with a message from Bluey. Emily is convinced she can be reunited with him. But there's something strange about the barrier between the toy world and the real world. Not just strange, but dangerous—magic is spilling out, and it's wreaking havoc on Emily's world. Now she must decide whether finding Bluey is worth risking the lives of those she loves.

"Deeply moving and highly imaginative."—The Daily Mail

"Written from the heart and can't fail to make yours sing."—The Times, Book of the Week

"One of the wittiest books of the year."—The Sunday Times

"Suffused with longing and dappled with humor, this novel explores the limits of grief and the lasting power of storytelling."—Wall Street Journal

"From whimsical comicality to impending danger...a standalone title, in which the topic of loss is dealt with deftly. For readers willing to let their imagination soar, this fantasy may be just what they are looking for, especially if they have experienced grief."—School Library Journal

"An imaginative, magical story ideal for kids experiencing loss."—Kirkus Reviews

"Wise in the ways of loss as Emily discovers that the route through grief lies not in escaping to Smockeroon but in engaging with the hard world, in the passage of time, in friendship, memory, and, above all, storytelling."—The Horn Book, Starred Review

"A refreshing take on the classic theme of toys coming to life, with the residents of Smockeroon amusingly sassy and self involved. There is still plenty of warmth...while the magical elements cushion the heftier themes...A pleasing blend of sentiment and humor."—Bulletin

"Saunders combines the hard reality of loss and the soft comfort of fantasy surprisingly well, offering unexpected humor in Smockeroon as well as sharp insights into human characters."—Booklist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780553497892
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	08/14/2018
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	1,251,328
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Kate Saunders has written numerous books for adults and children. Her novels for children include classics such as Beswitched, Magicalamity, The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop, The Curse of the Chocolate Phoenix, Five Children on the Western Front, and The Land of Neverendings. Kate lives in London.

Read an Excerpt

When Holly died, Bluey suddenly fell silent and all the lights went out in Smockeroon.
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "The Land of Neverendings"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Kate Saunders.
Excerpted by permission of Random House Children's Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

06/01/2018
Gr 4–7—British author Saunders (Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop) weaves a novel replete with everything from whimsical comicality to impending danger. The book begins after Emily's sister, Holly, dies after a longtime illness. While Emily and her family are grappling with their loss, Emily is surprised that she finds herself missing Holly's beloved teddy bear, Bluey, almost as much as Holly herself. Emily's bond with Holly was closely tied to Bluey, as she used him as a conduit to create stories about their imaginary world of Smockeroon. Bewildering to Emily at first, it soon becomes evident that Smockeroon may not be entirely imaginary; stuffed animals are coming to life and appearing in her bedroom. Emily befriends her elderly neighbor, Ruth, who has similarly experienced a loss of a child, and also seems to be witnessing the crossover of stuffed animals, including Hugo the penguin and Smiffy the Bear. The toys from Smockeroon offer up their unique form of hilarity, from refined penguins who open up a bed and breakfast, to Barbie nuns, to "Prizzy" the prison doll who is always in trouble. When a terrible toad threatens to bring sadness to all of Smockeroon, it is up to Ruth, Emily, and Emily's friend, Martha, to figure out what has broken the barrier between the two worlds, why it is occurring, and to fix things before the two worlds collide. A standalone title, in which the topic of loss is dealt with deftly. VERDICT For readers willing to let their imagination soar, this fantasy may be just what they are looking for, especially if they have experienced grief.—Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA

School Library Journal

2018-05-14
A grieving girl finds herself slipping into an imaginary world. Since the death of her older, severely disabled sister, Holly, Emily dwells on stories she created for Holly about her sister's teddy bear, Bluey, and the invented land of Smockeroon. Stressed at school, where no one knows about Holly, and lonely because her best friend has abandoned her, Emily spends time with her neighbor Ruth, a comforting ally who shares the imaginary world she once created for her son before his death, which he called the Land of Neverendings. After Emily experiences escalating visitations from talking toys from Smockeroon who know Bluey, she discovers Ruth's having similar bizarre encounters. Apparently, the door linking Smockeroon to the real world's broken, allowing rogue toys to escape. Emily longs to go to Smockeroon to find Bluey—and Holly—but knows she and Ruth must somehow close the breach. Casting Emily as Alice in her class production of Alice in Wonderland, Saunders allows Emily to draw parallels between herself and legendary Alice. References to Winnie-the-Pooh, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and At the Back of the North Wind aptly invoke other imaginary worlds. Even though the surreal cast of meddling toys adds some levity and blurs the line between fantasy and reality, Emily's grief feels real indeed. Her little English village seems to be a largely white one.An imaginative, magical story ideal for kids experiencing loss. (Fantasy. 10-12)

Kirkus Reviews

A CLIP Carnegie Medal Children's Book Award Nominee

“A delicate, funny, poignant exploration of grief, love and memory that has the welcoming warmth of an instant classic.”—The Guardian
“Deeply moving and highly imaginative.”—The Daily Mail

“Written from the heart and can’t fail to make yours sing.”—The Times, Book of the Week
 
“One of the wittiest books of the year.”—The Sunday Times
 
“Suffused with longing and dappled with humor, this novel explores the limits of grief and the lasting power of storytelling.”—Wall Street Journal
 
“From whimsical comicality to impending danger…a standalone title, in which the topic of loss is dealt with deftly. For readers willing to let their imagination soar, this fantasy may be just what they are looking for, especially if they have experienced grief.”—School Library Journal
 
“An imaginative, magical story ideal for kids experiencing loss.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
“Wise in the ways of loss as Emily discovers that the route through grief lies not in escaping to Smock­eroon but in engaging with the hard world, in the passage of time, in friendship, memory, and, above all, storytelling.”—The Horn Book, Starred Review
 
“A refreshing take on the classic theme of toys coming to life, with the residents of Smockeroon amusingly sassy and self involved. There is still plenty of warmth…while the magical elements cushion the heftier themes…A pleasing blend of sentiment and humor.”—Bulletin
 
“Saunders combines the hard reality of loss and the soft comfort of fantasy surprisingly well, offering unexpected humor in Smockeroon as well as sharp insights into human characters.”—Booklist

From the Publisher

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