There’s nothing hugely original here – it borrows heavily from other young adult fantasy novels of the same ilk – but neither is it a carbon copy. The problems that occurred in the story seemed to be overcome quite easily and whatever peril they encountered was swiftly resolved with very little in the way of real and present danger – it was almost all just a step removed. There are beautiful little ink line drawings at the start of each chapter to illustrate the main plot points without giving the game away, and a charming little map of the area in the same style which serve the story well and give a little taste of things to come. I would have liked it more if the history had been explored a little more, but perhaps that’s a little much to ask from the first book in the series. Yes, there are still magic wands and transfigurations, but it’s nice to have a different background for it all. This is more than a little “Harry Potter-ish” in that the main character is a young lad who discovers he is “The One” and suddenly has to get to grips with a whole magical world he never knew existed, but the twist here is that it’s not just the fantasy-style magic these kinds of novels usually feature instead it’s based on Celtic and Druidic lore. Jack’s adventures continue in ‘Glasruhen Gate’ and ‘Silver Hill’. Your kids will love it, and so will you! This brilliant story deservedly won the Brit Writers’ Awards 2010 for unpublished writers. Full of twists and turns, talking ravens and mischievous Spriggans, ‘The Golden Acorn’ is a hugely entertaining and exciting tale from a very talented new author. Just an ordinary boy, Jack has been chosen for a hugely important task, and enters a world he believed only existed in legend. When Jack Brenin finds a golden acorn lying in the grass, little does he know that it is the beginning of a thrilling and magical adventure.

You can also purchase it in paperback format. At the time of this review, The Golden Acorn is available as a FREE Kindle e-book download.

The golden acorn catherine cooper