Emba Oak and the Terrible Tomorrows by Jenny Moore

Cover artwork © David Dean, 2022

When I moved to my current school, I found myself in charge of Raven Class – a name chosen by the previous Year 5 teacher and one I kept as I liked the slightly sinister feel of the name. Six years later, I am now moving to Dragon Class and find that again I am inclined to keep the name already in place. Not because dragons are particularly sinister – we can all name examples of good and bad ones – but because there were so many fabulous stories featuring the legendary beasts that sprung to mind when I was told I’d be changing.

I’m a great believer that you can’t have too many dragony stories, and this new title from Jenny Moore proves my point admirably well. With its glorious cover by illustrator David Dean and an exciting, magical and thrilling adventure that leaves the reader hungry for more, this is a book which will delight young readers when it is released at the end of October. I adored it and am confident that you will too.

Our titular heroine Emba has been raised to know that all the best stories start with a knock at the door but as someone who lives in a cave, hers starts with a curious thwump, thwump, thwump from outside. Sneaking outside to see who it is, Emba is astonished to find a dragon standing in front of her. Telling herself that what she can see is an impossibility, Emba’s thoughts are interrupted by the arrival of friend Odolf who has been sent to check up on her by her guardian and wise woman, Fred, who appears shortly afterwards.

A terrified Emba asks her companions if they can see or hear the beast but when a disbelieving Odolf brushes it off as her imagination, Fred tells her it is time for her to know the truth. As Emba listens carefully, Fred tells her the story of how several years ago she found a burning hot egg next to an oak tree which eventually hatched to reveal a baby girl with yellow eyes and scaly limbs: Emba. As a tearful Emba asks whether the dragon has come back to collect her, Fred reassures her that she can come to no harm while she stays hidden within the cave and that the charm she wears around her neck will protect her from being found by an evil necromancer who is obsessed with dragons and their powers.

Unfortunately for Emba, the naive and gullible Odolf has inadvertently given the necromancer’s minions rather more information about the dragon girl they are seeking than he should and Fred decides to consult the Tome of Terrible Tomorrows to see what they should do. Before the three friends have time to fully consider the book’s instructions, Fred mysteriously disappears – kidnapped by the sorcerer’s henchmen. Determined to find the woman she considers to be her mother and bring her back home, Emba sets out to find her together with Odolf but along the way they will encounter a great many obstacles including vicious trees, monstrous man-eating fish and a magical pool said to drive people mad. Can Emba and Odolf find their way to the necromancer’s lair and can they save Fred if they do?

Emba and Odolf make a great pairing whose individual strengths and weaknesses complement one another brilliantly. She is much sharper and braver than he is, but each draws strength from the other so that together they are a force to be reckoned with. Both are fiercely loyal to one another – and to Fred – and until the wise woman reveals Emba’s origins to them both, Odolf has never thought to question Emba’s differences – he just accepts her for who she is, making him the truest of friends. Although Emba is annoyed with him for giving away more information about her than was sensible, she soon forgives him because she cannot do without him.

As well as the adventure that they find themselves being on being action-packed and extremely enjoyable, there is a great deal of humour contained within the story and I found myself smiling regularly throughout the book – I especially enjoyed the necromancer’s name, which I’ve omitted here so as not to spoil anyone’s enjoyment when they come across it. Perfect for the 9+ readers at which this is pitched, the good news is that there is to be at least one sequel to this – Emba Oak and the Beckoning Bones – which I’m guessing will be out next year.

Emba Oak and the Terrible Tomorrows publishes on October 28th and is a title your local indie will be delighted to pre-order for you. The most enormous thanks must go to Maverick Arts Publishing Ltd for my gifted review copy received ahead of that date.