The memory thief

"Seth has been trapped behind the iron bars of the public gardens for as long as he can remember. By day he's frozen as a statue of a shepherd boy, but as soon as the sun sets he roams the park, ravenously hungry. He is a troll, and the food he seeks is human memories. Then he meets Stella. There's something so different about her - Seth doesn't want her memories. He simply wants to talk to her. But there's someone else in the garden who sees Stella as a threat...and a meal ... What is Stella trying to forget? What are the memories that Seth is piecing together? And will he ever escape the lonely garden and start truly living?"--Publisher.

Available:*

Library	Shelf Location	Shelf Number	Material Type	Item Barcode	Status
Searching... Palmerston North Central Library	New Zealand Fiction - Children's Zone	AGN	Children's Book.	PN364650034278	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Palmerston North Central Library	New Zealand Fiction - Children's Zone	AGN	Children's Book.	PN364650034280	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Palmerston North Central Library	New Zealand Fiction - Children's Zone	AGN	Children's Book.	PN364650034282	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Roslyn Library	Horror - Children's Zone	AGN	Children's Book.	PN364650008789	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Ashhurst Library	New Zealand Fiction - Children's Zone	AGN	Children's Book.	PN364650034281	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

A lonely troll and a fierce, spiky girl form an unlikely alliance in Leonie Agnew's extraordinary novel for children aged 9 years and up.

Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction 2022

Seth has been trapped behind the iron bars of the public gardens for as long as he can remember. By day he's frozen as a statue of a shepherd boy, but as soon as the sun sets he roams the park, ravenously hungry. He is a troll, and the food he seeks is human memories.

Then he meets Stella. There's something so different about her - Seth doesn't want her memories. He simply wants to talk to her. But there's someone else in the garden who sees Stella as a threat...and a meal.

Captivating, spine-tingling and surprising, this is a novel that holds you spellbound. What is Stella trying to forget? What are the memories that Seth is piecing together? And will he ever escape the lonely garden and start truly living?

Genre:

Magic realist fiction.

Fantasy fiction.

Children's fiction.

Reviews (1)

Bookseller Publisher Review

Following her last spellbinding tale The Impossible Boy , Leonie Agnew has created another spine-tingling adventure novel for middle-grade readers. The Memory Thief tells the magical story of an unlikely friendship between a lonely troll and a precocious young girl. All Stella wants is to leave her memories behind, while Seth is desperately trying to remember his. These two characters are so vividly developed that they leap off the page, and readers will find themselves empathising especially with narrator Seth, who fights against his troll instinct to devour human memories, to instead offer Stella kindness and companionship through a difficult time. Their improbable allegiance is delicately constructed and wonderfully heartwarming. The Memory Thief also presents thrills aplenty and a good dose of mystery, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the very end. The journey to figuring out exactly why Stella is trying to forget her memories, and which ones Seth is trying to remember, is sometimes perilous, mostly feel-good and ultimately full of hope and redemption. The language is rich yet accessible, making it perfect for middle-grade readers at all levels who like to get swept away with a story. Coupled with enchanting illustrations by Kieran Rynhart, this story is sure to be cherished by young fantasy fans. Karys McEwen is the library manager at Prahran and Richmond High School and the president of the CBCA VIC Branch.