Millipop Klompet lives in the boringly uneventful town of Drabville, but she longs for adventure. Her friend Ernest Perriclof is less sure of the need for adventure, but his friendship with Milli leaves him little choice. When Milli takes him on an adventure to explore the house that lies beyond the town park, neither anticipates just how big an adventure will follow. Soon, the pair find themselves unwilling residents of the house, owned by the fearsome Lord Aldor, who has stolen the shadows of all of Drabville’s residents. Milli and Ernest decide that it is up to them to free the shadows and restore Drabville to normal.

The Shadow Thief is a humorous fantasy, with twists and turns and a wonderful cast of characters. From the opening page, where the narrator declares that the reader will need to come up with the opening sentence for him/her self, the reader is taken on an adventure filled with surprises.

The first in the Strangest Adventures series, The Shadow Thief will appeal to 10 to 14 year old readers.

The Shadow Thief, by Alexandra Adornetto
Angus & Robertson, 2007.