Snake Ring at Risk & Other Stories

Snake Ring at Risk & Other Stories is a heartwarming collection of fantasy short stories that will appeal to readers age 9 and above.


Continuing on from John Holroyd’s previous book, The Strange Tale of the Snake Ring, this collection centres on the story Snake Ring at Risk which sees Thomas and Gerda’s most treasured possession, the magic snake ring, being the centre of a feud with Gruninax, a mighty wizard. After making a promise that the ring would never leave his family, Thomas is put under immense pressure when Gruninax goes to extreme lengths to secure ownership of the ring. Plagues of locusts and beetles are unleashed, livestock is killed and houses demolished. What happens will surprise you..!


Other stories include Pie and the Witch, Like Nothing on Earth and Jack’s Revenge. Each story includes strong moral messages for children, whether it’s to think about the consequences of their actions or to not judge a book by its cover. The stories are focussed on younger children allowing a direct comparison between reader and character and will appeal to children aged 9 and over, as well as parents who enjoy reading with their children.

John Holroyd was born in Sheffield. He qualified as a teacher at St. John's College in York, and his entire career has been in primary education. In schools in north London, Kent and Bucks he worked as class teacher and head teacher, and after retirement, as school governor and primary education adviser. He was an enthusiastic amateur classical musician, played violin and piano. Sadly, in recent years he has been obliged to curtail his musical activities because of a change in his hearing. In recent years family research has been one of bis major interests, and between writing two children's books he has written a book entitled The Family Story which is a history of the Holroyd family from 1750 until 2015. In 2011 John relocated to Shropshire where he now lives. John's previous book The Strange Tale of the Snake Ring was published in 2015.