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The Changeling Child

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Pub Date 7 Oct 2025 | Archive Date 18 Jul 2025
Pushkin Press | Pushkin Children's Books

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Description

An exciting middle grade adventure about a missing child, some dangerous fairies and two intrepid children.

Since Alfred and Saga put a stop to the mayor's motorway and saved the land of Faerie everything has been a bit quiet. Too quiet, for Saga. All she wants is to go back to the mystical world they discovered, but for some reason Alfred can't stay far enough away...
But when Mayor Underwood announces a new construction project, the Faerie world yet again comes under threat and Alfred must journey deeper into the magical land than ever before. As her friend is whisked away to a place where she cannot follow, Saga has her own mystery to unravel – the disappearance of a child 12 years ago. Saga is sure that the truth of this event could be the key to everything, but what if its secret lies in the one place she cannot go?
In this thrilling sequel to H.S. Norup’s Into The Faerie Hill, it is yet again up to Alfred and Saga to save the natural world. As ever, Mayor Underwood’s plans for expansion endanger the fine balance between the mortal world and the Land of Faerie, and this time, the faeries are preparing to fight. Can Alfred and Saga restore the peace between the two worlds and uncover the mystery of the lost child, or will the faeries bring devasatation upon the human land?
The Changeling Child is a stunningly imaginative book where fantasy mingles with the everyday. Filled with magic, it is a beautiful story about the importance of friendship and of believing in yourself.
An exciting middle grade adventure about a missing child, some dangerous fairies and two intrepid children.

Since Alfred and Saga put a stop to the mayor's motorway and saved the land of Faerie...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781782695189
PRICE US$15.95 (USD)
PAGES 320

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Featured Reviews

A magical, fast-paced adventure full of danger, mystery, and heart. Alfred and Saga return to the world of Faerie to face new threats and uncover deep secrets.
A thrilling and enchanting read—perfect for young fantasy fans.

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The Changeling Child is the enthralling follow up to H.S. Norup’s 2023 novel Into the Faerie Hill. As in the original, the author achieves a magical realisation of the crossover between real life and a parallel fantasy realm, extending her brilliantly captured descriptions of the natural world into her thoughtfully imagined faerie realm. I found myself utterly immersed and believing in the interweaving of the two worlds in this wonderfully crafted middle grade novel. I think that the cover image created by Thy Bui does a marvellous job of depicting the juxtaposition of fantasy and reality which takes place within her beautifully designed covers.

Once again, the two main protagonists are Alfred (who is now aware that he is a Demi-fae) and his best friend Saga (a passionate eco-campaigner who, unusually for a human, has the ability to see and hear visitors from the fae kingdom). The novel takes the form of alternating chapters from each of Alfred and Saga’s viewpoints, as they pursue their investigations in the faerie and human worlds to locate a changeling child and prevent an ecological disaster which will have negative consequences for both realms. The narrative bursts with imagination, pulsates with twists and thrills and reveals background details on the links between Alfred's and Saga’s mothers, all of which give context to their deeply trusting friendship. While Alfred explores alliances with the other Demi-fae, gradually learns more about his faerie family and navigates the dangers of the High fae, Saga must overcome prejudices in the human realm to save the landscape of the Faerie Hill from the mayor’s tourist development ambitions. With each child pushing themselves to the limits of their courage and capabilities, the story leaves readers as breathless as an underwater swim!

Beneath the fantasy adventure I found there to be a deep meditation on identity, belonging and the meaning of family, in addition to the ecological message. In a novel in which the plot hinges on the suspicion and distrust between the inhabitants of different worlds, there is a very powerful passage about the necessity of interacting with different groups and the power of books to help with building empathy between different sensibilities. I have read that author H.S. Norup has lived in six different countries throughout her life, and I suspect that this experience contributes to the wisdom that she disseminates in her fascinating and original middle grade novels.

I thoroughly recommend The Changeling Child to librarians, upper KS2 teachers, and parents/caregivers for sharing with readers aged 9 years and upwards. It is available for pre-order now and I am looking forward to collecting my copy on publication day from my local indie

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