Vanishing of the Rainbow Lark

Owen is an ordinary kid. His mum is dead and his dad's always busy so he's generally left to his own devices. He's fascinated with nature. One Saturday, he finds himself at a junk market looking at a stuffed bird when he gets approached and told that he's been chosen to participate in a strange quest.

He needs to find the only other living specimen of a bird called the rainbow lark to prevent a cascade of disaster from befalling the natural world, a devastating mass extinction event.

He agrees, and is sent on his journey in the company of a talking bird named Baz and a shape-shifting rat called Sue.

Owen is uncertain of how to proceed, but his new friends guide him into the story, taking him to places like the World Below and other magical places. He enlists the help of his friends, Kwame, Maya, and Carl but they're just as clueless as he is. Slowly, as the story unfolds, they put together a plan to find the mysterious missing bird and to restore the full range of the Worldsong, but they have to contend with dark forces intent on seeing the end of... everything.

This magical story explores the palliative nature of species and the importance of ensuring sustainability at all costs.

There are poignant moments of deep sadness and also light-hearted conversations as these real-world characters confront fantastical experiences that go way beyond their imagination.

The Vanishing of the Rainbow Lark is the perfect book to read if you're wondering what keeps this fragile world together, a world where magic is always one daydream away.