This term, we will read and study two books in our English lessons: the masterfully-crafted horror Clockwork by Phillip Pullman and the enchanting, folklore-inspired The House With Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson.

Tick, tock, tick, tock! Some stories are like that. Once you've wend them up, nothing will stop them ...

A tormented apprentice clock-maker, a deadly mechanical knight in armour - and the sinister Dr Kalmenius, who some say is the devil ... Wind up these characters, fit them into a story on a cold winter's evening, with the snow swirling down, and suddenly life and the story begin to merge in a peculiarly macabre - and unstoppable - way.

MEDIA REVIEWS

A thrilling masterwork on stories that become real -- Amanda Craig * The Times *
It has the feel of a classic fairy tale. It's the most elegantly constructed, chilling story that makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck * Jacqueline Wilson *
Deeply satisfying and deserves to become a classic * TES *
Exciting, scary, romantic and deliciously readable * Guardian *
It is Pullman's talent for creating an atmospheric mood and tugging at your emotions to add pace and suspense that really keeps you entranced * Junior *

A spellbinding adventure, bound-up with traditional folk and fairy tales, The House with Chicken Legs transports readers to a world of spells and spirits bound by ancient rules and one girl who longs to break free.

My house has chicken legs. Two or three times a year, without warning, it stands up in the middle of the night and walks away from where we’ve been living. It might walk a hundred miles or it might walk a thousand, but where it lands is always the same.

MEDIA REVIEWS

This vividly imagined blend of fairy tale and coming-of-age novel reflects perceptively on death and loss * The Sunday Times *
This original debut takes a poignant, philosophical look at predestination and free choice, and features delectable food descriptions, cheeky jackdaws and a frolicking lamb. * The Guardian *
A magical tale... a captivating and original retelling of a traditional story straight out of folklore. Beautiful escapism. * Sunday Express S Magazine *
Enticing, a little bit dangerous, and thrumming with possibilities. * Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink and Stars *
While it plays, elegantly and surprisingly warmly, with the idea of death, Anderson's book is rich with the tastes, smells and sensations of life, from the flavour of borscht to the sounds of violins * Times Literary Supplement *