Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Home > Books > The Secret of Black Rock

The Secret of Black Rock

Book Synopsis

WINNER OF THE 2018 WATERSTONES CHILDREN’S BOOK PRIZE FOR BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK

This surreal modern folk-tale tells the story of an adventurous young girl who must protect a peaceful living creature.

Erin loves to lie on the jetty, looking for the weirdest fish in the sea — the weirder, the better! And she knows the best ones must be further out, where her mum won’t let her go …Out there in the deepest sea lies the Black Rock: a huge, dark and spiky mass that is said to destroy any boats that come near it! Can Erin uncover the truth behind this mysterious legend?

Our Review Panel says...

This is a richly illustrated story from the much-loved Joe Todd-Stanton. Erin is the daughter of a fisherwoman. Despite living in a fishing town, Erin is not allowed out to sea herself because of the legend of the Black Rock, which casts a mysterious shadow over the town. Determined to discover its secrets for herself, Erin stows away and soon finds herself exploring the rich ecosystem it harbours and desperately seeking a way to protect the Black Rock from impending destruction.