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Review Quotes:
"Like the very best fantasy,
Song of the Saltings speaks to and of the real world. That is what gives it its power."--Isobelle Carmody, author
Review Quotes:
"You had me at 'bog witch'. A lyrical and haunting ballad of bleak salt flats, buried secrets and deep, ancient magic -- I devoured it."--Lili Wilkinson, author
Review Quotes:
"Rachael King offers magic, mystery and beautifully crafted prose for a young adult audience with her new novel,
Song of the Saltings. This folk horror adventure is both delightful and deliciously creepy, with a compelling heroine who bucks tradition to seek out the truth behind the customs of her marshland home and forces us to ask the question: Who and what is truly monstrous?"--Andrea Eames, author
Biographical Note:
Rachael King is one of New Zealand's best-loved writers for children. Her novels often reflect her love for the Scottish folklore of her ancestors--the weirder the better. When she was young, she read fantasy books voraciously and galloped horses bareback along beaches.
Secrets at Red Rocks won New Zealand's longest-running literary award, the Esther Glen Medal, and has been adapted into an Emmy Award-winning television series for BYUtv. Her other novels for young people include
Song of the Saltings and the multi award-winning
The Grimmelings. She holds an MA in creative writing from Victoria University in Wellington. Visit her online at Rachael-King.com.
Publisher Marketing:
The Scorpio Races meets The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea in this gripping young adult fantasy about a girl who must defy tradition to save her beloved
island from the monstrous forces that are tearing it apart.
On the isolated island of Brack, the people live by an ancient bargain: every year, a sacrifice must be made to the Glimm, the creature that haunts the salt marshes. Once, it demanded children. Eight years ago, it should have taken Lotta. Instead, the monster spared her and claimed her pony, shattering tradition and anointing her both folk hero and object of suspicion.
Now sixteen, Lotta tends the Council's sacrificial horses, keeping her distance from the islanders who whisper about her fate. But something is stirring. The island hums beneath her feet, and a song threads through her dreams. Is the Glimm calling Lotta back?
When she crosses paths with Moss--a boy once hidden from sacrifice--a daring bog rescue sparks a chain of events that forces them both to question the Council's rule and the lore that binds their people. As crops and animals are blighted and uncanny weather plagues the community, Lotta and Moss must decide whether to obey the Council or risk everything to uncover the island's deepest secrets.
Because on Brack, monsters come in many forms.
Review Citations:
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School Library Journal 03/20/2026 pg. 1 (EAN 9781665984331, Hardcover) - *Starred Review
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Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 05/01/2026 (EAN 9781665984331, Hardcover)
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Booklist 06/01/2026 (EAN 9781665984331, Hardcover)
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Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2026 pg. 94 (EAN 9781665984331, Hardcover)
Contributor Bio:King, Rachael
Rachael King is one of New Zealand's best-loved writers for children. Her novels often reflect her love for the Scottish folklore of her ancestors--the weirder the better. When she was young, she read fantasy books voraciously and galloped horses bareback along beaches.
Secrets at Red Rocks won New Zealand's longest-running literary award, the Esther Glen Medal, and has been adapted into an Emmy Award-winning television series for BYUtv. Her other novels for young people include
Song of the Saltings and the multi award-winning
The Grimmelings. She holds an MA in creative writing from Victoria University in Wellington. Visit her online at Rachael-King.com.
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