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Impossible Creatures

Illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie
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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Two kids race to save the world’s last magical place in the first book of a landmark new fantasy series, from “a writer with an utterly distinctive voice and a wild imagination.” (Philip Pullman, author of The Golden Compass)

“An instant classic from one of the most gifted storytellers of our time, Impossible Creatures is an astonishing miracle of a book.” —Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal Winner for The One and Only Ivan

A WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE YEAR • A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, KIRKUS REVIEWS, AND SHELF AWARENESS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR


The day that Christopher saved a drowning baby griffin from a hidden lake would change his life forever.

It’s the day he learned about the Archipelago—a cluster of unmapped islands where magical creatures of every kind have thrived for thousands of years, until now. And it’s the day he met Mal—a girl on the run, in desperate need of his help.

Mal and Christopher embark on a wild adventure, racing from island to island, searching for someone who can explain why the magic is fading and why magical creatures are suddenly dying. They consult sphinxes, battle kraken, and negotiate with dragons. But the closer they get to the dark truth of what’s happening, the clearer it becomes: no one else can fix this. If the Archipelago is to be saved, Mal and Christopher will have to do it themselves.

Katherine Rundell’s story crackles and roars with energy and delight. It is brought vividly to life with more than 60 illustrations, including a map and a bestiary of magical creatures.
  • NOMINEE | 2026
    Maine Student Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2026
    Ohio Buckeye Children's Book Master List
  • NOMINEE | 2026
    Vermont Golden Dome Book Award
  • SELECTION | 2024
    New York Public Library Best Books for Kids
  • SELECTION | 2024
    Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year
  • SELECTION | 2024
    Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books
  • AWARD | 2024
    Barnes & Noble Best Book of the Year
  • SELECTION | 2024
    Shelf Awareness - Best Children’s & Teen Books of the Year
  • SELECTION | 2024
    Kid's Indie Next List "Inspired Recommendations for Kids from Indie Booksellers"
  • SELECTION | 2024
    Chicago Public Library Best Books
  • SELECTION | 2024
    Amazon Top 20: Children’s & YA Books
  • SELECTION | 2024
    Junior Library Guild Selection
© Nina Subin
KATHERINE RUNDELL is the internationally bestselling author of Impossible Creatures. Her other books for children include Rooftoppers, Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms, The Wolf Wilder, The Explorer, and The Good Thieves. She grew up in Zimbabwe, Brussels, and London, and is currently a Fellow of St. Catherine’s College, Oxford. For adult readers, Rundell has written Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures and Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne, which won the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. She was the recipient of the British Book Award for Book of the Year and Author of the Year. View titles by Katherine Rundell
ASHLEY MACKENZIE is a Canadian artist and illustrator with a special affinity for dragons, dryads, and all magical creatures. View titles by Ashley Mackenzie

Discussion Guide for Impossible Creatures

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

About

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Two kids race to save the world’s last magical place in the first book of a landmark new fantasy series, from “a writer with an utterly distinctive voice and a wild imagination.” (Philip Pullman, author of The Golden Compass)

“An instant classic from one of the most gifted storytellers of our time, Impossible Creatures is an astonishing miracle of a book.” —Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal Winner for The One and Only Ivan

A WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE YEAR • A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, KIRKUS REVIEWS, AND SHELF AWARENESS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR


The day that Christopher saved a drowning baby griffin from a hidden lake would change his life forever.

It’s the day he learned about the Archipelago—a cluster of unmapped islands where magical creatures of every kind have thrived for thousands of years, until now. And it’s the day he met Mal—a girl on the run, in desperate need of his help.

Mal and Christopher embark on a wild adventure, racing from island to island, searching for someone who can explain why the magic is fading and why magical creatures are suddenly dying. They consult sphinxes, battle kraken, and negotiate with dragons. But the closer they get to the dark truth of what’s happening, the clearer it becomes: no one else can fix this. If the Archipelago is to be saved, Mal and Christopher will have to do it themselves.

Katherine Rundell’s story crackles and roars with energy and delight. It is brought vividly to life with more than 60 illustrations, including a map and a bestiary of magical creatures.

Awards

  • NOMINEE | 2026
    Maine Student Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2026
    Ohio Buckeye Children's Book Master List
  • NOMINEE | 2026
    Vermont Golden Dome Book Award
  • SELECTION | 2024
    New York Public Library Best Books for Kids
  • SELECTION | 2024
    Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year
  • SELECTION | 2024
    Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books
  • AWARD | 2024
    Barnes & Noble Best Book of the Year
  • SELECTION | 2024
    Shelf Awareness - Best Children’s & Teen Books of the Year
  • SELECTION | 2024
    Kid's Indie Next List "Inspired Recommendations for Kids from Indie Booksellers"
  • SELECTION | 2024
    Chicago Public Library Best Books
  • SELECTION | 2024
    Amazon Top 20: Children’s & YA Books
  • SELECTION | 2024
    Junior Library Guild Selection

Author

© Nina Subin
KATHERINE RUNDELL is the internationally bestselling author of Impossible Creatures. Her other books for children include Rooftoppers, Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms, The Wolf Wilder, The Explorer, and The Good Thieves. She grew up in Zimbabwe, Brussels, and London, and is currently a Fellow of St. Catherine’s College, Oxford. For adult readers, Rundell has written Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures and Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne, which won the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. She was the recipient of the British Book Award for Book of the Year and Author of the Year. View titles by Katherine Rundell
ASHLEY MACKENZIE is a Canadian artist and illustrator with a special affinity for dragons, dryads, and all magical creatures. View titles by Ashley Mackenzie

Guides

Discussion Guide for Impossible Creatures

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

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