He gets caught up in an extraordinary magical adventure and enters a world he believed only existed in legend. Jack Brenin's life changes the moment he finds a golden acorn lying in the grass. We interviewed Catherine in September 2010 and the conversation can be read here. After reading it, we here at Fantasy Book Review found it to be a charming and magical book that fully deserves the accolades that it is currently receiving.

I would gladly pick up a future book by her in hopes that she refined her writing.The Golden Acorn by Catherine Cooper was recipient of the Brit Writers' Award Unpublished 2010, an award that attracted 21,000 entries across its 8 categories and offered the largest prize ever for unpublished writers, £10,000. (I read the e-book version, however, so perhaps these were fixed in the hard copy.) Cooper does, however, show promise as an author, exhibiting a fertile imagination and the ability to create likable characters.

The numerous typos further detract from the story. The lack of real danger or disagreement leaves the story without suspense, and the reader has little reason to return for the sequel. The characters he encounters there have little depth, the ones on his side all exhibiting the same childlike simplicity and trust, never truly quarreling with each other and always ready to apologize if they inadvertently offended. The protagonist, however, walks into this world all too readily, barely questioning the phenomena he witnesses, though no evidence exists that he has an active imagination or a propensity to believe in the fantastic. Cooper fails to create a world either compelling or believable as the origins, natures, and powers of the various mythological creatures remain largely unexplained. Review: The Golden Acorn has a fantastic premise, promising that magic exists all around us, but it ultimately does not distinguish itself among the many wonderful fantasy books available.

The first in the Adventures of Jack Brenin. A prophecy foretells that a brave boy will save them all, but the chosen one must first learn to believe in himself. Now the dryads have begun to die, leaving the trees empty shells. However, only their world contains the substances they need to sustain their lives. Summary: For many years the portal to the magical land of Annwn has remained shut, trapping some of its peoples in the English countryside.