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Here Be Dragons co-curated by Cressida Cowell and Toothless - opens 13 July. Admission included with ticket to the Galleries

1001 Stories Collection

The Wizards of Once

1001 The Wizards Of Once
Added on 14th August 2020

Author Cressida Cowell
First published 2018
Publisher Hachette

Action and adventure Magic Friends
1001

A young wizard and a warrior girl must work together - which would be easier if they hadn't been brought up to hate each other.

Story

A young wizard, Xar, and a young warrior, Wish have been taught to hate each each other since birth. Xar has no magic, and will do whatever he can to get it. Wish is a warrior girl with a banned Magical Object she has to conceal.

In a whirlwind adventure, they must overcome their differences to make it to Warrior Fort, where something that has been sleeping for hundreds of years is stirring…

Why we chose it

A magical adventure story set in a fantasy world where magic is real.

Cressida Cowell has been telling and writing stories since childhood. She writes fantasy adventure stories to take children into worlds which are exciting and could be dangerous to satisfy their longing for adventure.

Where it came from

Cressida Cowell was inspired by her childhood holidays playing in the chalk and woods near her grandparents’ house in the Sussex South Downs. She explains that the old landscapes have so many stories and memories that you almost expect to bump into a Roman.

She wanted to write a story about children interacting with nature and preserving the world around them, while incorporating magic so the children could get back some control from the adults.

Wish is a determined, creative, imaginative person like Cressida herself.

Where it went next

The Wizards of Once was a Number 1 Sunday Times bestseller and winner of the Blue Peter Book Award. It has been translated into 37 languages and been signed to Dreamworks Animation for an adaptation in the future.

Cressida Cowell went on to write two more books in the series, Twice Magic, and Knock Three Times.

Associated stories

Cressida Crowell is the author of the hugely successful How to Train Your Dragon series, which was adapted into animated films and now a TV series on Netflix/CBBC.

She has written a number of picture books including the Emily Brown series, illustrated by Neal Layton, which begins with That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown.

Cressida Cowell is the current Children’s Laureate.

In our programme

In 2020 Cressida Cowell set children a Creative Writing Challenge. Have a go at it yourself - watch the video below.

Added on 14th August 2020

Author Cressida Cowell
First published 2018
Publisher Hachette

Action and adventure Magic Friends
1001