Ante’s Inferno
By Griselda Heppel
Published by
Troubador Publishing Ltd
ISBN 9781780882406
Category 9 – 12 years/YA fantasy
Winter 2012
Synopsis
An accident on a balcony sends 12 year-old Ante on a perilous journey through the Underworld, accompanied by her sworn enemy, Florence, and Gil, a boy who died 100 years before. Battling with monsters is terrifying; but Ante’s growing fear is worse. Will any of them return? If so – who?
Author's Biography
Griselda Heppel grew up in England and Germany. After reading English at Cambridge, she worked in publishing before a move to Oxford and the arrival of four children put paid to any...er, paid work. She volunteers for the Story Museum while completing second book, The Tragickall History of Henry Fist.
Reviews
‘I really enjoyed this clever book. Ante’s Inferno is a fascinating combination of fantasy, Greek mythology and adventure.’ Juno magazine, Autumn 2012.
‘This gripping novel is aimed at children of 12... therefore able to empathise with the trio of youngsters... on a thrilling journey through the underworld.’ Chris Gray, The Oxford Times, 11.07.12.
‘A really clever idea... I see it as a movie!’ Caroline Lawrence, author of The Roman Mysteries and The Pinkerton Mysteries
Price: Paperback £6.99 & Hard Cover £9.99
Reader Comments
A great but difficult story made accessible to all. Brilliant!
Just what children like. Helps them to broaden their imaginative powers.
Great childrens book. Magical and with adventure and myth all together. Great imagination, fun to read and educational.
Wonderful re-working of the myth, introducing a new and lively voice. A must-read for all over about 9 years old.Loved how the book combined the classical and more recent history, too.
A gripping read, thoroughly enjoyable!
Very interesting idea well worked through.
Brilliant and non-put-downable! This book is definitely going in my Top Ten list of books!
A great read I also enjoyed at the age of 18. Fun, entertaining and even very educational!
Wow what a read, Harry Potter watch out..........
A good story for all to read
Really splendid - a tremendously subtle take on an old myth, readable, moving and thought-provoking!
I never knew mythology could be so interesting - I enjoyed reading this book very much!
A brilliant book for both children and adults alike
An enjoyable, stimulating book. Fun for adults and younger. Looking forward to the next one, too.
This is a great novel, which dares to address themes of loss and death - teenagers want to know about these things.
An enthralling read, that really enriched the imagination. Looking forward to the next one.
Great story, well written and fun to read. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end.
An excellent read.
A splendid read - thoroughly enjoyed.
A thoroughly enjoyable well crafted tale - combing a gripping adventure for Ante and her fellow travellers on a quest through the underworld, with an exploration of friendship, guilt and redemption. Thought provoking for all ages....
Fabulous reading. A great book for everybody
Just wonderful!
An excellent and intriguing book. A great read.
Fabulous story and writing! Well done Griselda!!!
Great read for childeren and adults alike - classical references may have children taxing their parents' recall of mythology, or better, stimulate them into reading some of the classics themselves
A wonderfully imaginative classical setting, excellent characters, and beautifully written. I loved it
Utterly fantastic; a wonderful book that can speak to a reader of any age.
All three of my children, ranging in age from 10-14 and including a very reluctant ( boy) reader were captivated by this wonderful book. They absolutely loved it and couldn't put it down- my 12 year old daughter burned the midnight oil because she couldn't wait until the next day to finish it.
I've rarely read a children's author who writes with such taut, elegant prose - from the first page, metaphors like a 'knot' of boys form a style that refuses to condescend its readers, avoiding more hackneyed descriptions to keep the tone fresh and engaging. Anyone should be proud of phrases like 'popcorn-studded'
This exciting story had me gripped from cover to cover! Really well written and engaging.
Very good story. Good tension between the three main characters. a very enjoyable read using classic analogies. The description of the first world war scenes were very well portrayed.
Such a wonderful adventure story of friendship, strength and mythology - a 100% deserving winner.
This Latin teacher is delighted to have a means of cloaking the myths in modern dress.
An exciting story with convincing characters whose journey through the underworld tests their relationships and belief in themselves. The classical setting is brilliantly imagined and completely accessible. The children's experience is life changing and the book is frightening at times and thought provoking, but also funny. Like the classics of children's literature, Ante's Inferno is a great read for adults as well as kids.
I love this book!
Loved, loved, loved this book the characters are really well thought out and the story is engaging. It does not try to patronise young readers I couldn't put it down!
Well worth a read by any age!
This book is a joy to read and can also take repeat reading - there is so much to discover.
A real joy to read.
This is a great book, funny and profound as well!
I found the dialogue between the children (and the cruelty) really convincing and the story was fast-moving and exciting. The background of the classical world gave the modern novel depth and the ending was satisfyingly moral and happy.
This highly original and imaginative book will delight and inform young readers. They will also find plenty in its fast-paced story to make them reflect, laugh and - at times - cry.
This is the best account I have read of difficulties in teenage relationships with bullying and and extraordinary resolution.
Gripping stuff!
Such a clever idea and it deserves to be an enormous success
Neat concept, well-drawn characters, surprise ending - a winner. JGS
Excellent read for kids and adults - both entertaining and very moving. Highly recommended.
A very good read and a clever idea, creating a children's story from Dante's Inferno. Greek mythology updated for modern times!
Charming, droll and amusing - a "must" gift for 11-14 year olds for Christmas.
A real page-turner, satisfying, beautifully written and educational too! It made me want to revisit Dante. Gil is a wonderfully original idea.