Author(s): Gary Cross

Fiction - middle

In the spare bedroom of an old mansion perched on the side of the Wairoa River, just outside the small northland town of Dargaville, lives a terrible, ancient secret. An insidious force, guided by a cackling, tentacled shadow-creature and its mysterious Master, has imprisoned two young children within a painted mural – The Borderland – and has twisted their childhood fairytales into dark nightmares. When Rosie holidays at the old house with her family (visiting her devious Uncle Silo), she discovers the true nature of The Borderland and unwittingly releases the dark magic that soon threatens to overwhelm her. And when the ancient force traps Rosie herself within its midnight-borders, she has to fight to survive.

What other black mysteries does The Borderland contain? Who is the half-mad homeless man who seems to know things about the mural? What is Uncle Silo hiding? How can Rosie make her parents believe her? Will Rosie’s friend Lucas be able to save them in time?