Close Modal

The Poisoned King

Illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie
Hardcover
$19.99 US
6"W x 8-1/2"H (15.2 x 21.6 cm) | 18 oz (510 g) | 12 per carton
On sale Sep 11, 2025 | 320 Pages | 9780593809907
Age 10 and up | Grade 5 & Up
Sales rights: US,OpnMkt(no EU/CAN)

See Additional Formats
Return to the magic of the Archipelago in the dazzling sequel to the runaway, #1 New York Times bestseller Impossible Creatures, hailed as “an instant classic” (Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal Winner for The One and Only Ivan)!

*This spectacular book features foil and embossing on the jacket, full-color designed endpapers, and brilliant stained edges*


Christopher Forrester woke to find a dragon chewing on his face—and his heart leapt for joy! He’d been dreaming of going back to the Archipelago, the secret cluster of islands where all the creatures of myth still live, and here was his summons.

But there is a poison spreading in the Archipelago. Rooting it out will involve a daring rescue mission on the back of a sphinx, a stealthy entrance to a dragon’s lair, and a death-defying plan to save a prisoner held in the heart of a castle. At the center of this storm is Anneth: a small girl with a flock of birds at her side, a new-hatched chick in her pocket, and a ravenous hunger for justice.

Katherine Rundell’s second thrilling installment in the Impossible Creatures series involves castles, dragons, and revenge—the things of which great stories are made. The splendors within are brought to life with more than fifty illustrations, including a map and a bestiary of magical creatures.
© 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
Available for sale exclusive:
•     Canada
•     Guam
•     Minor Outl.Ins.
•     North Mariana
•     Philippines
•     Puerto Rico
•     Samoa,American
•     US Virgin Is.
•     USA

Available for sale non-exclusive:
•     Afghanistan
•     Aland Islands
•     Algeria
•     Angola
•     Antarctica
•     Argentina
•     Armenia
•     Aruba
•     Azerbaijan
•     Bahrain
•     Belarus
•     Benin
•     Bolivia
•     Bonaire, Saba
•     Bouvet Island
•     Brazil
•     Burkina Faso
•     Burundi
•     Cambodia
•     Cape Verde
•     Centr.Afr.Rep.
•     Chad
•     Chile
•     China
•     Colombia
•     Comoro Is.
•     Congo
•     Cook Islands
•     Costa Rica
•     Cuba
•     Curacao
•     Dem. Rep. Congo
•     Djibouti
•     Dominican Rep.
•     Ecuador
•     Egypt
•     El Salvador
•     Equatorial Gui.
•     Eritrea
•     Ethiopia
•     Faroe Islands
•     Fren.Polynesia
•     French Guinea
•     Gabon
•     Georgia
•     Greenland
•     Guadeloupe
•     Guatemala
•     Guinea Republic
•     Guinea-Bissau
•     Haiti
•     Heard/McDon.Isl
•     Honduras
•     Hong Kong
•     Indonesia
•     Iran
•     Israel
•     Ivory Coast
•     Japan
•     Kazakhstan
•     Kyrgyzstan
•     Laos
•     Lebanon
•     Liberia
•     Libya
•     Macau
•     Macedonia
•     Madagascar
•     Mali
•     Marshall island
•     Martinique
•     Mauritania
•     Mayotte
•     Mexico
•     Micronesia
•     Moldavia
•     Mongolia
•     Morocco
•     New Caledonia
•     Nicaragua
•     Niger
•     Niue
•     Norfolk Island
•     North Korea
•     Oman
•     Palau
•     Palestinian Ter
•     Panama
•     Paraguay
•     Peru
•     Qatar
•     Reunion Island
•     Russian Fed.
•     Saint Martin
•     SaoTome Princip
•     Saudi Arabia
•     Senegal
•     Sint Maarten
•     South Korea
•     South Sudan
•     St Barthelemy
•     St.Pier,Miquel.
•     Sth Terr. Franc
•     Suriname
•     Svalbard
•     Syria
•     Tadschikistan
•     Taiwan
•     Thailand
•     Timor-Leste
•     Togo
•     Tokelau Islands
•     Tunisia
•     Turkey
•     Turkmenistan
•     Ukraine
•     Unit.Arab Emir.
•     Uruguay
•     Uzbekistan
•     Venezuela
•     Vietnam
•     Wallis,Futuna
•     West Saharan
•     Yemen

Not available for sale:
•     Albania
•     Andorra
•     Anguilla
•     Antigua/Barbuda
•     Australia
•     Austria
•     Bahamas
•     Bangladesh
•     Barbados
•     Belgium
•     Belize
•     Bermuda
•     Bhutan
•     Bosnia Herzeg.
•     Botswana
•     Brit.Ind.Oc.Ter
•     Brit.Virgin Is.
•     Brunei
•     Bulgaria
•     Cameroon
•     Cayman Islands
•     Christmas Islnd
•     Cocos Islands
•     Croatia
•     Cyprus
•     Czech Republic
•     Denmark
•     Dominica
•     Estonia
•     Falkland Islnds
•     Fiji
•     Finland
•     France
•     Gambia
•     Germany
•     Ghana
•     Gibraltar
•     Greece
•     Grenada
•     Guernsey
•     Guyana
•     Hungary
•     Iceland
•     India
•     Iraq
•     Ireland
•     Isle of Man
•     Italy
•     Jamaica
•     Jersey
•     Jordan
•     Kenya
•     Kiribati
•     Kuwait
•     Latvia
•     Lesotho
•     Liechtenstein
•     Lithuania
•     Luxembourg
•     Malawi
•     Malaysia
•     Maldives
•     Malta
•     Mauritius
•     Monaco
•     Montenegro
•     Montserrat
•     Mozambique
•     Myanmar
•     Namibia
•     Nauru
•     Nepal
•     Netherlands
•     New Zealand
•     Nigeria
•     Norway
•     Pakistan
•     PapuaNewGuinea
•     Pitcairn Islnds
•     Poland
•     Portugal
•     Romania
•     Rwanda
•     S. Sandwich Ins
•     San Marino
•     Serbia
•     Seychelles
•     Sierra Leone
•     Singapore
•     Slovakia
•     Slovenia
•     Solomon Islands
•     Somalia
•     South Africa
•     Spain
•     Sri Lanka
•     St. Helena
•     St. Lucia
•     St. Vincent
•     St.Chr.,Nevis
•     Sudan
•     Swaziland
•     Sweden
•     Switzerland
•     Tanzania
•     Tonga
•     Trinidad,Tobago
•     Turks&Caicos Is
•     Tuvalu
•     Uganda
•     United Kingdom
•     Vanuatu
•     Vatican City
•     Western Samoa
•     Zambia
•     Zimbabwe

About

Return to the magic of the Archipelago in the dazzling sequel to the runaway, #1 New York Times bestseller Impossible Creatures, hailed as “an instant classic” (Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal Winner for The One and Only Ivan)!

*This spectacular book features foil and embossing on the jacket, full-color designed endpapers, and brilliant stained edges*


Christopher Forrester woke to find a dragon chewing on his face—and his heart leapt for joy! He’d been dreaming of going back to the Archipelago, the secret cluster of islands where all the creatures of myth still live, and here was his summons.

But there is a poison spreading in the Archipelago. Rooting it out will involve a daring rescue mission on the back of a sphinx, a stealthy entrance to a dragon’s lair, and a death-defying plan to save a prisoner held in the heart of a castle. At the center of this storm is Anneth: a small girl with a flock of birds at her side, a new-hatched chick in her pocket, and a ravenous hunger for justice.

Katherine Rundell’s second thrilling installment in the Impossible Creatures series involves castles, dragons, and revenge—the things of which great stories are made. The splendors within are brought to life with more than fifty illustrations, including a map and a bestiary of magical creatures.

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

Rights

Available for sale exclusive:
•     Canada
•     Guam
•     Minor Outl.Ins.
•     North Mariana
•     Philippines
•     Puerto Rico
•     Samoa,American
•     US Virgin Is.
•     USA

Available for sale non-exclusive:
•     Afghanistan
•     Aland Islands
•     Algeria
•     Angola
•     Antarctica
•     Argentina
•     Armenia
•     Aruba
•     Azerbaijan
•     Bahrain
•     Belarus
•     Benin
•     Bolivia
•     Bonaire, Saba
•     Bouvet Island
•     Brazil
•     Burkina Faso
•     Burundi
•     Cambodia
•     Cape Verde
•     Centr.Afr.Rep.
•     Chad
•     Chile
•     China
•     Colombia
•     Comoro Is.
•     Congo
•     Cook Islands
•     Costa Rica
•     Cuba
•     Curacao
•     Dem. Rep. Congo
•     Djibouti
•     Dominican Rep.
•     Ecuador
•     Egypt
•     El Salvador
•     Equatorial Gui.
•     Eritrea
•     Ethiopia
•     Faroe Islands
•     Fren.Polynesia
•     French Guinea
•     Gabon
•     Georgia
•     Greenland
•     Guadeloupe
•     Guatemala
•     Guinea Republic
•     Guinea-Bissau
•     Haiti
•     Heard/McDon.Isl
•     Honduras
•     Hong Kong
•     Indonesia
•     Iran
•     Israel
•     Ivory Coast
•     Japan
•     Kazakhstan
•     Kyrgyzstan
•     Laos
•     Lebanon
•     Liberia
•     Libya
•     Macau
•     Macedonia
•     Madagascar
•     Mali
•     Marshall island
•     Martinique
•     Mauritania
•     Mayotte
•     Mexico
•     Micronesia
•     Moldavia
•     Mongolia
•     Morocco
•     New Caledonia
•     Nicaragua
•     Niger
•     Niue
•     Norfolk Island
•     North Korea
•     Oman
•     Palau
•     Palestinian Ter
•     Panama
•     Paraguay
•     Peru
•     Qatar
•     Reunion Island
•     Russian Fed.
•     Saint Martin
•     SaoTome Princip
•     Saudi Arabia
•     Senegal
•     Sint Maarten
•     South Korea
•     South Sudan
•     St Barthelemy
•     St.Pier,Miquel.
•     Sth Terr. Franc
•     Suriname
•     Svalbard
•     Syria
•     Tadschikistan
•     Taiwan
•     Thailand
•     Timor-Leste
•     Togo
•     Tokelau Islands
•     Tunisia
•     Turkey
•     Turkmenistan
•     Ukraine
•     Unit.Arab Emir.
•     Uruguay
•     Uzbekistan
•     Venezuela
•     Vietnam
•     Wallis,Futuna
•     West Saharan
•     Yemen

Not available for sale:
•     Albania
•     Andorra
•     Anguilla
•     Antigua/Barbuda
•     Australia
•     Austria
•     Bahamas
•     Bangladesh
•     Barbados
•     Belgium
•     Belize
•     Bermuda
•     Bhutan
•     Bosnia Herzeg.
•     Botswana
•     Brit.Ind.Oc.Ter
•     Brit.Virgin Is.
•     Brunei
•     Bulgaria
•     Cameroon
•     Cayman Islands
•     Christmas Islnd
•     Cocos Islands
•     Croatia
•     Cyprus
•     Czech Republic
•     Denmark
•     Dominica
•     Estonia
•     Falkland Islnds
•     Fiji
•     Finland
•     France
•     Gambia
•     Germany
•     Ghana
•     Gibraltar
•     Greece
•     Grenada
•     Guernsey
•     Guyana
•     Hungary
•     Iceland
•     India
•     Iraq
•     Ireland
•     Isle of Man
•     Italy
•     Jamaica
•     Jersey
•     Jordan
•     Kenya
•     Kiribati
•     Kuwait
•     Latvia
•     Lesotho
•     Liechtenstein
•     Lithuania
•     Luxembourg
•     Malawi
•     Malaysia
•     Maldives
•     Malta
•     Mauritius
•     Monaco
•     Montenegro
•     Montserrat
•     Mozambique
•     Myanmar
•     Namibia
•     Nauru
•     Nepal
•     Netherlands
•     New Zealand
•     Nigeria
•     Norway
•     Pakistan
•     PapuaNewGuinea
•     Pitcairn Islnds
•     Poland
•     Portugal
•     Romania
•     Rwanda
•     S. Sandwich Ins
•     San Marino
•     Serbia
•     Seychelles
•     Sierra Leone
•     Singapore
•     Slovakia
•     Slovenia
•     Solomon Islands
•     Somalia
•     South Africa
•     Spain
•     Sri Lanka
•     St. Helena
•     St. Lucia
•     St. Vincent
•     St.Chr.,Nevis
•     Sudan
•     Swaziland
•     Sweden
•     Switzerland
•     Tanzania
•     Tonga
•     Trinidad,Tobago
•     Turks&Caicos Is
•     Tuvalu
•     Uganda
•     United Kingdom
•     Vanuatu
•     Vatican City
•     Western Samoa
•     Zambia
•     Zimbabwe