There's a dragon downstairs

There's a dragon downstairs at Sophie's house. She knows he is there. She can hear him rattling and snuffling - slinking through the rooms.

She is scared, and hides beneath the bedclothes. But when he comes again, Sophie grows bolder...she picks up her sword and shield.

She will go downstairs and fight that dragon. This is a book about childhood imaginings. Sophie grows braver through the story and the dragon of course is no longer there.

Hilary McKay, author of The Exiles and Saffy's Angel, is one of the top selling children's authors, and rightly so.

She has a rare storytelling gift and understanding of childhood.