The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant

About The Vanishing of Katharina Linden

After Pia’s grandmother dies in a freak accident, the neighbors in her little German hometown of Bad Münstereifel glance at Pia with wary eyes. But then something else captures the community’s attention: the vanishing of Katharina Linden. Katharina was last seen at a parade, dressed as Snow White. Then, like a character in a Grimm’s fairy tale, she disappeared. Ten-year-old Pia and her only friend, the unpopular StinkStefan, suspect that Katharina has been spirited away by the supernatural. Their investigation is inspired by such local legends as that of Unshockable Hans, visited by witches in the form of cats, or of the knight whose son is doomed to hunt forever. Then another girl vanishes, and Pia is plunged into a new and unnerving place, one far away from fairy tales—and perilously close to adulthood.

About The Vanishing of Katharina Linden

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Helen Grant’s The Glass Demon.

After Pia’s grandmother dies in a freak accident, the neighbors in her little German hometown of Bad Münstereifel glance at Pia with wary eyes. But then something else captures the community’s attention: the vanishing of Katharina Linden. Katharina was last seen at a parade, dressed as Snow White. Then, like a character in a Grimm’s fairy tale, she disappeared. Ten-year-old Pia and her only friend, the unpopular StinkStefan, suspect that Katharina has been spirited away by the supernatural. Their investigation is inspired by such local legends as that of Unshockable Hans, visited by witches in the form of cats, or of the knight whose son is doomed to hunt forever. Then another girl vanishes, and Pia is plunged into a new and unnerving place, one far away from fairy tales—and perilously close to adulthood.

About The Vanishing of Katharina Linden

Not since The Elegance of the Hedgehog has a book arrived in America from Europe on such wings of critical praise and popularity. The Vanishing of Katharina Linden is an unforgettable debut—at once chilling and endearing, haunting and richly insightful—the story of one girl’s big heart and even bigger imagination, and of a world full of mystery, good, and evil.

It isn’t ten-year-old Pia’s fault that her grandmother dies in a freak accident. But tell that to the citizens of Pia’s little German hometown of Bad Münstereifel, or to the classmates who shun her. The only one who still wants to be her friend is StinkStefan, the most unpopular child in school.

But then something else captures the community’s attention: the vanishing of Katharina Linden. Katharina was last seen on a float in a parade, dressed as Snow White. Then, like a character in a Grimm’s fairy tale, she disappears. But, this being real life, she doesn’t return.

Pia and Stefan suspect that Katharina has been spirited away by the supernatural. Their investigation is inspired by the instructive—and cautionary—local legends told to them by their elderly friend Herr Schiller, tales such as that of Unshockable Hans, visited by witches in the form of cats, or of the knight whose son is doomed to hunt forever.

Then another girl disappears, and Pia is plunged into a new and unnerving place, one far away from fairy tales—and perilously close to adulthood.

Marvelously morbid, stunningly suspenseful, and exceptionally winning, The Vanishing of Katharina Linden is a new coming-of-age classic, and the most accomplished fiction debut in years.

Awards

Alex Award – YALSA WINNER 2011

Margaret A. Edwards Award (Alex Awards) WINNER 2011

Praise

WINNER OF THE ALA ALEX AWARD

“Both a wonderful first novel and a strange, haunting modern fairy tale.”—John Connolly

“A stunning debut.”—Rick Riordan

“Steeped in spooky legends and set in a country that, for all its present-day serenity, can’t fully escape the burden of its harrowing past, this is a mystery with unusual resonance.”—The Washington Post

“A rich and haunting read with nearly flawless writing.”—The Roanoke Times

“A contemporary story that feels age-old, too . . . dotted with creepy tales.”—The New York Times

“Outstanding.”—The Times (London)

About Helen Grant

Helen Grant is the author of The Glass Demon and The Vanishing of Katharina Linden, winner of the American Library Association Alex Award and shortlisted for the Booktrust Teenage Prize and the CILIP Carnegie Medal.

About Helen Grant

Helen Grant is the author of The Glass Demon and The Vanishing of Katharina Linden, winner of the American Library Association Alex Award and shortlisted for the Booktrust Teenage Prize and the CILIP Carnegie Medal.

About Helen Grant

Helen Grant is the author of The Glass Demon and The Vanishing of Katharina Linden, winner of the American Library Association Alex Award and shortlisted for the Booktrust Teenage Prize and the CILIP Carnegie Medal.