I Coriander by Sally Gardner

Coriander lives in London at a time of political instability. Charles I, King of England has been beheaded and now Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans hold the country. But this means little to Coriander for her world only contains her parents and their friends. But when a pair of silver shoes arrive at the house the outside worlds begin to encroach on hers.

By the light of seven candles, Coriander tells her story. It is a tale of silver shoes, a stuffed alligator, lost treasure and fairies; for Coriander is the daughter of a fairy princess who fled her kingdom. Now, Coriander must find the courage to put things right in the fairy realm, while combating the evil schemes of her Puritan stepmother and the evil Arise Fell.

Read by Juliet Stevenson, this audiobook is a delight. Part fairy tale, part historical novel the characters are full of vigor and colour. London and the fairy realm are bursting with life as this historical fantasy with a little romance weaves smoothly between the two.