Element, 1999 first edition hardcover (out of print)	Chicken House, 2000 (out of print) Buy from amazon	Scholastic US, 2001 Buy from amazon

Winner of the Branford Boase Award
Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal

When a ship is wrecked on the Isle of Echoes, novice Singer Rialle hears the cries of the fish-tailed merlee, who are being hunted by the mainlanders. She is sent with a Singer delegation across the sea to the Karch, where she discovers her rival, the runaway Kherron, has been tricked by the Khizpriest into helping the enemy. Only by working together can the two young Singers rescue the merlee and return to the Echorium to break the power of the dark crystal.

Read an extract HERE.

What they said...

¬ "Full of good ideas and original thinking. It's a page-turner." Jan Mark.

¬ "Fascinating and poetic... Extremely original too." Joan Aiken.

¬ "...read on as a thumping good story unfolds. I can't wait for the sequel." Tara Stephenson, Booksellers' Choice.

¬ "Roberts writes vividly and dramatically with an accomplished grasp of plotting that carries the reader along." Books for Keeps (New Talent spot).

¬ "For the child who keeps asking for the next Harry Potter…" The Times.

¬ "A captivating read." Achuka.

¬ "I would heartily recommend this book to any capable reader who is looking for something different." Ross Gazette.

¬ "A memorable young adult fantasy that's more about the importance of friendships and loyalty than about magic." LOCUS.

¬ "A highly commendable debut, well-plotted and characterised and written with feeling, integrity and imagination." Gary Dalkin, British Science Fiction Association.

¬ "I neglected to do my homework, or anything else for that matter, until I had completed the book and could finally put it down." Edward, aged 11.

¬ "This book is by far the best I have read." Amy, 7th grade.

	The Branford Boase Award is given each year to a new children's author and their editor. I shared my award with my editor Barry Cunningham, the man who "discovered" Harry Potter. This is a picture of us at the award ceremony in London in 2000. Jacqueline Wilson was one of the judges that year, and she presented us with our prizes...
...small wooden boxes, made to look like books, with a silver butterfly on the "cover" and a silver plaque inside. I also got a huge bunch of flowers!