The Giant Under The Snow is a children's fantasy adventure novel by John Gordon. First published in 1968 the story tells the tale of three school friends who discover an ancient treasure and become embroiled in the final act of an epic battle of good against evil. It is John Gordon's début novel and has been published in at least four languages. ^[1]

Plot summary

On a school field trip Jonk Winters, an independent-minded teenage girl, is attacked by a large black dog whilst exploring the nearby woods where she has found a mysterious and rather old buckle. She is rescued from the dog by a woman named Elizabeth Goodenough, who possesses magical powers. After she goes home, Jonk is stalked by the dog and its curious stone-faced master. Jonk's friend, Bill has read of a local legend that describes how a Green Man once strode across the countryside from Wiltshire to East Anglia. Believing the legend is the key to understanding Jonk's experience in the woods, Jonk, Bill and their rather sceptical friend Arf set out to solve the riddle of the Green Man. It soon becomes aparent that the stone-faced man is an ancient warlord who needs the golden buckle to regain his malevolent power. The buckle is the key to victory and the trio soon find themselves under attack from the minions of the warlord, the terrifying 'leather men', and are relentlessly followed by the black dog. However, cleverly guided by Elizabeth and aided by the gift of flight, Jonk and her friends determine to defeat the warlord and his sinister allies at any cost.

Characters

• Jonk (Jonquil Winters) -
• Bill (Bill Smith) -
• Arf (Arthur Minnett) -
• Elizabeth Goodenough -
• The Warlord -
• The Leather Men -
• The Green Man -

2006 Revised Edition

[[:File:The Giant Under The Snow (2006 cover).jpg|thumb|right|215px|The 2006 cover by Geoff Taylor
( Orion Children's Books revised edition).]] Due to the book's popularity Orion Children's Books decided to republish The Giant Under The Snow in April 2006. ^[2] The revised edition had a new cover design by fantasy artist Geoff Taylor and new chapter head illustrations by Gary Blythe. Since 1968 the original story has remained fairly timeless however it was deemed necessary for the author to make some minor updates to the language (e.g. changing 'gym shoes' to 'trainers'). John Gordon also took the opportunity to clarify the origin of The Green Man in the relevant chapters.

References

External links

• Review of John Gordon's The Giant Under The Snow, BBC - Norfolk Kids, 28 April 2006
• Customer reviews of The Giant Under The Snow at amazon.co.uk

Category:1968 novels Category:1960s fantasy novels Category:British fantasy novels Category:Children's fantasy novels