The enchanter Count Harken is back to take his revenge on the Red King's heirs, starting with Charlie Bone's family! Charlie's ancestor has been kidnapped and imprisoned in the dark, forbidding land of Badlock, and it's up to Charlie to save him. Traveling through a painting to the terrifying countryside, Charlie and his best friend's dog, Runner Bean, take up the quest. But when Runner Bean gets trapped, Charlie needs the help of his friends. Can they get past an army of trolls, rescue Runner Bean and Charlie's ancestor, and get out before it's too late?

Can Charlie outwit Court Harken and his sinister troops, or will the prisoners be doomed to being held captive in Badlock forever?

Jenny Nimmo is an award-winning author who lives with her painter husband in a converted mill in Wales. Her books include THE SNOW SPIDER, winner of the Smarties Prize, EMYLN'S MOON, THE CHESTNUT SOLDIER, and GRIFFIN'S CASTLE, which was shortlisted for the Smarties Prize, the Carnegie Medal, the Whitbread Award, and the W.H. Smith's Mind Boggling Award. THE OWL TREE won the Smarties Gold Prize Award for six- to eight-year-olds, and THE CHARLIE BONE books have repeatedly found their way on to bestseller lists.