Authors: Kate Forsyth
The Puzzle Ring
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Kate Forsyth is the internationally bestselling author of numerous books for children and adults, including
The Gypsy Crown, The Starthorn Tree
and
Dragon Gold
.
The Gypsy Crown
is the first in âThe Chain of Charms' series, a historical adventure story which follows the perilous adventures of two Romany children in the time of Oliver Cromwell. In 2007, Kate became the first author to win five Aurealis awards in a single year when Books 2â6 in the series were jointly awarded the 2007 Aurealis Award for Children's Fiction. Book 5,
The Lightning Bolt
, was also named a Notable Book for 2007 by the Children's Book Council of Australia. Kate lives by the sea in Sydney, Australia, with her husband and three children, a slinky black cat, a lion-hunting hound, and many thousands of books.
ALSO BY KATE FORSYTH
The Starthorn Tree
The Chain of Charms series:
The Gypsy Crown
The Silver Horse
The Herb of Grace
The Cat's Eye Shell
The Lightning Bolt
The Butterfly in Amber
ALSO BY KATE FORSYTH
AND ILLUSTRATED BY MITCH VANE
Ben and Tim's Magical Misadventures:
Dragon Gold
Wishing for Trouble
Sea Magic
ALSO BY KATE FORSYTH
AND ILLUSTRATED BY ROSALIE STREET
I Am
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First published 2009 in Pan by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Limited
1 Market Street, Sydney
Copyright © Kate Forsyth 2009
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity (including Google, Amazon or similar organisations), in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication data:
Forsyth, Kate, 1966â
The puzzle ring / Kate Forsyth.
978 0 330 42493 6 (pbk.)
For children.
A823.4
Typeset in 11.5/15pt Minion by Midland Typesetters, Australia
Printed by McPherson's Printing Group
Papers used by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd are natural, recyclable products made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.
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These electronic editions published in 2009 by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd
1 Market Street, Sydney
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. This publication (or any part of it) may not be reproduced or transmitted, copied, stored, distributed or otherwise made available by any person or entity (including Google, Amazon or similar organisations), in any form (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical) or by any means (photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise) without prior written permission from the publisher.
The Puzzle Ring
Kate Forsyth
Adobe eReader format: 978-1-74198-458-3
Online format: 978-1-74198-539-9
EPUB format: 978-1-74198-485-9
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www.macmillandigital.com.au
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The Curse of Wintersloe Castle
PART TWO THROUGH THE WINTER GATE
A Blood-Sucking Mad-Headed Ape
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In loving memory
of Nonnie, Aunty Clarice and Aunty Gwenâ
my grandmother and great-aunts,
women of the Mackenzie Clanâ
who first told me the story of the bloodstains on
Mary, Queen of Scots' floor,
which no amount of scrubbing can remove
The Curse of Wintersloe Castle
Hannah Rose Brown was not quite thirteen years old when she discovered her family was cursed.
The day she first heard of the Curse of Wintersloe Castle was the day her life was slashed in two, as if by a silver sword. Behind her was an ordinary life, just like any other girl's. Ahead was a life shadowed with mystery and menace and magic.
Hannah had not known the world could change so swiftly. For the rest of her life, she would never forget that brightnessâand darknessâcan break upon you at any moment.
Hannah had no way of knowing that the letter she found stuffed in their mailbox was going to change her life forever. She only found it because she had been sent home early from school in disgrace. If Hannah's mother Roz had found
it instead, she would have destroyed it, and so Hannah would never have found out about the curse, or the puzzle ring, or her father's mysterious past.