Science fantasy for kids who love riddles
When Kip Bramley receives a mysterious golden coin from a beetle-shaped drone, he is transported into the hidden realm of Quicksmiths, and his life changes forever. Alongside his new friends and their surprisingly clever pets, Kip must solve a series of 400-year-old riddles and unlock the secrets of powerful strange energies that could save his family. But with dark forces closing in, they must stay one step ahead … or risk losing everything.
'A mind-blowing, puzzle-packed, epic adventure...
…such a fantastic book, packed with so many ideas… it’s hard to sum it up in one sentence!’
Kieran Larwood
Author of Podkin One-Ear and the Five Realms series, Freaks, Treekeepers and the Carnival of the lost series
'An incredibly inventive, fabulously funny book...
stuffed with likeable characters and a plot that will keep you guessing until the very last page. One of the best children’s fantasy books I’ve read so far this year. Do not miss it!’
Dan Walker
Author of Sky Thieves, Desert Thieves and The Light Hunters
Portrait Gallery
From four-armed professors to musclebound librarians, strange supercomputers, and legendary Elizabethan geniuses, meet the characters of Quicksmiths!
The Observer
“Extraordinary”
Book 1
The Ten Riddles (UK & US editions)
When Kip Bramley receives a cryptic invitation, delivered by a beetle-shaped drone that appears to be breathing, his world changes forever.
Soon he finds himself chasing riddles and solving puzzles set 400 years earlier by a mysterious genius. Kip, his new friends, and their furry sidekicks must stay one step ahead to find the Ark of Ideas. But dark forces are closing in and getting closer…
Deeply hilarious, highly intelligent… Children’s Books Ireland
An ideal choice for whole class reading readingzone.com
Book 2
The Myriad Mysteries
With the Ark of Ideas resisting even Professor Steampunk’s attempts to learn its secrets, the trail left by Renaissance genius Eartha Quicksmith has gone cold.
But then a dream discovery and a freak accident send Kip and Timmi hurtling on a dangerous quest through fantastical hidden worlds.
To survive these strange new realms, they must decipher new riddles, battle monsters and face old enemies. But can they escape the Myriad Pirates to complete Eartha’s mission, and can Albert and Leela help them get home safely again?
Our recommended Book of the Month…unlike any book I have read for some time…packed with inventions, teamwork, and gadgets that will have you scratching your head… Mr Ripley’s Enchanted Books
The Guardian
Best books chosen by booksellers
“Favourite children’s book”
Book 3 coming in August 2025!
Kip, Albert, Leela and Timmi are back, and the riddles are trickier than ever. A fresh trail of puzzles leads to a lost craft called The Salamander and onwards to new wonders. With guardian android Incognita they take off for the beautiful but deadly Molten Ocean, where unlikely allies emerge from the depths. The race is on to find the Futurescope’s eyepiece and shut down the Grittleshank’s smoulderstone mine before the world as we know it is torn apart.
But when Kip learns his mother is being held hostage, everything changes. To stop the disaster, he’ll need to take friendships to their limits, outwit bloodthirsty enemies, and make a choice no child should ever have to face. Will he risk the world to save his family?
Brimming with wild inventions, dazzling twists and plenty of sideways thinking, this is a must for puzzle-solvers, adventurers and anyone who loves an edge-of-your-seat quest.
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About Loris
Loris Owen was born in Bolton and raised in Zimbabwe. She roamed the world in search of adventure before settling in the English Midlands, where she can still be found exploring the canals or navigating mountains of post-it notes. If she can't be found, she's probably disappeared into a particularly good puzzle.
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