The Riddle of the Frozen Phantom

Description

Sophie Sapwood, daughter of the famous explorer, Bonniface Sapwood, discovers a whalebone pendant hidden at the back of her chest of drawers. At the same time, deep in the frozen wastes of the Antarctic, the ghost of Captain Cathcardo awakens from an ancient sleep, trapped in the Antarctic on his ship, The Riddle. His three cries for "Help" travel through the stratosphere to three different sets of ears - famous explorer Bonniface Sapwood, renowned naturalist Corona Wottley and oily villain Rancid Swarthy - descendant of Escher Black who was first mate on the Riddle. All three parties immediately organise trips to the Antarctic - all with the same goal in mind (solving the mystery of the Riddle) but each with very different intentions.

Margaret Mahy was born in New Zealand and has loved telling stories all her life. She has published well over a hundred titles and won several major prizes and awards, including The Order of New Zealand, for her internationally-acclaimed contribution to children's literature. She has twice won the prestigious Carnegie Medal, (The Haunting, 1982, and The Changeover, 1984). Margaret lives in the South Island of New Zealand, in a house which she partially built herself, overlooking Governor's Bay.