Krabat

Set within a world of sorcery and wizardry, Krabat tells the story of a 14-year-old beggar boy who is lured to a mysterious mill by a series of frightening dreams and apparitions. He becomes an apprentice to the master of the watermill, where he joins eleven other young journeymen. Much to his surprise, Krabat discovers that the mill is actually a school of black magic and that he is expected to learn far more than a normal miller's trade. He studies hard and becomes the master's star pupil, but when he falls for a local village girl, the depth of the master's evil and the darker secrets of the mill begin to reveal themselves. One by one, his fellow classmates perish from mysterious, unexplained accidents, and Krabat realises he must use all the dark magic skills he has learned to secure his escape.

Much like an 18th-century Harry Potter.

Endorsements

One of Neil Gaiman's favourite scary stories for children.

Now a major motion picture starring David Kross (The Reader, War Horse).