The first entry in a glittering, gothic middle-grade series from the bestselling author of Isadora Moon books. Victoria Stitch will stop at nothing in her quest for power . . . ‘The crystal keeper gazed around him at the shards of impure crystal, glittering furiously on the floor, and shivered with a terrible sense of foreboding.’ Twins Victoria Stitch and Celestine are denied their royal birth-right. Celestine accepts the decision with good grace, but Victoria Stitch is consumed with her obsession for power. The twins are like moonlight and sunshine – could it be possible to break free of the role you have been given, rewrite your story, and change your own destiny? Victoria Stitch is a glamorous, glittering, wiskling - a miniature-sized fairy-like creature - and the series is perfect for fans of Tim Burton, Disney's Descendants , and The School for Good and Evil. "This absorbing miniature melodrama is full of fraught sibling fondness between sweet, gentle Celestine and the marvellously ambitious and snooty Victoria, with Muncaster's own enticing illustrations." — The Guardian " Packed full of gothic glam and with a hefty dose of sparkles and glitter, Victoria Stitch is a fabulous anti-heroine who will appeal to young witchy fans of Muncaster's Isadora Moon or Laura Ellen Anderson's Amelia Fang. Harriet Muncaster's irresistible elfin illustrations run throughout, from the deliciously mean Ursuline to the sweetness-and-light Celestine. Expect a lot of Victoria Stitches on the doorstep come Halloween." — BookTrust "Any reader who fell for Isadora Moon and is ready for something a bit longer and rather darker, will surely love Harriet's new gothic fantasy . The illustrations are simply divine especially as Victoria Stitch with her funky, pointy toed, heeled boots is a fashionista who loves to strut her stuff in melodramatic wiskling style as befits the superbly woven, absorbing narrative . To enter Wiskling Wood is utter enchantment every step of the way." — Red Reading Hub Harriet Muncaster is the author and illustrator of the internationally bestselling Isadora Moon series, the Mirabelle series, and Emerald, companion series to Isadora Moon. Harriet lives with her husband and daughter near some beautiful countryside in Bedfordshire, England. Prologue TheCrystal Keeper gazed up at the diamond— which was now the size of an acorn—marvelling at the two blurry shapes inside. As he stared he noticed something that didn’t look quite right. Just under the icy surface was an unmistakable dark streak. ‘Oh no,’ he whispered, ‘an impurity!’ His heart started to hammer as he got out his magnifying glass for a closer look. This had never happened in a royal diamond before. What did it mean? He would have to inform the authorities right away. There was much debate in Wiskling Wood about what was to be done. ‘It’s impure,’ said Lord Astrophel. ‘The twins inside cannot be true royals.’ ‘But it’s still a diamond,’ argued a handful of the other high authority members. ‘And they don’t come along very often.’ But as the crystal grew the mark got bigger and darker until it looked like there was a long black stitch running right through the middle of it. Lord Astrophel declared it a bad omen and soon almost everyone agreed with him. On the fateful night the diamond cracked there was a terrible storm. Outside the Crystal Cave the sky was dark and blotchy as though someone had splashed a pot of violet ink all over it. Fat drops of rain sploshed to the ground and a huge cherry pink moon hung down over the wood, casting an eerie glow over the trees. Thunder began to rumble and the cave lit up suddenly with a flash of lightning. All the crystals sparkled with a ferocious light. The cave lit up again, another deafening rumble of thunder roared across the sky, and the diamond split right open. The Crystal Keeper leapt forward to catch the two babies that fell out one after the other in a shower of twinkling jewel dust, and stepped back to avoid the shards of diamond falling to the floor. He looked down at the two bundles in his arms and was shocked to see the difference between them.   The second twin was small and sweet with faint wisps of silvery blonde hair and long eyelashes sticking out from the corners of her eyes like whiskers, indicating she was a girl. The one who had fallen first also had long eyelashes but her skin was as pale as ice and her hair a sooty black. Instead of a contented smile this baby was scowling. The Crystal Keeper gazed around at the shards of impure diamond crystal glittering furiously on the floor, and shivered with a terrible sense of foreboding. Victoria Stitch: Bad and Glittering