Accompanied by his aunt's Norwegian elkhound, Ibsen, twelve-year-old Samuel ventures into a weird forest filled with strange and dangerous creatures to rescue his younger sister, Martha, who has been mute since their parents' recent death.

When Troll-Son runs away from home, he decides to leave the Shadow Forest behind and move in with his idol, Samuel Blink. Samuel isn't thrilled with the idea of hiding a runaway troll, especially one who copies everything he does, even (ugh!) using his toothbrush. But should Samuel return Troll-Son to the Shadow Forest? After all, he's running from something . . . what danger still lurks there? This engaging adventure showcases Matt Haig's wry sense of humor, drawing readers deeper into the imaginative world introduced in Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest.

Funny and captivating fantasy from rising star Matt Haig! Samuel and Martha's new life with their Aunt Eda in Norway is filled with rules, but most important is rule number nine: NEVER 'UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES' GO INTO THE FOREST. Sure their Uncle Henrik disappeared in the forest ten years ago, but it can't be the forest's fault-can it? Samuel is skeptical until he finds an unusual book, The Creatures of Shadow Forest, which describes the fantastic and sinister creatures supposedly living there. Could Aunt Eda be right? Samuel discovers the truth about the forest's dangerous secrets when Martha becomes lost in the forest, and it's up to him to save her.

Samuel Blink is the hero of this story, but he doesn't know it yet. Right now, he and his sister Martha are in the back of his parents car. He has no idea a giant log is about to fall from the sky and change his life forever. He doesn't know that he and Martha will be forced to move to Norway and eat their Aunt Eda's smelly brown cheese. He hasn't the slightest clue Martha will disappear into Shadow Forest. A forest full of one-eyed trolls, the sinister huldre-folk, deadly Truth Pixies and a witch who steals shadows. A forest ruled by the evil Changemaker. A forest so dangerous that people who enter never return. No. Samuel Blink doesn't know any of this. So don't tell him. It might ruin the book . . .

Follows the efforts of a flock of chickens, ducks, and geese to discover the secret of their neighboring owls' happiness, which is credited to the beauty and wonder of the natural world.

Every troll child dreads being sent to the Betterer. The Betterer is the most evil troll in Shadow Forest who loves to punish his fellow trolls for their grubby and stupid habits in lots of horrible ways. When one troll boy escapes the forest to be with his favourite human, Samuel Blink, the Betterer is not very happy.

Siblings Maddy, Lexie, and Hudson Livingstone, who are vampire-fruit bat hybrids, struggle to adjust to living as humans in New York City while maintaining their individual vampire strengths.