Welcome to the world of Helen and Lysander, a brother and sister in ancient Sparta. It is the eve of their seventh birthdays and the following morning they are set to enter one of the world’s harshest training programmes.
In this first book, Helen and Lysander must overcome hunger, pain and injury in a series of life-threatening challenges. Their biggest challenge is surviving the annual festival designed to introduce the new trainees to the rest of Sparta.
The Paul Cave Prize for Children's Literature, established in 2023 by Tim Saunders Publications, is an offshoot of The Paul Cave Prize for Literature, showcasing stories for youngsters (from the age of five to twelve).