Creator of the hugely popular Horrid Henry series, best-selling author Francesca Simon launches an exciting new novel for children, The Sleeping Army. It tells the story of Freya, an ordinary girl living in modern Britain with a twist: people still worship the Viking gods. One evening, stuck with her dad on his night shift at the British Museum, she blows Heimdall's Horn, waking three chess pieces from their enchantment; the slaves Roskva and Alfi, and Snot the Berserk. They are all summoned to Asgard, land of the Viking gods, and told they must go on a perilous journey to restore the gods to youth. The Sleeping Army is brilliantly funny, original and a wholly new take on the old Norse myths – and the complexity of contemporary family life. Presented in association with Manchester Children’s Book Festival, this is a Sunday afternoon treat for all story lovers aged eight upwards.