"When he wasn't messing around playing games, Muck was a well-trained pig and Manchán had put a lot of work into training him."

We are in Ireland and it’s an awfully long time ago. Centuries and centuries. The country is supposed to have gone Christian, but there’s still magic in the air, salmon in the rivers, berries in the bushes, druids in the forest, a Worm in the lake, fairy music in the distance.

Manchán doesn't want to be a monk. Not when he could be going fishing with his friend, Pagan of the Six Toes, or charging through the forest with his pet pig, Muck, or learning about the mysteries of time with the druids. Or riding over the bog on the chieftain’s mad ram, Balor. Anything, really, that's fun or adventurous or magical – and absolutely nothing to do with turnips, penance, prayers, monks and chanting.

'Ireland – but not as you know it. The funniest book you'll read this year.' – Patricia Forde, author of Bumpfizzle the Best on Planet Earth and The Wordsmith

'Charming, quirky, and lots of fun.' – LoveReading4Kids

'Honestly, you will laugh out loud. Adventurous, fast-paced, hilariously funny and full of delight.' – Mary Esther Judy

'There is plenty of historical detail and Chambers's witty illustrations are full of energy, making the tales come alive. Ideal for readers who have an interest in history.' – The Irish Independent

'An extremely funny romp through early Christian history, chronicling the fierce resistance of some (underage) pagans, this book is golden.' – The Meath Chronicle

'The stories are told almost entirely from Manchán’s point of view, so things that happen to him are almost never his fault, and are brought to life with beautiful illustrations throughout.' –  Inis Reading Guide, Children’s Books Ireland

John Chambers was born and raised in Ireland and is now based in Berlin. He is the creator of long-running comic strip The Adventures of Festy O’Semtex in Phoenix Magazine and has developed concepts and written scripts for TV series, long and short films and many children’s animation series, including Ted Sieger’s Molly the Little Monster. Three times winner of the Best Animated Screenplay Award at the International Animated Film Festival, he was also Writer in Residence at the National Theatre, England in 2006. He has brought masterful storytelling and wry humour to a range of children’s titles including; Granny Samurai, The Monkey King and I, Granny Samurai and the Brain of Ultimate Doomitude, and The Seven Deadly Finns (Walker Books).