The Northern Star has awakened again.
Leo Ashbourne is no longer the ordinary boy from North Yorkshire. He is a Spellkeeper, the keeper of a golden key, and the only student at Aurum Academy who can hear the old magic hidden inside Britain's clocks.
After the Memory Vault reveals that his missing parents are still alive, a mysterious train ticket dated fifty years ago appears beneath Leo's pillow. Then a passenger without a shadow walks into Aurum Academy and leaves behind a warning from Leo's father.
Professor Thorn gives Leo an old map that once belonged to his mother. The map reveals the Hidden Line, a secret magical railway running from Edinburgh to London through forgotten stations, clockless villages, shadow markets, and places lost between minutes.
But the Hollow Men are following.
They are searching for the Black Timetable, a dangerous guide that could lead the Hollow King to the Last Tick - the prison between time and memory where Leo's parents are trapped.
With Mira, Toby, Isla, and a sharp-tongued railway apprentice named Maeve by his side, Leo must follow the map, uncover family secrets, and decide whether saving the people he loves is worth risking the world.
The Spellkeeper's Map is a magical middle-grade fantasy adventure about courage, friendship, loyalty, family secrets, and the difficult choice between opening the door you want and locking the door the world needs closed.
