It's a magical world if you know where to look...
For
10-year-old Morag, that magical world is no farther than the cellar of
her cruel foster parents' home. That's where she's shocked to meet
Aldiss, a talking rat, and his resourceful companion, Bertie the dodo
bird.
Morag jumps at the chance to escape a life of drudgery and
join them on their quest to save their homeland from an evil warlock
named Devlish, who is intent on destroying it. But first, Bertie and
Aldiss will need to stop bickering long enough to free the only guide
who knows where to find Devlish: Shona, a dragon who's been turned to
stone. Together, these four friends begin their journey to a mysterious
island beyond the horizon, where danger and glory await – along with
clues to the disappearance of Morag's parents, whose destiny seems
somehow linked to her own.