In the city of Fathach, giant hunters are equivalent to local heroes. This is because the city’s very walls are built from giants’ bones, and the townsfolk rely on their elite hunters to keep them not only prosperous, but also safe. For, as everybody knows, giants are wild, violent, senseless creatures…aren’t they?
13-year-old Jacq Dyer is the daughter of two renowned giant hunters – although she’s never had much stomach for what they do. Rejecting the attention that comes with such famous lineage, she prefers to spend her time tinkering with computers and mechanics on her own. Her home life has been even more strained since her mother, Cassie, disappeared on a hunt six months ago – leaving her alone with a father who doesn’t understand his daughter’s recalcitrance.
But an unexpected event at the local processing factory brings the reality of giant hunting much closer to Jacq than she could ever have imagined: close enough to end up face to face with an actual giant. Now, lost and injured in the wilderness outside Fathach’s walls, Jacq and her new giant acquaintance, Corman, will have to work together if Jacq is ever to find her way back home – and if Corman is ever to find his father, recently taken by hunters…
The enmity between humans and giants will need to be put aside if these two youngsters are to make it safely into the city. But could it be that there is a whole unspoiled world to discover right outside its walls – and world-changing lessons to be learned to protect the future of both Fathach and the Underhill Giants?
The Thing About Giants takes us through a vividly imagined world, introducing us to the various colourful tribes of Giants – and the chilling city of Fathach, with closer parallels to our world than we may like to admit. With this cinematic backdrop bringing it to life, at its heart the story deals with rejecting stereotypes and forging friendships despite differences. Like its famous giant-related predecessor, The BFG, it skirts along the dark perimeters of storytelling for children – and manages to deliver a powerful message that young readers are sure to remember for years to come.
Christopher Galvin lives in Dublin, and keen-eyed Irish enthusiasts will spot the influence of his home country in linguistic elements of this story. A passion for film and TV took him to the capital to study scriptwriting, where he also took classes in acting and directing, with several of his short films being presented in festivals around the world. Earlier drafts of The Thing About Giants were shortlisted for the WriteMentor Children’s Novel Award and the Guppy Middle Grade Open Submission Competition. Chris currently works in television as a presentation editor, but has many Middle Grade ideas up his sleeve, including a follow-up to The Thing About Giants entitled The Thing About Humans.
On submission
Extent: 60,000 words
Age: 8 - 12 years
Primary agent: Christabel McKinley
Film/TV agent: DHA (Georgie Smith)
Co-Agents: Chinese - Bardon Chinese Media; Japanese - Japan Uni