Meet Some of the Characters
Jamie Grindle
DESCRIPTION: A bright, tall boy with messy brown hair, blue eyes and freckles either side of his nose. Jamie arrives with his family and pets to live in Grindlewood House.
AGE: 9 years old (in Book 1).
ROLE: Soon after arriving Jamie and his sister Jemima begin to uncover the secrets of Grindlewood garden. They join the animals in their perilous quest.
FAMOUS FOR: Loving his dog, Timber and seeking out adventures.
SECRET FACT: Jamie is a gifted archer and swordsman!
Jemima Grindle
DESCRIPTION: A very pretty girl with curly blonde hair, blue eyes and rosy cheeks. She believes in magic and is soon entrusted with information about Grindlewood's secrets.
AGE: Nearly 8 (in Book 1).
ROLE: She must convince her brother and parents of the magic happening in the garden.
FAMOUS FOR: Totally believing in magic!
SECRET FACT: Jemima dreams of having magical powers.
Timber
DESCRIPTION: An Alaskan malamute - a big dog, white and silver grey, noble and handsome, with a bushy curly tail. He has a great, loud howl like a wolf and is known for being loyal, strong and brave.
AGE: 2 years old.
ROLE: Protector of the children and defender of Grindlewood. He is a natural leader who takes up the quest to find the scroll and defeat Worfeus.
FAMOUS FOR: Tremendous bravery and his impressive howl!
SECRET FACT: Timber would willingly die to protect the children from harm.
Teddy
DESCRIPTION: A cute and lively cat, he is mostly white with black patches on his head and ears which resemble a little hat. He has a long silky black tail. Teddy grew up with the Grindles
and Timber in Alaska.
AGE: 2 years old.
ROLE: He is a brave and clever young tom-cat and Timber's best friend.
FAMOUS FOR: Telling thrilling stories of Timber's courage.
SECRET FACT: Teddy likes to sleep with the dogs in their kennel.
Worfeus
DESCRIPTION: Tall and skinny, with red-rimmed evil eyes, a pointy chin and a hooked nose. He has long purplish-grey hair and his skin is tinged with green….Soooo ugly!
AGE: Unknown, but doesn’t look that young.
ROLE: A mad and wicked warlock, leader of the Worfagon clan. He wants to be all-powerful but first he must find the secret scroll, which he believes is hidden somewhere near or in Grindlewood garden.
FAMOUS FOR: Continuing his ancestors’ feud with the gentle Wandeleis and being the cleverest, most devious and most wicked warlock of all time!
SECRET FACT: Worfeus has a sister, the sorceress Zora, who he banished long ago. No one knows where she is.
Wanda
DESCRIPTION: Petite, pretty and quaint, with big green eyes, long shiny black hair, a small turned up nose, and rose-bud lips. She usually wears dark green or purple dresses to her ankles, little
witch boots with gold buckles, and a slim chain belt around her tiny waist.
AGE: About 24
ROLE: The ‘good’ Witch - of the Wandelei clan. Her first mission is to find the right magic to create the most powerful of spells that would be capable of destroying Worfeus. She hopes to save
her queen, her people and Grindlewood.
FAMOUS FOR: Being brilliantly clever, brave and loyal to the Forest Queen and the creator of that ‘special spell’.
SECRET FACT: Wanda's destiny is to be a Queen herself one day.
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Abigail Allnutt
DESCRIPTION: A quaint and pretty girl with long black hair and bright green eyes. Her granddad, Mr Allnutt, gives her lots of books about Grindlewood - and magic - and she shares them with Jamie and Jemima.
AGE: 8 years old.
ROLE: Abigail is Jemima’s school friend and a believer in magic. She is very close to her granddad who encourages her to read and learn about magic and the history of Grindlewood.
FAMOUS FOR: Giving Ramona Rabbit to Jemima for her 8th birthday.
SECRET FACT: Definitely too soon to be revealed – but what a secret!
Valerius Vole
DESCRIPTION: He is a very ugly half-goblin, half-vole, thanks to Wanda’s curse and Worfeus’ refusal to give him enough potion to solve the problem!
AGE: Unknown
ROLE: Valerius is Worfeus’ servant. He is tied to him in so many ways, he can never escape.
FAMOUS FOR: Being ugly and cunning.
SECRET FACT: Valerius hates his master and is always hoping of a way to escape him!
Norville
DESCRIPTION: A curious hedgehog with a particularly pointy nose. He lives at the end of the garden, with the foxes for neighbours.
AGE: About 3 years old.
ROLE: The chief gatherer of gossip, rumours and stories! He always wants to know what is going on.
FAMOUS FOR: Worrying and spreading scary rumours about Grindlewood. He has a funny friendship with Eldric.
SECRET FACT: His nose can predict the weather!
Eldric
DESCRIPTION: A very clever, red fox with a long bushy tail. He lives with his sisters Freya and Fern at the end of the garden.
AGE: He claims to be the same as Norville, but Norville disagrees.
ROLE: He is often asked to help figure out the riddles and puzzles throughout the quest.
FAMOUS FOR: Being exceedingly clever and a little cynical. He doesn’t like to be beaten by a puzzle.
SECRET FACT: Eldric combs his magnificent, bushy tail every day!
Find out more about the history of Grindlewood, magical artifacts from the stories and the background to the warring magical clans.
Sylvie
DESCRIPTION: A beautiful, sleek, grey cat with emerald green eyes and a mesmerising purr.
AGE: An unbelievable 20 years old!
ROLE: As the old mistress's cat she shared responsibility for looking after the other garden residents with the Brigadier.
FAMOUS FOR: Rescuing Cindy, the stray kitten, and her feline intuition.
SECRET FACT: Sylvie was the first to see Worfeus in wolf form at the edge of the forest.
Biggles - 'The Brigadier'
DESCRIPTION: A thoroughbred beagle who has lived in Grindlewood all his life. Despite his great age, he is still a determined character and one that the other animals in the garden look to
for guidance.
AGE: At least 20 years old - An incredible age for a dog!
ROLE: As a young dog he was the leader of a pack of hounds. He later kept the residents of the garden together when the old master of the house died. Along with Sylvie he wrote the Rules of
the Garden for all the residents to obey.
FAMOUS FOR: His tales of ‘daring-do’! Being ‘sort of’ in charge of the Garden and doing his duty to look after everyone.
SECRET FACT: The Brigadier loves ice-cream!
The Butterflies
DESCRIPTION: Beautiful butterflies with wings coloured like the rainbow, they spend much of their time sleeping on the statue in the pond. They are enchanted and can tell the
future.
AGE: One of the mysteries of Grindlewood, they seem ageless.
ROLE: Their visions warn the residents of Grindlewood of impending danger and help them to unearth the mysteries of the garden.
FAMOUS FOR: Their beautiful wings and their visions – good and bad!
SECRET FACT: The Wandelei witches often entrusted butterflies with important messages because of their goodness.
Dougal
DESCRIPTION: A lovely black spaniel with big, brown eyes and floppedy ears.
AGE: 1 year old.
ROLE: Once a stray, Dougal is very loyal to Grindlewood and all the residents. He's growing up to be very sensible and brave.
FAMOUS FOR: Learning doggy tricks and asking important questions at the right time!
SECRET FACT: He loves The Brigadier but secretly wants to be like Timber when he grows up properly.
Ernie
DESCRIPTION: A big, fat, warty frog with a wide smile, bulging eyes and long sticky tongue. He lives in the pond with the goldfish. He thinks he is ugly and wishes he was beautiful.
AGE: He can't remember!
ROLE: Ernie has the most important enchantment of all which is discovered in the nick of time.
FAMOUS FOR: His magical ability which surprises everyone.
SECRET FACT: He is a superb acrobat.
Oberon
DESCRIPTION: A magnificent snowy owl, he joins the residents in their quest to find the scroll.
AGE: He prefers to keep it a secret.
ROLE: Oberon reveals the turbulent history of Grindlewood and explains the quest. His talents will be needed until the end.
FAMOUS FOR: His knowledge of magical history.
SECRET FACT: He studied the history of magic with a golden eagle named Gildevard.
Ramona
DESCRIPTION: A plump, perfectly white lady rabbit. She was given as a birthday gift to Jemima on her eighth birthday.
AGE: One and a bit.
ROLE: Ramona trains the other rabbits to form a kickboxing team to help defend the garden.
FAMOUS FOR: Her kick-boxing skills and some serious attitude!
SECRET FACT: Ramona is already a kickboxing champion but she really wants to be on the boys football team.
Cindy
DESCRIPTION: A beautiful grey and white tabby kitten, playful and sweet.
AGE: 6 months (in Book 1).
ROLE: The youngest of the cats, she quickly learns how to be a 'grown-up'.
FAMOUS FOR: Being rescued by Sylvie when stuck up a tree in Grindlewood garden when she was just a small kitten.
SECRET FACT: Cindy has a sweet tooth.
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Gildevard
DESCRIPTION: A magnificent and proud golden eagle.
AGE: Some say 10, others say 11 years old.
ROLE: He joins the resident’s quest in order to help decipher the spell – but is that all he is up to?
FAMOUS FOR: Knowing many extraordinary things – especially ancient magic.
SECRET FACT: Gildevard keeps many secrets. He believes that knowledge is power.
Balthazar
DESCRIPTION: A big, fat and cheerful bee.
AGE: Almost an ‘elder bee’, he is living much longer than he should, thanks to Wanda’s magic.
ROLE: Commander in chief of the hive, and every spring, he is in charge of Operation Pollination!
FAMOUS FOR: His cheerful ways and always being wonderfully organised.
SECRET FACT: His time as Commander in Chief of the hive is coming to an end and he is planning a big send off!
Pippa
DESCRIPTION: A tiny, dainty, red, spotted ladybird.
AGE: 1 year old
ROLE: She gathers information, unseen and unheard, to help the residents of Grindlewood find out what Worfeus is up to.
FAMOUS FOR: Being kind, vulnerable and a bit silly.
SECRET FACT: Pippa wants to be a detective!
Serena
DESCRIPTION: A beautiful and elegant white swan.
AGE: 3 years old
ROLE: Helping the residents whenever she is called upon.
FAMOUS FOR: Swimming on the pond and always staying calm in a crisis. She arranges extra help from her swan friends on Lindon Lake and wants to move to Grindlewood with her husband Swinford.
SECRET FACT: Serena hopes to lead a huge flock of swans on Grindlewood pond someday.
Waldorf and Wendy
DESCRIPTION: Chubby lilac-grey wood pigeons
AGE: Both 1 ½ years old.
ROLE: They call the alarm when danger strikes, sing in the new seasons, and send messages around and about the garden.
FAMOUS FOR: Singing beautifully to each other.
SECRET FACT: Waldorf will only tell Wendy!
Cyril
DESCRIPTION: White, skinny heron, with a long spikey beak.
AGE: 2 years old.
ROLE: Being a spy and diving madly about the pond!
FAMOUS FOR: Being a spy for Worfeus once upon a time!
SECRET FACT: Cyril was tempted to catch the goldfish, before they became friends, of course!
Luke
DESCRIPTION: Bright boy with curly brown hair, lives next door on Meadowfield Farm
AGE: 10 years old.
ROLE: Luke is key to the mystery of the Secret Scroll.
FAMOUS FOR: The boy who witnesses the deadly duel between Wanda and Worfeus only to disappear afterwards.
SECRET FACT: Wanda trusted him to hide the Scroll!
Trigger
DESCRIPTION: Frisky black and white border collie.
AGE: 2 years old.
ROLE: Farmer Finlay's loyal sheepdog who follows Timber on the quest.
FAMOUS FOR: Being the fastest of all the animals.
SECRET FACT: Trigger dreams of being a champion sheepdog in the annual sheepdog trials.
Zora
DESCRIPTION: A dark and evil sorceress from the Worfagon clan
AGE: Same as Worfeus.
ROLE: She is determined to destroy the Wandeleis, take over Grindlewood and rule a new kingdom of Worfagonia.
FAMOUS FOR: Being Worfeus’ twin sister, and returning from banishment.
SECRET FACT: She wants to be the fairest queen in the land!
Grizzle
DESCRIPTION: A bad tempered dwarf-troll, seven feet tall.
AGE: Impossible to say!
ROLE: Audmund’s beastly pet .
FAMOUS FOR: Being bad-tempered, and a ferocious fighter.
SECRET FACT: He’s afraid of butterflies!
Bodric Buzzard
DESCRIPTION: Ugly, devious and dodgy buzzard.
AGE: Ageless due to a dark enchantment.
ROLE: Troublemaker.
FAMOUS FOR: Being nasty and treacherous.
SECRET FACT: Bodric has powerful allies who threaten Grindlewood!
King Krag
DESCRIPTION: The goblin king: short, ugly and brutish, with black spiky hair and sometimes a tufty beard.
AGE: 50 goblin years!
ROLE: Leader of the goblin horde and determined to find all the goblins’ lost gold.
FAMOUS FOR: Being a bully and meddling in Grindlewood’s affairs
SECRET FACT: He is doomed…
Thaddeus allnutt
DESCRIPTION: Brilliant old wizard, with a round jolly face, glasses that dangle on the tip of his nose, and a sparkling gold tooth
AGE: About 120!
ROLE: Abigail's beloved granddad.
FAMOUS FOR: Being very clever and loyal to every Wandelei queen.
SECRET FACT: He was the Guardian of the Book of Light.
Have Jackie come to talk about creative writing, storytelling and the magic of Grindlewood!