"* "Here's my prediction for the children's film success of 2004 or thereabouts. It will be based on a book called The Voyage of The Arctic Tern, by Hugh Montgomery... A cross between Watership Down and C. S. Lewis." Richard Brooks, The Sunday Times * "A tour de force... a beautifully illustrated, completely accessible and highly atmospheric adventure story... It shows children that poetry can be accessible, understandable and even mimic the rhythms of modern speech." The Times * "One of the most exciting children's books for some time, it's also gloriously traditional... Children will love it." The Independent * "Read [it] aloud and your class may well plead for more." Wendy Cooling, Literacy and Learning * "This rare and beautiful book belongs in every home." The Good Book Guide.

Hugh Montgomery was brought up in Plymouth and spent most of his youth on or under the waves. A keen diver, he was part of the team that salvaged Henry VIII's flagship the Mary Rose. After completing The Voyage of The Arctic Tern, he received a number of rejections, and so decided to publish the book himself - at his own expense, remortgaging his flat in the process. The risk paid off - every single copy was sold, and The Voyage of The Arctic Tern won the Self-published Book of the Year and the Poetry Book of the Year Award 2000. When not writing epic adventure stories, Hugh works as a consultant in intensive care at University College London, as well as leading the group of researchers that discovered the first "gene for human fitness" in 1998.