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Shadow Forest #2
Samuel Blink and the Runaway Troll
When Troll-Son runs away from home, he decides to leave the Shadow Forest behind and move in with his idol, Samuel Blink. Samuel isn't thrilled with the idea of hiding a runaway troll, especially one who copies everything he does, even (ugh!) using his toothbrush. But should Samuel return Troll-Son to the Shadow Forest? After all, he's running from something . . . what danger still lurks there? This engaging adventure showcases Matt Haig's wry sense of humor, drawing readers deeper into the imaginative world introduced in Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published September 4, 2008
15 people are currently reading
837 people want to read
About the author
Matt Haig
60 books48.3k followersMatt Haig is the author of novels such as The Midnight Library, How to Stop Time, The Humans, The Radleys, and the forthcoming The Life Impossible. He has also written books for children, such as A Boy Called Christmas, and the memoir Reasons to Stay Alive.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 27, 2021
I read this with my 9 year old daughter, and it was interesting enough that my 11 year old kept coming to listen as well.
I thought that this was better than the first Shadow Forest book, but I did think a lot of it wouldn’t make sense unless you’d read the first one. Even for such a long children’s book it never got boring. The plot was scary at times, but never too terrifying for children. I think my 9 year old was most upset reading how Trollson’s mother treated him, and realising that not everyone has a loving family at home.
A really enjoyable children’s fantasy story.
I thought that this was better than the first Shadow Forest book, but I did think a lot of it wouldn’t make sense unless you’d read the first one. Even for such a long children’s book it never got boring. The plot was scary at times, but never too terrifying for children. I think my 9 year old was most upset reading how Trollson’s mother treated him, and realising that not everyone has a loving family at home.
A really enjoyable children’s fantasy story.
July 7, 2020
I really love the Shadow Forest when i read it 10 year ago. Really excited about the sequel and how Samuel adjust his life in Norway after the first book. The story is fun and make me chuckles, however it's not as magical as the first one. I'm okey with troll character but i wish more magical creature appear in this book. But it's really fun reading.
March 20, 2019
Not enough going on in this to make it as interesting as the first book, Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest. Troll-Son runs away. He meets up with Samuel. Troll-Father comes looking for him. The town bigshot millionaire wants to get rid of the forest. Happy ending. The end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2022
I read this back when I was 12. It was my very first memory of nordic country and their folk tales, their myths and a very good way to tell how, like other children stories, children cope up with losing someone they love and embracing changes.
April 28, 2018
The sequel to Shadow Forest. I did enjoy this book. Preferred the first one but it's still a very easy read and it did make me chuckle in a few places too.
December 29, 2021
Okay so I'm not a 10-12 year old boy, who would probably love the family of three with one eye between them of the two headed troll who loses one ...well, it just wasn't my thing.
August 6, 2022
Dit is zo'n schrijver die (volgens mij) alleen maar mooie, leuke, toffe boeken kan schrijven. Heerlijk boek.
December 24, 2022
This is the lovely continuation of Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest.
In here, we find out that Troll-Mother is a little bit too strict for her good Troll-Son. She is forcing him to go to the Betterer for lack of a bit of manners, and Troll-Son is having none of it. After he finds the missing family eye, he decides to run off toward his friend Samuel Blink, who lives just outside of the forest. I bet Sam didn't think he left such a good impression on Troll-Son that the latter thought it would be a good idea to see him as his next place to live!
Magnus Myklebust is a gluttonous person in any way you can be. He is always looking to build his wealth, and he has his eyes set on the forest area as a location for a theme park. He found out that his enemy, Uncle Henrik, came back from the dead/forest, and so he sends his horribly spoiled daughter Cornelia to spy on Martha and her family to find out if the forest is indeed dangerous or not... Right when Troll-Son arrives at Samuel Blink's place. And Troll-Father. And the Betterer.
Do you want to know how you hide trolls away from humans, if that really has a chance at succeeding or not? Well, I bet you can find out when you read this book! ;) That, and of course the rest of the adventure that is sure to follow when Trolls are running toward the human world instead of away from it.
Happy Reading!
In here, we find out that Troll-Mother is a little bit too strict for her good Troll-Son. She is forcing him to go to the Betterer for lack of a bit of manners, and Troll-Son is having none of it. After he finds the missing family eye, he decides to run off toward his friend Samuel Blink, who lives just outside of the forest. I bet Sam didn't think he left such a good impression on Troll-Son that the latter thought it would be a good idea to see him as his next place to live!
Magnus Myklebust is a gluttonous person in any way you can be. He is always looking to build his wealth, and he has his eyes set on the forest area as a location for a theme park. He found out that his enemy, Uncle Henrik, came back from the dead/forest, and so he sends his horribly spoiled daughter Cornelia to spy on Martha and her family to find out if the forest is indeed dangerous or not... Right when Troll-Son arrives at Samuel Blink's place. And Troll-Father. And the Betterer.
Do you want to know how you hide trolls away from humans, if that really has a chance at succeeding or not? Well, I bet you can find out when you read this book! ;) That, and of course the rest of the adventure that is sure to follow when Trolls are running toward the human world instead of away from it.
Happy Reading!
September 15, 2024
A sequel to shadow forest, I read this as a teen an loved it almost as much as shadow forest - great world building and character development, loved envisioning the characters in this book.
April 5, 2025
i have to re-read this as an adult but it’s one of my all time favourite childhood books.
March 11, 2019
Wow, this book was absolutely amazing. This is the sequel to Shadow Forest, which was brilliant too, and also set in Norway. I really love everything that Matt Haig writes, and I've met him twice at book readings, and he was so lovely.
My favourite character was Aunt Eda, but Martha is a close second. My favourite part was when Martha, Cornelia and Mr Myklebust went to Trollhelm to save Samuel and Troll Son from the evil Betterer, while Aunt Eda and Uncle Henrik were stuck in super sticky glue.
My favourite part was right at the very end of the novel, when Sam and Martha were about to leave Trollhelm:
"Samuel smiled as Martha came over.
'It's time to go back,' she said softly. 'To Aunt Eda and Uncle Henrik.'
'Yes,' he said. 'I suppose it is.'
And as they said their goodbyes and went to join the other humans, he wondered if it was slightly silly to have his younger sister as his hero.
He thought it probably was, so he kept that information to himself."
I loved this passage because it was touching to see siblings being loving to each other and getting on so well.
Matt Haig left the plot open for another sequel; fingers crossed for another one.
My favourite character was Aunt Eda, but Martha is a close second. My favourite part was when Martha, Cornelia and Mr Myklebust went to Trollhelm to save Samuel and Troll Son from the evil Betterer, while Aunt Eda and Uncle Henrik were stuck in super sticky glue.
My favourite part was right at the very end of the novel, when Sam and Martha were about to leave Trollhelm:
"Samuel smiled as Martha came over.
'It's time to go back,' she said softly. 'To Aunt Eda and Uncle Henrik.'
'Yes,' he said. 'I suppose it is.'
And as they said their goodbyes and went to join the other humans, he wondered if it was slightly silly to have his younger sister as his hero.
He thought it probably was, so he kept that information to himself."
I loved this passage because it was touching to see siblings being loving to each other and getting on so well.
Matt Haig left the plot open for another sequel; fingers crossed for another one.
November 1, 2011
Samuel is a ten-year-old boy that lives with his sister, aunt and uncle. His parents have recently died. Troll-Son is a young troll, living in a Forbidden Forest close to Samuel. Samuel and Troll-Son have met in a previous book. (It is not necessary to have read Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest to follow this story).
Troll-Son's mother has decided to send him to the Betterer, a mean troll that doesn't like that he's a troll and so tortures young troll's in the name of making them Better. When Troll-Son learns that he is to be sent to the Better he runs away to Samuel Blink.
There were several quotes I loved from this book... but only could find one of them. Samuel is feeling somewhat alone with his sister having made a friend, and he is lying in bed thinking: "He imagined, for a moment, what it would be like to have no one at all. Not just no parents, but no Martha either, and no Aunt Eda or Uncle Henrik as well. If the present contents of this room were the contents of the entire world. There would be no point to a life that, he realized. It would be like a word existing without a language. It would have no meaning. Without other people, he realized, you could never truly exist. Well, you could exist--you could keep on breathing, and your heart would keep on beating, but it wouldn't be a life worth having. Life was other people. He realized that now. It was the moments you shared. That's how you got to be happy. That's how you discovered who you were. Not by lying awake in an empty room with a guilty secret creaking above your head. And the sooner he could be free of the secret the better." pg 196.
This was a fun read, with each character described so humorously (if that is a word). At the end a person is murdered and another killed. This was unexpected for me and did not match the tone of the rest of the book. However, I would still recommend and look forward to reading more of Matt Haig's books.
Troll-Son's mother has decided to send him to the Betterer, a mean troll that doesn't like that he's a troll and so tortures young troll's in the name of making them Better. When Troll-Son learns that he is to be sent to the Better he runs away to Samuel Blink.
There were several quotes I loved from this book... but only could find one of them. Samuel is feeling somewhat alone with his sister having made a friend, and he is lying in bed thinking: "He imagined, for a moment, what it would be like to have no one at all. Not just no parents, but no Martha either, and no Aunt Eda or Uncle Henrik as well. If the present contents of this room were the contents of the entire world. There would be no point to a life that, he realized. It would be like a word existing without a language. It would have no meaning. Without other people, he realized, you could never truly exist. Well, you could exist--you could keep on breathing, and your heart would keep on beating, but it wouldn't be a life worth having. Life was other people. He realized that now. It was the moments you shared. That's how you got to be happy. That's how you discovered who you were. Not by lying awake in an empty room with a guilty secret creaking above your head. And the sooner he could be free of the secret the better." pg 196.
This was a fun read, with each character described so humorously (if that is a word). At the end a person is murdered and another killed. This was unexpected for me and did not match the tone of the rest of the book. However, I would still recommend and look forward to reading more of Matt Haig's books.
November 11, 2012
Reviewed by Ashley B for TeensReadToo.com
Samuel and Martha Blink just moved to Norway to live with their Aunt Eda and Uncle Henrick after their parents died in a car accident. It's time for school to start, and they must keep their mouths shut (especially Martha) about what is really in Shadow Forest. If anyone found out, they would be in trouble for keeping it a secret.
Troll-Son and his family live in Shadow Forest. Troll-Mother is going to send him to the Betterer (the worst place imaginable for a troll!) to make him, obviously, better. So, he runs away to be with Samuel Blink, whom he met before in the forest. Troll-Son soon leaves the forest to find Samuel.
When Samuel discovers Troll-Son, it is his job to either keep him there, away from the Betterer, or to make him return back home to the forest.
I absolutely loved this book. It was funny and entertaining, as well as having suspense. I enjoyed it so much! I liked how it was written: each character had their thoughts put in some way or another. At first, I thought the book would be more for younger kids, but once I got to reading, I was hooked. The writing was just so easy to get attached to. What made it even better was that I am Norwegian. I thought it was fun to read a book that takes place in Norway.
I recommend SAMUEL BLINK AND THE RUNAWAY TROLL to anyone, really. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did!
Samuel and Martha Blink just moved to Norway to live with their Aunt Eda and Uncle Henrick after their parents died in a car accident. It's time for school to start, and they must keep their mouths shut (especially Martha) about what is really in Shadow Forest. If anyone found out, they would be in trouble for keeping it a secret.
Troll-Son and his family live in Shadow Forest. Troll-Mother is going to send him to the Betterer (the worst place imaginable for a troll!) to make him, obviously, better. So, he runs away to be with Samuel Blink, whom he met before in the forest. Troll-Son soon leaves the forest to find Samuel.
When Samuel discovers Troll-Son, it is his job to either keep him there, away from the Betterer, or to make him return back home to the forest.
I absolutely loved this book. It was funny and entertaining, as well as having suspense. I enjoyed it so much! I liked how it was written: each character had their thoughts put in some way or another. At first, I thought the book would be more for younger kids, but once I got to reading, I was hooked. The writing was just so easy to get attached to. What made it even better was that I am Norwegian. I thought it was fun to read a book that takes place in Norway.
I recommend SAMUEL BLINK AND THE RUNAWAY TROLL to anyone, really. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did!
August 9, 2010
The Runaway Troll is a fabulously funny and magical tale that will delight boys and girls of all ages.
I love the style that Matt Haig wrote The Runaway Troll in. it felt like he was telling me the story. Before the story began, we were introduced to each of the central characters with a mini bio which I think is a really brilliant idea. There were also small chapters that were interruptions form the author giving necessary back-story and telling his readers that creatures like trolls really do exist. I have no idea why, but this style really, really appeals to me.
The fact that this novel is about trolls is what drew me to it as they aren’t the most common mythical creature in children’s fiction. Probably due to them being hideously ugly and smelling disgusting. But I love them with the funny nuances in their speech, the shared family eyeball and their yearly bath. I even thought Troll-Son was rather sweet, though there is one troll that fit’s the evil connotations: The Betterer. I did not like him at all.
Lots of important moral lessons were learnt through Samuel, Martha and Troll-Son’s adventure. Good obviously triumphed evil, Samuel learned to be grateful for his new home and family and the residents of Trollhelm learned that that they were perfectly fine in all their trollish glory.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Runaway Troll and hopefully there will be more adventures of Samuel and Troll-Son to read about.
I love the style that Matt Haig wrote The Runaway Troll in. it felt like he was telling me the story. Before the story began, we were introduced to each of the central characters with a mini bio which I think is a really brilliant idea. There were also small chapters that were interruptions form the author giving necessary back-story and telling his readers that creatures like trolls really do exist. I have no idea why, but this style really, really appeals to me.
The fact that this novel is about trolls is what drew me to it as they aren’t the most common mythical creature in children’s fiction. Probably due to them being hideously ugly and smelling disgusting. But I love them with the funny nuances in their speech, the shared family eyeball and their yearly bath. I even thought Troll-Son was rather sweet, though there is one troll that fit’s the evil connotations: The Betterer. I did not like him at all.
Lots of important moral lessons were learnt through Samuel, Martha and Troll-Son’s adventure. Good obviously triumphed evil, Samuel learned to be grateful for his new home and family and the residents of Trollhelm learned that that they were perfectly fine in all their trollish glory.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Runaway Troll and hopefully there will be more adventures of Samuel and Troll-Son to read about.
January 21, 2011
First of all, I'm perfectly willing to admit that I may have read this book at a time when I'm kind of down on books in general. It clouds judgements, makes you bored, craving that "wow!", that "it" quality. Therefore, with an indifferent heart I declare The Runaway Troll GLORIOUSLY average. Do I think Haig is better suited to adult fiction? Yes. (it didn't stop Margaret Atwood either). Is this book entreating for kids? Probably. It's a little gimmicky, contains several small doses of important life lessons, and is action-dusted (certainly not packed)! It wasn't particularly funny to me but I'm also not a kid or a tween. It also did not do much to make you care for the characters (not like The Labrador Pact or Dead Father's Club did). As far as Haig's juvenile fiction books go, clearly a sophomore slump, hoping for a bounce-back.
March 21, 2012
The second book about Samuel Blink is SAMUEL BLINK AND THE RUNAWAY TROLL. it is an equally fantastic read! You don’t have to read the FORBIDDEN FOREST first, but I do think it enhances the reader’s experience with the second book if you do.
In THE RUNAWAY TROLL we again encounter the one-eyed troll family of the first book. Troll-Son runs away to be with his hero, Samuel Blink. Over the course of his journey he learns much about himself and his family and unwittingly helps Samuel to do the same. The story is by turns heartrending, funny and inspirational. The strength of this tale is its ability to allow the reader to discover both how little resentment helps us in our lives and the importance of embracing who you are as a person. I HIGLY recommend this book as well! Happy Reading!
In THE RUNAWAY TROLL we again encounter the one-eyed troll family of the first book. Troll-Son runs away to be with his hero, Samuel Blink. Over the course of his journey he learns much about himself and his family and unwittingly helps Samuel to do the same. The story is by turns heartrending, funny and inspirational. The strength of this tale is its ability to allow the reader to discover both how little resentment helps us in our lives and the importance of embracing who you are as a person. I HIGLY recommend this book as well! Happy Reading!
April 17, 2012
This book is sooo good! I was ten when i read it, so it was a year ago. I bought it in a bookshop thats called 'Waterstone' when i visited the UK. I thought it looked like a book for me when i first saw it, and i had right! So - the book is all about a boy - Samuel Blink - whos parents died (i don't know how, but something fell from the sky, and then BOOOM!!! ...they died....) and moved to Norway with his sister Martha to live with his aunt which was called Eda. I can't say more, then i'll ruin everything, and i think you don't want someone to ruin it for you... / From a girl who's actually not born in a country who's talking english... Hope u understand what i'm writing...;)
September 23, 2010
The 2nd installment of the Blink series was just as endearing as the first. The Blink children are getting used to living in Norway, going to school, but the Forest involves them in another adventure. The characters develop as their history is revealed. The action is constant, and the adventure does not disappoint.
March 3, 2012
Samuel and his sister Martha start another adventure in Norway when a young troll runs away from the forest to find Samuel (who he met in the previous book). Hiding a troll is not easy and it leads to some interesting situations where a resue must be initiated.
This book is for kids, but it has a few tense moments.
This book is for kids, but it has a few tense moments.
August 12, 2010
This is a pretty good book. I don't think its as good as the first one.
November 14, 2012
I think that this book is really good and I think that there should be a third book. The first was also very good.
I could have finished it in one day. Sorry about the hosting.
I could have finished it in one day. Sorry about the hosting.
June 25, 2016
Another fun look into the inhabitants of the forbidden forest.
May 25, 2017
AR BOOK 4.9/11 Pts.
May 28, 2025
Great book for young children but everything happened in the last 100 pages.
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January 21, 2013great book. good trolls and bad trolls. great "life lessons"
April 23, 2017
I enjoyed channelling my Inner Child with this book. Great for the imagination.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews