SOLVED. Teen/YA Fantasy about a group of children who can move into a parallel world and are chased by men who can shape shift into dogs/foxes/wolves. [s]

[Nick]

I read this when I was probably eight to fourteen years old so sometime between 1989 and 1995. It is a fantasy novel about a group of children who find their way through to a parallel world, I think by going through some kind of portal next to a rainbow.

The biggest impression it made on me is that for some reason they are chased by a pack of men who at times turned into dogs/foxes/wolves - one of the three - in order to more quickly catch their prey.

I also recall that the setting was quite rural and undeveloped - not necessarily medieval but in a place with no modern technology such as cars.

Needless to say it's been bugging me for years and Google is of no use.

I could have sworn it was by Ursula le Guin but looking through the bibliography for that author hasn't helped me.

Cheers

Nick

[M]

This makes me think of The hounds of the Morrigan by Pat O'Shea, where a boy and his sister are pursued by a pack of hounds, that can take human shape. The setting is Ireland, moving to a kind of Ireland of myth.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

The Hounds of the Mórrígan for M's suggestion.

[Nick]

Thank you both! It arrived today in the post and is definitely the book. It's hard to describe what joy this brings me after years of trying to work it out, I can't wait to read it again :-)