This month's Book of the Month is Lily Grim and The City of Undone by Andy Ruffell (BR 1988-93).

About the Book

Lily Grim's life is a mystery.

She has lived with her guardian Gabriel, in their rundown second-hand shop in the City of Undone, for as long as she can remember.

For years, the city-dwellers have lived in uneasy discord with The Others - a community of wanderers forced to shelter within the city walls, after they were driven from their nomadic camps in the wilderness. But Undone is a dark and dangerous place to live, especially if you're an feared for their special gifts, they are persecuted by the cruel Master of the City, and taken to the Ring - a prison from which few ever return.

When the Master captures Gabriel and throws him into the Ring, Lily is saved by a young Other boy called Dekka. He introduces her to a whole Otherworld that exists beneath the City of Undone. To her astonishment Lily discovers she is an Other, too - with powerful gifts - and is now in grave because the Master wants her dead. But why?

Can Lily find answers about who she is, and where she's from. And can the new friends rescue Gabriel, before it's too late?

Recommended for

• Fans of the supernatural genre
• Budding investigators
• Children and people with child-like whimsy.

About the OKS Author

Andy Ruffell attended King’s in Broughton House from 1988 to 1993. Since leaving King’s, Andy has achieved his BA in English Literature from The University of Sheffield. After his studies, he led a career as a primary school teacher and Headteacher.

After twenty years, Andy followed his childhood dream of becoming a writer. He published his first book, Lily Grim and the City of Undone in 2020, which was awarded the Hachette Children's Novel Award in 2021.

In a recent interview with King’s, Andy said:

Many thanks to Mr Woodley, my Shell English teacher, for quietly helping to restore my self-confidence after not doing as well at Common Entrance as I might have hoped.  Huge thanks also to Mr Brodie, who inspired me to make a life-changing decision and focus on English Literature rather than sciences. It's wonderful how the impact of great teaching and kindness can still be felt several decades later

Lily Grim and The City of Undone was published in 2023 and is available to purchase from Amazon.