THE KEY & THE FOUNTAIN: John Pinkney's acclaimed novel for young people. Cover art and chapter illustrations by Sandra Laroche. The huge white mansion, standing in an overgrown garden, was the strangest place Robin had ever visited. Wherever she explored - from the dizzyingly mirrored ballroom to the curious treetop attic - the house confronted her with tantalizing puzzles. Who were the young people whose voices Robin could hear, coming from a locked room?And what possible explanation could there be for the 'impossible' photograph she saw in the library?The beginning of the answer to Robin's questions was concealed in an ornate moonlit fountain at the bottom of the garden. In the fountain lay a rusted key - the key to a mystery so deep that it will dazzle the mind. Author, playwright and screenwriter John Pinkney wrote this exceptionally beautiful novel for children. But its accomplished style and its insights into the nature of human reality have won it an international audience of all ages.

NOTESIn 1985, children's literature experts Walter and Lois McVitty chose The Key and the Fountain as the title to launch their new publishing house Walter McVitty Books. Within two weeks of its debut in bookstores, 'Key' was on The Age newspaper's bestseller list. The novel was subsequently published by Scholastic Australia and translated in Europe (Uitgeverij Jenny de Jonge) winning 1993's Kinderjury award.