The Golden Compass
by Phillip Pullman
Lyra is rushing to the cold, far North, where witch clans and armored bears rule. North, where the Gobblers take the children they steal--including her friend Roger. North, where her fearsome uncle Asriel is trying to build a bridge to a parallel world.
Can one small girl make a difference in such great and terrible endeavors?
A book trailer
"Arguably the best juvenile fantasy novel of the past twenty years." --The Washington Post
"Very grand indeed." --The New York Times
"Pullman is quite possibly a genius." --Newsweek