The story follows orphan Lyra Belacqua and teenager Will Parry, from our world, as they wander through a series of parallel universes to uncover the secrets of a mysterious substance called Dust. It features witches and armoured polar bears as well as dæmons, which are the physical manifestation of a person’s inner-self. In Lyra’s case it’s a companion named Pan that can take the form of any animal, similar to other children’s dæmons, until they take a final form later in life.
Writer Pullman has previously supported a campaign to stop children’s books being labelled ‘for girls’ or ‘for boys’. “I’m against anything, from age-ranging to pinking and blueing, whose effect is to shut the door in the face of children who might enjoy coming in.” He said. “No publisher should announce on the cover of any book the sort of readers the book would prefer. Let the readers decide for themselves.”
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