EL HERBARIO MÁGICO I. LA VERDE DONCELLA

Giménez de Ory, Beatriz

Life was not easy in the 14th century, especially for Tiago. Orphaned by the Black Death, he has learned to survive on the margins: quick with his tongue, quicker on his feet, and not above pretending to read palms or stealing a little food when hunger leaves him no choice.

One night, the abbey bells ring in panic. Fire has broken out. Amid the smoke and chaos, Tiago helps a badly injured monk, Friar Silverio, who presses a small pouch into his hands and makes him promise to deliver it to a distant abbot. Only to him. He must protect it with his life.

The pouch contains a mysterious vial of green ink. And others are already looking for it.

Tiago escapes into the forest pursued by hooded men. Three days later, he reaches the abbey, where he is allowed to stay in the kitchen and begins an unexpected apprenticeship with Brother Rodric. Among ovens, herbs and strange plants, Tiago discovers a world he never imagined: enormous plants, impossible colours, carnivorous leaves, lethal perfumes and seeds that seem to obey rules no one has explained.

Only the abbot knows why Tiago matters. He teaches the boy to read, and what begins as resistance slowly becomes fascination: the beauty of letters, the secret power of codices, the magic hidden in writing itself.

Then Tiago is entrusted with the Magical Herbarium. Some of its pages appear blank, but they are written with the invisible sap of a rare plant. To reveal them, one needs the juice of the Green Maiden, contained in the vial Tiago has carried across danger.

Whoever understands the book's remedies and spells will possess immense power. And that power must not fall into the wrong hands.

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ISBN: 978-84-683-7788-9

Code: 141714

Publication date: 14/10/2026

224 pages

Size: 14.0 cm x 21.0 cm.

Cover price: 14.50 €

Values:

Friendship, love Moral and civic education Family, respect for the elderly

Theme:Children's / Teenage fiction and true stories

Biography

Gimenez de Ory, Beatriz

Beatriz Giménez de Ory (Madrid, 1972) is one of the most respected voices in Spanish children’s and young adult literature. She studied Hispanic Literature at the Complutense University of Madrid and combines writing with teaching language and literature at secondary school.

Her books are known for their imagination, linguistic precision and emotional resonance. She has received major national and international recognition, including the Spanish National Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature in 2021 for Un hilo me liga a vos and the Edebé Award for Children’s Literature. In 2026, she received the Cervantes Chico Award in recognition of her outstanding career in children’s literature.

Her work has also been recognised with the Ciudad de Orihuela International Poetry award, the Luna de Aire Award, Fundación Cuatrogatos, IBBY Gold Medal Colibrí – Chile, White Raven, New York City Big Book Award and Brain Child Award. Her storytelling blends lyrical language, creativity and a deep sense of wonder.