Children's & YA
October 2018
A Visitor from the Past
For decades, the mummy of the knight Christian Friedrich von Kahlbutz has attracted many tourists to the village of Kampehl. After discovering old, hitherto unknown documents about Kahlbutz the Knight, the author has finally been able to put his whole story down in writing. - Strange stories unfold. No rational person would believe what actually happened in the little village of Kampehl, were it not for the fact that the children experienced these things and saw them with their own eyes. Kahlbutz the Knight, who committed a terrible crime over 300 years ago, suddenly comes back to life! - Nils is always being picked on, even though he has never done anything to deserve it. The two bullies Sven and Toni have decided to give him a scare. They steal the mummy of Kahlbutz the Knight from the vault of the village church and tie it to a lamppost on the bridge. They know that Nils will be crossing the bridge that evening. As twilight falls, a storm is brewing and thunder rolls threateningly over the village. Nils does show up, but things do not work out quite the way that Sven and Toni have planned. Knightly adventures ensue, and Nils makes an unusual friend who becomes his protector. As a mummy, Kahlbutz the Knight lay cursed in the vault of Kampehl village church for 313 years and did not decompose. He finally gets a second chance when the boys of the village play their cheeky prank, and wakes up! In order to break the curse, he must do good deeds and atone for his crime. With the help of his new friends, the children of the village, Kahlbutz becomes a real knight, learns the meaning of true friendship, is released from the curse and finally gets to crumble into dust. Packed with excitement and humour, this novel expresses the ideas that it is good to help others, that you should not judge by appearances, and that everyone deserves a second chance. It teaches about knightly virtues and ancient language, and updates a true story. Two worlds collide, yet certain issues seem to be timeless. When it comes to questions of right and wrong, cooperation and respect, the children and the ancient knight put their hearts into finding universal solutions to these age-old problems.
