The Song from Somewhere Else
#9463.75 adjusted 3.83 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2016 Reading commitment Low A.F. Harrold Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
The Song from Somewhere Else is a children's fantasy novel by the English poet A. F. Harrold, illustrated by Levi Pinfold and published by Bloomsbury in November 2016. Frank, who is bullied at school, is rescued by her classmate Nick Underbridge and discovers music in his house that seems to come from another world. The story is told over five days of one summer holiday and combines friendship, a missing cat and a doorway between worlds. It is the second of three Harrold novels linked by the cat Zin Zan, after The Imaginary and before The Afterwards.
Urban fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Song from Somewhere Else A.F. Harrold
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Song from Somewhere Else; Illustrated by Levi Pinfold. | 2016 | 1 | core | 3.75 (1,427 ratings) |
A single middle-grade fantasy novel about a bullied girl and a boy whose house holds music from another world.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Song from Somewhere Else? The Song from Somewhere Else's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Song from Somewhere Else finished? Complete (2016).
- How much reading does The Song from Somewhere Else take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is The Song from Somewhere Else ranked? #946 in this site's official ranking, based on 1,427 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #946?
Ranked #946 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.75 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (1,427 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.08 behind #945, Skellig.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 1 book · Complete · 1k ratings · Ranks #946 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment urban fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Amnesty CILIP Honour for Illustration (for the illustrations by Levi Pinfold) (Illustration), 2018: won: The Song from Somewhere Else
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Suggestions computed from what The Song from Somewhere Else and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Lost Girl Urban fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.89
- Hobkin Urban fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.82
- Night Flying Urban fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.82
- The Time of Green Magic Urban fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.78
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.75 across 1,427 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 31 universes; 3 candidates ruled out; open items closed accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Better Reading (publisher details) Tier 2
- TUM library catalogue Tier 2
- The Book Bag review Tier 2
- Books for Keeps Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = The Song from Somewhere Else (2016). The Imaginary (2014) and The Afterwards (2017) are not included.