Malcolm Polstead

Malcolm is an 11 year old boy working in his family's inn, called the Trout near Oxford. Asta is Malcolm's daemon and is very protective and thoughtful. Asta shifts through multiple animal forms at will but is often an owl or a cat. Malcolm is a very curious and smart boy who loves to read and study books beyond his age.

Malcolm frequently helps the nuns at the priory across the river when he is not in elementary school. He meets Lyra when she is just a baby staying at the priory and feels very protective of her. He is also a very brave and at times stoic character, weathering injuries with little fuss. As the novel progresses, Malcolm becomes an increasingly adept liar.

Lyra

Lyra is just a baby in this book, though she is the young protagonist of an earlier series of novels by the same...