I've been looking forward getting my hands on today's read. It releases in four days, on the 18th, which has me itching to scream 'Happy book birthday!'....but alas, it's probably a little early for that. I've been shouting birthdays a ton this month, too.
Anyway, I adore the cover and its playfulness. When I discovered that the main character is a pickpocket, I was intrigued (not that I condone pickpocketing). When I read about a locket growing into a 'higgledgy-piggeldy' house, I was convinced this one deserves a peek. So, I'm going to dive in and take a peek.
Oh, and this is the first in the series.
THE HOUSE AT THE EDGE OF MAGIC
by Amy Sparkes
Margaret McElderry Books
Middle Grade Fantasy
240 pages
ages 8 to 12
Nine is an orphan pickpocket determined to escape her life in the Nest of a Thousand Treasures. When she steals a house-shaped ornament from a mysterious woman's purse, she knocks on its tiny door and watches it grow into a huge, higgledy-piggeldy house. Inside she finds a host of magical and brilliantly funny characters, including Flabberghast – a young wizard who’s particularly competitive at hopscotch – and a hideous troll housekeeper who’s emotionally attached to his feather duster. They have been placed under an extraordinary spell, which they are desperate for Nine to break. If she can, maybe they can offer her a new life in return…
MY TIDBITS
This delightful read reminds of Howl's Moving Castle with a hint of Oliver Twist and lets the imagination fly in the most magical ways.
Nine has one task to keep a roof over her head and food in her stomach...she has to bring the old man a gift. But lately, her pickpocket skills are seeming to fade. Faced with the increasing ire of the old man, she does her best to, finally, snap something up. Instead, she finds herself in possession of a little, house-shaped charm...and a lot of trouble. Knowing that her life is about to get even worse than before, she fingers the charm and, absent-mindedly, uses the moveable, tiny knocker to knock at the door. The result is something she could have never imagined and brings her into a deadly yet fantastic adventure.
I consumed this book as soon as I opened the first page. Nine immediately demands attention as she wanders the streets in search of a target but ends up in one chase after the other. In other words, this is not a slow-paced read but keeps all sorts of exciting moments coming, one right after the other. Each of these is very different, however, making it impossible to know what Nine will be dealing with next. And imagination knows no limits, especially where magic is involved. These scenes are so whimsically and well formed, that I found myself wishing I could see this one as a movie. It'd be so fun.
While the plot speeds along in all the right ways, the characters grab as well. Nine is a bit prickly and not always super easy to like, and yet, her reasons are very understandable. It makes her sympathetic, although not always agreeable, and it's hard not to hope that she can finally find a spot to work everything out because it's clear that she could be simply amazing if given the chance. The characters in the magical house are quirky and hold distinct personalities, each with their own edges and troubles, which I'm assuming, will be worked out during the series (because this definitely invites to more adventures). Even the 'evil' characters hit with obvious unlikeableness...but with just a tiny hint of something more to make them redeemable if that chance ever arrives someday.
This is a grabbing read with a fairly, simple plot, which actually seems like so much more thanks to the tons of fun along the way. The end rounds off the tale nicely but leaves with the desire to meet this group again and see what life has planned for them next because it's bound to be a lovely adventure.
And here she is...
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