The Great Fox Illusion by Justyn Edwards

I thought I might explain the plot of this book using dot points:

• A crazy millionaire sets up an almost impossible competition filled with seemingly impossible magic tricks (these amazed me)
• Time is ticking - this is all very urgent and every move is being controlled and filmed
• Our hero Flick's dad is missing but she is sure he is still alive
• Only Flick can save the day
• Someone is blackmailing Flick and she knows her mother is in danger
• Flick needs to find a mysterious magic trick invented by her dad, possibly the best ever developed, before it gets into the wrong hands
• Flick has a quick mind and terrific problem solving skills
• Flick also has a disability - she only has one leg - and her shocking pain as she runs through the puzzle house, desperate to win, adds so much to the tension in this story
• Luckily her father has passed on important information about how magic tricks work
• The other team in the competition are cheating and they regularly bully Flick and her friend Charlie. The reasons for their dreadful behaviour and high tech gadgets are also part of the mystery.
• Working to solve the puzzles set by the competition organisers, Flick discovers two heads are way better than one (thank goodness)
• Eating ice cream at midnight does seem like a terrific idea

Publisher blurb: Thirteen-year-old Flick Lions has won a place on a new television show, in which young people compete to win the legacy of the Great Fox, one of the world's most famous magicians. But Flick isn't interested in uncovering the Great Fox's tired old magic tricks – she's after something much more important. The magician destroyed her family, and this is Flick's only chance to put things right. Inside the Fox's house is a secret that will change the world of magic for ever, and Flick will go to any lengths to find it.

A story about hope, family, loyalty and courage there is also a sense of mystery throughout the story and the answers are there the whole time but I didn’t spot them… until I had finished! Little Blog of Library Treasures

This brilliant debut novel will leave readers scratching their heads trying to figure out what just happened. The Great Fox Illusion is a magical story brimming with adventure, illusion, and friendship ...  Reading Time

At the end of this book enough things are resolved to satisfy readers but the way is also open for a possible sequel. Take a look at the Walker Books UK trailer. Here is the web site for the author. It also contains a game. This book was published in April, 2022.  Huge thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance reader copy. This is one of those books that really surprised me.  I thought I would dip in and read the first chapter and a couple of hours later I found I had read the whole book!

This book is perfect for fans of Escape from Mr Lemoncello's Library.

You could also look in a school library for these:

Small Change for Stuart

Tricky Nick

Disappearing Act

The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Parker Inheritance

Look for all the books in this series which now have very different covers