The Moon's Revenge by Joan Aiken illustrated by Alan Lee

Seppy is the seventh son of a seventh son. His father is a coach-maker and he expects Seppy will follow this trade but Seppy's first love is music - playing his small, hand made violin. One night Seppy decides to visit an old ruined house in his small seaport town. He has the idea to ask the voices people say can be heard from inside:

"How can I learn to be the best fiddler in the country?"

The reply is strange:

"Throw your shoe at the moon. ... Each night for seven nights, throw your shoe at the moon."

Seppy's family are poor but he does have six elder brothers and his mother has kept all their shoes. They are inside the grandfather clock. 

I love the shoes that Seppy takes down to the beach each night: "a pair of tiny, soft, kid-skin shoes that he had worn when he was one-year old"; a "small rabbit-skin boot"; "a red crocodile-skin slipper that a lord's wife had given his mother"; "a doe-skin boot that a travelling musician had gien his mother in exchange for a plate of stew"; "a shiny calf-skin shoe with a pewter buckle"; "a sheep-skin slipper"; and on the seventh night he threw up one of his hog-skin clogs.

Each time he leaves the remaining shoe on the sea wall. And when he looks up on the final night he sees that the moon is now dirtied all over. Seppy has angered the moon. 

"Yes! I have to give you a wish, you impertinent boy! But you have marked my face for ever, with your dirt shoes, and for that I shall punish you. You must go barefoot for seven years. And until the day when you put those shoes back in the clock, your sister will not speak. And you and all your family will be in great danger, but I shan't tell you what it's going to be. You can just wait and see."

But Seppy does have a sister - or does he?

Things to think about - what does it mean to be the seventh son of a seventh son, and what about the word revenge, and the power of that curse, how the shoes might be linked to this, how Seppy (he is a hero of the story after all) might save the day or save his family and help his beloved sister to speak. And in the end will he gain his heart's desire and become a famous musician?

Here are some illustrations from this book:

I stumbled on an Instagrammer who is posting her favourite picture books from the past. She shared The Mirrorstone by Michael Palin illustrated by Alan Lee a couple of weeks ago. This book was one of two from a series - the other being The Moon's Revenge. I checked my blog and was slightly shocked to discover I had never shared this book here. I have read this book to hundreds of Grade 2 and 3 children in my school library. It is a winner as a read aloud and a terrific way to talk about fantasy stories. I also discovered I did not own this book and so I ordered a copy from Better World Books in the US and one week later my copy arrived. The Moon's Revenge was published in 1987 and so is long out of print. 

The Mirrorstone

The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe by Karen Foxlee illustrated by Martina Heiduczek

The curse: "We must find The Marigold's stolen treasure and return it before the dawn of the last day of the seventh year. If we don't we are doomed to be turned to sand."

"You are much more than your name, always remember that. All of us are a tale within a tale within a tale."

So, time is ticking. As this story begins it is the seventh year - April 4th 1719 and they only have until December 31st to complete their quest.

Every crew member (called the Worshipful Company of Uncommon Seamen) on the ship and every 'kidnapped' child is there because they possess a magical gift. With Lavender this gift is of hearing and naming the winds. You are right if you are thinking this is a very important skill on a sailing ship. 

I really wanted a character list for this book so I have created one:

• Lavender Wolfe - left at a wharf by her mother, snatched by the cook Big Agatha and taken onto a pirate ship named The Good Marchioness "the most magical and cursed pirate ship that ever sailed the seven seas". Lavender is renamed Hans Whitby (Whitby is the name of the town where she was 'found').
• Big Agatha the ogress and magical cook - she hugged "so hard that you were turned to flummery with being loved." "I can sense a teaspoonful of magic in an urchin quick as the whiskers grow on my chin. Yet I cannot say what that magic all be." 
• Colin one of the kitchen rats - he/she is especially kind to Lavender
• Poppet - another kitchen rat - he/she knows all the recipes cooked by Agatha
• Odine - a chicken 
• Samuel, Thomas, and Peter Portugal all ship's rats but none are able to complete the voyage with Lavender
• Michael - a boy who has been magically trapped in shell
• Captain Odyessia Pleasant - she is the captain of The Good Marchioness. One of her arms is a huge bird wing. "She was beautiful; a ragged scar across the left side of her face, from her lip to her missing ear, ... Captain Pleasant had a wing instead of a right arm. A large wing reached down almost to the floor, glowing coppery beneath the lanterns."
• Ginger - cat who can transform into a sailor
• Oliver de Basseterre - a baby
• The Princess with no name and her father the Wizard King
• Captain Barnabas Bloom - pirate and father to Michael. He is transformed into ... (sorry I can't tell you)
• Queniva - a sparrowhawk
• Crew - Sasha Blackhat; Jonas; Tiny Percival; Percy; Grimes and Savage
• Lyneham prisoner from the ship the pirates attacked and pillaged. (He is not to be trusted)
• The Little Duchess - Ghost-fetcher and her guardian The Dowager
• Princess Yasbel de la Esclera who has her named changed to Phillip - she has magical hair

Ships - Lady Eloise - a ghost ship which holds the spectral map; The Good Marchioness the ship carrying Lavender and others who need to break the curse; The Marigold which is the ship carrying the Princess to her betrothed and The Fair Fortune the ship of Captain Barnabas Bloom.

Recipes - all contain extra magic - I learned a new word or two in this book - ananas it's a pineapple and the word clapperdudgeon which means beggar.

Agatha calls the kitchen kids (all with boys names) rats but in fact she showers them with her love and enormous hugs. 

Text quotes:

"I never wanted to meet a ghost ship nor glimpse one from a distance. But I wanted to see the spell canister and its last spell resurrecting the princess and Michael out of the shell. I wanted Samuel and Peter and Octavius returned. I wanted everything restored, which meant me going home. I wanted more story. I wanted questions answered. I wanted to know how Captain Pleasant came to be cursed and how Ginger could turn into a cat."

"And I knew that I, Hans Whitby, previously of the pickling shelf, floor scrubber, potato peeler, spoon-shiner, still with the name of Lavender tucked safe inside me, magic porridge-stirrer, tender of wounds, meant for the sea, rescuer of prisoners and friend of a ghost-fetcher, with a tiny drop of blood from a cutlass upon my chest, climber of masts, was about to die."

This book is a huge saga - with nearly 400 pages and a myriad of characters and a complex plot. Young readers aged 10+ will need reading stamina and also plenty of time because I think you need to read this book over just two or three days so you can keep track of all the threads. I am speaking from experience because I read this book over five days in very small snatches and I kept having to turn back to previous scenes to follow all the twists and turns. There is the potential at the end of the story for a sequel but I actually hope Karen Foxlee does not continue her story and rather leaves the future adventures of young Lavender to our imaginations. 

You can find teachers notes on the publisher web page. Take a look at the labels I have assigned this post - these might give you further ideas about some of the themes (such as the importance of names and destinies) and these also hint at some major plot details.

A new book by Karen Foxlee is always something to celebrate and The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe is a wondrous and wonderful tale indeed, full of mystery and magic, inventive and memorable characters and a compelling protagonist. Story Links

This is a children’s book full of pirates and dangerous land and sea adventures. It is also a story of growing up and being there for others. It is about a growing awareness. Lavender was to learn that all of us are much more than what we first seem. We all have a tale within us. Even within the worst of us, goodness can be found. There are fair winds trapped within storms and even love hidden in bad spells. Queensland reviewer's collective

Blurb from author web page: Lavender Wolfe is a pickpurse, with a magical secret. She is all alone on a wharf when she is snatched by Big Agatha and thrown into the galley of the pirate ship, The Good Marchioness. Disguised as a boy (for only boys may live in the galley) and renamed Hans Whitby, Lavender has to make her home among the kitchen rats. However, The Good Marchioness is no ordinary no ordinary ship. Captained by Odyessia Pleasant, a fierce pirate with long blonde hair, violet eyes and a bird’s wing in place of an arm, the crew are on a desperate voyage – to find and return stolen treasure before all those who sail within the cursed pirate ship are turned to sand. Lavender included. Lavender is quick-witted and sharp as a tack, and as her magic starts to be revealed she finds herself coming under the arresting gaze of Captain Pleasant. Will Lavender help break the curse? Or will she be just another victim of this story within a story, her true identity lost to the sands of time? An adventure as big as the ocean and as warm as your heart. All aboard!

I do have to talk for a moment about pirate stories. Sadly, there are real pirates in our world we now call them people smugglers. A few of us have begun to re-think our picture books about pirates especially if members of your school community have come to Australia as refugees. Strangely I read another Australian middle grade novel with a pirate theme last month - Oceanforged my Amelia Mellior. The issue of pirates and of glorifying them in kids story books is one I need to ponder a little more deeply. This is not intended as a criticism of The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe it is just something to consider. 

Here is some further reading about this topic:

Sails and Souls: The Literary Evolution of Pirates from Simple Rogues to Morally Complex Heroes in Children’s Fiction

I am a huge fan of Karen Foxlee.  Take a look at these:

Lenny's Book of Everything

Dragon Skin (ages 11+)

A most magical girl

Ophelia and the marvelous boy

The Deadly Diamond by Mark Greenwood

"To this day the deadly diamond retains a spooky reputation as a stone with an ominous sparkle and the power to bring tragedy to anyone who touches it. But does its ownership bring death, dishonour, disgrace or financial ruin? Can the curse of the most famous jewel in the world be reconciled with reality when many of its owners have lived long and generally prosperous lives?"

Our story of this famous diamond - variously named the Blue Diamond, the French Blue, and the Hope Diamond - begins in India at a diamond mine in 1642. We are not told in detail, but it is very clear that conditions at this mine must have been utterly terrible. Mark Greenwood does mention snakes and overseers and the use of children in the mine. No one is exactly sure, but this diamond was part of a temple idol before it was stolen and then passed through the hands of thieves, con men, nobility, an extremely rich socialite, a famous jeweler and finally presented to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History which is where you can see it today and from that link you can see many of the aspects and short videos of this story that are mentioned by The Deadly Diamond including the regular postal envelope that was used to send it to the museum - an amazing story. Take a look at these images. 

This is a slim book but such a page turner and readers are also supplied with a timeline, glossary and extra reading list so curious minds can explore this topic further. If I was sharing this book with a group of students (Grade 5 or 6) I think I would begin by showing the tiny diamond in a ring I wear every day using this as a way to talk about diamonds and their value and origins. You could share this ABC television series "Stuff the British stole" with a High school group. There is an episode about a diamond from South Africa and also one about the Koh I Noor diamond. Both are rated PG. I highly recommend The Deadly Diamond as a perfect addition to your school library or pop this title on your Christmas present list - it would be an especially great gift for a boy aged 10+. This book has big print and white pages and a few actual photographs/portraits of the famous people who were involved or who owned this diamond. 

Further reading:

• Diamond facts for kids
• Science Kids
• Science for kids club
• Only Natural Diamonds

Many of my reviewing colleagues receive advance copies of new Australian titles but up until this week I only received books from one Australian publisher. Now I can add two more to that list including the publisher of this book - Fremantle Press. I recently talked about their new verse novel Trapped by Julia Lawrinson.

Mark Greenwood has done an enormous amount of research for this book The Deadly Diamond. I simply gobbled up the whole book in one sitting - readers aged 10+ are going to love this book and I am sure the rest of the series are fabulous too. I have another one - The Wooden Horse - ready to read next. Here is the full series called History Hunter:

On the publisher page you can read an extract from The Deadly Diamond and find very detailed and useful teachers notes. There is one word missing from the glossary which your students may need to check - loupe.

I was so interested to read all the ways this stone was cut and changed and reduced in size. I also had no idea about the colours of diamonds - white, yellow, red, dark grey, orange, red, apple green, pink and most desirable of all, the blue.

"The diamonds that came from the fabled mines of Golconda were highly valued. Local rulers jealously guarded the source and kept the largest diamonds for themselves. The radiance of these diamonds was legendary. Many believed they contained a supernatural force. Prized for colour, clarity, size and beauty some were as pure as a drop of dew."

Try to find these two books as companion reads:

The Blood Stone

The Mona Lisa Vanishes

This is not about diamonds, but it has the same narrative nonfiction style 

and the same assortment of 'shady' characters.  Highly recommended. 

This form of narrative non fiction is not new but I have not seen any other books in this form for many years. In my previous school library I had other books like this on a range of topics but they are all now long out of print. One series were called True stories published by Allen and Unwin: Stoked! Real Life, Real Surf; Bog Bodies: Mummies and Curious Corpses; Wrecked: Mysteries and Disasters at Sea; Kimberley Warrior: The Story Of Jandamarra; and Soccer: Great Moments, Great Players in World Football. And we also had the It's True series.

Your students who enjoy books that use this form of narrative to tell a true story might find the "I Survived" series in a school or local library. I also had a series called Mega Bites published by Dorling Kindersley in my previous school. 

Little Bones by Sandy Bigna

Did you know

that if you wish for something

in the stealthy shadows of your bedroom,

if you whisper the words

soft as the brush of a moth's wing,

if you feel the words rush through your blood,

your wish might come true.

What was this wish?  Bones has found a tiny bird skeleton.

I close my eyes for a moment,

then whisper

will all the longing in my heart,

I wish I could talk to you,

I wish you were alive.

There are five kids in this story. Bones and two other girls who are just finishing Primary school - Akio and Edie. Akio was a best friend to Bones but then along came - Edie and everything changed. And then a new kid who moves in next door named Tenny. Tenny is gender neutral:

Tenny kicks their legs against the dumpster,

just staring and chewing gum.

And the fifth kid is Nico. Spoiler we gradually discover he has died in a terrible accident. Bones now lives with her Nonna because mum has left to work up North. They do talk on the phone but the connection is often disrupted by bad reception and Bones misses her desperately.

Here are some text quotes to give you an idea about the tone and plot of this story:

It was Edie who gave me my nickname:

Bones.

She thinks it's an insult

but I've claimed it as my own.

Bird has a sweet sense of humour:

'Oh ...

umm ... I guess I meant

I wished you were alive

the way you once were,

with feathers and skin and ...'

Bird stares at me

with his hollow eye sockets.

'Well, you could have specified that.'

Wishing for a once-living thing

to be alive again,

the way it was,

goes against the laws of nature.

I cannot be as I was,

so the moons' power has transformed me into

something

no creature should be.

Bones has no idea how to reverse the curse but then she remembers her brother had a book called The Encyclopedia of Moon Magic. Alas, when Tenny and Bones go to the library they discover the book is out on loan. Now the hunt is on. They need to find this book, and they need to complete the ritual with Bird by the light on of the next full moon. Wait any longer and Bird will be trapped forever. There is also another major problem. Bones cannot, will not, ever return to that place in the forest. (Note the library visit scene on pages 84-87 would be a great passage to use if you are book talking Little Bones although this does contain the spoiler that Nico has died). 

There are several references to the story of Icarus in this book so familiarity with this famous myth could help the reader anticipate Nico's fatal accident. As the text says:

His favourite was

the story of Icarus

(the boy who flew so close to the sun

that his wings melted

and he fell

to his watery death).

I am not sure if this word is too strong but in some ways the journey taken by Bones to restore Bird back to his resting place feels like atonement. And there are also themes of grief, healing, and making new friends. Bones has witnessed the fatal fall of her brother as he climbed a tree to return a baby bird back to its nest. It was at her urging that he was hurrying. 

When I opened the parcel from University of Queensland Press (UQP) I actually squealed - a verse novel! An Australian verse novel! Little Bones is a debut novel for Sand Bigna. This book will be published on 4th March. It is always wonderful to share verse novels with students in a library. This one will be enjoyed by readers aged 10+. I also expect to see Little Bones listed as a 2026 CBCA Younger Readers Notable title. 

Here are the teacher notes - they are very detailed. You can meet the author at an event in Canberra on 19th March, 2025.

I was interested to read this from Sandy Bigna. You can find her on Instagram.

How did Little Bones come to be? Much of this book was written over a summer break when I had the freedom to dream, play and create. The voice of Bones came to me first, and along with her voice came an image of a lonely girl who collected animal bones and was dealing with issues of loss and fractured friendships. The story idea was inspired by my own fascination with animal bones – the symbolism of them, the way they tell a story of life rather than death. Growing up in Canberra, with its rich and evocative wetlands, bushland and forest areas, inspired the setting for this story.

Other books and verse novels that explore the loss of a sibling or a significant family member. In each of these we follow the journey of grief through to some level of acceptance or restoration.

Right as Rain

My Brother Finch

It is interesting to link Nico with Finch because both boys really embrace life.

Bird

The Probability of Everything

Telephone of the Tree

Picasso and the Greatest Show on Earth

Bridge to Terabithia

Meet me at the Moon Tree

Wild wings

Sisters of the Lost Marsh by Lucy Strange

When you begin this book you need to carefully read the Curse:

Be sure the first girl marries well,

The second in the home to dwell.

A third maid can do little harm

If set to work upon the farm.

Four and five must both be wed

Or six will bury you stone dead.

There are six girls in this family. Their mother has died after giving birth to the last three girls - triplets. Father or Dadder is very superstitious. The family live with their beautiful wise grandmother in her home and they work hard to maintain her farm. Their father is more interested in appearances and expects all the girls to obey him and do their chores without question.

Looking at the first line of the curse, Dadda has betrothed Grace to a local much older landowner - Silas Kirby. Just as an aside I seem to have read other books where the bad or evil man was named Silas. Grace has no interest in marrying this man but her father has already taken delivery of a handsome horse and so the deal is now unbreakable.

Then the fayre arrives:

"No one knows when the Full Moon Fayre will come. It might as well be called the Blue Moon Fayre, Grammy says. Sometimes it comes twice a season, and then not for years and years."

I imagine you are beginning to put his puzzle together. And now I can add books are forbidden in this community but Grammy has some and the girls can read and they have listed to all manner of folk and fairy tales including the story of the Marsh King. Maps are also banned.

Back to the curse. The second sister is Freya. She is destined to stay home and look after Dadda but she is secretly in love with the boy who will be her partner at the Springtide Fires. But it is the third sister who drives this story. Willa is the wild child. She is sure her Dadda hates her but she has no idea why. Then Grace disappears after going to the Full Moon Fayre and Willa decides it is up to her to follow the route taken by the fayre so she can find and save her sister. Willa has a map, a compass, the horse that Silas gifted named Flint and her head is full of stories and warnings about the possible dangers of this journey.

The writing is impressively beautiful and sophisticated without sacrificing the reader-friendly clarity of the straightforward narrator. Willa’s innate goodness and iron will carry her through adventures and physical trials, pitting her against superstitions and fairy tales alike. ... So engrossing a tale and world that readers won’t want to come up for air. Kirkus Star review

Strange is a gifted storyteller who masterfully balances good and evil, dreariness and hope. She incorporates a few perfectly timed doses of horror that will entertain middle grade readers without overwhelming them. Book Page

It’s a rare thing, when a book hooks your interest wholly and completely from the very first page, but Sisters of the Lost Marsh really achieved that. I absolutely didn’t want to put it down until I’d devoured every last word. It was atmospheric, slightly spooky at times, with a gentle hint of magic running throughout every page. I adored it with every fibre of my being and didn’t want it to end. That Book Girl

I read Sisters of the Lost Marsh in one sitting. The story just races along and the marsh and the dangerous mire feel so real - the setting of this book feels like another character. 

Lucy Strange has written a beautiful, haunting novel, an eerie and luminous mix of gothic mystery, folklore and fairy tale inspired by the landscape of Romney Marsh. This isolated setting of mist, salt marsh, ditches and lost villages is brilliantly and atmospherically evoked. Books for Keeps

I think this book will greatly appeal to keen readers aged 10+. It might also lead to an interest in finding other books about witch trials and curses such as these:

The 13th Floor

The Beatryce Prophecy

Wilder

The Witch's Boy

Fire Girl

What drew me to this book? I knew the author's name - I have read a few of her previous books (see below) but more importantly I really like the cover. Oh, and Sisters of the Lost Marsh is published by Chicken House and they consistently produce fantastic books. Read an extract of Sisters of the Lost Marsh. 

Once you have read one book by UK author Lucy Strange you are sure to want to find more. 

Our Castle by the Sea

The Secret of Nightingale Wood

The Ghost of Gosswater

The Lost History by Melanie La'Brooy

"Penthea's name was given to her by the Regent and the Eslit ... Which makes it the only name she'll ever need ... Your kindness towards your lowly knot sister is to be commended, Princess, 

but I am certain no Lost History exists for Penthea, 

for I can't imagine any writer would be a big enough fool to waste their time 

writing down a single word about a Wintrish servant girl."

But there IS a book about Penn and it does tell the truth about her history but finding this book, reading this book and sharing the contents of this book with the 'right' and trustworthy people is where the real danger lies. Eslit Hortense says Lost Histories are impossible to recover but the Regent dislikes the word impossible.

"Lost Histories are difficult to reclaim but it has been done before. I want The Lost Histories of the Grey Ones found."

This is book two in the Talismans of Fate series. Here is my blog post from 2022 where I talk about Book One - The Wintrish Girl (see the cover below). You do need to read the first installment of this series to make sense of the second book. Also do not skip the prologue in The Lost History - it is vital component of the story. 

Here are some text quotes which will give you a flavour of this story:

"Resentfully, Penn opened her copy of The Official History of the Empire of Arylia by Hildegard of Flurrier. Hildegard was an extremely dull Historian ... unlike more exciting Historians, Hildegard never veered off into grim legends about ancient massacres, where the blood and bones of victims had been used for fertiliser, or lurid stories of outcast settlers who turned to cannibalism. Which was a pity."

"Penn stared down at the Inquisitor, sharing in Arthur's surprise. Lex Talionis was the most beautiful woman Penn had ever seen. She had huge green eyes, high cheekbones, and full red lips, and while she was tall, she wasn't a giant like Hair-Raising Histories had said she was. There was no sign of her terrifying creatures either."

(A couple of things to notice about this quote - full red lips and huge green eyes give a hint she is an evil woman but even worse we do need to be worried about her terrifying creatures. There are three - Drowner, Inferno and Rack).

"Because the new ruler of Arylia has always received the Royal Sceptre and Orb during the Talisman ceremony ... what does the Lore say about the legitimacy of a ruler who has not taken the symbols of royal power out of the Casket of Fate?" "Search the entire Lore ... for guidance on what to do when there is no Loreful heir to the throne of Arylia ..."

About halfway through the second book I wondered if there might just be two books in this series but then, with about ten pages still to read, Melanie La'Brooy introduces some more story complications so it is very clear there will be a third book where you can re-enter the world of Penn and Princess Seraphine along with their friends Juniper and Arthur. There are sure to be further clashes between Marvellance and Malevolence. 

Readers aged 10+ will need some reading stamina to complete this book but it is well worth putting in the reading hours (435 pages). The Lost History is set in a complex fantasy world but there is so much humour in this story which meant I could cope with all the changing scenes, settings, rules and characters. Although thinking about characters I would now appreciate a list (please) especially since I didn't go back and read the first installment so I had to keep my mind quite focused to remember all of them, especially the adult ones, a few of whom absolutely cannot be trusted. This excellent interview with Joy Lawn and Paperbark words will give you some really deep insights into The Lost History. 

There is a delicious political layer to this story - in Candlemage for example - citizens are not allowed to own books. "Ideas and knowledge are dangerous for all minds, but particularly young ones ... that is why we Magi sacrifice our own happiness and spend our lives controlling the flow of knowledge. By doing this we keep the peace, maintaining comfortable happy lives for all Candlemagians!"

Here are some of the funny/quirky inclusions in this story which gave me a smile. The family tree for example is a living tree with names scribed on the leaves.

Endora gives Penn a visitor's ring so she has temporary access to the treasure vault. "It'll give you access for forty-eight house. Right hand, second finger."

"To make cheese you need curdled milk ... but guard cows don't produce milk. They produce screams that can curdle blood. That's why they're known as Bloodcurdlers."

"Milk of all different colours poured down one huge wall like a frothy rainbow waterfall. Penn watched as the colours separated into different streams and flowed down into the biggest and shiniest cauldrons she'd ever seen."

As well as being a rollicking adventure The Lost History has a serious undertone, touching on themes that give the reader pause for thought: leadership, how to rule, friendship, how to view history, the lessons of history, the difference between being smart and clever, and class are just some issues explored. Storylinks

Publisher blurb: After rescuing Princess Seraphine from the evil Malevolents, servant girl Penn thought her fate had finally changed. But now her powerful Talisman is gone and Seraphine is ignoring her again. Even worse, the ruthless Inquisitor has been summoned to uncover why Malevolence has returned to Arylia and fingers are pointing at Penn. Her only hope is to find the Lost History, which might be the key to unlocking both the Inquisitor’s and her own mysterious past. But someone else is hunting for it – only they want to destroy it. Even as she races to retrieve the Lost History, Penn knows that if she digs up her past, she might not like what she finds. Because Malevolence has started calling to her and she’s finding it strangely hard to resist …

In this feminist construction of the hero’s quest, Penn, and her friends, embark on a quest to find a lost history, a book that should shed light on what really happened to the Wintrish people who had a curse placed on them. They encounter forces that oppose their search, people who don’t want what really happened to come to light. On the way, they find it hard to know just who to trust ... Reading Time

Thank you to UQP (University of Queensland Press) for my advance copy of this book. It arrived just prior to my trip to the IBBY Congress in Italy so I have only just had time to pick it up - The Lost History was published in September 2024. Here is the website for Melanie LaBrooy where you can find VERY detailed teachers notes and sample chapters. 

The Wintrish Girl

I listed some companion books in my post about The Wintrish Girl. If you are a fan of The Phantom Tollbooth you are sure to also love The Lost Library.

The Phantom Tollbooth

Magicborn by Peter Bunzl illustrated by Maxine Lee-Mackie

At the chiming of the thirteenth hour,

At the plucking of the thirteenth flower,

On the hundred-and-thirty-third Naming Day ...

In the Greenwood Forest

By the Tambling River.

On the Stepping Bones ...

The Queen will sacrifice a life

Of a single sister

Born in strife

And given to her as kith and kin

To save her royal soul and skin,

She'll cry cold and bitter tears,

But will rule Fairyland for a hundred-and-thirty-three more years.

This is the prophecy but what if it were to be changed. The Queen's sister should be the one to die - she should be the sacrifice but on the naming day for the twin babies - Thomas (The Wild Boy) and his sister Tempest (The Storm Girl), Lady Hawthorn changes the line and now it reads "of a single twin". She also casts a spell so her sister the Queen will never know about this change. The Queen wants to continue her reign at all costs. She has no relationship with her twin children. It is clear she will need to murder one of them. She hunts them across her kingdom forcing them to try to leave - Tempest makes it but all her memories of life in the other world are gone.

Then one night a strange man arrives. He puts a spell on Tempest and forces her to row across the river because he is hunting the wild boy. The wild boy is in fact Thomas and both children are captured. They each have a talisman that gives them powers, but this evil man, Lord Hawthorn takes their precious things and gains control over their magic. 

"A Talisman is a charm that focuses magic ... Like a magnifying glass can focus rays from the sun. But it only works if the owner of the Talisman has magical ability in the first place. To cast a spell, the owner must touch their Talisman with their bare hands or wear it against their skin."

At this point you might notice the names - Lord and Lady Hawthorn. 

"This is not a fairy tale, though there are Fairies in it. And Kings and Queens and Princesses and Princelings, and magic that comes from faraway places not found on any map ... This is a story of discovering yourself a stranger in a strange land, with nothing but the words in your head, the charm round your neck and the wild hope in your pocket to see you through. And it does not begin with the usual 'Once upon a time ...'"

The story see-saws back and forth between the present when Tempest and Thomas are reunited and desperate to avoid their fate and past scenes when they lived with their cold mother and learnt the truth of the prophecy. Both have tried to flee from Fairyland across the Stepping Bones. 

Luckily, both children have magical powers and they do find a way to reclaim their Talisman treasures. Tempest also has her wise (and funny) little companion - a robin named Coriel. I love his voice as he chatters in Tempest's ear:

"I don't recall anything from our past, little gannet ... Not a dicky bird. I feel clueless as a chick straight out of the egg when I try to think of it."

"Don't do it little house martin! ... It's fool's gold and only a fool would take it."

"Vile and grim items, my little gossander ... Vials are glass jars to store magical ingredients. A Grimoire's a powerful spell book."

"Didn't I tell you we'd make it, my ringed plover! ... Didn't I say we'd escape? My fussing even altered these humans who saved you from drowning."

The twins also have a wonderful friend named Kwesi. He has also been taken by Lord Hawthorn because he has magical abilities. His back story has links with slavery. If you want to explore this theme try to find Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson.

Bookseller burb: The Curse is changed. You'll never know. The truth is lost. The lie will grow. The year is 1726 and the Royal Sorcerer of England is on the hunt for those who are Magicborn. When Tempest is captured, she is taken to Kensington Palace alongside a boy like her, Thomas. Trapped, Tempest and Thomas find their magic flickering to life and, with it, long-buried memories. For they are the lost prince and princess of Fairyland, bound by a deadly curse. But now the fairies are coming to get them, and with the truth revealed...can they both survive? The first in a sumptuous and enthralling new historical-fantasy adventure series from the bestselling author of The Cogheart Adventures.

Here are a couple of character descriptions:

Lord Hawthorn - "The Lord with the charm necklace unfolded himself from the carriage doorway like a praying mantis. He was tall and thin and narrow of waist and his shoulders and chest were couched in a jacket of shiny silken green, part-hidden by a long black woollen traveling cloak that flapped about in the high wind."

The King of England - "A pallid man in a brown wig, wearing a cape trimmed with ermine over a velvet suit jacket with buttons made from glittering diamonds. The King's outfit was completed with lace ruffles, silk stockings and large polished gold buckles that sprouted from his shoes like priceless carbuncles."

Mehmet the King's head servant - "a large bald gentleman with a jowly round face and arched eyebrows. He wore a silken red jacket trimmed with fur, and a fine green waistcoat embroidered with flowers and gold ferns."

Lady Hawthorn - "She was tall and pale and wore a highly embroidered dress with a black diamond brooch pinned to her breast. On her head was a grey wig that fluttered with pink ribbons, and on her shoulder was a white raven, with a beak as sharp as a scythe."

Think about the contrasting language in these descriptions - praying mantis; carbuncles; jowly round face; black brooch; pink ribbons; a sharp as a scythe!

This book has close to 400 pages but it was such a gripping adventure I almost read the whole book in one day! The story has overtones of Sleeping Beauty (Christening scene) and also Shakespeare - Tempest is rescued by Prosper and Marino (The Tempest). 

In this video Peter Bunzl talks about his book. 

The magic which fuels this thrilling adventure will keep readers spell bound from start to finish! Set in a far off time and in a far off land the story tells of two children, Tempest and Peter. Both have one green eye and one blue eye. Both have lost their parents. And both are in great danger because they are MagicBorn which means that the Royal Sorcerer is determined to track them down…There is much wickedness in this world which Tempest and Peter must survive but also much kindness which helps to keep them safe. And throughout it all there’s thrumming magic which means that anything can happen. Julia Eccleshare M.B.E

Here is the second book from this series:

Here are the other books by Peter Bunzl that I loved:

Cogheart; Moonlocket; Skycircus

Companion read:

Fire Girl