Rosa by Starlight by Hilary McKay

Such is the power of a story like Rosa by Starlight I had to keep putting this book down to take a break because I was so worried about young Rosa. Her despicable aunt and uncle most certainly mean to harm her. Yes I do mean murder her!

When Rosa was four her parents were killed in an accident. The kindly neighbors tried to look after her but they were elderly and she was so young. There was great relief when an aunt and uncle arrived. Now Rosa would be cared for. But who are these people? The aunt locks Rosa in her room each night. They empty the house of all clutter and memories. Rosa loved the apple tree in her garden. They chop it down. Rosa loves to read an old book of fairy tales left by her parents. Her aunt throws it away. I can hear you gasping. Luckily Rosa is a brave and resourceful girl. She learns how to climb out of her bedroom and takes solace in the quiet evenings and star filled sky. She is also able to retrieve her precious book each time it is taken. Rosa does have one friend - the cat from next door named Balthazaar.

The aunt and uncle sell fake grass (although no one is allowed to use that term). They have a plan to grow rich by selling their product all over the world and so that is why Rosa finds herself in Venice. Her aunt and uncle deposit her in an old rundown hotel - they stay somewhere else. No one speaks English but the owners of the hotel are very kind. Rosa is lonely in Venice but she does find some cats for company. Then comes the scene where she stumbles upon her Aunt and Uncle on the Rialto Bridge. 

"I believe there is a very strong current under the centre of the bridge. If we both take one arm, do you think we could manage?' ... Their voices were so calm, do detached, that Rosa couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was it a dream? Was it a joke? Why was her uncle peering earnestly over the parapet? ... 'All being well, our troubles will simply vanish, so let us make haste, my sweet."

Have you worked this out?  They plan to throw Rosa off the bridge. Luckily magic takes over ... 

Orphans in stories like this usually have to suffer some hardship - think of The Willoughbys; the children in A Series of Unfortunate Events; and The Unadoptables. But unlike these examples, where I knew the orphan or orphans would be okay - the dangers she faces and potential murder of young Rosa felt so very real - I was living in this story set in Venice with all the twisting alleys and the threat of falling into the dangerous waters of the canal. 

Bookseller blurb: Rosa lives in a world where she discovers there is magic. It arrives with Balthazar, a large black cat, just when she needs it most. Even so, it takes all her courage to stay hopeful and adventurous when her dreadful aunt and uncle move into her life. And when she finds herself abandoned in the ancient city of Venice, can magic help her then? Perhaps it can. The stars are watching, and there are lots of cats in Venice.

Reading a review of Rosa by Starlight from Just Imagine I learned a new word: chiaroscuro effect. It means the strong contrast between light and dark. Another reviewer used the words "a charming Ghibli-esque tale of a girl..."

Whilst Rosa’s story is a heart-wrenching exploration of loneliness, told through the window of magical realism, it is also a story imbued with a sense of awe and a feeling of hope.  The Venetian setting of shadows and light adds to the magic of the story and gives the reader a sense of being ‘outside of reality’ as they explore the Venice Rosa experiences from its hotels and piazzas to its bridges and waterways … and her unique bond with its feline friends. Book Craic

There are some golden moments, with Rosa desperately trying to get admitted into an orphanage or else irritating every person on her plane journey by asking the stewards to repeat their demonstration as she had not understood it first time round. The atmosphere of Venice at its most beguiling – and sometimes dangerous – is also well caught, backed up by Keith Robinson’s beautiful line drawings. Books for Keeps

Born in Boston, Lincolnshire, Hilary McKay grew up in a household of readers and read voraciously from an early age. After studying Botany and Zoology at St Andrews University, she went on to work as a biochemist, but always wanted to write. Hilary's novels have won numerous awards including the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, the Smarties Award and the Whitbread Children's Book Award. She lives in a small village in Derbyshire with her family. She is the author of over forty books. I previously talked about The Skylarks War and I now discover there is a sequel - The Swallows Flight (Kirkus Star review). Some years ago I also read Straw into Gold. 

Companion books to read after Rosa by Starlight:

The Hotel Balzaar

Eloise and the Bucket of Stars

The Secret Starling

Journey to the River Sea

Silver Brook: Yumna and the Golden Horse by Yassmin Abdel-Magied

There is a lot going on in this book - corrupt developers arrive in this small English village. There are four kids - three girls and a boy - they are Muslim and related. You are sure to anticipate that the kids save the day and stop the nasty developers, but there is more to this story. These kids share great grandparent ancestors - one human one djinn - which means they have magical abilities - the boy Kareem can turn into a golden horse, one girl Nafisa can summon and communicate with birds, and the other girl Sadeeqa can summon insects. None of this 'magical' action kicks in until page 45 (I kept waiting for the fantasy) and readers need to wait until Chapter 16 to read about the djinn.

This is a very complex story, and I found the words "fantasy series" on the back cover misleading. I also wish this book had a glossary - there are lots of references to Muslim culture and religious practices (see below). Although I was keen to reach the end of this story and see how the 'magical' kids might thwart the developers and even more importantly regain the trust of their community. I did cheer when Yumna spoke out against the Maidstones.

There are themes of betrayal; endangered animals; and xenophobia. This last one is important. The developers use cunning ways to persuade the people in this village that the Muslim families are causing trouble and should be evicted. This has already happened once before to this family. 

Now back to the subtitle - Yumna does not have the magical abilities of her cousins - she aspires to be a detective which, in the context of this story, seemed to me to be a little 'childish' to me. Her part in the story at times, felt like an episode of the Midsummer Murders television series.  The Golden Horse is also referenced in the subtitle. In the story the author mentions Buraq - the mystical horse. Buraq is a mythical creature from Islamic tradition, described as a white, winged horse with a human face. According to Islamic beliefs, Buraq carried the Prophet Muhammad on a miraculous journey known as the Night Journey (Isra and Mi'raj). The journey took the Prophet from Mecca to Jerusalem and then ascended to the heavens.  

In his horse form Kareem is captured by the evil couple (Hector and Sybil Maidstone) and he is shackled with golden bracelets which conveniently Yumna with her detective skills can unlock! I was unsure why the Maidstones wanted the Golden Horse. 

Because Yumna does not have magical abilities she feels rejected by the other teens especially when they block her from their social media chat group. Yumna's mother was a djinn and that is given as a reason to explain why she left the Yumna and her father. At the end of this book (it will be a series) the stage is set for Yumna to now look for her mother. 

Publisher blurb: Thirteen-year-old Yumna lives in a sleepy town where nothing ever happens. So when her friends start sneaking into the woods at night, curiosity gets the better of her and she follows. There, she discovers something unbelievable. Kareem can turn into a golden horse. Sami can touch fire without burning. Even her cousin Nafisa has a strange new power. Everyone's changing . . . except Yumna. But when Kareem vanishes and a mysterious new family, the Maidstones, seem to be hiding something, Yumna is the only one asking the right questions. As secrets unravel and danger creeps closer, it's up to Yumna to rally her friends and uncover the truth. In a town full of secrets and powers, can one ordinary girl become the hero they all need?

Listen to an audio sample from Chapter One.

There is a little mild swearing in this book and as for an age recommendation I would say mature readers aged 10+. The main characters are aged 13+ and Yumna is waiting for her period to begin - she is very embarrassed when her dad tries to talk about this. 

Examples of words that are used in this book:  Fajr; habibti; abaya; Dhuhr; and Asr.  And there are prayers such as - Ya Allah, Bismillah, Allahu, Akbar! Towards the end of the story there is also a mention of Surat-al-Nas. Surah Nas is the 114th and last chapter of the Qur’an, consisting of 6 short ayats. Many Muslims recite Surah al Nas and Falaq together for protection from the evil eye, envy, black magic, and spiritual harm.

Thanks to Gleebooks Kids for sharing a copy of this book which was published earlier this year. 

These two reviews give more plot details. Here is the Book Trust review:

Themes of identity and belonging are explored in this mystery, along with true friendship, family secrets and what it means to feel that somewhere is your home.  

and the one from The Book Muse:

The mystery is unique, something I have never seen before, and I was drawn into the story, wanting to know more about Yumna, the secrets and her culture. Because it is our culture that shapes who we are and how we see or interact with the world as much as where we grow up. ... Fantasy can be written in so many ways, and I enjoy seeing how different authors navigate the fantasy genre and what they do with it. This one captured a vibrant culture, the modern world and family, community and the strength of community. It shows that it is possible to stand up to bullies and people who want to divide us whilst also showing the unity of a family and friends navigating secrets. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, the mystery, the magic, and the characters.

Yassmin Abdel-Magied has published five books, most recently Stand Up and Speak Out Against Racism (Walker, 2023), named a Best Book of 2023 by School Library Journal and longlisted for the 2025 UKLA Book Award and 2024 SLA Information Book Award. Her previous books include ... two novels for younger readers, You Must Be Layla (Puffin, 2019) and Listen, Layla (Puffin, 2021). Listen, Layla was longlisted for Book of the Year by the Children's Book Council of Australia, and named a 2022 Honor Book for Children's Africana Book of the Year by the Center for African Studies at Howard University in the U.S. Her TED Talk on bias has been viewed over 2.7M times. Sudanese by birth, raised in Australia, Yassmin now lives in London.

The Boy and the Dog Tree by Fiona Wood illustrated by Judy Watson

"You desire to know why I have come to you. It is simply this: when called upon by a child in need I emerge from the tree ... Your sadness and fears called me. .... You await the return of your parents and fear for their safety. You are tormented daily by your enemy."

Begin with the title. The boy - his name is Mitch. The Dog Tree. There is a tree in the bushland behind gran's house that looks, well a little, like a dog. Mitch loves dogs. He has wanted one his whole life. He also loves this tree. Climbing the tree after he and his sister move in with Gran, he makes a wish that will change his life and help him adjust to the complex challenges and changes in his life.

Characters:

Mitch is unhappy about moving to a new city - Sydney to Melbourne. He is worried about fitting in at a new school. He desperately misses his parents who are overseas shooting a movie. And all he has ever wanted is a dog - a dog of his own. 

Mitch has a fantastic younger sister named Regi. I love the way her personality is totally the opposite of Mitch and yet he has no resentment about this. 

Gran is also wonderful. She is a scientist but I was entirely wrong about her reaction to Mitch's story about the arrival of his dog and I cheered over the scene where she meets Argos. Gran is also, and I love this discovery, a fantastic cook. 

Dido is a great friend. She understands the dynamics of the peer group and is also brave enough to help Mitch (spoiler alert) when he needs help to rescue Argos.

Argos has lived many lives. He has a delightful formal and old-fashioned way of speaking. He uses words like 'tarry not'; 'twas upon a platter'; and 'thus do I know'. He is also very wise and of course a truly loyal friend. "Mitch could name a hundred dog breeds, but he'd never seen anything quite like this wild, majestic creature. ... It was a bit like a wolfhound, but more solid. Fur as black as liquorice, tanged and long. Up on its hind legs it would tower over the tallest of men." Argos also makes a couple of very astute comments about adults and their use of mobile phones! He also smells wonderful. 

Seb Anders is the class bully. If you have encountered bullies in other books be warned Seb is among the worst. He takes every opportunity to taunt and hurt Mitch. There is an early scene in the book where Seb takes Mitch's lunch box and he tips everything into the dirt and then stomps on the food. 

Ms Zwerger their teacher has decided the class will live 'unplugged'. Such a terrific idea. You will enjoy reading about the activities she sets her class. 

I feel so very lucky to have read this book a few weeks before it is due to be released (3rd March). Huge thanks to Gleebooks Kids for entrusting me with an advance reader copy of The Boy and the Dog Tree. I know it is early in 2026 but I am going to predict this book will be devoured by young readers aged 9+ and it surely will be selected as a 2027 CBCA Younger Readers Notable title - YES it is THAT GOOD.

Bookseller blurb: Magical. Whimsical. Wild. This exceptional middle-grade novel about the special bond between a boy and his dog will set your heart free.

'So, are you my dog?' Mitch asked, in a whisper.

'No,' said Argos. 'But you are my boy. For a time.'

Mitch's life has been uprooted. Instead of the whole family moving to a new city, Mitch and his sister are staying with their gran, while their parents have been delayed working on other side of the world. He's struggling to fit in at school, with the resident Grade Five bully picking on him. The one thing that would make his life better is a dog, if only he could persuade his parents. Then Mitch discovers an old oak tree that seems to ... growl. And one night, a huge, strange dog-like creature emerges from the trunk. His name is Argos. He has been bound in the tree by 'history, mystery, magic and chance', and he is here, for a time, to help Mitch find his way. But being different can be dangerous, especially for a wild and wilful beast like Argos ... While at first Mitch looks to Argos for friendship and protection, there comes a time he must stand up for this magical creature who has changed him forever. A heart-lifting tale of friendship, courage and belonging by three-time CBCA Award-winning author Fiona Wood.

It was wonderful read that Mitch is a boy who is 'allowed' to express his emotions:

"When he was as high up as he could go and settled in a comfortable crook (of the tree) he let himself cry. This was quite the year of crying. He had honestly expected to be crying less as he got older not more. These days he cried because of how he felt ... In the categories of crying, today was a simple hold-it-together-all-day-then-let-it-out cry. It didn't last long and he felt much better afterwards."

UQP have some excellent teacher notes and discussion questions to use with The Boy and the Dog Tree including suggesting students could research the names Argos; Calliope; and Ceberus. 

The teachers notes list all these themes for The Boy and the Dog Tree: 

• Friendship 

• Belonging 

• Confidence 

• Courage 

• Compassion 

• Integrity  

• Loyalty  

• Perspective 

• Prejudice 

• Bullying 

• Magic 

• Dogs

I am not usually a fan of endorsements but Peter Carnavas is SO right when he says: ‘A beautiful book, filled with courage, magic and a huge ancient dog to wrap your arms – and your heart – around.’

I was interested to read an interview sent to me by UQP with the author Fiona Wood (she previously has won the Older Readers category in CBCA Book of the Year Awards for Wildlife; Cloudwish; and Take Three Girls). She says her inspiration for her middle grade book came from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis; Five Children and It by E Nesbitt; and her first encounter with a magical tree was The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton. As I read The Boy and the Dog tree I also thought of another classic - Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce. 

"The genesis of this story was an old oak tree whose trunk was gnarled into a shape that reminded me of a dog. Every time I walked past it, I wondered when, how and why a dog - or the spirit of a dog - might be trapped within the tree."

Companion books:

One Dog and His Boy

The eyes and the Impossible

Elf Dog and Owl Head

A Different Dog

Talking to Alaska

The Hounds of Penhallow Hall

The Dream Dog

The issue of bullies looms large in this book. I appreciated the way Fiona Wood gives her readers a small glimpse into why Seb might behave like this in the scene where we witness the actions of his mother the Mayor but she doesn't 'reform' or 'redeem' him. Please note some of these books below contain confronting scenes of bullying and are intended for an older audience:

Swashbuckler

The Night Bus hero

The Truth as told to Mason Buttle

Running my own race

Chapter 39 has a tender scene where Mitch thinks about the time his dad helped him overcome his fear of the dark. I know this is a picture book for younger children but I immediately thought of this favourite:

Martin Waddell

And the scene (sorry another spoiler) when the family go to the dog home or rescue centre is sure to remind you of this classic Australian picture book:

Let's get a Pup

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 Hounds of Penhallow Hall: The Moonlight Statue by Holly Webb illustrated by Jason Cockcroft

Blurb: For Polly, moving to Penhallow Hall is the fresh start she’s been longing for since the death of her father. Her mum has got a job managing the stately home and once the last of the visitors leave for the day the place is all theirs! One night, Polly sleepwalks into the garden and wakes to find her hand on the head of one of the stone dogs that guard the steps down to the lawn. Then she feels him lick her cheek! The dog introduces himself as Rex, an Irish Wolfhound who lived at Penhallow many hundreds of years earlier. And he is not the only resident ghost – Polly has also glimpsed a strange boy around the place. With Rex’s help she finds herself unravelling the story of his beloved master, William Penhallow, who was killed in the First World War aged only 17.

I picked this book up at a recent charity book sale. It was published in 2017 and so it is now out of print but you might find this series in your local or school library. 

This is a simple story but it did hold my interest. It is easy to read with plenty of illustrations and so would be enjoyed by readers aged 9+. It is a ghost story but it is not scary at all. Readers who enjoy books that feature very special (huge) dogs are sure to enjoy meeting Rex. 

My only comment is I was a little confused towards the end as to why William returned a young boy and not the age as a young soldier when he died. I have now discovered this book is part of a series so perhaps my questions will be resolved in further installments. 

• Book 1: The Moonlight Statue (2017)
• Book 2: The Lost Treasure (2017)
• Book 3: The Hidden Staircase (2018)
• Book 4: The Secrets Tree (2018)

Holly Webb is the author of over 100 books. She almost needs a whole section of the library just to hold all her books. She writes such a variety of stories for a wide range of ages. I highly recommend you look for her books next time you visit a library. 

Here are some I have read:

The Princess and the Suffragette

Return to the Secret Garden

The Girl of Glass

The Keeper of the Octopus by Neridah McMullin

"Every child in the village grew up hearing the tale. It was folklore. A long time ago a shark attacked a Portablow fishing boat as a it sailed up the river with its catch. A giant octopus who lived at the river mouth fought with the shark, saving the fisherfolk and their livelihood. And from then on, an octopus had always lived at the river mouth to protect the fisherfolk from sharks. At least that was the story."

Pippy lives with her elderly great uncle. She desperately misses her mother who has died recently and also longs to talk to her father, but he has headed away to sea and has been gone for nine months. It is clear Uncle Isaac who is caring for her now, is suffering from memory loss. It has begun to feel dangerous to sail with him, but Pippy needs to do this because Uncle Isaac, like all the people in this village, rely on fishing for their income.

The village is near a cove and decades ago there was a problem with shark attacks. Pippy is sure this is not the fault of the sharks but rather a symptom of things being out of balance. There has always been the story about an octopus but surely this is just a folktale. Young Pippy discovers it is her own mother who has been the Keeper of the Octopus but now that her mother is gone destiny determines Pippy herself must now feed, care for, and learn to communicate with Octavia. Uncle Isaac gives Pippy a special talisman, a stone that she wears around her neck. It glows and helps her know when Octavia is near. She also has the diary written by generations of her ancestors which tells her how to care for and recognise the moods of the octopus. 

Then three brothers arrive in the village. They appear at first to be fishermen but then they bring back an enormous catch with all sorts of precious sea creatures - way more than the town could ever need. Pippy knows this is a wrong and dangerous practice and then she hears one of the men talking about Octavia and so she knows this will be a race against time to keep Octavia safe and to convince the town authorities that the Calamary brothers are dangerous. 

As with all great stories there were moments in this book when I gasped, when I cheered, and when I sighed. One special character, apart from young Pippy who is wise beyond her years, is her friend Wally.

"Wally had been born with a deformed foot, a foot that turned inwards and downwards, worsening as he grew older, which meant he couldn't walk very fast nor go very far. Teased at school because of his limp, Wally stuttered a little when he spoke. He never said much. But he was a child who noticed things, small things."

And there is an element of magical realism because Pippy and her uncle live with a family brownie named Ferg. He tends to the house and the cooking. I loved his way of talking he always addresses her by saying - Pippy Cocklebiddy, daughter of Claudine and he uses words like bairn, Mither, orright, and nowt. He reminded me a little of Dobbie from the Harry Potter series. 

Here are a couple of text quotes:

"There were masses of bluefin tuna, black bream, tommy ruff and kingfish; hundreds of snapper, flathead, silver perch, and graylings; and many smaller good eating fish such as garfish, whiting, salmon and trevally. There were even parrot fish, which Pippy thought was odd because everyone knew they were inedible. Portablow fishers always tossed them back into the sea. The brother hauled even more baskets onto the wharf, tipping out dozens of sharks, Bronze whalers, and even a huge basking shark ... It was beautiful but its bright blue eyes quickly faded to a dull grey, dead colour."

"Pippy felt heavy with sadness. Uncle Isaac's memory was getting worse. He'd just put both their lives in terrible danger. It was as if his brain was erasing everything he'd ever known, including her, and that was what hurt the most. She had to do more to help him, more to look after him, but she wasn't sure how much more she could do unless she was with him for every minute of every day."

This book is certain to be a 2026 CBCA Notable title in the Younger Readers category. Here is the web page for Neridah McMullin. Here is a link to some detailed Teachers Notes.  I have previously talked about Eat my Dust; Drover; Tearaway coach; Fabish the horse that braved a Bushfire; and Evie and Rhino. 

Publisher blurb for The Keeper of the Octopus: Since her father sailed away, Uncle Isaac is the only family Pippy has left. Together they spend their days fishing off the coast, until one day Pippy is knocked into the sea and rescued by a gentle, giant creature … Uncle Isaac knows it’s time to tell Pippy the truth. Pippy is the descendent of a long line of Keepers – the Keeper of the Octopus, responsible for the giant octopus who protects the fisherfolk of the village. At first, Pippy is hesitant to meet Octavia, but soon the octopus is sharing her dreams with Pippy and they recognise each other as kindred spirits. But when the Calamary Brothers come to Portablow, she learns of their search for a particular giant octopus. It's up to Pippy - and her rag-tag crew of a cat, a dog, a hobgoblin called Ferg and an albatross – to rescue Octavia from the Calamary’s clutches.

I was enthralled by this book, because it captured a timeless world with a touch of magic, coupled with a commentary on some of the issues we face today: grief, environmental issues, bullying and disability. Wally was such a cool character too, and I loved his friendship with Pippy, and that he believed her without question. This is the mark of a true friendship. It was one that I loved, and one that I think kids need to see more of in the books they read. And it’s another reason I love reading kids’ books, because they feel less judgmental and more accepting. The Book Muse

Companion books:

My Friend the Octopus

Song of a Thousand Seas

The 113th Assistant Librarian: Lost in a Book by Stuart Wilson

You will jump right into the action at the start of this book as Oliver battles with a giant crab that has escaped from 'The Diving Bell Expeditions of Grace AEthwell'. Page 173 is blank but the caption reads 'mammoth spider crab'. Oliver needs to catch this huge creature and wrangle it back into the book.

"To be fair, being attacked by a giant crab in a library was something he would never have believed before he took up the mantle of librarian. Or rather, assistant librarian, due to the untimely death of the librarian, Hieronymus Finch-Thackeray."

After all this drama things do settle down but only for a short while because a junior lawyer named Phoebe arrives from the firm Wolfsähnlich, Lithic & Lithic. One of their clients has died and left his enormous book collection. 

"A voluminous collection of books, in fact. And now that a grant of probate has been issued to the executor, the time has come to divest the estate and all chattels therein."

I love the word used to describe this type of collecting by the late Phillip Thomas - bibliomania. So Oliver visits the house and he begins to sort and cull the collection with help from his friend Agatha. We met Agatha in the first book but just in case you have forgotten she has a dreadful and potentially fatal illness Garnet Band Fever. To prolong her life she transforms into nine cats but she can only do this within the confines of the library and it is dangerous for her to spend too long in her human form. The cats are named Fennex, Arawn, Grey Reaper, Tailless, Harmony, Sentinel, Clod and two others Oliver has not yet named. 

Agatha is a huge fan of the crime writer Enid B. B. Weathers but when she reads or re-reads a few pages from her book Murder of Masons, she discovers the story has been changed. This sets Oliver and Agatha on a book hunt - and yes they discover other books that seemed to be changed. This might not matter too much, perhaps they are earlier editions, but then they find a very significant book - 'War, A History of the Alpin Conflict' by M.W. Ebberdew.  If this other edition is correct then the border between Hallarum and the Shrouded Alps is in the wrong place - this could lead to anther dreadful war. What can Oliver and Agatha do? And oh no the dreadful Annabel Clowritch, the Member for Upper-Lower Tumbledown Barrows has heard about this book and she is determined to read it and gain control over the remote regions that she is sure now belong to Hallarum. 

Here are some text fragments that will give all Teacher-Librarians and librarians in general a smile moment:

"Oliver glanced at the spies closest to him, quickly surmising that there was little in the way of a system. He spotted fiction next to poetry, plays rubbing shoulders with cookbooks."

"even the patrons couldn't sour his mood when they interrupted him ... to say things like, 'Must be nice to have a job where you can sit around all day and read.'"

"Trying to appear nonchalant, he slid a book onto the shelf (despite the fact it was in the wrong section, doing an injury to his librarian soul)."

"The brilliance of a book was that it was always there, waiting to be read, at a time that was convenient."

"He removed his satchel and jacket before slipping the bandolier on over his shirt. He checked that the two stamps and the bookmark were in their pouches and that they were closed securely. He was, after all, going on official librarian business."

I talked about the inventive book titles created by Stuart Wilson in the first book and also the way his writing employs such a rich vocabulary - this book has these same wonderful qualities. I learnt the word 'lambrequins' for example. Also, I loved the care and concern Oliver shows for his friend Agatha. AND it was wonderful to meet Oliver's sisters once again - a couple of them play very important roles in this latest adventure. 

Publisher blurb: Oliver has settled into his life as the 113th assistant librarian. He loves his job – even though it sometimes includes battling giant crabs or fending off firedrakes – and his new friend, the mostly-human Agatha, is always on hand to help. But when he discovers a rare edition of a history book with unique wording, he realises the slightest misinterpretation could endanger the entire kingdom. Determined to solve this mystery, he and Agatha leave the library – with the help of an unpredictable transporting book – to establish the truth. But can they prevent Annabel Clowritch, the esteemed Member for Upper-Lower Tumbledown Barrows, from using the text to her own advantage . . . and stop a war?

Once again, it’s an adventure like no other and filled with humour, surprises, and the successful victory of the underdogs. AND it’s all to do with libraries and books, and the librarians who take their guardianship with all due seriousness. Just so Stories

This is a mystery adventure full of whimsy and risky moments. ... It does assume a reasonable reading skill and enjoyment of fantasy and references to library organisation and some historical, geographical or scientific detail may stretch some younger readers, but will thrill adept readers. ...  I loved the first book in this series, and the second is equally enthralling. Read Plus

Wilson has lots of fun with book titles, the worlds to be found within books and the power of the written word, all of which makes this a not just another ordinary adventure but a story with some thought provoking themes. He certainly gets very creative and inventive with the magic of books. It is great to see Oliver outside the library but still engaged in serious book business. Storylinks

Lost in a Book is the second title in the series the 113th Assistant Librarian. You do need to read the first book to understand the world of this book and to meet the two main characters - Oliver Wormwood and his best friend Agatha. I don't usually read sequels or continue a series unless I really loved the first installment - and yes I did love it  - five stars from me. 

The 113th Assistant Librarian

I am still wondering why oh why the first book didn't make the 2025 CBCA Younger Readers Book of the Year notables. And sadly I know this second one - Lost in a Book - is not eligible because it does not stand alone (although this rule seems to be quite flexible because seven of the 2025 notables were from a series!).

Readers aged 10+ are sure to enjoy Lost in a Book (you could gift the two books from this series as Christmas presents) but at the end they might feel a little bereft and in need of another similarly adventurous story so I would suggest these:

The Phantom Tollbooth

Escape from Mr Lemoncello's library

The Lost History (second book in a series)

The Strange Worlds Travel Agency

The Lost Library