Beastopia
Chrissie Sains, illustrated by Jenny Taylor
Walker Books

Digby Griffin is devoted to his pet mouse, Cheddar, and has been ever since he discovered her making a nest in his sock drawer. However as Digby’s tenth birthday is fast approaching he is troubled by the thought of The Curse of the Tenth Birthday -that’s the day on which Cheddar will be struck and disappear just like Digby’s elder brother’s budgie and his older sister Mog’s snake. Determined to keep Cheddar safe, Digby decides to stay up all night on his tenth birthday eve and also invites his best friend Tai for a ‘sleepover’ or rather a ‘watchover’.

Suddenly Grandad calls from downstairs asking for assistance. Digby is surprised to see him standing in a smoke filled kitchen clutching what appears to be a duck-billed platypus. This, Grandad thrusts into Digby’s hands as he attempts to deal with the cake mess in the oven. However the creature wriggles free and disappears into the basement. Aware it’s not the first animal to have done so, Digby is puzzled about what happens to them and decides to investigate sometime later.

That happens during the sleepover when a small present and a note are left in his bedroom. The present is a simple phone on which are two messages. As he reads them, Cheddar starts wriggling, then disappears downstairs and seemingly into the washing machine wherein Digby is sure he sees a tunnel – a portal, he suggests. Grandad appears on the scene and thus begins for Digby, Mog and Tai an entry test to become apprentice guardians of Beastopia. Beastopia, Grandad tells them is a sanctuary for magical creatures who can no longer hide in the human world, and he is the guardian.

After a strange journey, Grandad finds Mani, (a kind of walking book) that’s to watch over them, then leaves the recruits and heads off on a mission concerning the Loch Ness Monster.
The trio must then face three challenges as part of their assessment. the first being to collect dragon smoke. The second is to harness a basilisk, the third is to feed the fairies and keep them contained; but these fairies are of the troublesome kind and have an unusual diet …

Can Digby, Mog and Tai possibly succeed in all three challenges and thus become apprentices; several times the odds are stacked against them and nothing is as it seems … They’ll certainly learn more about themselves.

The book ends on a lead in to the next adventure for Digby et al, Beastopia The Ice Phoenix.
Exciting reading for young readers who love adventures involving animals and magic, with humorous illustrations by Jenny Taylor adding to the fun.