Tag Perdita Cargill

Diary of an Accidental Witch: Magic Ever After / The Story Shop: Detective Dash / Nikhil and Jay Flying High

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Diary of an Accidental Witch: Magic Ever After
Perdita & Honor Cargill, illustrated by Katie Saunders
Little Tiger


The Easter holidays are fast approaching for Bea Black. First though she needs to discover what is wrong with her Dad. In addition there’s the upcoming annual Eggastraordinary Eggy Day and Bea is still working on improving her spelling. To keep her sweet, Bea is helping at Taffy’s teashop and being paid in cakes. You may be surprised to learn that Bea’s Dad is also working obsessively on his spells, which makes his daughter suspect that something is up.


When Taffy takes Bea into her confidence things become clearer but she’s charged with keeping Taffy’s proposal plan a secret, which is far from easy. Why, Dad wants to know, can’t he wear his favourite scruffy jumper to the venue; after all it is supposed to be a newt-watching trip..


Despite near disaster, the couple agree to get married and then there’s just the matter of a wedding and all that entails, to focus on. Bea is definitely going to need lots of help from friends and family.
Without giving too much away, let’s just say that Bea’s final diary entry in this book starts ‘BEST.NIGHT.OF.MY.LIFE’.


You can’t ask for more and readers will certainly be more than satisfied. Team Cargill and Saunders have again created a winner.

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The Story Shop: Detective Dash
Tracey Corderoy and Tony Neal
Little Tiger

When shopkeeper Wilbur and his assistant, Fred Ferret arrive in their shop early one morning they’re puzzled to hear a strange sound. It turns out that a ferret has fallen asleep and is snoring. Once awake she introduces herself as Snoozy Suzy saying she’s eager for an adventure.

Suzy elects to be a detective, Fred adds some ingredients to the Story Pot, stirs the mix, and POP! the two of them find themselves in The Museum of Wonder where they learn, a robbery has taken place. Suzy informs the strange man, Ivar Plan busy with a display of lamps, that they’re there to solve the case of the cursed teeth. It turns out that Ivar is actually a robber and the lamps are part of his clever plan to steal priceless articles from the museum. Can Suzy and Fred save the day?


In episode two I S-Pie Trouble!, the pair are at the seaside where one of the posh hotels is in uproar due to the disappearance of Chef Humble who is supposed to be presenting his delicious new creation, the ‘Whatever You Wish For Pie’ at a banquet that coming Friday. After a night’s sleep Fred and Suzy peruse the clues they’d found the previous day and are about to have breakfast when they learn that a new chef has turned up offering to step in and save the banquet – at a price. Things seem decidedly fishy to the detective duo. Will they find the real chef in time for the Friday night banquet?


The riverside village of Watery Bottom is where the third episode is set. Here Suzy and Fred are tasked with discovering the truth about the Demon Duck of Doom. To do so they need to participate in a Doomseeker Expedition led by young April Button. But what is she up to and why?


Full of surprises, this fourth Story Shop book with its wealth of fun illustrations is again just right for younger readers.

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Nikhil and Jay Flying High
Chitra Soundar, illustrated by Soofia
Otter-Barry Books


The fourth book in the charming series for new solo readers starts one rainy day when Appa goes out to the shed to retrieve to board so the boys can play Dayan but the cat distracts him, he takes a tumble and injures his ankle. Can several rounds of the game, together with a cup of tea and a packed of frozen peas on his foot make him feel better?


Three further stories about the everyday life of Nikil, Jay and their parents follow. They participate, somewhat reluctantly at first, in the local Clean and Green Club at the neighbourhood park and then decide it’s a more enjoyable way to spend a Saturday than they’d anticipated.
Next comes a day of kite flying though they unexpectedly have to make the kites themselves as those that had been ordered aren’t delivered in time and finally, Jay gets himself in a stew about tidying up and soon discovers that doing things without his brother is far less enjoyable than doing them together.


As always bold, cheerful black and white illustrations by Soofiya complement Chitra’s telling of these tales, which are based on her own upbringing.

Diary of an Accidental Witch: Stage Fright / Emerald and the Sea Sprites

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Diary of an Accidental Witch: Stage Fright
Perdita & Honor Cargill, illustrated by Katie Saunders
Little Tiger

Eleven year old Bea Black, resident of Little Spellshire returns for a fifth sharing of her journal.

Her Dad is now totally smitten with Taffy so home life is somewhat different.
Excitement is high in Bea’s class at the School of Extraordinary Arts when Teacher Madam Binx, an ex actor – famous so she says – announces that the pupils are to put on a play and they have just a few weeks to prepare. The decision is that they’ll perform a very special version of Hansel and Gretel in front of the entire school, adapted and directed by Winnie.

After what seems like an age Winnie has finally finished writing the play and then come auditions for the various roles and every single member of Bea’s class wants to try out for a part. However acting is only one element of a performance; there is also the matter of a song and dance coordinator, stunt coordinator and assistant and a set designer. With all these tasks duly assigned and the cast chosen, it’s a case of work, work and more work. Some pupils will have to hone their ‘behaving like animals’ skills and Bea’s Dad is chuffed to be asked to make all the costumes.

How much spell making of the transformation kind is going to be involved in all of this? And with anywhere inside the school out of bounds following an unfortunate incident, whereabouts will this dramatic enterprise actually take place?

With Bea’s ever more endearingly earnest writing style and Katie Saunders’ even funnier illustrations, this is sheer delight from start to finish.

Emerald and the Sea Sprites
Harriet Muncaster
Oxford Children’s Books

Emerald, a princess since her mum’s recent marriage to King Auster, is now spending half her time living in the palace and the other at her dad’s house on the other side of Scallop City. 

As this second story starts, she’s reading quietly when suddenly into the room bursts her stepsister, Delphina, wanting to play. It’s not long before Delphina has persuaded Emerald to go with her on an adventure to search for sea sprites, something that means sneaking out of the palace which is strictly against the rules. None the less, with backpack stuffed with the necessities for their mission, Emerald swims out of the palace, meets up with her stepsister and off they go into the deep open sea to a coral reef where they pause for a snack. It quickly becomes evident that sea sprites are just as fond of sea biscuits as the little mermaids.

After a playful encounter, Emerald realises it’s time to head back but the sea sprites start to follow them. 

Eventually, back in the palace, the little visitors settle into Emerald’s doll’s house where they spend the remainder of the evening all playing together. 

However, the following morning, the sea sprites look decidedly sickly and the little mermaids realise it was wrong to take them from their habitat. They must return them to the coral reef, but can they reach there in time to save the sprites? And if so, will they ever be able to see them again?

An enchanting story about letting creatures stay in their habitats, stepsisters bonding, and having the courage to do what’s right and kindness, that young solo readers, especially those who enjoy Harriet’s other series, will love plunging into. (I’d not read the Emerald and the Ocean Parade but it didn’t affect my enjoyment of this story.)

Diary of an Accidental Witch: Unexpected Guests / Super Happy Magic Forest and the Distant Desert

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Diary of an Accidental Witch: Unexpected Guests
Perdita & Honor Cargill, illustrated by Katie Saunders
Little Tiger

It’s always a delight to be in the company of Bea Black and the first thing she does according this latest journal (after having a scrumptious tea out with her dad) is to attend the inaugural meeting of Finkelspark Club along with fellow founding members.

The following day though, the spring term at Little Spellshire School of Extraordinary Arts begins and Bea has other things on her mind: a history project, her allocated famous witch from the past being Minerva Moon; then there’s the visit from school inspectors who will not be impressed if they catch sight of anything at all magical going on. 

In addition, Bea has accidentally taken home what appears to be an ancient diary written by Minerva Moon, from Old Bertie’s bookshop and she can’t return it as the owner, Bertie, has gone away.

The good news is that Bea and her dad are going to stay in Little Spellshire but with all those things going on, one eleven year old witch has a lot to keep her busy, not least making sure her school isn’t closed down.

The series just gets better and better: this fourth book seems to have even more zany magical mayhem, humour and surprises than ever. It’s a sparkling delight for primary readers.

Super Happy Magic Forest and the Distant Desert
Matty Long
Oxford University Press

This fourth book in the Super Happy Magic Forest chapter series starts at the Gnome Tashwhisker exhibition where Tiddlywink the pixie accidentally gets trapped inside a cursed puzzle cube. Endeavours to free him are unsuccessful, leaving Blossom feeling more than a little guilty about fiddling with the cube. The only hope of freeing Tiddlywink, so says Gnome Tashwhisker’s Desert Diaries, is for the five heroes ie Herbert, Tiddlywink, Blossom, Twinkle and Trevor, to journey all the way to the Distant Desert and there to consult the all-knowing Almighty Oracle. This they must do before the sands of time run out. 

The journey, despite its length is the easy part, for when they reach the Oracle, it’s fast asleep. A Desert Diary entry tells them this: “only adventurers who have completed the Desert Trials and thus earned three trial gems are worthy of waking the Oracle.’ 

Is that a possibility for our heroes? Perhaps with help from the genie, if they can first reunite her with her magic lamp. Then there are still those particularly prickly cacti to contend with, 

as well as a recalcitrant magic carpet. This quest is certainly going to test the heroes to their limits

Super clever, super silly and super fun: as ever the madcap frolics of Matty Long’s forest dwelling characters are a treat for primary readers, not to mention this adult reviewer.

The Feeling Good Club: Smash Your Worries, Bella / Diary of an Accidental Witch: Ghostly Getaway

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These are two Little Tiger books both written in diary form: thanks to the publisher for sending them for review

The Feeling Good Club: Smash Your Worries Bella!
Kelly McKain, illustrated by Jenny Latham

This is the first of a new series, told through the journal of Bella, a Y5 pupil at Cavendish Juniors. As the book opens she’s feeling particularly down as her best friend Rohisha has just moved and to make matters worse, Bella has a Big Worry: she has to give a talk to her class in a few days. Her parents are trying their best to make her feel better but with no success: how is she going to make it through the next six weeks to the summer holidays when Rosh is coming to stay? Their Zoom calls make her feel worse still; her friend only talks about her new situation leaving Bella no opportunity to get a word in edgeways.

However, after a disastrous presentation to her class, during what’s supposed to be Feeling Good Week, Bella begins to bond with two empathetic classmates, Shazmin and Archie and little by little Bella’s confidence grows and she thinks she might even give that talk another go. Then comes a special Feeling Good session from Kris, a parent who is a mindfulness teacher. This is especially useful in helping Bella feel differently about how she reacts to situations and provides some activities to help cope with worries. After all this Bella, Archie and Shazim decide to form the Feeling Good Club.

Now things are definitely looking up but can Bella find the confidence to let Rohisha know how she feels on those Zoom calls and most important can she finally send those worries packing once and for all?

Kelly McKain’s writing shows clearly how well she understands children and their emotions; Bella’s voice is one teachers and parents will recognise, so real does she sound. Equally readers around Bella’s age will understand exactly how she feels as she faces and comes to terms with the challenges presented in this story. It’s one that celebrates everybody’s uniqueness and the power of friendship. The book ends with some mindfulness activities for children. I look forward to hearing more of Bella and her friends.

Diary of an Accidental Witch: Ghostly Getaway
Perdita & Honor Cargill, illustrated by Katie Saunders

Living in Little Spellshire with her weather scientist dad, Bea Black, through whose third diary we share her latest experiences and thoughts, is just into her second term at witch school. She’s mega-excited about the residential school trip and when it’s announced that their destination is Cadabra Castle in the middle of nowhere, Bea is a tad worried about the possibility that it might be haunted. When they arrive there’s a scramble for rooms and Bea, Amara and Winnie end up in a slightly spooky room with a ginormous four-poster bed big enough for three.

The time table they’re given looks very interesting with challenges, quizzes and picnics one of which is followed by a scavenger hunt. Can they succeed in keeping their magic a secret especially when there’s a group of ‘ordinaries’ out hiking who have a special interest in the possibility of a ruined castle. Another challenge is the team building of a shelter – who will win that?

In the final challenge Bea is paired up with Blair – somebody she doesn’t get on with at all – and that in itself is a challenge. However, Bea’s biggest challenge of all is to stop her Dad from finishing his book about Little Spellshire’s micro climate thus preventing the two of them from moving away from the area and the school she loves so much.

This is another winning witchy tale from team Cargill and Saunders. It’s fuelled by cake – a lot of it, friendship, the need for teamwork and the possibility of a ghost: will they actually discover one? You’ll need to get a copy of the book to find out.

The Tower at the End of Time / Diary of an Accidental Witch: Flying High

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The Tower at the End of Time
Amy Sparkes
Walker Books

Reformed pickpocket Nine, Eric the troll, wizard Flabbergast et al return for a second wonderful adventure that again mixes wit, magic, some nail-biting moments and occasional chaos.

Now the curse on the magical house has been lifted allowing the friends to travel between worlds, their first destination being The Wizarding Hopscotch Championship. It’s particularly important that Flabbergast attends the championships – he’s missed three years already and his worthiness is at stake. Moreover, the final prize for winning the event is a visit to The Tower at the End of Time, where one question can be asked!

There’s a problem though, for the house, being nervous about travelling again, is beset by an attack of the hiccups, which unsurprisingly upsets plans somewhat as with each HIC they bounce from one world to another till they finally reach those championships. More problems ensue when Flabbergast discovers that the hopscotch grid is aflame and he encounters many obstacles thereon, but negotiating it is the only way he can get the answer to his question.

In the end everything becomes a race against time, or rather gigantic sand-timers, with every contestant desperate to find an answer to their particular question. And what about Nine? She too has questions concerning who she really is and who left her that music box she treasures so much.

Hugely inventive and sparkling with excitement: primary readers with a penchant for high octane fantasy will jump at the chance to read this.

Diary of an Accidental Witch: Flying High
Perdita & Honor Cargill, illustrated by Kate Saunders
Little Tiger (Stripes Publishing)

With her first diary safely hidden away and her first half term at the School of Extraordinary under her belt, Bea Black starts a new one for this second book.
At home she’s still struggling to give sufficient time to her neighbour and close friend Ash who goes to an ordinary school..

With the Winter Solstice fast approaching, the main topic of conversation after the break is the forthcoming Grand Tournament and Bea finds herself a vice-sports captain. With the Go matches coming up, it’s even more important that she polishes up her broomstick skills. And then following a to do involving buns in town, headteacher Ms Sparks announces that in the hope of improving relations between the two schools, she is inviting the pupils from the Academy to participate in the Grand Tournament and that means no magic, no flying and definitely no Go after all. Indeed the event has now been renamed Sports Day.

Can the rift between the two establishments be healed? Then what about that egg or rather Egg, that Professor Age has given her to tend at home?

Honor Cargill’s smashing illustrations are sprinkled throughout and once again this is hugely engaging and lots of fun, with all the pupils having to deal with similar concerns and issues that readers themselves are likely experiencing.

Diary of an Accidental Witch

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Diary of an Accidental Witch
Perdita & Honor Cargill, illustrated by Katie Saunders
Little Tiger

There’s a new magical school on the story map and it’s called Little Spellshire School of Extraordinary Arts. Little Spellshire is the sleepy town full of cats and magical children into which Bea Black and her weather scientist Dad have just moved; this book takes the form of eleven-year old Bea’s diary – her first ever.

But it’s a case of izzy fizzy, Dad was so busy and so dizzy that he’s gone and enrolled her not in the ordinary academy but the Extraordinary establishment in the forest intended for young local witches.

Unexpectedly Bea finds herself sitting through all kinds of strange and spellbinding lessons in the company of peculiar classmates

and tasked with homework that entails venturing into the forest in the middle of the night to find skeledrake roots for a potion – now what on earth are they?

Surely it’s not too much to remind her Dad to get her moved into the Academy ASAP.
It’s either that or dig deep and find her inner witch: with the Halloween ball fast approaching it would be useful to discover even the teeniest smidgen of a magical spark.

Then there’s the question of Excalibur

about which I’ll say no more except that the incident is just one of the many magical mishaps and untoward incidents to be found in Bea’s diary that is bound to have readers giggling and wriggling in delight.

However as well as frog minding, persevering with broomstick-riding, levitation, avoiding getting ExSPELLED, being Witch In Charge of Bat Bunting, which requires the cutting of 1200 paper bats, keeping Dad from finding out of what’s really going on, this spellbinding story is concerned with a girl trying her best to fit in at a new school, making the best of a tricky situation and trying her level best to make friends.

Full of heart, this is the first of four stories brewed by the Cargill team, aided and abetted by Katie Saunders who supplies liberal sprinklings of amusing illustrations (including a class photo and a map): an ideal concoction that simply effervesces with humour and heart. Youngsters will definitely be spellbound and eagerly anticipate diary number two; so too, this reviewer.