The Bookshop at the Back of Beyond
Amy Sparkes
Walker Books

This third adventure in the House at the Edge of Magic series sees the travelling house in the magical land of Beyond where Nine, wizard Flabbergast and companions have come to look for Dr Spoon’s partner, Professor Dish.

Their search takes members of the party into various shops; all must be visited and something bought at each one. The shopkeepers are often less than helpful and some shops seem never to be open, most notably the bookshop.
Add to all his the fact that Nine is determined to unearth the secrets her mother left behind. She has a guilty secret too; both Flabbergast and witches also have secrets. Power-craving Aunt Ophidia is determined to get the secret formula that Dish and Spoon have been working on but the others from the magic house are frustrated by the continued non-opening of that bookshop. A showdown seems inevitable.

The entire story fizzes and zizzes with madcap magical happenings and mayhem as the fast paced plot zigs and zags. Amy Sparkes’ world building is superb as ever and I love the way her characters develop in this one. It’s altogether weird and utterly wonderful including Ben Mantle’s cover illustration.

Read this to a KS2 class and they will be entranced.