Tag: 5 stars

Friday Barnes #12: Collision Course – R.A. Spratt

Friday Barnes is the social skills champion of her immediate family. We already knew this, although if you haven’t seen Friday interact with any of her family before (other than Uncle Bernie), you may find this hard to believe. Now we get more Barnes family conversations than I think I’ve ever been a part of as we spend time with a couple of her siblings and her mother.

‘Just when you thought this family couldn’t get any odder.’

But first we have to escape Paris and lose Ian. Oh, and witness Friday being tortured by makeover. Torture has never been so much fun!

But eventually we make it to Switzerland, where Friday participates in … a team sport? Wait. That can’t be right. There’s even cardio in this book and now I’m questioning whether this is a Friday Barnes book at all.

Okay, Melanie has just woken up from a nap and explained it all to me. Melanie is in fine form this book, staying awake for entire scenes at a time and reminding us she’s a human lie detector. Every time she calls someone out for lying, she makes me think of Saga’s Lying Cat.

Friday and Melanie’s friendship is just perfect, and is perfectly summed up for us here:

They had formed a symbiotic relationship. They were like algae and fungus combining to make lichen. They thrived together, but it was hard for either one of them to cope alone.

I had intended on acting with restraint where this book was concerned. I was going to wait for my library reservation to come in and it was going to be okay because I’d beaten all of the kids to it so I was the first one in the queue.

Then the book was released and my plan two months in the making fell apart. I caved and bought my own copy. You’re welcome, next person in the library queue.

‘Do you still play girl detective?’

Why, yes she does. For starters, there’s the Mystery of the Missing Manuscript, the Problem with the Passport, the Cleaning Conundrum, a Blackboard Brainteaser and some Toothbrush Trouble. We also learn about the benefits of babysitting and the joy of jail, and generate zeal for zip ties.

‘When did our lives get so complicated?’ asked Friday.
‘For me, it was the day I met you,’ said Melanie.

I am so ready for the complications of the next book. I have been (im)patiently waiting for my invitation to Binky’s wedding. I’m not sure if I’m going to need to get all dressed up for the next book or not but the end of this one tells me I’m going to be on the lookout for him at the very least. I can’t wait! I adore Binky!

Have fun dressing up as Friday Barnes in disguise this Book Week, kids!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Friday’s Mum, the Nobel Prize winning physicist, has been accused of espionage. The police think she’s been selling secrets about the CERN Hadron Super Collider.

Friday knows her mother isn’t capable of such a thing – this is a woman who can’t even operate a dishwasher. She’s got to smuggle herself into Switzerland to clear her Mum’s name. Fortunately, Melanie is a master of disguise.

After an extremely extreme make-over, Friday arrives at CERN and finds axolotls in the water coolers, graffiti in the great hall and most baffling of all – her sister has fallen in love with an engineer! Can Friday solve these mysteries? Can she keep her family out of prison? And can she recognise Ian if he shaves his head?

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The Day of the Door – Laurel Hightower

This first thing I did after I finished reading this book was preorder a signed copy. The second thing I did was add every other Laurel Hightower book to my TBR pile; up high, so they don’t get crushed by the weight.

I went into this read expecting a rehash of a bunch of movies I’ve seen where a film crew go into a [haunted location] and [bad stuff happens]. I was good with that. They’re enjoyable movies. The jump scares are usually broadcast at least a minute before they happen, the CGI is generally amusing at best, but they’re good, trashy fun. I would’ve been satisfied if this had been the book equivalent of B grade horror.

What I got was so much more.

“There was something there, something in that house that wasn’t … right. Wasn’t natural.”

For the first time in twenty years, the surviving Lasco’s are returning to 2103 Harper Lane. They’re being accompanied by a film crew, because family drama is always better when it’s televised.

“She says she’s going to tell us. All of it.”

Stella’s now adult children are each living in the shadow of the capital T trauma of their childhood, which culminated in the event that transformed their before into after.

Depending on who you believe, Stella is either the cause of this event or its biggest victim.

“However bad you think you had it, it was far, far worse for me.”

This book gets the impacts of trauma right while highlighting that one size does not fit all. There’s no clear consensus about what happened or what it continues to mean for them individually and as family, and the surviving Lasco kids live their adult lives in vastly different ways.

I wasn’t expecting to be so conflicted as I read. If you search a dictionary for narcissism and gaslighting, Stella’s is the face that should be accompanying the descriptions. She’s the kind of woman that you love to hate and, because of this, it’s really difficult to see her as the victim she portrays herself as.

The pain I felt for her children was visceral. I desperately wanted the adult kids to get the validation they deserved. I wanted The Cleaner’s audiences to be left with no doubt about the pain Stella caused her family.

The other part of me was hoping for the paranormal to practically leap off the page at me and that’s what messed with my head. If I got the oozy spooky I signed up for, then what did that say about Stella’s responsibility?

The squirminess of wanting accountability while yearning for the paranormal made this a much more uncomfortable read than I was expecting. I love that it took me there, because apparently I’m a masochist but also because I don’t want easy reads.

I want to be challenged. I want to have to think and feel and question. This book gave me complicated and my squirminess now is about needing someone to talk to about the [bad stuff]. Someone I know needs to read this book very soon.

I practically hoovered this book. I was left feeling so satisfied with how it ended but I still want more. I now need the book where we hang out with Carrie in her other job.

So, what awaits us on the third floor? Something awesome!

Thank you so much to BookSirens and Ghoulish Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Once there were four Lasco siblings banded together against a world that failed to protect them. But on a hellish night that marked the end of their childhood, eldest brother Shawn died violently after being dragged behind closed doors. Though the official finding was accidental death, Nathan Lasco knows better, and has never forgiven their mother, Stella.

Now two decades later, Stella promises to finally reveal the truth of what happened on The Day of the Door. Accompanied by a paranormal investigative team, the Lasco family comes together one final time, but no one is prepared for the revelations waiting for them on the third floor.

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The Crane Husband – Kelly Barnhill

Cover image of The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill

I should have been worried about the crane.

Our unnamed protagonist is fifteen when the crane arrives but they were parentified long before. Her mother, so entrenched in trauma generations in the making, doesn’t have the capacity to be there in a meaningful way for her children. It’s up to our fifteen year old to parent her younger brother, Michael, as well as herself.

This novella is a retelling of The Crane Wife and I still don’t know what to do with this story a week after I finished reading it.

It’s haunting and horrifying. It tackles domestic violence, which is ugly, no matter what form it takes.

There was no one to tell. So I told no one.

In the hands of Kelly Barnhill, though, even disturbing stories like this one contain beauty and that, my friend, is what cognitive dissonance is made of.

It’s the daughter doing everything in her power to protect her brother. It’s how she resists the violence that has invaded her home. But it’s also the way the author creates with words, so it feels like they’re dancing around me.

It’s fitting that the teller of this story doesn’t have a name. Women in her family are the subject of gossip and rumours but they don’t have identities outside of their roles: mother, artist, daughter, sister.

Her brother has a name. The sheep have names. The women do not.

I knew when I read When Women Were Dragons that I’d found a new favourite author. This book confirmed it while reminding me that I still need to read everything else Kelly Barnhill has ever written. I need those stories in my heart, even if they hurt.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

“Mothers fly away like migrating birds. This is why farmers have daughters.”

A fifteen-year-old teenager is the backbone of her small Midwestern family, budgeting the household finances and raising her younger brother while her mum, a talented artist, weaves beautiful tapestries. For six years, it’s been just the three of them — her mum has brought home guests at times, but none have ever stayed.

Yet when her mum brings home a six-foot tall crane with a menacing air, the girl is powerless to prevent her mum letting the intruder into her heart, and her children’s lives. Utterly enchanted and numb to his sharp edges, her mum abandons the world around her to weave the masterpiece the crane demands.

In this stunning contemporary retelling of “The Crane Wife” by the Newbery Medal-winning author of The Girl Who Drank the Moon, one fiercely pragmatic teen forced to grow up faster than was fair will do whatever it takes to protect her family — and change the story.

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The Spell of a Story – Mariajo Ilustrajo

A young girl comes home after her last day of school with terrible news. She has to read an entire book during the school holidays.

Just one? For the entire school holidays? That is terrible news.

She hates books.

Blasphemy!

Her sister takes her to the library,

Ooh, the mother ship!

where she’s introduced to the book that will change her life.

Okay, so what you’re telling me is the sister is the hero of this story.

I love books. I love books about books. I love books about loving books.

The words in this one are wonderful, sure, but it’s the illustrations I keep going back to. Our soon to be kindred spirit is absolutely adorable!

Seeing our reluctant reader glued to the page is what joy is made of. Witnessing the moment she transforms into one of us is pure magic.

Prior to their visit to the library, the colours are muted. You can see more vivid colours beginning to escape the pages in the library and when the girl begins to read.

Muted colours

Once her imagination sparks, though, that’s when the colours come to life.

The colours come to life

I appreciated the sneaky inclusion of the author’s other books on the classroom bookshelf. Be on the lookout, as I always am, for Mary Poppins. You may also find a Lost polar bear.

You don’t need a spell to convince me of the life changing magic of books. My hope for this book is that it’s the first adventure for tomorrow’s bookworms.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, an imprint of The Quarto Group, for the opportunity to read this picture book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

From the award-winning creator of Flooded and Lost comes a magical story about the joy of discovering a connection with books for the very first time.

This brightly illustrated adventure story is perfect for kids who claim to hate reading, as the enchanting narrative opens their eyes to a fantasy world created by words on a page.

In this spellbinding story, we meet a little girl excited for the end of term. No more school! However, she’s given the very unreasonable task of reading a whole book over the holidays. A whole book? but she HATES books. Luckily, her sister takes her to the library and says she has just the thing.

Slowly, the little girl is drawn into a world of adventure inside her own imagination, for the very first time. Even the greyscale world starts to fill with colour as she is carried away in the story. A little fennec fox leads her to meet fairytale witches and creatures as they find ingredients to cast a special spell at the end of her book.

The little girl is dismayed to learn that this spell seemingly hasn’t changed a thing. However, the little fox points out that she is completely transformed: discovering the power of her imagination has changed her forever.

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Shadowhall Academy #1: The Whispering Walls – Phil Hickes

Illustrations – Keith Robinson

We know right off the bat that Lilian Jones is going to be someone special. She needs to leave her friends behind to attend Shadowhall Academy, a boarding school that’s perpetually cold. Not only that, her single suitcase cannot hold her entire collection of perfectly organised seashells, marbles and books, so they need to remain in her bedroom.

Her attic bedroom! I spent my childhood dreaming of an attic bedroom and, had my dream become reality, you would have had to drag me from it kicking and screaming.

She’d always wanted to go somewhere exciting and different – well, here was her chance.

When Lilian arrives at Shadowhall, she’s greeted by wrought-iron gates, a two-headed gargoyle, Gothic turrets and Ms Strange, Shadowhall Academy’s headmistress. I don’t know about you but it’s feeling pretty ominous already…

Lilian shares a dormitory with three other girls: Marian (Maz), Serena and Angela. Let’s hope they don’t need much sleep because on the very first night, the two newbies hear tapping on the wall.

“Probably just the pipes, or maybe a mouse or something,” Lilian said. “You know what it’s like in these old buildings.”

A likely story… Shadowhall Academy has a long history, though, and there’s every possibility that it’s haunted.

I’ve been waiting to read this book for months and it was even better than I was expecting. I loved the characters and want to spend more time with all of them, particularly Mr Bullen, who fascinated me. I enjoyed solving the mystery alongside Lilian and her new friends. I need to explore Shadowhall Academy and uncover some more of its secrets.

Phil Hickes and Keith Robinson really are the dream team. Phil introduces me to loveable characters and places them in spooky situations. Keith somehow manages to capture both the heart of the characters and the creepy of the atmosphere. My only disappointment with this book was the fact that I didn’t get the opportunity to enjoy more of Keith’s artwork.

I’m wondering why Lilian’s mother didn’t drop her off at Shadowhall with her father and younger sister. Her absence intrigued me so I’d like to learn more about her.

This is England in the 1980’s and it was refreshing to spend some time in the pre-internet world. Adult me devoured this book and cannot wait to return to Shadowhall. Kid me would have read some of it through my fingers.

I dare say this is Phil Hickes’ best book yet, but please don’t tell Aveline I said that because I adore her. Speaking of Aveline, I was puzzling over the fact that Lilian shares a surname with her. I may have let out a teensy bit of a scream when I finally connected the dots. Lilian is Aveline’s aunt!!! That has made my day! It’s also made me want to reread the Aveline Jones books.

Welcome to Shadowhall Academy. Come for the architecture and the spooky. BYO tea, biscuits and heater. I really hope we get to return there soon.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Welcome to Shadowhall Academy, where spirits haunt the school halls. A brilliantly spooky new series from the author of Aveline Jones.

I heard a tapping noise, right by my head. Like there was someone in the wall trying to get my attention…

When Lilian Jones starts at creepy, cold and bewilderingly large Shadowhall Academy, she’s nervous about making friends. And when her roommates tell her the school is haunted, she thinks they’re just trying to scare the new girl. 

But then bizarre things start happening – tapping and whispers in the walls at night, tales of missing students and strange figures in the woods.

Lilian discovers that not only are the school ghost stories true, but her new friends could be in danger. So she sets out to uncover the secrets of Shadowhall Academy, whatever it takes.

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Sworn Soldier #2: What Feasts at Night – T. Kingfisher

Prodigal wastrel Easton is returning to Gallacia with Hob, kan horse, and Mr Angus, kan long time friend, whose grunt vocabulary is impressive.

All things being equal, Easton would prefer to be in Paris but Miss Potter is coming to visit the fungus and practice her Gallacian.

What trash has the wind blown in, then?

It’s all very grim and grey, but that’s as Gallacian as carved turnip shutters. It’s not usually this quiet, though.

It seems that trouble follows whenever this trio are together. The current trouble involves the very real complications that result from a superstition coming for you. What feasts at night, besides me? It’s best if you find out yourself but it’ll take your breath away.

I loved the descriptions that reminded me early on that I wasn’t invited along for a simple catch up amongst the friends who survived the first book: “a tangle of vines draped over a bare tree like spilled entrails.”

Speaking of the first book, you really should read it before this one. This could be read as a standalone in a pinch but you’ll want to read What Moves the Dead once you’ve finished this one anyway. Plus, there’s spoilers for the first book here and you really don’t want anyone ruining the fun for you.

I’m aware that this is a cop out but I can’t choose a favourite in this series. I felt more dread in the first book but I enjoyed the interaction between the characters more in this one.

The depiction of PTSD (called soldier’s heart here) is authentic. PTSD invades every aspect of your life, regardless of the shape of the ‘war’ you survived. The impacts Easton experiences in this series are realistic.

I love catch-all phrases and I found one here that I’m going to have fun irritating people with, particularly when someone asks how I am when it’s a throwaway line, not a genuine inquiry.

“I’m keeping”

Make sure you save some mushrooms for Miss Potter and see if you can get the Widow to smile.

“Hmmph!”

It might be a good idea to check under your pillow before you go to bed tonight.

I now have a more pressing need for a book that gives Miss Potter centre stage. I see this taking place in England. Easton and Angus visit her, perhaps for a wedding. There’s a mycological emergency of sorts, possibly involving fairies…

“Until next we meet, young sinner!”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to read this novella.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

When Alex Easton travels to Gallacia as a favour to their friend, Britain’s foremost mycologist Miss Potter, they find their home empty, the caretaker dead, and the grounds blanketed by an uncanny silence. The locals won’t talk about what happened to the caretaker. None of them will set foot on the grounds.

Whispers of an unearthly breath-stealing creature from Gallacian folklore don’t trouble practical Easton. But as their sleep is increasingly disturbed by vivid nightmares and odd happenings perplex the household, they are forced to confront the possibility that there is more to the old folk stories than they’d like to believe.

A dark shadow hangs over Easton’s house. And nobody will rest until justice is done.

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Here Be Dragons – Susannah Lloyd

Illustrations – Paddy Donnelly

Our arrogant pompous self assured knight is on a mission: to find a dragon. He’s determined, he has a map and a trusty steed who is, quite frankly, the brains of the operation.

The knight trusts his own judgement and buries his head in the map, oblivious to the signs he passes. Even the literal ones.

The knight misses the signs

This is one of those picture books where the words and the pictures tell vastly different stories. If we trust the knight, we’ll believe there’s nothing to see here, but we know better.

Paddy Donnelly’s illustrations tell us the other story. It’s not only the dragon the knight fails to see. He misses practically the entire story. Just some of what he misses are a unicorn, treasure and the real heroes of this story.

If I’d read this as a kid, I would have loved pointing out all of the times I found the dragon. Adult me may have also enjoyed doing this but also loved seeing the expressions on the animals’ faces.

My favourite expression happened early in the book, when the knight is in Ye Olde Shoppe. He may have purchased that map and bargain bin sword or he may have appropriated them when the shopkeeper’s back was turned. What’s not in doubt is how bored his horse is; without a word you can see they’re well acquainted with the knight’s self-aggrandising behaviour.

I read a lot of picture books. Not all of them make a lasting impression. This one has. I borrowed it from the library in 2021 and as soon as I saw it again I knew I had to reread it. It was just as much fun as I remembered.

I got even more out of the illustrations this time around. There’s so much to see. It’s taken me four reads to pick up on the fact that the bunny flying through the air is still visible when you turn to the next page.

I’m definitely going to be reading this again.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, an imprint of The Quarto Group, for the opportunity to read this picture book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Children will love this hilarious book about a silly knight who goes in search of a dragon to battle!

The other knights have told him that there’s no such thing as dragons, but he says, ‘Forsooth! There is TOO such a thing!’ You just need to know where to look!

And luckily, this knight has something very special that no one else has – a map that says: ‘HERE BE DRAGONS’!

So, he sets off armed with the map, his sword, and his trusty steed. He travels straight to the spot marked ‘X’, past shiny treasure, some suspicious bones and many signs telling him to TURN BACK!

But alas, he’s too busy looking at his map to notice. He wanders up and down a spiky hill (the dragon’s back), shouts into a burrow (the dragon’s nose), and eventually walks into a very dark cave (the dragon’s mouth).

In this laugh-out-loud story, young readers will love seeing the hapless knight search for the dragon, all the while not seeing how close he truly is to the beast!

Will he see the dragon before it’s too late?!

With expert storytelling from the author of This Book Can Read Your Mind, Susannah Lloyd, and whimsical illustrations from the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal nominee, Paddy Donnelly, this is a book that will delight time after time. Kids will love coming back to the bookshelf and seeing if they can spot the fearsome dragon in the background. Comedic illustrations with hidden clues hinting at the dragon’s whereabouts accompany funny and lively text which kids and parents alike will love to read aloud!

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Polyvagal Prompts – Deb Dana & Courtney Rolfe

Naming our experience begins the process of letting go of judgment and self-blame and making room for curiosity.

I first encountered Polyvagal Theory about a year ago but initially had trouble getting past the sciencey bits so hadn’t made it to the understanding part. That changed when I read Our Polyvagal World by Stephen Porges and Seth Porges. So many lightbulbs went off in my head I may as well have had the sun in there.

Suddenly I made sense to me. Not only that, other people also made sense. My optimism was tempered by a history of thinking something’s a great idea, knowing it would be better for me if I incorporated it into my life and momentum fading as life invariably happens.

This stuck, though, so much so that I now think in terms of colours. Thanks to the bazillion times I watched Twister in the late 90’s, I began to think of the ventral vagal state as ‘greenage’.

Twister greenage meme

Thanks, Dusty!

And you know what? It also stuck and I’m delighted to report that apparently it’s contagious. The fun of hearing people who usually speak quite formally casually mentioning greenage makes my green that much brighter.

Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to read more about Polyvagal Theory. I started at the end of this book because of course I did. Actually, it is suggested as an option in the Introduction so this wasn’t me going rogue.

There you’ll find A Beginner’s Guide to Polyvagal Theory and a glossary. The Beginner’s Guide can act as either an introduction or a refresher. I found it helpful to revisit what I’d previously learnt.

The guided prompts are presented in a logical progression, although you can work through them in any order. I’d be interested to discover how my answers change over time.

I absolutely loved the haiku examples to describe each state. I’ve gotten so used to understanding what state I’m experiencing in terms of colour, I tend to get confused when I read dorsal, sympathetic and ventral. These helped a lot.

Dorsal:

How long have I sat

No voice, no movement, slow breath

Far away from you

Sympathetic:

Look around, danger

Who is safe and who is not?

Get me out of here

Ventral:

A bright heart beaming

Wrapping all with love and warmth

Holding space for you

Overall, I was encouraged, knowing that I’m still implementing what I learned from reading Our Polyvagal World. I also appreciated being reminded of some things I’ve unintentionally let go of along the way. I plan to pay closer attention so I notice glimmers throughout my day and will be on the lookout for awe inspiring moments.

I’m keen to read more about Polyvagal Theory so don’t be surprised if you hear more about it from me in the near future.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Discover the remarkable ways your nervous system works in service of your safety and wellbeing.

Polyvagal Theory, developed by researcher and scientist Dr. Stephen Porges and popularised by therapist Deb Dana, has impacted countless lives. It has changed the way therapists work with their clients and provided a pathway toward healing for those who have experienced hardship or trauma. 

In Polyvagal Prompts, Deb Dana and Courtney Rolfe invite readers to explore their nervous systems through Polyvagal Theory with engaging questions and exercises, which readers can respond to directly in the pages of the book. Readers are guided in noticing their systems, listening with curiosity, and reflecting on what they learn. The prompts can be used as a daily practice or to explore specific topics at the reader’s own pace, and are also ideal for helping clients track and reflect upon their polyvagal-informed therapies. 

No matter how readers decide to explore, Polyvagal Prompts offers an invaluable opportunity to begin the life changing journey of befriending one’s nervous system.

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Worst Week Ever! #5: Friday – Eva Amores & Matt Cosgrove

So far, we’ve cat-alogued with shameful delight Justin Chase’s mortification on Miserable Monday, been triggered by Traumatic Tuesday, wigged out on Wacky Wednesday and seen the best/worst bits televised on Thunderstruck Thursday. We’ve seen him cat-apault from insignificance to infamy.

TGIF? Not for Justin Chase. For Justin, today is Fraught Friday.

Can the depths of his despair get any deeper? Well, if the depth of the hole he finds himself in at the beginning of the day is any indication, things are looking pretty dark. The only way from here is up, right?

Friday has running and jump scares and it’s all very cat-astrophic.

Justin screaming

Justin may be scared but he’s no chicken. Oh, wait.

Once again, the cat-aclysm Justin is facing is interactive and includes spot the difference, colour by number and the opportunity to show off your own artistic skills.

Just so you know, there’s cat-egorically nothing to see on the tunnel walls…

There’s a very good chance, with all of the trauma Justin has experienced recently, that he’s going to be cat-atonic by the end of the week. Rats.

While we’re cat-egorising, though, it’s not all cat-erwauling. Nickers may accidentally teach us a lesson about perspective, we get to spend some quality time with Nan and Mia’s art continues to astound me. Then there’s the gratitude that this isn’t a smell-o-book.

Pictures of yummy foods to distract you from the smell

Beware the poo-nami! It’s cat-aractous!

So, what’s the cat-alyst for all of these cat-astrophes? No idea!

I’m looking forward to our Scary Saturday cat-chup.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Have YOU ever had a BAD WEEK?

Justin Chase sure has, and this is it!

Against all odds, he somehow survived the trials and torments of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. But now … it’s FRIDAY!

Just when Justin thinks his wacky week can’t get any worse, he’s plunged to a new, all-time low. We’re talking subterranean levels. The actual pits. An abysmal abyss. So prepare to plumb the depths!

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Lola and Larch #1: Lola and Larch Fix a Fairy Forest – Sinéad O’Hart

Illustrations – Rachel Seago

Lola and Larch meet during a storm. Larch has lost her way. Lola is excited by the prospect of having her very own rabbit.

Only Larch isn’t a rabbit; she’s a tree fairy with wonky magic. Sometimes she’s a fairy. Sometimes she’s a rabbit. Sometimes she’s even a fairy with bunny ears.

While Lola’s mother, a forest ranger, is busy investigating an odd purple mist in the forest, Lola gets to know her new friend. It turns out being a magical creature doesn’t mean you don’t have problems, the most pressing of which for Larch right now is the shadow on the forest floor that could spell danger for her village.

I haven’t found a Sinéad O’Hart book that I haven’t liked yet and don’t expect to anytime soon. I loved getting to witness the beginning of Lola and Larch’s friendship. I appreciated Larch’s range of emotions and the fact that she’s different, giving readers the opportunity to learn to celebrate their differences while having adventures along the way.

I really enjoyed Rachel Seago’s illustrations. The details line up well with the story and the characters, especially Larch, are very expressive.

While I loved them all, one in particular has me fascinated. On page 64, Lola is laying on the grass while Larch is mid feast. There’s a snail making its way across the garden wall. I’m not sure if this is pareidolia (who knew there was a word for it?!) or if there really is supposed to be someone wearing glasses hiding behind the shrub on the right side of the picture. Either way, I can’t stop looking at it!

Lola and Larch in the garden

The nighttime scenes accompanied by white text were some of my favourites.

I initially puzzled over bad fairy Euphorbia Spurge’s name. Then I Googled it and discovered that this works perfectly for her. I saw this plant described as ‘elegant yet tough’ and learned that its sap is poisonous and a skin irritant.

She may not technically be poisonous (although the sequel may prove me wrong) but being a power hungry baddie certainly speaks to her toxicity. I can’t help wondering if I could trick her into helping me out on the nights I have trouble sleeping…

I’m always drawn to the Grandma in children’s books and Lola’s Grandma is adorable. She didn’t leave her belief in magic behind in childhood so I really hope at some stage Larch breaks Rule the First for her.

Rule the First. Never reveal yourself to an Adult Human Creature, for they are Foolish and Not to be Trusted.

I trust you, Grandma!

I would have loved this book as a kid. Adult me found it delightful. It’s one of those books I’d happily read to a child. More than once.

I’m keen to see what this green haired fairy and her Child Human Creature get up to next.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Nosy Crow for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Lola can’t believe her luck – the rabbit she’s rescued is actually a fairy in disguise. Now she has her very own fairy! There’s just one problem. Larch, the rebellious fairy she’s rescued, is convinced that Lola is her human…

But while Larch and Lola discuss the merits of snail slime for breakfast and try to decide who should be in charge, there’s a bad fairy on the loose. Evil Euphorbia Spurge wants magic, and Larch is full of it. Soon it’s a battle of wits, wands and fairy wings as the new friends take on the wildest fairy in the woods…

Beautifully illustrated throughout, Lola and Larch is a heartwarming, funny celebration of friendship. It’s the perfect series for 7+ readers who like fairies, magic, and very naughty rabbits!

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