Nine is an orphan pickpocket determined to escape her life in the Nest of a Thousand Treasures. When she steals a house-shaped ornament from a mysterious woman’s purse, she knocks on its tiny door and watches it grow into a huge, higgledy-piggeldy house. Inside she finds a host of magical and brilliantly funny characters, including Flabberghast – a young wizard who’s particularly competitive at hopscotch – and a hideous troll housekeeper who’s emotionally attached to his feather duster. They have been placed under an extraordinary spell, which they are desperate for Nine to break – and if she can, maybe they can offer her a new life in return …
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy/ Children and Teenage
Age appropriate: 8+
Number of Pages: 240 pages
Date of Publication: 07/01/2021
Author/Illustrator/Publisher:
The author of this magical story is Amy Sparkes who loves writing stories for children of all ages. The cover and illustrations were created by Ben Mantle who is also an author. The ‘The House at the Edge of Magic’ Walker Books.
Rating: 5/5
The House at the Edge of Magic by Amy Sparkes is a heart-warming magical story full of chaos and fascinating characters. Nine is a young girl who picks pockets in exchange of shelter and food as her only possession is a small silvery music box. Everything is about to change when she snatches a small ornament from a young lady’s purse which soon enough transforms into an enormous house that hosts a menagerie of magical residents but unfortunately the house is under a terrible curse. Nine find herself now linked to the house and is needed to help break the spell.
The story is magical in every single way possible where the characters have their own distinct and unique personalities and each of them brings something special to the story, their interactions are hilarious and the end will definitely surprise you with its reveal of a perfect villain for the story.
The house where they live is full of bedlam where nobody can find the bathroom and where the library will attack anyone who is brave enough to enter it.
The story is perfect for middle grade readers with its piles of adventure, magic and its fast paced rhythm. This is a fun, quirky and unpredictable story which will be enjoyed by anyone who reads it.
The cover of the book was created by the very talented Ben Mantle and is truly magical and perfectly reflects the story with all the details and colours.
Availability: The book is available in all good bookshops.
Shelf Life 
Leave a Reply