Who wouldn’t want to join a secret society that revolves around magic and adventure to other worlds? The truism that a book can take you places while you’re stuck at home has never seemed more prescient. In our current COVID 19 situation, it seems many of us are seeking to escape the boundaries of our diminished worlds through books, and this new novel is perfect escapism!
Twelve-year-old Flick has moved with her family to a new home in a new location. The prospect of a long, lonely summer holiday stretches ahead of her and she’s keen to escape the drudgery of housework and babysitting that her parents have planned for her. She wanders into the local village to check out her new school and the shopping possibilities, which seem fairly uninteresting except for one antiquated shopfront that intrigues her, so she takes a bold step inside its doors to discover a young man with a store full of secrets.
Jonathan is the custodian of a multitude of magical suitcases, and a keeper of magical secrets. The hundreds of suitcases in his care are portals to other worlds, and soon Flick is caught up in hair-raising escapades across space and time, into worlds that are both beautiful and terrifying, welcoming and malign, completely strange and strangely familiar.
Jonathan shares knowledge with Flick that draws her deeper and deeper into magic, and Flick discovers she has some talent and power in the mystic arts. He also shares with her his most troubling secrets and so they embark on a journey across many worlds in the quest to find Jonathan’s missing father.
In this book, the start of a series, Flick and Jonathan find that the world at the centre of the multiverse is in danger of collapsing and that our own world is in peril. Faced with the possibility of losing all she holds dear, Flick fights against evil forces and magical schisms, discovering self-belief, and exploring the values of trust and friendship.
L.D. Lapinksi is already writing the second book in this series, so more adventures for Flick and Jonathan are assured. She acknowledges the influence of His Dark Materials and Artemis Fowl on her writing, both very popular series for young readers that explore parallel worlds. Fans of Dr Who and Neil Gaiman will enjoy this tale. It reminded me of one of my childhood favourites, The Phantom Tollbooth.
This book would be suitable for readers 9+. The book’s cover is absolutely gorgeous, with a fantastic illustration and gold embossing, making it perfect for gift-giving and ensuring it will be a cherished childhood book.
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