A Spell-Binding Tale: Read Our Review of The School Between Winter and Fairyland by Heather Fawcett

Every school has its secrets…

Twelve-year-old Autumn is a beastkeeper at Inglenook School for Magicians, which she secretly dreams of attending as a student. Instead, she must care for Inglenook’s menagerie of dangerous creatures so the king’s future monster hunters can study them. But when she isn’t mucking out the griffin stalls, Autumn searches for clues about her twin brother’s mysterious disappearance. Everyone else thinks that he was devoured by the terrifying Hollow Dragon, but Autumn isn’t so sure.

Enter Cai Morrigan, the famous young magician prophesied to one day destroy the Hollow Dragon. When Cai comes to Autumn with a secret problem, Autumn agrees to help on one condition: that the ‘Chosen One’ join her quest to find her brother. Together they uncover the dark truth that lies at the heart of Inglenook School – because every school has its secrets…

Heather Fawcett is the author of the middle-grade novels Ember and the Ice Dragons and The Language of Ghosts, as well as the YA series Even the Darkest Stars. The School Between Winter and Fairyland is Fawcett’s latest spell-binding tale of magic, monsters and mystery, set in an enchanted boarding school.

Autumn is the heroine every child aged 9+ should read about. She exudes empowerment in moments of self-discovery, demonstrates the power of an unlikely friendship, and shows the importance of family. The School Between Winter and Fairyland has mind-blowing twists and turns that will leave you eager to find out what happens next – I loved the reasoning behind Autumn and her twin-brother Winter’s names, but you’ll have to read it to find out.

Exquisitely written and full of suspense, this is middle-grade fantasy at its best and most original, perfect for fans of Nevermoor and Harry Potter. Fawcett’s characters and world-building is strong, and the climactic plotline does not disappoint! The plot unfolds at a necessary pace, building suspense while also acquainting readers with this magical world. Full of dragons, boggarts and plenty of mystery, you’re going to wish you lived in this world too.