Pages & Co - Tilly and the Bookwanderers by Anna James

Storyline

Matilda or Tilly, as she is better known, is an eleven-year-old who lives with her grandparents next to their bookshop, Pages & Co. Tilly's mother left her in the care of her parents when Tilly was a baby and went missing. Tilly loves getting lost in the world of books and her best friends are the characters from various books. Despite that, she yearns for adventure and excitement in her otherwise mundane life. A chance encounter with two girls who resemble her favourite characters, Anne from Anne of Green Gables and Alice from Alice and the Wonderland in the bookshop, leaves her baffled. Soon she discovers that she belongs to a privileged group of book readers who can book wander. Tilly came from a long line of book wanderers. She could travel inside the books without causing any damage to the story. The mystery around her mother's disappearance intrigues her and, thus she begins her quest to find her mother.  

My Thoughts

Growing-up middle-grade fiction was my go-to to escape into the magical world of books and fictional characters. After a rather long time, I got back to it, thanks to my little one. Tilly and the Bookwanderers took me back in time and made me nostalgic. Such were the stories that started me on my reading journey. I book wandered with Tilly to her favourite books. Having said that, I wish all of it was true and there was some way I could bring to life my favourite characters. Anna James has created an incredible world in and around books. The first half of the book unravels gradually and is all about establishing the plot. It sets the pace for more adventures to come for Tilly and Oskar. Tilly's character is well fleshed out. She is spirited, impulsive and adventurous. The Author has cleverly incorporated two of the most loved classic characters, Alice and Anne. She has preserved their original characteristics. 

Tilly and the Bookwanderers reminded me why I fell in love with the books in the first place. Immersing myself in the world of books was the only way I could let my imagination fly and go wild. 

"The books we love when we're growing up shape us in a special way, Tilly. The characters in the books we read help us decide who we want to be."

"Books can change minds and change worlds, open doors and open minds, and plant seeds that can grow into magical or even terrifying things"

It is a must-read for every middle grader and for that matter anyone who enjoys this genre. Another plus for me, my seven-year-old thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Illustrations - 4/5

Engagement Factor - 4/5

Overall Rating - 4/5

Age - 8-12+

 

The Bewitching of Aveline Jones by Phil Hickes

 

The story follows Aveline to a cottage in the countryside not far from where they lived, for her summer holidays. The only thing she found alluring enough for her in the village of Norton Wick was the circle of stones called The Witch Stones. While exploring the circle of stones she came across an enigmatic girl, Hazel. Suddenly, her boring vacation became intriguing and thrilling. Aveline becomes suspicious when Hazel starts acting strange. Bizarre things start occurring that had no logical explanation other than a supernatural one. When Aveline's friend Harold arrives to spend a few days, that's when things become slightly twisted. 

This is the second Aveline Jones book after The Haunting of Aveline Jones. The author has taken his time to build an eerie atmosphere before taking the story forward. Despite its slow start it picks up pace in the second half and turns into a fascinating and spine-tingling tale of witches and magic. Britain's supernatural history of stone circles and witch trials has been brilliantly blended into the story. The author has not used a plethora of characters to unnecessarily complicate the story. With the minimum number of characters, he has spun a perfect spooky mystery for the middle graders. I am going to pick up the first book and looking forward to the third in the series. 

Illustrations - 3/5

Engagement Factor - 4/5

Overall Rating - 4/5

Age - 8-12+

A Mystery at Lili Villa by Arathi Menon

 

A Mystery at Lili Villa follows the escapades of three cousins Tam, Arj and Mira in the small town of Elathoor, Kerala. Tam is spending her summer vacations with her cousins at her aunt and uncle’s house, Lili Villa. When a burglary occurs at their house, the cousins decide to play detectives and figure out the culprit themselves. They draw a list of suspects and go around the town gathering clues and figuring out each one’s alibis. 

The author has maintained a simple flow in storytelling without adding too many unnecessary complexities. I loved the setting of the small town of Kerala where almost everyone knows everyone in a close-knit community. The children are endearing and the author has managed to make their personalities stand out. The way they go about crossing out suspects from their list while having fun along the way would interest the kids. The use of monikers instead of proper names for the characters adds to the fun element. Since food is a big part of our Indian culture, the Kerala food glossary at the end was a great addition. I feel illustrations would have added to the appeal of the book, which was missing. Though the book is aimed at middle-grade readers, I feel it is more suitable for young readers. Middle-grade readers prefer their mysteries a little more complicated. My 6-year-old had a good time reading it.

Illustrations - 0/5

Engagement Factor - 4/5

Overall Rating - 4/5

Age - 7-10+

Hilde Cracks the Case - Hero Dog by Hilde Lysiak

Hero Dog is the first book of the series Hilde Cracks the case. It is a book written by a kid for kids. Hilde Lysiak has been the inspiration for the Apple+ TV series Home Before Dark. It is part of Scholastic’s Branches line for early readers. It can be the stepping stone into the world of chapter books for your child. 

Hilde, a nine-year-old lives in a small town called Selinsgrove and has created a newspaper for her hometown. She considers herself a serious reporter and is always out and about in search of cases to report. Hero Dog follows Hilde a perspicacious investigative journalist, trying to solve the break-in on Orange Street with the help of her big sister Izzy. Some cupcakes and pie have gone missing and someone is trying to sabotage the Selisnsgrove bake-off bonanza. Hilde interviews the residents of Orange Street and notes down the clues in her notepad.

The writing is simple engaging enough for a 6-year-old to comprehend. The illustrations by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff adds to the charm of the story. Clues and suspects are neatly summarized at the end of chapters which makes kids feel that they are also part of the mystery. 

My 6-year-old loved the book and totally lapped it up. Now she is asking for the next one! 

Illustrations - 4.5/5

Engagement Factor - 4/5

Overall Rating - 4/5

Age - 5-6+

An Encrypted Clue - The Math Kids Series by David Cole

An Encrypted Clue is the fourth book in The Math Kids Series. The story follows four fourth-graders - Stephanie, Catherine, Justin and Jordan. They are all part of a Math Club and represent their school in the district level math competition. They enjoy solving math puzzles. While researching the history of their town for a school project, Stephanie comes across some strange symbols in the margin of a library book. The kids use their maths skills to break the cypher which leads them to more clues. Alongside, is the mystery of the mansion on the hill and budget cuts that threaten to cancel the math competition. Everything gets neatly tied together in the end. 

The book reminded me of The Secret Seven series by Enid Blyton. The plot is absorbing with the right amount of intrigue. But the best part about the book is the use of maths in solving cyphers. It would get the kids interested in puzzles and encourage them to apply logical reasoning. Another thing that I liked was how pieces of general knowledge were made part of the story, such as the enigma machine, Elizabeth Smith, periodic table etc. The kids learn all this without even realising. The solution to all the math problems in the books is given in the appendix. And at the same time kids are encouraged to solve the problems by themselves. It is perfectly suited for 8-10-year-olds though I have a feeling that my math-loving 6 years old would love reading it with a little help from me. My only peeve with it is that graphics or illustrations were too few and far apart. They seemed to be forced and didn't gel with the plot. There was an excellent opportunity for graphics that complimented the writing given the storyline with codes and cyphers. Would certainly recommend it for middle graders.

Illustration  - 2/5

Engagement Factor - 4/5

Overall Rating - 3.5/5

Age Group - 8+

Note : The book was given as a free copy by Netgalley to review however the views are my own.