THE HOUSE AT THE EDGE OF MAGIC – AMY SPARKES

Sometimes you are a whisper away from magic without even realizing it. 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… A Diana Wynne Jones-ish adventure fizzing with imagination. Such fun – I loved it! – Sinead O Hart A wonder-filled book that revels in magic and mayhem. – Abi Elphinstone Wildly imaginative and relentlessly entertaining. It is a story like no other and I absolutely adored it! – David Walliams