Tilly & the Bookwanderers - Book Review

Well, here we are at Alert Level 3 in Auckland, after a long period of relative freedom and safety. A good opportunity for me to write some book reviews.

I read a few children's books over the summer holidays - and I am excited to share them with you. 

Tilly and the Bookwanderers

Tilly and the Bookwanderers is book one of the series, Pages & Co. written by Anna James. Eleven-year-old Matilda Pages lives with her grandparents above their bookshop called Pages & Co. She has lived with them ever since her mother disappeared after she was born. The bookshop is a delightful setting for book lovers. Tilly often nibbles on tasty book-themed delights from Jack's cafe within the book shop. Tilly has her favourite cosy sofa and access to endless worlds to be explored behind the covers of books. Tilly is an avid reader, who often returns to her favourite books - Anne of Green Gables and Alice in Wonderland. Anne and Alice begin to appear in Tilly's world, leading her to search for answers about this unusual gift. The author captures the voice of Anne Shirley delightfully. Alice seems to have become almost as quirky as the characters in Wonderland, who have clearly rubbed off on her. I happened to read Alice in Wonderland last year, and Anne of Green Gables in 2019, so they were both relatively fresh, making this revisit of their characters enjoyable.

Matilda struggles with a deep sense of loss over her mother's disappearance and wants to understand what happened and find her mother - if possible. This longing, as well as the otherworldly happenings, make intriguing hooks. There is an antagonistic, creepy character called Enoch Chalk, who frequently appears as if he is following Tilly. There are also visits to a magical Underlibrary where librarians are either heroes or bureaucrats. 

Tilly develops a friendship with Oskar, who hangs out at the cafe next door to the bookshop. So in addition to Tilly's interaction with book characters, there is plenty of real-world friendship to enjoy here too. 

This book combines the love of book characters, with mystery and fantasy in an exciting way. There is also a contemporary feel to the story - with authentic relationships between Tilly and her grandparents and friends.

I highly recommend this book to confident readers. I know many of you love the Land of Stories by Chris Colfer, which also brings characters to life - so I am sure you'll love Tilly & the Bookwanderers. 

Here's the good news - I have bought the first three books in the series!