Month: June 2025

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Glunda, the Veg Witch by Keith W Dickinson

One of the excellent things about being involved with the Book Bloggers Novel of the Year (2024) is that you get to read stories that would not normally appear on your radar.  As many of you readers will know, I specialize in reading and then writing about books for children.  This is a huge range of materials, from picture books to YA and fiction as well as information works.  It is therefore great to have something that has a sense of familiarity, but which has managed to give an original twist to the work.

This story is set in a magical world, where the normal people live side by side with the Veg Witches and the  Drupe Mages  (wizards) and  depend on the witches to help grow their crops, as well as provide medical care and advice.  The mages, live in a castle and tend to keep away from the locals and they are also not very good at commonsense magic!  The main character is Glunda Ashwillow, who is about to become the current  head witch and Holder of the Golden Key; unfortunately the mages, in the guise of Alar Reave have decided not to hand over the Key (which is shared every six months), but intend to carry out all the magic themselves.  As I am sure you can imagine this turns out to be a recipe for disaster.  The question is whether the mages can be made to see sense, the local farmers can save their crops and the veg witches can get enough food to last the winter?

As I was reading this book, I had the distinct feeling that the author was paying a slight ‘homage’ to the memory of Terry Pratchett’s witches and wizards.  Although the main characters are a lot younger than many of those in the Discworld books, there is a real feeling that Glunda is akin to Tiffany Aching and there was even a hint of a cantankerous Granny Weatherwax.  The fun bit is that Glunda, Alar and a friend called Clum all attended the same school, so knew each other rather well.  This fact opened up all kinds of possibilities and allowed for the sort of verbal in-fighting that had grown since the characters were very young.  From the reader’s point of view it gives the opportunity for lots of humour and the chance to feel that they really need to try and get on.

This is a short book by modern standards, however it does carry the reader along at a fast pace and I think it will be popular with those who do not want a mammoth read.  I do look forward to reading more by the author, as I really liked his quirky sense of humour and the readability of the book.

The author

Born a stone’s throw from the Lake District, Keith studied film making at university before moving to London to work in film and TV. After twenty years of doing other people’s bidding he went around the world, trained as a yoga teacher, rode a camel, got a tattoo he doesn’t regret, and was finally able to publish his first novel, DEXTER & SINISTER: DETECTING AGENTS, something he has dreamed of since he was eight years old and asked for a typewriter for Christmas.

Currently residing in Leeds, when he’s not up a mountain Keith can be found trying to get his foot behind his head. He hasn’t managed it yet, but he’ll get there one day.

Keith has four books out, THE HAMMERSMYTH TALES, a steampunk series that includes two novels and a collection of short stories, and GLUNDA THE VEG WITCH, his first foray into cosy fantasy.

Keith can be found idling on social media at https://x.com/keithwdickinson, https://bsky.app/profile/keithwdickinson.bsky.social, and https://www.instagram.com/keithwdickinson/, and you can find out more about him and his work at https://keithwdickinson.com/ .

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Naeli and the Secret Song by Jasbinder Bilan

The stories of mixed race (sorry if this is an incorrect term) children feel they have often been ignored in the  literary world, at least that was the case until the beginning of this millennium.    Yet it has always been the case that empires have not just conquered, but have also partially integrated with the people that they have overcome.  From the Greeks and Romans to the British and the Americans we have seen the mixing of people and cultures.  In this country we most often hear about what happened in the British Empire, so that the time period tends to be centred around the 19th and early 20th centuries.

In this wonderful and evocative new book by Jasbinder Bilan we are taken from the heat and exoticism of India, to the hustle and bustle of London, where our heroine discovers that danger is lurking in the most unlikely places.  Naeli is the daughter of an Indian mother, who was a famous musician, and a British father, a doctor who was also a very proficient violinist.  Her father had to return to Britain when she was five years old, but now that her mother had died, she does not know hat her future holds.  When a mysterious letter arrives for her, it includes a ticket to England and some money, and so begins her adventure to try and find her missing father.  On the trip to England she makes friends with a young Anglo-Indian boy, who is going back to his school in Westminster.   However, it is when Naeli arrives in England that the real action begins.  After a rather difficult start, Naeli is taken to the home of her uncle, someone she has never heard of, but who seems happy to see her.  Unfortunately, he gradually shows his true colours, and he is not a very nice person.  What follows is a true Victorian melodrama, with kidnap, family secrets and a mysterious and brooding family house in the wilds of Northumberland.

I absolutely love this story of how a young girl copes when her world is quite literally torn apart.  Whilst she remembers her English heritage, she has been brought up in her mother’s world and is having to cope with some really dramatic changes, not least about people treat her.  It is fascinating to see the ways in which class and race are dealt with in this period.  Both Naeli and her new friend Jack are caught between two different worlds.  They are travelling in second class cabins, so not with the returning colonial elite, but not down in third class with the cramped conditions and lower class treatment.  I think the saying  that describes this kind of issue is, “neither fish nor fowl”.  However the central theme of the story is the way that music is at the core of the family’s life and has been for more than a generation.  We gradually become aware that there are some secrets that are being hidden and the wicked uncle thinks that Naeli has the key to unlocking those secrets.  There is a real build up of excitement as we see the two children navigate the dangers surrounding them and try and find those people that they can actually trust.  The finale will have the readers cheering and jumping for joy as mysteries are solved, the villain gets his comeuppance and Naeli is re-united with the most important person in her life.

Jasbinder Bilan

The author was born in northern India, but her family moved to England when she was young.

I am delighted that she attended Bath Spa University and now still lives near Bath.  This makes me think of her as one of my local authors, as I have spent a lot of time working with schools and authors who are based in this area.

 

 

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Place of a Thousand wishes by Sarah Merrett and Ewa Beniak-Haremska

I had the great pleasure to review Sarah’s previous book “The Others”, so I was delighted to be asked to take part in this blog tour for her latest work.  What I really enjoy about her work is the way that she takes a known genre and finds ways to make some very significant changes to the expectations that we have about the plot.

This new story is set at the end of the Victorian period and centres around Mason and his father, who has set up business as an ice-cream seller.  Unfortunately they are in the middle of a really hot spell of weather and do not have the money to buy ice, so they can stop their wares from melting.  When everything is looking bleak, something magical happens; the sky suddenly fills with air balloons, which then spill bubbles into the air.  This really excites the crowd as they recognise that it all means that a famous wish bringer called Darlington has arrived back in his hometown.  However, Mason gets the biggest shock when a bubble bursts in front of him and it holds an invitation for him and his father to visit the famous magician.  The ensuing story shows that they are related and that there is someone who does not want Darlington to make this new connection.  The question is whether they and a young girl called Clem can outwit the villain, or will the chance of a happy future be ruined?

This delightful story has a real sense of Victorian melodrama and combines the reality of that period with a sense of magic and the wish that everyone has, to have a better and happier life.  The realities of life are shown in a very straightforward way and we see that despite their best efforts, it is very difficult for people to improve their lot.  I think this really highlights the effort that many went through in order to become not just successful, but also rich and powerful.  The core of this story is all about family and the way that jealousy and envy can destroy relationships.  In any family, members have a wide variety of skills and gifts and it can be difficult not to feel aggrieved when someone has a talent you would love to have.  the reality is that we all hopefully have something that we excel at, even though it is not always recognized or appreciated.

The magic of this story is really brought to life by the incredible illustrations.  The use of the monochrome palette, some how adds to the period feel and the sense that we are in a time before colour photography.  However, it also highlights the gothic atmosphere, something we particularly feel in pictures  of Darlington manor.  Once again Sarah Merrett has produced a tour de force that is going to be a great hit with KS2 children.  It is an absolute delight.

 

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Place of a thousand Wishes: The Settings by Sarah Merrett

The Settings

One of my favourite things about writing fiction is coming up with exciting new settings, and the more atmospheric the better. I had so much fun inventing Darlington Manor, the home of world-famous wish maker Darlington the Miraculous. But Mason’s story begins in much humbler surroundings, a stark contrast to the magical and mysterious manor house. Mason and his father move to the city from their rural village to start a new life running an ice cream cart on the high street. The city is a relentlessly noisy place, with carts and carriages rumbling by all day. Street sellers yell to hawk for customers on pavements bustling of people. Poverty and crime are rife, so Mason and his father need their wits about them.

They live in a run-down basement room owned by a callous landlord who demands rent they can’t afford. They’re on their last warning to pay up or be made homeless, but the heatwave is severely hampering their business by melting their ice cream.

When Darlington the Miraculous returns to town, Mason is stunned to be invited to his first performance at his manor, a magical country house set in beautiful, tranquil surroundings. It’s a dream come true for Mason, to escape the city and see such grandeur, if only for one night. The manor house is vast and filled with mystery. It’s the opposite of their grimy basement room. There is quirkiness around every corner, and the grounds with its lake are a wonderful place for a child to explore. Mason is particularly taken with Darlington’s magical ice house (see illustration) which is hidden behind the lake, and the beautiful glasshouse full of tropical plants and fruit. The labyrinth of unusual rooms in the manor makes the perfect place for Mason’s adventure and mystery solving.

Darlington Manor is by no means the end of the story, as Mason embarks on a dangerous and exciting journey beyond the manor and the city. He encounters one of my favourite settings yet,
but I shall keep that plot-spoiler to myself.

Sarah Merrett