Pages and Co: Tilly and the Bookwanderers by Anna James
HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN: 9780008229863.
(Age: 9-15) Highly recommended. Themes: Books; Reading;
Literature; Fantasy; Adventure; Friendship. Pre-teen Matilda (aka
Tilly) lives with her grandparents in the Pages and Co Bookshop -
a place of mystery, adventure, fantasy and all the other genres as
well. The mystery of her absent parents though continues to hang
like a dank mist over her life, and some friendship dilemmas makes
the 'missing of her mother' into a potent force in her life. When
characters from some of Tilly's favourite books start to visit her
in the bookshop a world of possibilities open up and adventures
follow. Tilly's escape into books grows as bookshops and libraries
and the great 'Underlibrary' are revealed as part of the magic of
story and literature, and the ability to wander within a book, a
skill for a select few, is revealed as a possibility. But there are
risks! Fortunately, Tilly finds a friend in Oskar, the boy whose
mother runs the cafe across the road, and together they piece
together the puzzle of life as a bookwanderer and the mystery of
Tilly's mother's absence.
This is an awesome book for lovers of reading. With references to
many well-loved books and their characters, particularly Alice
in Wonderland, The Little Princess, Anne of Green
Gables and with side references to Sherlock Holmes and
Pride and Prejudice, this is a book to be enjoyed by those
who might already have encountered these classics. However, it may
also be an entry point to encourage reading of these books. There
are wonderful references to the joy of reading and the capacity for
readers to become 'lost' in a book, albeit the author has taken this
idea to the more magical extreme. I would think that this book could
also make a good shared book as 'a read-aloud' by a teacher,
librarian or parent. Getting lost in book together would be a
wonderful experience!
Highly recommended for lovers of reading aged 9-15. It is simple
enough for young readers, but also enjoyable for those who have
always loved reading and may have read the classic stories referred
to themselves
Carolyn Hull