The hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant

The Hatmakers is Tamzin Merchant's first book and has launched a fresh and engaging fantasy adventure series for Middle Primary readers. Twelve-year-old Cordelia is the main character living with her extended family in Georgian London. She is the youngest in a family of magical milliners who create hats that have the power to transform their wearers. The family is part of a group of special makers who have served the Ruler of the Kingdom for many years, making cloaks, boots, gloves, watches, hats and canes to protect the monarch from his enemies. 

At the beginning of the book Cordelia's father has been lost at sea during a quest to collect hat ingredients and Dilly's focus becomes to find a boat to try to rescue him.  Her family are not on the same page and have problems of their own trying to produce a special hat to rescue the King from his ailment and keep peace with France.  Although the Maker families are estranged from each other Cordelia has a secret friend called Goose who is a Bootmaker.  The story gathers pace as it becomes an enthralling battle for Cordelia, Goose and their new friend Sam (a very grubby London newsboy) to find out who is behind the scheme to create mayhem in the Kingdom.

The author has created a magical world for her memorable characters that will be a delight to follow in subsequent books. Included in the back of the book is a Glossary of useful ingredients for the Apprentice Hatmaker, a warning about using ingredients that can do harm and space to write ingredients used by the book owner, all of which will encourage some creativity and delight its young readers.

Themes: Hats, Millinery, Sorcery, Families, Friendship.

Gabrielle Anderson