The Lost Book of Magic is, unfortunately, ‘the epic conclusion’ to the ‘Grandest Bookshop in the World’ series. It takes place two years after the first book, in 1895. Melbourne was in the grip of a severe economic depression and business conditions were bad. Pa and Ma Cole had made an unimaginable announcement – they were thinking of closing Cole’s Book Arcade and moving to Sydney. They were about to embark on a trip there to investigate options.
Pearl, in particular, and Vally were upset. After Ma and Pa leave, Pearl starts communicating with a disembodied spirit who calls himself Autonomous Wraith. He wants Pearl’s help to defeat the Obscurosmith – but he is not what he seems. Vally finds himself struggling to save Pearl and the bookshop and overcome Autonomous Wraith and the Obscurosmith. He has invaluable help from Mr Pyke and Miss Kwon. Together, they solve various puzzles and use magic and cunning to free Pearl and finally rid the bookshop and themselves of the evil that has invaded them. But it is a near-run thing.
This series really is original, entertaining and gripping. Amelia Mellor’s excellent writing is imbued with deep research into Cole’s Book Arcade while also turning it into a truly outstanding fantasy setting imbued with magical scenes and peopled with memorable characters whose supernatural abilities are well imagined and believable.
Reviewed by Lynne Babbage
Age Guide 10+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amelia Mellor began her writing career as her secondary school’s resident playwright in Year 11. As part of her creative writing course at the University of Melbourne, she completed a thesis on the reinvention of the Industrial Revolution in children’s fantasy literature. Her debut novel, The Grandest Bookshop in the World, has won an Australian Book Industry Award, an Indie Book Award, a NSW Premier’s Literary Award and a Booksellers’ Choice Award. When she isn’t writing, Amelia enjoys hiking, gardening and drawing.
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