The Bookshop at the Back of Beyond
Binding: Paperback
Imprint: Walker Books
Adventurous, magical and brilliantly funny next book in the House at the Edge of Magic series.
Nine and her friends have cured the house's hiccups and are off to the strange and utterly unpredictable Back of Beyond in search of Professor Dish – Spoon's best friend and partner in all things alchemy.
When they find Dish trapped by the greedy witch Ophidia in the basement of a particularly marvellous shop, it soon becomes clear they're going to need something more than Flabberghast's dicey magic and Nine's quick thinking to triumph this time. What they really need is a rather clever witch – one particularly good at curses...
A new instalment in the brilliantly funny, magical and commercial series for readers age 8+.
Creators
Amy Sparkes studied English Literature and Theology at the University of Kent, and began writing after moving to Devon with her husband, six young children and an overactive imagination. Her books have appeared on CBeebies storytime and been shortlisted for several book awards, including the Roald Dahl Funny Prize and the BookTrust Best Books Awards for Do Not Enter the Monster Zoo. She runs author events for children, writing workshops for aspiring children’s writers, produces the Writing for Children pages for bestselling Writing Magazine, and writes short stories for Aquila magazine. She co-founded the Writing Magazine Picture Book Prize for aspiring picture book authors.
Reviews
I love the characters, especially Eric, in this book. I like that they all shine through exquisitely, because they are what makes the novel so unique and special. I love that they are always learning and growing over the series and that we are slowly finding out about them, especially Nine, who is the focal point of all these stories in the series. I am looking forward to seeing where the rest of the series goes, as this one ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, and whilst I had a bit of a guess about what happened, I can’t wait to see how Amy portrays it in the next book! Another great book in the series!
The Book Muse
The House at the Edge of Magic series is lots of fun, and one that I have been following since the first book in the series was released in January 2021. For me, I have found it a fun series, and one that I think needs a little more attention – it’s one of those series that flies a little under the radar, one of those books that is more likely to be sold by hand than widely promoted – at least here in Australia where I am writing from, and perhaps that is what makes it special. Whilst I do think it deserves more attention, at the same time, the books that don’t get hyped and are more likely to be sold by hand at bookstores have a magical quality about them – like those of us who read them are in a fun little book club where we can connect over these fantastic series and books… I also love the characters, especially Eric, in this book. I like that they all shine through exquisitely, because they are what makes the novel so unique and special. I love that they are always learning and growing over the series and that we are slowly finding out about them, especially Nine, who is the focal point of all these stories in the series. I am looking forward to seeing where the rest of the series goes, as this one ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, and whilst I had a bit of a guess about what happened, I can’t wait to see how Amy portrays it in the next book! Another great book in the series!
Ashleigh Meikle
The third in this utterly delightful ‘The House at the Edge of Magic’ series, The Bookshop at the Back of Beyond does not disappoint! All the favourite characters are back with their unique personalities readers have come to love, and a few new ones too. Quick paced and action packed, readers will not be able to put the book down as the book moves swiftly. So much quick wit and humour, along with heart, the perfect combination of funny and sweet. Perfect for fans of the Pages & Co series and the Harry Potter series. In order to read this particular book, I read the first two in the series, and now it is one of my favourite series – brilliant. Well written, relatable, humorous characters, magical, twisting story. While it is aimed at primary students, any age can read this – will be recommending to many people!
ReadPlus
Beyond itself is a fantastically peculiar place and Amy Sparkes has created a world of living magic that is pure delight. Upon finding the Bookshop, magical chaos ensues, and readers will be swept up in the adventure with Nine and her companions. This is a brilliantly written book that is full of delightful enchantments and characters that share love and friendship. I would recommend this story to be shared at story time, for a class read or just to be devoured by any child 8 and over.
Reading Time
