Magrit
Age 9+
Chillers, General Fiction Horror & Ghost Stories
A wonderfully strange yet poignant tale of accepting the truth about oneself.
Magrit lives in an abandoned cemetery. She is as forgotten as the tiny graveyard that surrounds her. One night a passing stork drops a strange bundle into the graveyard. Master Puppet, her friend and advisor, tells her it is an awful, ugly, terrible thing and that she should get rid of it. But Magrit has other ideas.
Resources
Creators
Lee Battersby is the author of several adult novels and over 70 short stories, published in Australia, the US and Europe. His work has been praised for its consistent attention to voice and narrative muscle, and has resulted in a number of awards, including the Aurealis, Australia Shadows and Australia SF “Ditmar” gongs. Lee lives in Mandurah, Western Australia, with his wife, writer Lyn Battersby and an increasingly weird mob of kids. He’s been a stand-up comic, tennis coach, cartoonist, poet, and tax officer in previous times, and he currently works as Arts Officer for a local council, where he gets to play with artists all day. Magrit is his first novel with Walker Books Australia.
After graduating from the University of Technology Sydney in 2009, Amy spent time in a handful of design studios before accepting the role as Junior Designer at Walker Books Australia in 2011. Since then, she has worked across a diverse range of genres, creating covers and internal design for junior fiction, young adult and non-fiction titles. Working as Designer today, Amy now also art directs illustrators on picture book titles from storyboard to finished art. Magrit is her first book.
Reviews
This book is an absolute delight: beautifully written and gorgeously packaged, with echoes of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline and The Graveyard Book in Lee Battersby’s powerful, evocative prose and Amy Daoud’s clever papercut illustrations.
Books+Publishing
A perfect story for your Year 5/6 girls who like a good supernatural story with a twist.
Lamont
The whole book is a gorgeous production that Walker Books Australia should be proud of… I would love to see more books like this for kids and teens!You must get your hands on this book! It is a must-read book that I’m sure everyone will be talking about.
My Best Friends are Books
It is dark, haunting, thrilling and I felt I was with Magrit through her journey.
Creative Kids Tales
Magrit has plenty of soul, sadness, despair, and hope. It’s a delightfully dark fairy tale, full of Battersby’s whimsy and charm.
ReadPlus
A carefully crafted fantasy.
Bookrapt
It’s something different and I think if I’d read this when I was a child I’d have loved it… It’s something different and I think if I’d read this when I was a child I’d have loved it.
My Life In Books
This is a beautifully written story
Janet Croft Reviews
The evocative language, strong narrative voice, and otherworldly images push the reader to devour the contents of this book in one sitting. Its themes cover ‘growth and death, and cycles of life’. This remarkable book is like nothing you’ve read before and is ideal for the 12-112 age groups.
Buzzwords
I highly recommend this book for children over 11.
The Examiner
Despite its chilly setting, Magrit is full of warmth and humour, thanks in no small part to the quirky letter-press illustrations from Amy Daoud
West Australian
The presentation, both inside and out, of this first edition of Magrit is something else entirely. The beautiful papercut illustration on the front sets the tone for the gorgeous reading experience awaiting you.
The Bookshelf Gargoyle
Suspend your hold on reality and enjoy a unique, beautifully told tale. Verdict: beautiful inside and out.
Herald Sun
One of the reasons I enjoyed reading this children’s horror was because I liked to find the clues and figure out what was really happening and the truth about their lives. It is a uniquely strange book and is unlike most children’s books, which is what I liked about it. But it is not too scary! I give this book 5 stars because it is one I will always remember. Reviewed by Ava Knowles (Age 9)
Creative Kids Tales
Beautifully written, I was hooked from the very first page.
Book Trailers for Kids and YA
a beautifully produced book, hardback with a textured finish and pink edges, indicating that the publishers have a lot of faith in this whimsical tale.
Reading Time
Lee Battersby’s first kids’ book is a triumph of fine writing. This blissfully dark, philosophical thriller with a big heart – reminiscent of Neil Gaiman and Lemony Snicket but with a clear voice of its own – is set in an octagonal cemetery, home to a 10-year-old girl called Magrit. […] This painful but ultimately uplifting tale has multiple readings […] Magrit is destined to live on as a classic.
The Times
Like a Tim Burton fantasy this lyrical and other worldly fable is beautifully presented with striking illustrations
South Wales Evening Post
Lee Battersby’s first book for the 9+ age group is an atmospheric, gently macabre tale with overtones of Neil Gaiman. Amy Daoud’s silhouettes and symbols add to the ambience of a hauntingly memorable tale.
The Advertiser
Magrit by Lee Battersby (Walker Books, 2016) is a creepy delight, with just the right amount of “awful, ugly, terrible.”
of ceiling wax and other things
[…] a finely wrought creation and a thoroughly engrossing read.
SLA
I’d recommend Magrit to anyone looking for a quick, stunning read. It’s a wonderfully layered story that builds to a satisfying revelation, and for a book so small it packs a big impact.
Commas and Ampersands
This was such a gorgeous novel which explored grief, loneliness, honesty, friendship, and adventure.
Pocket Full of Pages
Inspiring fear, curiosity and an appreciation for a dark form of beauty, this is a brace story that transfigures notions of living and death.
Magpies Magazine
extraordinary
Kids' Book Review
