Review By Veronica
Get ready to be swept up in an adventure story that you will never forget.
Favourite Quote:
Tilly had never been very far outside London, but she felt like a seasoned traveller within the pages of books: she had raced across the rooftops of Paris, learned to ride a broomstick and seen the Northern Lights from the deck of a ship. She had explored wonderlands and secret gardens with girls curious and contrary.
Goodreads Synopsis:
A magical adventure to delight the imagination. A curl-up-on-the-sofa debut from a uniquely talented author.
Eleven year-old Tilly has lived above her grandparents’ bookshop ever since her mother disappeared shortly after she was born. Like the rest of her family, Tilly loves nothing more than to escape into the pages of her favourite stories.
One day Tilly realises that classic children’s characters are appearing in the shop through the magic of `book wandering’ – crossing over from the page into real life.
With the help of Anne of Green Gables and Alice in Wonderland. Tilly is determined to solve the mystery of what happened to her mother all those years ago, so she bravely steps into the unknown, unsure of what adventure lies ahead and what dangers she may face.
One day, this book caught my eye when I was wandering through the bookstore. At first, I thought it was a new edition of Alice in Wonderland, but I quickly realized it was a new kid’s novel. I picked it up and read the synopsis, was intrigued, and ended up taking it home. I started it one night before I went to bed and was so absorbed in the story that I finished it that same night. Tilly and the Bookwanderers is a delightful and magical tale of a girl who discovered that she could travel into books and bring her favourite characters out of their books and into the real world. I found myself instantly falling in love with Tilly, her family, and the world of bookwanderers. This world that Anna has created is rich, complex, and just so interesting.
There are so many things that I adored about this book. I loved how Anna brought some of our most beloved classic characters to life. I couldn’t imagine being able to hang out with Anne of Green Gables or jump into the world of Alice and Wonderland and have tea with the Mad Hatter. Anna did a fabulous job staying true to that essence these classic characters have. It was fascinating seeing how some of them interact with our world.
The layout of the pages within this book is just so fantastic! There are pictures, and the font changes to fit how the story unfolds. Sometimes it’s bold; sometimes, it seems like it’s fading or falling off the pages. I loved this extra bit of detail! It adds more magic and excitement to the reading experience.
Tilly and the Bookwanderers is a love story to books and those who read them. There were many times in this book when I read a sentence or two and just had to stop and absorb how perfectly Anna captures that magic or passion readers often have when it comes to books and reading them.
Readers young and old will fall in love with the magical world that Anna James has created.
