A Far Away Magic

Amy Wilson's A Far Away Magic is a dark and tender fantasy for 10 year olds about two lonely kids who can see each other when nobody else can.

What happens

Angel has just started at a new school and she's lying to everyone. Her mum was a ballet dancer. Her dad's in MI5. She quite likes watching their faces tighten.

The truth is harder. A year ago her parents died, and now she lives with foster carers called Pete and Mary. They're kind, they love a cup of tea and a stripy jumper, and they are not her mum and dad.

Then in English a boy shuffles in that everyone else seems to look straight past. He's hunched, huge and hiding behind his hair. His name is Bavar. Angel can see him perfectly well.

The story swaps between the two of them. Bavar lives in the big yellow house on the hill with his aunt, his uncle and a lot of family portraits that heckle. His grandfather is a bronze bust who shouts. And Bavar has a job nobody at school would believe.

His family's magic once tore open a rift between worlds, and creatures called raksasa come through it. It's up to him to keep them penned in. He's also sworn he'll never fight the way his parents did.

Angel, meanwhile, is sure something unnatural was there the night her parents died. And Bavar smells just like it.

It's a book about grief, really, but it's full of warmth. Angel is spiky and very funny. (She turns up at his gate with his coat and lunch basket, then sits on the hill and eats his lunch. She does save him the cake.) Bavar is gentle, awkward and a bit hopeless at talking to people. You'll probably want to give them both a big hug.

Worth knowing before you hand it over

Angel's memory of the night her parents died is frightening. Something with huge wings smashed through her window. Her dad hid her in a cupboard and she heard her mum scream. It's backstory rather than a twist, but it's vivid, and there's plenty of her sadness on the page. For a child who has lost someone, it may be a lot. For a reader who likes real feelings in their magic, it's lovely.

What to read next

If they're after more of Amy Wilson's hidden magic and lonely heroines, try Shadows of Winterspell. Stella lives with her grandmother's ghost on the edge of a forbidden forest and longs to go to school.