The House at the Edge of Magic

Amy Sparkes's The House at the Edge of Magic is a funny, magical story for 8 year olds about a pickpocket who steals the wrong thing.

What happens

Nine is a thief. She lives in a damp cellar with a gang of other children and a revolting old man called Pockets (his breath smells like rotten onions and month-old dead rat). He takes everything they steal, and he's losing patience with her.

So at the market she grabs something from a lady's fancy handbag. It turns out to be a tiny ornament shaped like a house. Nine taps its teeny door knocker, and it grows. Up and up it goes, eleven wonky storeys squashed into an alley. Then the door opens and a troll in a frilly apron drags her inside.

Who's in there? Flabberghast, a boy wizard in indigo pyjamas who's VERY proud of being World Hopscotch Champion 1835. Eric, the troll housekeeper (never eat his pancakes). And Dr Spoon, a wooden spoon in a kilt with a tiny sword and a big temper.

They're under a curse and can't step outside. They've been waiting for the one who knocks on the door, and they're sure it's Nine. If she breaks the curse, she can have a jewel worth a fortune.

Nine is brilliant company. She's sharp and rude and not easily impressed. She throws a fish at a shopkeeper. When the goblins turn up at the back door (they only come on Tuesdays), she just shuts it in their faces.

The house is so much fun to explore. There's a cupboard marked NEVER OPEN THIS DOOR, and an umbrella stand with an arm inside it. You'll probably laugh out loud at Eric counting the days on his fingers. Monday dragon, Tuesday goblin...

Underneath the jokes it's a bit sad too. Nine was found alone in a doorway when she was three. The only thing that's truly hers is a little music box, and Pockets keeps it on his shelf. It's easy to see why a house full of magic might start to look like a way out.

What to read next

If they enjoy a very odd house and a very rude girl, The Beast and the Bethany would be a good one to try next. Its house is fifteen floors high, and something with three eyes lives at the top of it.