Interest age: 8+
Reading age: 8+

Nina and the Magical Carnival

Author: Madhvi Ramani Illustrator: Erica-Jane Waters

Publisher: Tamarind Books

It’s three days to the school talent show and Nina can’t decide on her act. Her teacher, Madame Celeste, suggests she finds a fantasia, the Brazilian word for something magical.

By coincidence, Nina’s aunt is about to travel to Brazil on a secret mission. Nina joins Aunt Nishi in her travelling spice shed, which can teleport anywhere in the world.

Walking along Ipanema beach, Nina meets Fernanda, desperately hunting for shells to mend her damaged samba costume. With Nina’s help, the costume is fixed and Nina joins her new friend in Rio’s famous carnival. Afterwards she spots an abandoned golden headdress – could this be the inspiration for her talent show costume? But then a threatening masked man starts to follow her…

An exciting adventure that shows the amazing power of imagination, kindness and self-belief.

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