
Flora Stormer and the Golden Lotus
by Isabella Harcourt, illustrated by Hannah McCaffery
Interest age: 9 to 11
Reading age: 7+
Published by Orchard Books, 2024
About this book
Flora is a keen artist who dreams of adventures as she sketches beautiful flowers. So when her explorer father invites her to join him on an expedition to a remote island in search of a magical healing flower, she jumps at the chance.
However, the trip turns out a little differently than planned. Just as they are due to leave, her dad falls ill and she finds herself travelling instead with their unpleasant benefactor Lord Granville, his young apprentice, a journalist – and a monkey.
Can Flora track down the lotus flower, make her father better and help save the threatened rainforest? And who can she trust?
This is a fast-paced story that grabs the reader from the first page. Black and white illustrations give visual clues to the Victorian setting and immerse the reader in the rainforest drama.
Flora has Tourette’s syndrome (although it’s not referred to by name) and she struggles to control her tics. The book sees her learn to embrace her condition as something that does not need curing, but is rather just one small part of who she is.
An accessible adventure with important messages about the environment and self-acceptance, and a touch of magic.
More books like this
-
Journey to the River Sea
by Eva Ibbotson
9 to 12 years
-
Princess BMX
by Marie Basting, illustrated by Flavia Sorrentino
6 to 12 years
-
Scarlet Defender of the Universe
by James Davis, illustrated by Dotty Sutton
9 to 12 years
-
Time Travel Twins: The Maya Sacrifice
by Josh Lacey, illustrated by Garry Parsons
9 to 12 years
Lists of recommended reads
-
Books We Love in September 2024
Books we love this month