The Train to Impossible Places
by P.G. Bell, illustrated by Flavia Sorrentino
Interest age: 10 to 12
Reading age: 10+
Published by Usborne, 2018
About this book
Suzy Smith is very surprised when a huge magical train takes a shortcut through her downstairs hallway one evening. Staffed by trolls, the Impossible Postal Express delivers letters and parcels across a series of magical worlds connected to our own: the Union of Impossible Places.
Her curiosity getting the better of her, Suzy hitches a ride and becomes the newest postie. But when her first delivery goes disastrously wrong, she's not only caught up in an amazing magical adventure, but the fate of the Union itself rests on her shoulders...
Two towers locked in a power struggle, a cursed boy trapped in a snowglobe, warrior statues, wormholes and negotiable gravity are just a few things Suzy encounters on her incredible journey. Knowledge is power in the Impossible Places, but who is telling the whole truth? Suzy has a brilliant scientific mind, but isn't really one for thinking about consequences – she tends more towards jumping now and thinking later, though her heart is definitely in the right place.
This roller-coaster of a book is pacey, fun, and full of lots of fantastical new ideas.
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Lists of recommended reads
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Books about trains
Trains - and books set on trains - have been popular since George Stephenson's first steam locomotive for public railways in 1825. This selection of train books spans a childhood, from babies to young teenagers. Not just for train fans!