Nelly and the Quest for Captain Peabody

Nelly's adventures tracking down her father, who has disappeared on an expedition with his gentleman explorer friends, are funny, exciting and fantastical. From knitting the sails for her voyage, to the adventures she (and her trusty tortoise companion, Columbus) encounter on the way, and the amazing land she discovers at the end of her voyage, we are constantly reminded not only of fiction's other astonishing independent and adventurous girls, such as Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking, but also of the rich legacy of dream-related fantasy in the Carroll Alice in Wonderland tradition.

Action-packed and pervaded by enthusiastically bizarre humour, Roland Chambers' thoroughly engaging short novel is deceptively intellectual. Ella Okstad's illustrations perfectly reflect the text. Sequels to follow, hopefully.