The Lost Magician

It’s the end of the Second World War and Simon, Patricia, Evelyn and Larry have been sent away from London while their mum and dad cope with the aftermath of their house being bombed. In Salisbury, Dr Diana Kelly picks them up in her big car and whisks the children off to her huge house where they’re pretty much left alone to explore its many rooms – even the ones that are out of bounds.

When Larry wanders into the strange, fairytale character-populated world of Folio and the Land of the Reads, he rushes to tell the others, who don’t believe him. But when Evie finds her way in too, it seems as though there might be something to Larry’s claims. Yet Evie has found the City of the Unreads, a world of facts and not stories, and the two sides are at war.

This beautiful homage to Narnia sees renowned children’s writer Torday explore what it is to be a reader and the power of books and libraries, as well as the imagination. Fantastical but with real heart, this immersive story is sure to become a firm favourite.