Alyssa and the Spell Garden
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Alyssa's summer isn't going to be what she'd hoped for. Mum is busy with work and Dad is at a conference so Alyssa will be spending three weeks staying in London with Great Aunt Jasmine, who she didn't even know existed.
On her first day in Jasmine's tea shop there's a spontaneous explosion which Alyssa thinks must be her fault, although she isn't sure how or why. And that's not the only odd happening; something doesn't feel right and whispered secrets seem to follow her around.
When one too many things defy logic and the laws of physics, Aunt Jasmine decides she has no choice but to tell Alyssa the family story her mother didn't want her to know. And so begins the most magical and unexpected summer of Alyssa's life.
Touching on Alyssa's social anxiety and the forthcoming divorce of her parents, and featuring a non-binary child as one of the central characters, this is a truly inclusive tale of magic, community and healing.
The spell garden at the centre of the story attracts children of many ethnicities and gives plenty of scope for experimentation and potion-making with an underlying message of acceptance and teamwork to get the best outcomes.
