Since her mother’s disappearance, eleven-year-old Tilly has found comfort in stories at Pages & Co., her grandparents’ bookshop. But when her favourite characters, Anne of Green Gables and Alice from Wonderland, appear in the shop, Tilly’s adventures become very real. Not only can she follow Anne and Alice into their thrilling worlds, she discovers she can bookwander into any story she chooses.
Tilly’s new ability could even help her solve the mystery of what happened to her mother all those years ago. But danger may be lurking on the very next page…
When I read this I genuinely felt like this is the book that had been missing from my life.
Pages & Co - Tilly and the Bookwanderers is the first instalment in Anna James' series, featuring Tilly, a book-loving young girl who lives with her grandparents in their bookshop Pages & Co. From the very start I was invested. Who wouldn't want to live in a bookshop? And if, like me, you spend an awful lot of time in bookshops, you will instantly imagine the floors of Pages & Co to be exactly like the one you frequently visit. I loved the portrayal of the bookshop so much, particularly Jack and his bookshop cafe delights. I don't think there has ever been a book setting I have wanted to be real as much as this one.
The story centres around Tilly as she discovers that she has the ability to bookwander (find herself in the actual book, with the book's characters) after she is visited by Anne from Anne of Green Gables and Alice from Alice in Wonderland. Joined by her friend Oskar, the pair learn all about their new ability to adventure as they jump from cover to cover but also begin to unveil the dangers that are found between some pages.
As you would expect from a literary themed book, there are nods to many characters throughout, from Pride and Prejudice to A Little Princess and for a book nerd like me it was a joy to spot these familiar faces and quotes. I loved the fact that the books mentioned were from a range of ages and genres and this was cleverly used to show the differing ages of the characters and their bookwandering experiences.
Tilly's adventures gripped me from start to finish and I was completely absorbed in her bookshop antics. For me, bookwandering would be the ultimate superpower and reading Pages & Co really brought back memories of those books I have read and imagined so vividly at various points in my life.
I must also give a special mention to the hardback cover beneath the sleeve of my copy - which unlike so many boring, plain covers is filled with text and illustrations from the book.
I can't wait to read the second Pages & Co instalment: Tilly and the Lost Fairytales, and I need be quick since the third, Tilly and the Map of Stories is due to be released in September, and the cover sneak peek I've already seen on Anna James' twitter looks fantastic!
A book filled with books - a book-lovers perfect read.
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