Before we kick things off I would just like to say that if there are any witches reading this, I am available to house-sit and unleash my witchy powers at your earliest convenience.
Hello! It has been a while, has it not? Just a quick thank you to everyone who has read my blog posts. It really means a lot to me to see the little numbers on the side of my dashboard rise every so often, even if half of them are me constantly re-reading them to make sure I didn't make any mistakes...
Love the teal and gold, what a delight!
I picked this beauty up in Waterstones a couple of weeks ago for one reason, and one reason only. If you are a regular here at Bookmarks and Buttons, then you will know what said reason is. If you are new, please read all of my blog posts and then come back to this one. If you do not have the time, the answer is witches. I love witches. Think they're the coolest thing ever. So I judged this book by its cover and was not disappointed.
Let us begin by saying what a super cool name Elsie Pickles is: "what a super cool name Elsie Pickles is". Miss Pickles is a pretty rad little lady who helps her family run their business of selling toot (my analysis). She gets invited to house sit for the local witch/bad ass, Magenta Sharp (another solid name), and a magical adventure ensues!
Kaye Umansky's book follows Elsie's journey into magic, with the help of the house itself, Corbett the raven, a hunky gardener, a deluded woman, some pesky old twin women and a guy named Joey. All lovable and interesting characters. They all have a bit of depth and the whole story is carried by the humour that surrounds the sub-plot of said hunky gardener and deluded woman (Hank and Serephine/Aggie).
This book has a real charm to it, and Elsie's innocence is truly special. She often recites 'Pickles' Top Ten Rules of Customer Service', applying her retail background to any and all situations at hand, which I found hilarious for some reason. It just seems so pure, sweet and childlike - it is the voice of a child who loves playing shop (rather than a disgruntled teenager working in retail on the weekends/me).
I think the story and vocabulary perfectly cater to the targeted audience (aged 7-9), whilst also offering a few words here and there that may challenge the younger readers within this category. The illustrations are few and far between unfortunately (for me), but that is to be expected of a middle-grade book. When flecks of Ashley King's art do appear, they are really fun and vibrant, despite being in black and white. King is a fabulous illustrator with a succinct style and I think his work deserves colour!! (Don't I always say that?!) I love the red and blue on the front cover; it really pops out of an already dreamy teal/turquoise. While on the subject of the front cover, I would like to publicly commend the person responsible for putting a little witchy hat onto the 't' in witch. I think it is the coolest thing I have ever seen*. Bravo! Love me some witch stuff!!
This is the first book in this series, with the second coming out in September 2018 which is my birth-month so no pressure.
Bye x
* For context. I have seen a lot of cool things.
You can buy this Simon & Schuster beauty at Amazon or Waterstones or wherever.
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