I received a eARC from the publishers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It has not affected my opinions. I was so hopeful for this book to be as Diana Wynne Jones-ish as the blurb sounded, but it's a very different kettle of fish. Where DWJ's books are character-focused and charmingly, dryly British in their humour, The House at the Edge of Magic is a loud, zany book with humour derived from a lot of yelling, bat droppings and trolls in aprons. Characters shout and exclaim almost every line, and the whole thing is suffused with high energy and surprises popping out every which-way, to the point that it actually felt like an effort for me, an introvert, to read. The silly humour and tone were not my cup of tea at all, but it will definitely entertain kids of about 7-10 looking for a riotous read. The oddball cast of characters are amusing caricatures that all have interesting quirks, but they were under-developed and barely seemed to go through any growth. Amy lives in Devon with her husband and five young children. When she's not off on an adventure with them,Amy enjoys drinking tea and climbing trees. The House at the Edge of Magic, the new book by Amy Sparks, could be described as 'Oliver Twist meets Harry Potter'. This mystical adventure takes us on a rollercoaster of magical mayhem, friendship and family. Night Mayor Franklefink has vanished from the Transylvanian Express - and it's up to you to solve the case! Part of the Solve Your Own Mystery seri...

A spellbinding middle grade fantasy about three sisters--adventurous Betty, curious Charlie, and proper Fliss--who go on a quest to break the curse that's haunted their family for generations. A fun, quirky middle grade story. Clearly more amusing for children than perhaps adults, but I could still enjoy the creative situations, settings and scenes. Insgesamt kann ich hier nicht ganz einschätzen, ob die eigentliche Zielgruppe besser in die Geschichte und Welt eintauchen kann als ich oder sich sogar noch schwerer tut. Die Ideen waren alle samt toll und kreativ, die Umsetzung hätte ich mir insgesamt etwas zugänglicher gewünscht.We get to see what wizard hopscotch is this book! Flabberghast kept referencing it in the previous book, and now the championship is here. It is every bit as bizarre and yet to-the-word logical as the rest of the series. Wizard hopscotch is dangerous and silly, taking a children's game and making it a matter of life and limb.

Once the hopscotch is over, there's then the Tower itself. This is a sequence of puzzles, teamwork, and head scratching questions, all overseen by a pseudo-"gamesmaster" who is determined to see everyone fail and constantly reminds those inside that they will die. I love this sort of thing, so this was my favourite part of the book. Give me all the logic puzzles and characters succeeding based on brains rather than brawn! Ich freue mich schon darauf, meiner Tochter diese Bücher eines Tages vorzulesen – oder noch einmal zusammen mit ihr zu lesen! Denn sie sind wirklich etwas für Jung und Alt! But if you want to find out how the curse leads to her freedom, you're definitely going to have to read this book. And read it, you should. It is such a fun story full of action, puzzles, friends, frustration, and a skeleton in a closet. Yes, an actual skeleton in an actual closet. The characters that Nine meets inside the house are great, and they add quite a bit of comedy, sometimes a comedy of errors, to the story.

This series has such wit and imagination, this book, even more than the last one, had me laughing out loud, and I love the characters, even though there's not much to them, it's just a warm, magical adventure. Great to read aloud to younger readers too!

Genauso herzerweichend, süß, magisch und lustig wie Band 1. Perfekt für zwischendurch mit genialen Charakteren und spannender Geschichte. Madam, clearly you have never tried to get inside a magical house which doesn't want you to. It can be intolerably stubborn. There are secrets hidden beneath the ice . . . bring the magic home in the frosty fourth instalment of the bestselling Pinch of Magic Adventures, from the award-winning Michelle Harrison.Inside she finds a host of magical and brilliantly funny characters, including Flabberghast - a young wizard who's particularly competitive at hopscotch - and a hideous troll housekeeper who's emotionally attached to his feather duster. They have been placed under an extraordinary spell, which they are desperate for Nine to break - and if she can, maybe they can offer her a new life in return... About This Edition ISBN: For younger middle-grade readers this books is filled with magic and mystery and will have the reader engaged in the life of the characters, especially Nine. Amy Sparkes has done a fantastic job with this book. The characters have grown and become more solid and believable, and the story was both interesting and character-driven. On top of that, the writing was perfectly paced and easy to read. Now that I have finished this book I am excited to dive into the next book in this series.