Alyssa and the Spell Garden

Author: Sheppard, Alexandra

Fantasy & magical realism (Children's / Teenage)

Published on 4 April 2024 by FABER & FABER in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 336 pages
198 x 128 x 22 | 278g

'Enchanting and heart-lifting.' Sophie Anderson'Bursts with glimmering magic.' Jasbinder Bilan'A delight . . . funny, heartfelt and packed full of magic.' Abi Elphinstone'Magical and empowering.' G M Linton'A magical, cosy, spellbinding treat!' Kieran Larwood'Utterly charming.' Lizzie Huxley-Jones'The perfect mix of heart and magic.' Rachel Faturoti'A heart warming read with a blast of magic!' Janelle McCurdyAlyssa must save the magical spell garden with her new unreliable powers.

When 11-year-old Alyssa is forced to spend the summer holiday with her mum's family, who she's never met before, her latent magical powers explode into life. Her great aunt runs a secret school in her spell garden where local kids can hone their power. The garden grows spell ingredients that have protected their family and the wider neighbourhood for decades - ever since they arrived from Jamaica with their mother Effie in the 1960s. But something is going wrong and the magic is running out! Can Alyssa use her new, unpredictable powers to set things right?A contemporary fantasy set in a small community in North London facing eviction and gentrification with a magical garden at the centre of it. Stunningly illustrated by Bex Glendining.