Published By: Faber & Faber
Pages: 352
Released On: 01/02/2024
Illustrated By: Tim McGonagh
Reading Age: 9-12
Twelve-year-old Eli is an apprentice librarian at the largest library in the world. But when his grandmother falls ill, he enters the Glorious Race of Magical Beasts to raise money for her treatment.
This annual race is always held in the most perilous places and is full of spiky dangers. Most participants seek out unicorns and dragons to help them on their conquest. But not Eli. He embarks on this journey with his trusted pet and friend, Humphrey, his moon tortoise. Moon tortoises aren’t suited to racing and Eli is no natural adventurer. But he soon finds himself in an unlikely partnership with Raven, a rule-breaker and skilled archer, and her ice hare – one of the fastest animals in the world.
If the two children put aside their differences and work together, they might just reach the finish line!
*****
Thanks to Faber for my gifted proof of this title in return for an honest review.
By just reading the synopsis, it felt very ‘tortoise vs. the hare’ and I wondered if it was a modern retelling of the fable, and in some ways it does feel like that, but it has so much more to offer than that.
According to Amazon, it is aimed at 9-12 year olds, which I think is accurate. However, I think it’s perfect for kids of all ages, and adults too who want to rediscover that childish magic that we lose as we age.
The advanced copy I had didn’t have all the finished illustrations in, but the ones it did have were really quite lovely, and added a bit extra to the prose. It really helped to imagine the creatures, and I really want a poster of the book cover to put on my wall because it’s exquisite.
There are definite hints of inspiration (whether they were actually her inspiration I don’t know, but this is what it feels like for me): as I already said, the tortoise vs. the hare, but also Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, and even the recently published Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell.
It is a kids book first and foremost, with magic and adventure and fun, but Alex hasn’t hidden away from the darker themes, such as death and grief, loss, relationships, friendships, isolation, illness, loneliness, thievery, being different, and the sense of belonging, or not belonging. It really highlights what the main story is about and helps give it more depth, especially for older readers.
It’s a fun story, but at it’s heart it has a strong message: not to underestimate those who may be weaker than you. Everyone has their talents and everyone can succeed as long as they put their mind to it. And it’s about being yourself, even if at first it feels like you don’t fit in. You are you, you are unique, and you are magical, just as you are.
What I really liked was the description of the location. It is identifiable enough to be a normal town or city or village at first glance, but there’s magic at every corner. Floating neighbourhoods, sentient chocolate penguins, and of course, magical creatures. But by having a nod to relatable places, it makes it easier for you to find your way through and get lost in, and for me, it made the magical bits even more magical, because I could imagine the possibility of it happening outside of the pages.
There’s many characters, but I want to stop and talk about 6 of them.
Firstly we have Eli, our 12-year-old protagonist. He’s different, a bit old before his time with his suits and his tiepin. He loves books and words (which instantly meant I loved him). He’s not had the easiest life so far, and he’s suddenly thrown into a world of peril. But I really liked him straight away. It’s hard, as a 30-year-old woman to identify with a 12-year-old boy, but there was so much about him that I loved and he easily carried the narrative the whole way.
Then we have Eli’s Nana. She hasn’t got a big role in the sense of pages that she appears in, but her soul underpins the whole book and the whole reason why Eli is in the situation he is in, and she is a wonderful matriarchal figure, not only to Eli, but to the community as a whole.
Humphrey is Eli’s moon tortoise. How much can a tortoise contribute to a book, I hear you ask? Well, in Humphrey’s case, an awful lot. He’s the comedy aspect I would say – a bit like the pig or chicken from Disney’s Moana – but if I had to describe him quickly, I would say he is just absolutely wonderful and possibly my favourite character.
Then we have the pantomime villain (I mean that in the best sense), Vincent. I won’t spoil it and say what makes him the villain, but he is so well written. He’s a slow burn, appearing now and again, but he’s suitably slimy and edgy and I could see him frightening the young readers which is what you want from a villain.
And then we have Raven, Eli’s competitor who has an ice hare (which is where I get the tortoise vs. the hare link). She’s wonderfully mysterious, also quite secretive, but caring. I would have liked more scenes with her, looking at her background and whatnot, but that’s just me being greedy rather than a negative on how she is written.
And finally we have Jeremiah, Eli’s best friend. He’s mysterious, full of secrets. It’s hard to explain him without spoilers, so I won’t. Just know he’s a very important person to Eli and an irreplaceable aspect of his journey.
I don’t know if this is a standalone or the start of a series but it works both ways. It’s a satisfying enough conclusion for there to be no follow up, but there are also hints that lend themselves to another.
This is my first book by Alex Bell and I will definitely be on the lookout for her other work based on how much I enjoyed this one.
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