The Magic Place was very fast paced and the illustrations were good but for me the plot felt like so many other books. Then there was a twist and I wish the author used that as the plot line as it was so different and the story would of been something special. Also the Aunt and Uncle were so like other characters in other books.

For all the above reasons The Magic Place receives 3 stars

Exciting book to read. I got this one to read to my son. He absolutely loved it. The plot as fantastic. It was very well written

This was not at all the book I was expecting! I thought from the cover and blurb it sounded like a sweet tale of magic and hijinks in the vein of Diana Wynne Jones, but it's actually more like a Dickens or Frances Hodgson Burnett tale of escaping child abuse. There's a fair amount of Twits-like grossness in the horrible aunt and Uncle that Clementine stays with, which will delight some children, but wasn't to my particular taste, and I found the whole book just a bit more miserable than I tend to prefer. The illustrations definitely magnify the darkness and misery, too, with heavy lines and crowded scenes.
However, there are some brighter and more exciting moments, and I loved clever cat Gilbert (there is a bit of physical abuse towards him, too, if that's something you tend to avoid). I particularly liked the illustrations of him slipping over the rooftops, which seemed quintessentially cattish! The overall message is one of optimism, and kindness triumphing over selfishness, so it is uplifting in the end.
Overall, this isn't what I love from middle grade, but it will definitely charm readers who enjoy this style.

The Magic Place is a lovely story. Full of love, hope and inspiration. It's a great read that both young and older readers will enjoy and be able to discuss together.

You know I’ve enjoyed a book when I read it all in one go.
I didn’t go into this book with any preconceived expectations as this is a new author for me, but I have been pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this read.
The illustrations captured my heart. I absolutely adore them! And the description. Oh the description! I can’t even explain how much this book hit me with all the feels!
I have never experienced a book that has allowed me to imagine the story so vividly, until I read this and I cannot recommend this enough!

I am honestly unsure how to feel about this book. As an adult the story itself I found horrific. Ill admit I expected this book to be more magical and adventurous. Unfortunatley for me this was too heavy on Child Abuse which impacted my enjoyment immensely. I understand this is a children's book and they might see a different perspective to the story, however I am unsure I could reccomend.

This could be just me so I appologise.

I really enjoyed this charming tale full of magic, mayhem.
Clementine is imprisoned by her evil Aunt and Uncle who are your typical villains (very Roald Dahl-esque characters, reminiscent of the Twits). She dreams of escaping to the 'magic place' but she is only let out of her cellar to clean and tidy the house. Her Aunt and Uncle are very good at locking all the doors, especially when they go out to 'work' or go 'shopping', but one day, they let their guard down... Will she find the magic place she has been looking for?
The wonderful illustrations by Chris Riddell beautifully complemented this humorous story. It is perfect for fans of Dahl and larger than life characters aged 7+.

When you read the synopsis you might expect that this book is somehow whimsical and full of magic. You might think it's full of adventure and maybe even fun. Truth is, it isn't. There is a lot of misery in this book.

The main character is Clementine, a young girl, that has lived with her abusive aunt and uncle all her life. She has never left the house, has to cook and clean and is mostly locked into a windowless cellar. She is physically and mentally abused (although nothing too graphic there.) The only creature who ever shows her any kindness is the family's white cat, Gilbert. (A smart but otherwise ordinary and not magical cat, in case you were wondering.)

The book is written in a kind of storybook fashion were the reader is a spectator. While the narrator often speaks directly to the reader, asking questions or referring to the images that are part of the story, you watch things happen to Clementine instead of with her. It made me feel rather detached from the story which is a shame. I couldn't really build any kind of connection to Clementine, since it was not immersive in that sense.

While I couldn't really connect, I'm pretty sure that young children will love this book. The story is simple and rather straightforward with a few twists and turns and has a lot of amazing artwork that I really liked and that are an integral part of the story. It's definitely a book you can read to and with children and I'm sure they will enjoy it.

What a wonderful book! We find ourselves immersed in a Great Black City in England, set in the Victorian era, where Clementine dreams of a magical place where she can escape to. Clementine is a young girl who is not treated very well by her aunt and uncle, they make her do awful chores and useless tasks and at the end of the day lock her up in the cellar!
Clementine doesn’t feel as though she belongs and when cleaning one day she finds an object which changes her and her determination to find the magic place grows. She will have to be quick and with the help of her best cat friend Gilbert they start off on an adventure to find the magic place.

I read the book in 1 sitting and it is perfect for readers from 7 years upwards. The story was fast paced and after the chapters it left me wanting to find out what will happen next! The drawings are beautiful and give the reader a better understanding of the characters and settings that are written about.

The beginning of this book was so good' I thought it was so creative and funny. A mix between Harry Potter and Matilda it had so much potential but the latter half just let it down.
I still enjoyed the book but I did find myself skipping a lot of the end.
I did however love the illustrations, they added so much to the story and made the reading experience much better.

What a truly stunning book. The illustrations, the writing, the story… It was all just… *Chef’s Kiss*

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book. To say that this is a simple book would be a gross understatement. This is such a multi layered story, tackling topics such as kidnapping and child abuse. These topics although hefty were addressed with such delicacy and subtlety. Never making light of such terrible events, while still keeping it a story in which children can revel and find pleasure, is indeed a tall order which Chris fulfilled beautifully.
The title was a little misleading, but in the end so appropriate. It was indicative of hope and a better future, no matter how dire the circumstances you find yourself within. When you, reader, pick up this story you will see how aptly titled this book really is and rejoice right beside Clementine (our small heroine) when she finally makes the leap to enter The Magic Place that her heart yearned for.
The dark scratchy illustrations that Chris used were just perfect. They added drama and accuracy as well as a bit of comic relief, the feelings that they captured were mimicked in the writing and they created an opening for a fun and unique narrative voice to enter the scene.
I loved that narrator of the book was a sentient being and “talked” to the reader. Making references to the illustrations, making comments that deserve an answer from the reader, or allows for the reader to interact. It was quirky and had me smiling when I came across the sassy little questions that the narrator threw out to me.
I would definitely recommend this to Chris Riddel fans, the characters were colourful and fascinating. The villains, Clementine’s Aunt and Uncle, were evil in the best way, thieves and con artists to boot. They were dastardly and cunning. Evil in the best middle grade ways.
Though the writing, illustrations and the narrator kept the tale lighthearted and a made it a pleasure to read, undertones were sufficiently serious, and the darker message came through.
All in all, an important, yet fun read. I don’t regret choosing this one in the least.

I read this with my 5 year old son and he loved it. We were drawn to the title and expecting a book with magic in it - this is a magical story but not the one we had anticipated. Beautifully illustrated and with rich, evocative descriptions, we were both really drawn in and were rooting for Clementine from the get-go. What a nasty pair Vermilia and Rufus are! Nice and short chapters. The archaic language at times did mean we had to stop every now and then to explain words and phrases but that wasn’t a bother. Will certainly seek out the author’s future stories.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and David Fickling Books, for the chance to read and review this book!

TW: kidnapping and child abuse

Mistreated and abused by her wicked aunt and uncle, Clementine dreams of a magic place from her cellar bedroom, hoping she will, one day, escape the Great Black City. With the help of a peculiar and magical cat, Gilbert, one day Clementine decides to make her dreams come true.

With amazing illustrations, The magic place is a wonderful and lovely fairytale. funny and heartbreaking, intriguing and moving. Clementine was abused and hurt all her life and she's determined to survive and escape from her prison and her awful relative. I loved the descriptions, so evocative and intense and how the author and the illustrator describe the Great Black City, The magic place, the characters and their adventures.
Gilbert, the Grimbles, are intriguing characters, well written and rounded and I loved reading this book!
It filled me with hope and magic and it's absolutely splendid.

Can I just say that I adored this? I'm a sucker for a good middle grade with magical elements, so obviously I had to go for this one since "Magic" is literally in the title. Clementine's story was filled with so much hope and Gilbert was a cute little show stealer - when I saw that this was written by the illustrator for Philip Pullman's series I gasped!
Stunning, inside and out, this is a perfect read for younger middle grade and anyone who needs an uplifting, magical story!

Triggerwarnings for physical and mental child abuse.

Because of the title The magical place i believed this to be a magical story. It is not. There is no magic in this story so if your looking for that you should move on. If your looking for a quick middlegrade about a girl finding her own power, a family reunion and a cute cat keep on reading.

This is the story of Clementine or as she knows herself oye, she is locked up in the basement by her aunt and auncle and need to do all kind of chores. She dreams about a colorful she calls the magic place, she would love to go there but all the windows and doors in the house are shut.

This is a story about a girl who with the help of a cat finds her own strenght. And learns to make her own desicions. It was a quick read and had pretty drawings in it.

Thank you David Fickling Books and netgalley for gifting me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. And although i would not have picked it up if i knew it wasnt a magical story i did enjoyed it quit a bit!

This is a lovely little book perfect for fans of Roald Dahl. It is the story of Clementine (even though she does not know that is her name) who was kidnapped as a baby. She was forced to live with her “aunt” and “uncle” who, at points, reminded me of the Twits. She is desperate to find this Magic Place which she has managed to spot.

A fun, quick, easy read, perfect for younger readers.

✨“Mimi, the miniature poodle, leapt up onto his chest, and sat there, growling ferociously.”✨
— Chris Wormell, The Magic Place

🌷The Magic Place has such beautiful illustrations and I think children will really love this book. It has a very kid-like quality with Clementines ‘evil’ aunt and uncle who have many faces - literally.

Needing to escape her life locked up in a cellar, Clementine must plan her escape alongside her very clever cat, Gilbert.

🌸While children may enjoy this novel, I found the plot to drag a little. It just needed a bit… more. I couldn’t wholly connect to Clementine, and I think that’s because, as a reader, we’re more in a position of watching things happen to her instead of WITH her.

Just a few thoughts.

Thank you very much @Netgallery, @DavidFicklingBooks for letting me read this book!

Read. Be happy. Stay safe.

The Magic Place completely took me by surprise. It has a very warm and familiar tone, like your parent reading to you before bed as it carefully unfolds. Yet the story sweeps you away with an enormous sense of adventure and surprise. An utter delight to read, with gorgeous illustrations that fit the story perfectly. 5/5.

This was an utterly charming book and it was so refreshing to read a tale where there were no references to mobile phones, laptops or Xbox games. Instead we had a story with good old fashioned villains.

The story, set in what seems to be a Victorian landscape, is about Clementine who lives with her Aunt Vermilia and Uncle Rufus - two of the most dreadful people you could come across. The way they are described is wonderful and the illustrations that run through the book capture their 'evilness' brilliantly and we are shown in detail how they commit their crimes. Although I say that Clementine lives with these two characters, in truth, she has a metal bed in an empty cellar room that she is locked in regularly. Her one friend is a white cat, Gilbert, who keeps appearing. Clementine has never been outside, she has never seen the world but dreams of a Magic Place where she could be happy.

The writing style is perfect for an adult reading aloud to children, the author uses questions to encourage to the child to think, to search through the beautifully detailed illustrations. Reading this reminded me of the books that I used to read when my own son was young - a perfect book to share. The story - well, I won't spoil it but what normally happens to villains? But - look out for the dogs, that's all I'll say. Terrific fun.

All in all a great book for kids.

I am not sure what I was expecting but it was not this! I was even more delighted by the book that I thought I would be. I love the writing style and the illustrations.

This book begs to be read aloud, it engages with the reader, breaks down the fourth wall and is a beautiful tale. The illustrations are perfect and the book draws you into the world of Clementine, where one just wills her to escape and find the magic place of which she dreams. The characters are wonderful, even the hateful ones and children will throughly enjoy booing the baddies and cheering on the goodies, not to mention the friendly guardian cat and the pack of hero dogs!