A Great story about Pinch Perkins whose mother has had her soul taken, and they try to cure his mother. a great story falloff magic and mystery with a lot of adventure thrown in along that way. would really recommend for children aged about 7-8.

thank you net galley for allowing me to listen to this story.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK Audio and NetGalley for this exciting children’s fantasy audio book. There is more than enough to satisfy the imagination of the listener. Parents should be happy because this story is going to keep children happily occupied for some time. A fast paced adventure mystery, as Pinch searches for a cure for her mother’s ailment. I liked the way that the author has taken so much of our mundane world and given it a beautiful, humorous and magical twist. In doing so Cathy Fitzgerald has created a fantastic world full of wonderful characters.

Pinch Perkins and the Midsummer Curse was a great audio story for my two children to listen to. According to my daughter it was funny while being full of magic and adventure.

The soul of Pinch's mother has been taken along with six other souls. It would appear as if someone is trying to use the souls together to make a powerful potion. It's up Pinch to save her mom and the others before dawn. She'll have Henry on her side to help her as she sets out on a quest to solve the curse by facing a scary fairy king and queen.

Will she find her magic?

This is a delightful adventure for children, based in a world full of magic, fairies and fearsome foes, including baddies like Harum, Scarum and their boss.

Pinch Perkins lives in a sanct that is intended to be very, very safe. And for most of her life it has indeed been just that. But recently, there have been a spate of mishaps and mysteries, including a curse placed on her mother that seems to be unbreakable.

But, dissatisfied by the fruitlessness of the efforts by adults around her, 12 year old Pinch is determined to find a solution herself - whether it's by using a Banshee's Wail or some other method.

To do so, Pinch may need to investigate the true character of her neighbours - however innocuous they may appear - and perhaps even enlist the aid of the annoying Henry!

There is a lot of humour in this story, despite the protagonist's sadness over her mother's predicament, and some very creative world building. This one earns 3.5 stars and is well worth checking out.

Pinch’s Mom is one of 7 who has been cursed and lies in bed. Pinch sets off to face many dangers to try and save her Mom on Midsummer’s eve. There will be fairies, Kinghts of King Arthur, heroes and villains.

Great action packed novel with bravery at its heart. Well written and well narrated (I listened to the audiobook). Well paced and we hope for a happy ending. Enjoy the ride.

Pinch has been busy lately, interviewing her neighbours on Tricky Dragon Lane. She is desperate to learn why her mum has become
a 'sleeper'.

She is the 7th victim to fall asleep but with her eyes wide open. She is barely breathing and like the others, completely unaware of her surroundings. Pinch is hoping to find clues to who or what could have caused this strange condition, and why?

Pinch Perkins is a witch, living with her family and witchkind hidden in a world within the Humdrum (human) world. A local boy named Henry is not only her neighbour, but her rival and nemesis. He tells her she should leave the investigating to the adults but this just makes Pinch more determined. Henry has always been allowed to venture out onto the streets of London amongst the humdrums, where she is not.

Much to Pinch's chagrin, she needs Henry's help to leave their safe witch haven and venture further than she's ever been. It's not long before he becomes an integral part of an ever challenging adventure to find the truth and if possible, a cure.

Both Pinch and Henry are amazed by the Humdrum world, and also the magical world that exists alongside. But it is dangerous too with spiteful fairies, cunning magical craftsman and strange and powerful magic. Luckily there are also folk and creatures along the way who help these twelve year olds unravel the mystery of who is stealing souls. Can they save Pinch's mum and the other sleepers in time?


A thrilling magical adventure of two very different children trying to save a loved one. The human world and a magical dimension are interwoven effortlessly, as our heroes travel between them.

Read carefully to pick up essential clues as Pinch does in her quest to save her mum's stolen soul. She finally pieces them together to find, catch and dispatch the culprits. It will surprise you as much as it did me, who and why the sleeper curse came to be. Not only a magical quest, but an action-packed and tense read, Pinch Perkins is a feisty, determined character and one to root for.

Support characters are imaginative and add their own unique magic to this tale which is the first in the series.

Thanks to Harper Collins & Net Galley for the audiobook ARC of this title.

Age - 8+

A wildly inventive and fast-paced middle-grade mystery, with a magical twist. Harry Potter fans will adore this romp through the enchanted corners of humdrum London, as 12 year-old Pinch Perkins hunts down the culprit who cursed her mother with sleeping beauty sickness and races to find a cure before all of magical London falls asleep forever.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advance e-copy of this title.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

Pinch Perkins And The Midsummer Curse
Cathy Fitzgerald

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This was a brilliantly fast-paced, magical read aimed at the older end of the young reader audience - but quite honestly, I absolutely loved it even though I'm a million miles away from that age group!

We meet Pinch just after her mum has become the latest victim in the sleeping curse mystery.
She's desperate to investigate, but of course Dad says she's too young and keeps her occupied and out of trouble.
Pinch has other ideas though and takes off on a journey that proves to be dangerous and exciting.

I loved the magical world that was created here. Based on the London that we know and love, the author adds some great touches to really bring the world to life with magic mirrors, roller shoes, mystical knights and of course a little bit of dark magic and soul stealing too!

The storyline was packed with adventure and was cleverly worked to keep you guessing who it was that was stealing the souls. With some great twists and red herrings, I didn't guess who it was until right near the end!

The characters were all great - even the more unlikable ones (Henry's nanny, I'm looking at you!) - all diverse and interesting.
It was great to see the friendship between Pinch and Henry develop as they supported and helped each other through each new experience.

I listened to this on audio book and I loved the narration.
So full of expression, it captivated me from start to finish and I could just see my kids (when they were younger) would have loved having this on in the car on a long journey.
Equally, my reader daughter would have loved reading this over the evenings when younger - or even still would now!

This finished with a little teaser hinting towards another book in this series and I'd love to go back to Pinch's world and join everyone for their next adventure.



💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

Exciting children’s fantasy audio book. There is more than enough to satisfy the imagination of the listener. Parents should be happy because this story is going to keep children happily occupied for some time. A fast paced adventure mystery, as Pinch searches for a cure for her mother’s ailment. I liked the way that the author has taken so much of our mundane world and given it a beautiful, humorous and magical twist. In doing so Cathy Fitzgerald has created a fantastic world full of wonderful characters. Thank you to Harper Collins UK Audio and NetGalley for the Audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.