By Stefan Bachmann, published by Harper Collins Children’s Books

“Child number eleven is everything. Everything we hoped…”

Bartholomew Kettle and his sister Hettie are Peculiar. Their mother is a human and their father a faery, and they are hated by both faeries and humans alike. They reside with their mother in a faery slum in New Bath, England, live by the motto ‘Don’t get yourself noticed and you won’t get yourself hanged’. But one day Bartholomew sees a mysterious lady in Plum on his street take a small peculiar like him, and his world is turned upside down. Little does he know it, he has landed himself in the middle of a conspiracy. When Hettie is endangered, can a certain Mr Jelliby help Bartholomew save her and stop an evil mind which is plotting something terrible?

This book was amazing! It is steampunk, murder mystery, folklore and fairy tale all rolled into one. It’s by far one of the most imaginative novels I have read in a while! The protagonists were easy to love and made great leading characters. The settings I loved; I like how Mr Bachmann has turned places in England to believable faery-infested places. I still find it pretty hard to believe it is the debut novel of an eighteen year old writer though!

I can’t wait to read more from this talented new voice in children’s books; Keep writing Stefan!