A bookshop stuffed full of unexpected and witty magic is a delight for Arthur when he first befriends Mr Hardbattle, the shop’s owner. But, as Mr Hardbattle soon explains, magic doesn’t help when you are trying to run a shop and make money out it. Can Arthur help Mr Hardbattle find a home for the magic? It’s a hard task as Arthur soon discovers, as no one seems to want a sackful of unruly magic… A very appealing, gentle comedy for all readers who enjoy the unlikely and the improbable.
Hardbattle Books is no ordinary bookshop. Magic has settled there in every corner and over the years has brought chaos to Mr Hardbattle's life and driven away most of his customers. His livelihood threatened, Mr Hardbattle is finally forced to take action. Together, Mr Hardbattle, the resourceful and down-to-earth Arthur and Miss Quint embark upon a quest to find a new home for the magic.
Praise for Anna Dale: 'The writing is fresh and vivid, with many humorous touches The Children's Bookseller
'Dale nimbly ties together the spidery threads of the story in a beguiling denouement' Publisher's Weekly
Praise for 'Spellbound': 'I was reminded of two other distinguished writers as I read this - Enid Blyton and C.S. Lewis. The story has that same magical edge about it, with its well-formed imaginary creatures and their world ... [it] would work well as a bedtime story or as a book for a pre-teen to read by themselves' Thebookbag.co.uk
Author
About Anna Dale
This is Anna Dale’s fourth book for Bloomsbury. Whispering to Witches, her first book, sold in twenty-five languages. Anna Dale lives in Southampton.
