Dancing with ideas, Pil Van Martin’s The Spick and the Span debut dazzles with storytelling whimsy, a playful spirit and a lively cast of memorable characters, all wrapped up in a fabulously original concept — namely, a chaotic fantasy world in which magic-induced mayhem is contained by a crew of cleaners.
“Like an old sponge that has tried to soak up too much questionable brown water from the leaky pipe, the city of Helm was sopping with magic…This had hazardous effects. Leave any household item alone for too long, and you could bet that magic would begin to settle on it”. In fact, the “state of magical saturation” has become so severe, “the walls between worlds have worn thin”.
Such is the unique context of Van Martin’s vividly-conjured world that sees ambitious 12-year-old Ward strive to make his mark as a cleaner, for cleaners are the “heroes of the city of Helm”, for it’s they who mop up the messes made by profligate magicians. To that end, Ward has entered the Sponge Trials, with a view to joining the prestigious League of Cleaners after completing three trials, “one big building clean, one curse removal, one exorcism”. As things turn out, the contest is the very least of Ward’s worries, for he must turn his attention to rescuing a friend from a deadly void while monsters wreak havoc in Helm.
Further enlivened by amusing footnotes that evoke the wit of Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus books, The Spick and the Span simply sparkles with invention, humour and hair-raising thrills.
Imaginative, magical, wildly funny, and with a truly unique world, The Spick and the Span is an extraordinary, exciting fantasy middle grade adventure - perfect for fans of Jessica Townsend's Nevermoor, Jonathan Stroud's Lockwood and Co, Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle, and Terry Pratchett's Discworld.
Thanks to many generations of careless magicians, the city of Helm is overflowing with magic, which has made it a very dangerous place to live. Leave anything alone for too long and it will transform into something else: your house will turn to gingerbread, your teapot will start pouring pond water or - if you're really unlucky - your floor will turn to lava.
The magicians liked to pretend it's them who keep the worst magical hiccups in check, but the real heroes of the whole sorry situation are of a wholly different occupation: equally well known but decidedly less respected.
The heroes of the city of Helm are the cleaners.
Ward, an ambitious twelve-year-old cleaner, wants nothing more than to belong to the League of Cleaners, who will grant him the prestige and popularity he's been looking for all his life - if only he can pass three near-impossible tests. Struggling toward this goal with a team he doesn't trust, Ward's world is upended when his friend disappears and mysterious magic-eating monsters appear all over the city and start tearing holes in the fabric of reality. Suddenly his ambitions are the least of his problems…
Hugely funny and exciting, and with an incredibly imaginative, original story, The Spick and the Span is the unmissable fantasy middle grade debut of 2025 - you'll never look at magic the same way again…
'Funny, wise, fantasy with brilliant world building. A Pratchett for today, it's a perfect funny middle grade fantasy.' – Louie Stowell, author of Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Being Good
'A hilarious, inclusive and heartwarming story ... Fans of Terry Pratchett will love this!' – Philippa Leathley, author of Inkbound
'If you like your magic warm, inclusive and very funny read this book ... if you love Pratchett, you'll love this.' – Patrice Lawrence, author of The Elemental Detectives
Author
About Pil van Martin
Pil Van Martin is an author and illustrator working in London.
