The Spick and the Span

LoveReading4Kids Says

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.

Reviewed by Joanne Owen
Joanne Owen is a writer, reviewer and workshop presenter whose lifelong love of books began when she was growing up in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
More reviews by Joanne Owen

About The Spick and the Span

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.

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