Tilly and the Bookwanderers by Anna James

The split focus between Alice and Wonderland, The Little Princess and, more briefly, Anne of Green Gables, didn't really resolve itself all that well, I thought. I think it would have been nice to have developed the plot a little more and either woven in more classics or developed the intrigue and depth in the adventures within a single book. A bit of surprise felt like the main emotion expressed in regard to the mother's return. On top of that, the Tilly/Mum reunion felt very tokenistic, rather glossed over, and altogether, rather lacked emotion from any of the characters, Tilly, Mum, best friend, or Grandparents. The references to Pride & Prejudice, Sherlock Holmes and, to an extent, Treasure Island, would most likely also be lost on them. However I wondered how 9&10 year olds would relate to the underlying story of the Mum falling in love with a fictional character. Of course it was written for children so maybe I was expecting too much. I felt the key parts of the story unravelled rapidly and the rest was just a lot of padding. An interesting concept but a little undercooked for me. With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.

Lots of excitement and the potential for adventure. A great start to a series, will be pored over by young literature lovers (and those adults who read them as children). She also kept Tilly sounding her age, though I wasn't too keen on her accent for Anne Shirley (or how she pronounced Avonlea!). I really liked this as an audiobook, it was a well-narrated story that transferred well for listeners, with the narrator voicing Tilly, her friends and family as well as the book characters with distinctions. This will all wash over the heads of readers who aren't familiar with such titles as Anne of Green Gables, Alice in Wonderland and A Little Princess, but for those who love these stories, it will be a real treat seeing their favourite lovingly worked over and meshed together into a story. It's the start of a book lover's paradise, a wish fulfillment - what if you could travel inside your favourite stories? It did remind me of Inkheart at several points, but used real books and characters known and loved the world over, using real details and scenes from them. and she may be able to go back with them. Tilly soon realises that she is meeting characters from her favourite books.

Wanting to know more about her mother, she notices one day strange people appearing in the bookshop that seem somehow familiar. Growing up around books she is a true reader, and despite not knowing her father, her mother disappearing while she was still a baby, books are her respite. Tilly Pages lives above her grandparents' bookshop. Immersive story and famous characters make for a young book lover's dream. Immersive story is a young book lover's dream

Tilly and the Bookwanderers by Anna James