When we first meet Abi, her life has just been turned upside down. Her father has re-married a woman named Polly, who comes with two sons – one grumpy, the other always inexplicably sticky. To make matters worse, she is forced to move into their house, a place where despite having her own room (at the expense of the boys, who are now doubling up – a fact she is never allowed to forget), she never feels like she belongs.
Some bad news turns out to be the best thing that could have happened to this newly-formed family. They are evicted from their home and forced to look for a new place to live – and pickings are slim. When they’re starting to think they’ll never find somewhere they can afford, they come across a mysterious house that seems to have a mind of its own. It comes with coloured glass in the windows, a Narnia light on the front porch and is covered in ivy that seems to come alive in even the slightest breeze. Best of all, it comes with four bedrooms – so the kids each get their own space – and Abi can finally feel like it’s her house as much as anyone else’s.
But the house comes at a price. Very high monthly rent payments. Despite the kids pitching in (Abi sells her signed Harry Potter book, Max donates his savings and Louis… well, he continues to be sticky, but tries to be marginally less so), the new financial strains mean Abi’s dad has to take on extra shifts at the hospital, and Polly has to go back to work full time – a job that means travelling for long periods.
While she’s on a prolonged trip, some strange things start to happen in the house. It all begins when Abi is reading a story that takes place on a pirate ship – and falls into the ocean. She is called back home by her dad, but when she tastes her hair, there is a distinct flavour of salt. From there things just keep getting weirder. Soon, it’s not just Abi who experiences odd things that can’t be explained. Louis has a new friend – one that has claws and is getting bigger every day. The children are soon embroiled in a full-fledged adventure, one where the impossible is happening right in front of them, the rules haven’t been explained, and the stakes are life and death.
I really enjoyed this book. It had that rare cosy feeling that makes you want to dive right in and stay there a while. I loved the characters, both as individuals and how they played off one another. I liked that there’s some diversity to them, and that their circumstances represent the kind of issues modern kids are facing in their own lives. Family is hard, but blending two into one is even harder. I think lots of children will see themselves and their lives in this story, and that makes me very happy to see.
I loved the pacing of the story, the magic it evokes and the characters that you can’t help rooting for. The climax wasn’t quite as climactic as I’d hoped it would be – it’s over in a couple of pages when it could have been drawn out a bit longer and had more of a build up – but I think that does mean it’s more appropriate for younger kids than it would have been otherwise.
Before this book I had heard a lot of positive chatter about McKay’s previous book, The Skylarks’ War, but hadn’t yet gotten around to it. After this, I’m very curious to check it out, because if this is the lesser of the two, it’ll be brilliant. I’m not sure what age this would be appropriate for since I haven’t gotten to the chapter book part of parenting yet, but it’s definitely middle grade, so perhaps 8- to 10-year-olds would be about right. It’s definitely a great read for adults who just want to escape reality for a little while and go somewhere that feels welcoming and homey. This book is definitely that.
Abi and her two step-brothers, Max and Louis, find that strange things happen when they are alone in their newly-rented, eerie, ivy-covered house.
Abi, reading alone, finds herself tumbling deep into books, while Louis summons a startling guest through his bedroom window. Even Max has started to see shapes in the shadows…
Their busy parents see none of it – but Louis’ secret visitor is growing too alarming to keep secret, and he finds he cannot manage without Max and Abi’s help.
Can they find out where the mysterious creature has come from – and how to get it back there? – Goodreads
Book Title: The Time of Green Magic
Author: Hilary McKay
Series: No
Edition: Hardback
Published By: Macmillan Children’s Books
Released: September 5, 2019
Genre: Family, Magic, Adventure
Pages: 320
Date Read: October 5-9, 2019
Rating: 7/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.40/5 (40 ratings)