Book source ~ TWR Tour

Witchetty Hollow. How cool of a name is that for a small weird village in the middle of pretty much nothing? Well, there are other weird little villages around, but this story takes place in Witchetty Hollow. Because that is where 11-yr-old Florizel lives with her gammer. She’s not really Florizel’s grandma though. The children in Witchetty Hollow are rented from Storkhouse Services. When the grown ups can’t pay the rent the children get reclaimed. Yikes. Anyway, at the start of the tale there’s a new store in town, the Daydream Delicatessen and it’s soon followed by the Pawnshop. But also, a sack-baby factory has opened. Things are about to get weirder in Witchetty Hollow. I just like saying Witchetty Hollow. Can you tell?

What a strange and wonderful story this is! Adults get all whackadoodle and a kid has to save the day. The world is super creative, the plot fantastical (well, it is a middle grade fantasy after all), and you can’t help but root for Flori to win the day and save everyone, including her new friend, the sack-child named Burble. Sack-baby, sack-child, rented kids. What the heckin? LOL This is some imaginative stuff and a highly enjoyable read.

If you’ve ever read Lemony Snicket or The Beast and the Bethany then this book is right up your middle grade fantasy alley. ( )