Harklights, despite being very competent and readable, doesn't really do anything new and comes across like a shadow of better books, both past and contemporary. Speaking as an adult I’m not totally convinced of the story’s pacing and of the relationships Wick has not only built but will also build up; but then I’m not the target readership, for whom life may feel like a continuous present and relationships are often mysteries that continue to puzzle.

Wick is an orphan boy, who has spent his life (as far as he can remember), working at the Harklights match factory and orphanage. Grit your teeth as he takes on the monsters to save the forest, and blink back tears when he finally wins the love and respect of all the Hobbs. It would have been great had Petal or Bottletop escaped with Wick into the forest to meet the Hobbs.

Magical and with an ongoing theme of awareness and care of the world around you of wildlife, like The Borrowers meets The Animals of farthing wood, mixed with a book I recently read By Ash, Oak and Thorn. This review was written by Kelly Ashley With over 20 years of education experience in both the US and the UK, Kelly Ashley currently works as an independent consultant, providing training and support for primary schools across the UK. How will he find a way to protect his new friends and the forest from the mysterious and foreboding danger that looms ever closer? Wick himself is trained into the role of ‘Forest Keeper’ as he is charged with the role of protector of the wood.

What a mighty message from so many delicately made moments in our amazing Children's Book of the month for May.

Overall, “Harklights” provides a feel-good story that would appeal to adults and children alike with relatable characters and meaningful moments. The pace is not uncommon in children's literature - The Silver Arrow suffers from it, so does Cogheart, The Train to Impossible Places and Sarah Driver's Sea. This magical adventure into the forest has a healthy dose of newfound family, friendship and belonging. Like Wick, we readers can become Forest Keepers, ready to protect all that grows from danger and threat, no matter how big and seemingly overwhelming that danger may be. Wick must prove himself to the Hobs and help them solve a serious problem that is threatening to destroy their homes and maybe even their entire species.

However, In the finale Wick is able to use his inventiveness to defeat Ma Bogey and realises he didn’t need a magical ability.Tim Tilley studied illustration at Anglia Ruskin University and now teaches children's book illustration courses at City Lit. Your selection was perfect for our children and what really made the difference was your ability to engage with each child, discuss their interests and help them to choose a suitable book based on your extensive knowledge of the books you were selling. The themes of nature, conservation and family weave effortlessly through the novel, with stunning illustrations to bring this organic adventure to life. Harklights is the name of a match factory, the kind that supplied the product that Hans Christian Anderson’s little matchgirl sold. When Wick finds himself unexpectedly freed from Harklights, he must find his way in a strange and yet somehow comforting world, a world of nature and living things, so different from anything he has known.

In a grim, grey orphanage (surrounded by a forest full of unseen life and tiny magical creatures ) lives mistreated orphan Wick, who seeks an escape from the cruelty of his life.He only dreams of escaping, until one day a bird drops something impossible and magical at his feet - a tiny baby in an acorn cradle. I thoroughly enjoyed going on this adventure with Wick and was captivated by the descriptions of the forest and the Hobs. This is a charming tale for children, which may just help to open their eyes to the wonders of the natural world (although you can't beat taking them out in it either).