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The House at the Edge of Magic #1

The House at the Edge of Magic

Amy Sparkes

3.74

An orphan girl fights to save the inhabitants of a magical house in this first book in the rollicking middle grade magical adventure series perfect for fans of Nevermoor and Greenwild!

Nine is an orphan pickpocket determined to escape her life in the Nest of a Thousand Treasures where she’s one of many thieves only valued for what they can steal. When she lifts a house-shaped ornament from a mysterious woman’s purse, she knocks on its tiny door and watches it grow into a huge, higgledy-piggledy building.

Inside, Nine meets the eccentric people who call the magical house their home: Dr. Spoon the alchemist, Flabberghast the young wizard and competitive hopscotch-er, and Eric the troll housekeeper with a strong emotional attachment to his feather duster. For years, they have been desperate to end the curse on the house that prevents them from leaving, finding the bathroom on the first try, or opening the tea cupboard. They can’t even change the scenery outside the windows because the toad’s tongue that enables the structure to move around has gone missing.

After years of having only herself to count on, prickly Nine doesn’t have an altruistic bone in her body and should be the very last choice for anyone looking for a hero, but she’s the only one around. With the promise of a life-changing reward in the balance, she sets her street smarts against bats with acid dung, a burping sugar bowl, and worse as she uncovers more about the curse…and herself.

FantasyMiddle GradeAction & AdventureYAAdventure
Pages
152
First published
January 7, 2021
Language
English
Edition
Ebook

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Shelved by 2 Litcadians

Reviews

  • Finished January 5, 2026

    I can truly see that this book would be a funny and silly book for children around the ages of 10/11/12 to read. But this book just wasn't for me. I read a children's book for the reading challenge and had a small giggle at a few lines. The book is set up very well and there is truly nothing wrong with it. However, I found myself struggling to finish the story because I was not invested at all.