The Hatmakers
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
Enter a spellbinding world in this soaring magical adventure, perfect for fans of Nevermoor, A Pinch of Magic and Rooftoppers.
'Wildly inventive . . . full of laugh-out-loud humour, enchanting magic and rebellious hope. I loved it' Catherine Doyle
'Imaginative . . . entertaining, comical and breezy, and the settings are conjured in transporting detail' The Times
Cordelia comes from a long line of magical milliners, who weave alchemy and enchantment into every hat. In Cordelia's world, Making - crafting items such as hats, cloaks, watches, boots and gloves from magical ingredients - is a rare and ancient skill, and only a few special Maker families remain.
When Cordelia's father Prospero and his ship, the Jolly Bonnet, are lost at sea during a mission to collect hat ingredients, Cordelia is determined to find him. But Uncle Tiberius and Aunt Ariadne have no time to help the littlest Hatmaker, for an ancient rivalry between the Maker families is threatening to surface. Worse, someone seems to be using Maker magic to start a war.
It's up to Cordelia to find out who, and why . . .
Featuring gorgeous black-and-white illustrations throughout by Paola Escobar.
'An utterly charming adventure full of wildness, wit, magic and heart' Anna James
'Absolutely wonderful' Emma Carroll
'A cosy magical adventure peppered with charming detail' The Bookseller
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the Hatmaker House in London, everyone except for Cordelia Hatmaker, 11, believes that her father, Captain Prospero Hatmaker, was lost at sea during "an ingredient-hunting expedition" for hat components. Sending a quest pigeon with a note, Cordelia remains optimistic; after all, her father's adventurous life has inspired her own. Cordelia and her family make up the Hatmaker Guild, which serves the Crown by creating magical hats that influence behavior. But trouble brews in England, as King George's bizarre recent impulses have increased tensions with France. Commissioned to create Peace Clothes along with the other Maker families (Bootmakers, Cloakmakers, Watchmakers, and Glovemakers), and faced with the threat of being banned from making anything ever again, the Hatmakers hope to help prevent conflict before King Louis declares war on England. But the Guilds have never excelled at collaboration, a burglar lurks, and an evil figure looms. Merchant's action-packed, intricately described debut relies on fantasy tropes—the princess in distress, the threat of winding up in the Tower of London, and good versus evil—making characters and plot feel thin, but readers new to the genre may find this an engaging endeavor. Back matter includes a detailed glossary of ingredients for apprentice hatmakers. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 9–12.
