The Miraculous Sweetmakers: The Frost Fair; Natasha Hastings, illustrated by Alex T. Smith

Grab your warmest winter woolies and prepare for an intriguing and magical adventure into the Frost Fair.

Thomasina’s life has never been the same since the death of her twin brother four years ago. Her father is a shadow of his former self and her mother has isolated herself in a bedroom, hardly muttering a word. Things are bleak until a strange visitor offers her the impossible…trade all of her memories of Arthur and the mysterious Father Winter will bring him back. But the magician is a dangerous trickster, the stakes are much higher than could ever be imagined and Thomasina needs to put a stop to his horrible ways before it is too late…

I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to look at snowflakes in quite the same way again after finishing this wonderfully original and captivating frosty affair at the Frost Fair that is perfect to curl up with on a cold winter’s day. I was chilled to my very core and then had my heart gently warmed and was left felling all warm and fuzzy inside as friendship and love triumphed over spine-tingling sorcery.

Natasha Hasting’s debut is a beautifully told story. A richly evoked historical London - at a time when the Thames did freeze over and the great river become a hubbub of activity - provides the perfect setting for a heart-felt and magical fantasy adventure that carefully explores grief, all it encompasses and the lengths that will be gone to to bring a loved one back.

Full of emotion, packed with twists and turns, and a plot that will draw you in from the start - just don’t get too close to Father Winter and his icy clutches - The Miraculous Sweetmakers has all of the ingredients for a classic in the making. 

Magical!

Recommended for 9+.