Book Review: Brittle’s Academy For The Magically Unstable by Lily Mae Walters

Hello to Lily Mae Walters and the blog tour for Charlie Makes a Discovery, the first book in the Brittle’s Academy for the Magically Unstable series. 

It’s Charlie’s first day at high school, his blazer is too big and his shoes are too small, but that’s the least of his worries.

He’s been missed off the class lists and is now enrolled in a new school called Brittle’s Academy with a magical and mysterious head teacher.

But to stay at Brittle’s Charlie must pass one of the tests…otherwise he’ll be sent to Oblivion!

It’s Charlie’s first day at secondary school. He is nervous, his blazer doesn’t fit and he’s terrified that he will ruin his new uniform and upset his Mum.

When he gets to school and the classes are sorted, it appears that he and a few of the other students have been missed off the class lists. Then they hear a voice.

I am very honoured to be involved with the mini blog blitz for this book.

This is the first in a series of books about Brittle Academy. These can be read as a standalone and will feature different characters. However, I do recommend that this one be read first as it introduces all of the characters.

Although I am definitely not the target audience for this book (it’s being marketed at 6+,) I loved it. It’s an endearing introduction to a new magical world that will certainly more than fill the Harry Potter void. I don’t think you can read any book based on magic without it being compared to Potter but this has a different perspective to the learning of magic that I loved.

I believe it to be a perfect book to read with your child or for Independent reading. It’s only about 100 pages long but it playfully presents us with a quirky school and characters to match. I could really picture this school and the inhabitants within. Professor Brittle, Professor Bones and Professor Peculiar, with a cat who sleeps in her hat. The beautiful illustrations by Tom Rowley helped with imagining the school.

There are many personalities that your child will be able to relate to. This book focuses on the sorting into the houses and I found it to be very clever and fun.

I also love the idea that it’s magically attached to the normal secondary school and can not be accessed unless you’re magical. How I wished my school had this. Haha.

Brittle’s Academy for the Magically Unstable: Charlie makes a Discovery is a wonderful, fun beginning to a promising and enjoyable series, for children and parents alike.

About Lily Mae Walters:

Lily Mae Walters chose her pen name in honor of her beloved Grandparents who also star in the Josie James series.

She is married with two teenage children and two Huskies who are the inspiration behind Murphy and Asher in the books. Lily Mae lives in Nuneaton, England and finds herself using local places and even her old school in her stories. Family and friends mean the world to Lily Mae and many will find themselves popping up in her books.

Lily Mae also writes for adults under the name of Florence Keeling.

Say hi on Twitter: @lilymaewalters1 and @keelingflorence

Brittle’s Academy for the Magically Unstable was released by Crimson Cloak Publishing in January. Click to view on Amazon UK. 

by

Laura

I'm Laura. I started Novel Kicks back in 2009 as I wanted a place to discuss books and writing - two loves of my life. As someone who has anxiety, these two things give me, and I am sure countless others, a much needed escape.
There is a monthly book club, writing exercises, prompts, reviews, author interviews, competitions and guest posts. I cover many genres and I hope there is something for everyone.
I grew up by the sea in Dorset and currently live in Poole with my husband, Chris and three cats. I love writing and have a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from Falmouth University. I am writing my first book. If only I could stop pressing delete. Chris has threatened to stop it from working. Haha.
I have always loved creative writing since I was in first school and would very much like to meet my teacher, Miss Sayers, to say thank you for all the encouragement she gave me then.
When not writing, I love reading, cats, Disney, singing (I can't sing but this doesn't stop me,) and falling into a good TV show or film. If I could step into any fictional world, it would be amongst the characters in ABC's Once Upon a Time.
I love reading many genres and discovering new authors.