Article contributed by Annie McCann
With the pandemic locking us down, this was just the book I needed to get me through some dark days. Although the target audience is fo young readers, this book can be enjoyed by adults too. What I admire the most was the transition between real world and fantasy world through the eyes of Felicity (Flick). With the start of the real world, the reader is eased into the book before it takes you on the glorious adventure. Flick is a likeable character as she is a typical 12-year-old kid who feels neglected and struggles with her new life as she is forced to move with her family to a new town and leave her family behind. She spends a lot of time entertaining herself as her mother is busy taking care of her little brother Freddy. I enjoyed following Flick’s character. I admire her loyalty and her bravery and equally enjoyed how she developed her rapport and unlikely friendship with Jonathan, whom she meets as she stumbles across what looks like a quirky storefront: The Strangeworlds Travel Agency. Jonathan is strange and elusive, but also the head custodian of this unusual travel agency so their first meeting was quite funny and how each character grows and develops throughout the story is impressive.
Once we establish the characters, we are swept off our feet by the adventures they both embark on and are absolutely mesmerised with the worlds they get to enter… through a suitcase! Imagine having the option of escaping this world just by jumping through a suitcase? Equally exciting are the rules of the Strangeworlds Travel Agency making the adventures more exhilarating. This book is a strong debut. A story full of adventure, high stakes, and suspense that has travelling to various worlds, to encountering magical beings and villains that Flick confronts. The ongoing mystery of certain characters, particularly Jonathan’s father, held my attention to the end.
This is a very strong debut novel. I was very impressed with the worldbuilding, the character development, and the focus on friendship. The underlying mystery that develops into a bigger story also kept me turning the page. It’s a charming adventure that makes you care for each character you meet, particularly Flick and Jonathan and whether they will survive each quest and climb back out of the suitcase and back to the agency each time. Whilst it appears to be a standalone, it does have potential to become a series or even have a sequel. I can see there is inspiration from adventure tales we have come to know and love over the years however this story is quite unique and a lot of fun.
The Strangeworlds Travel Agency is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Pack your suitcase for a magical adventure! Perfect for fans of Nevermoor and The Train to Impossible Places.
At the Strangeworlds Travel Agency, each suitcase transports you to a different world. All you have to do is step inside . . .
When 12-year-old Flick Hudson accidentally ends up in the Strangeworlds Travel Agency, she uncovers a fantastic secret: there are hundreds of other worlds just steps away from ours. All you have to do to visit them is jump into the right suitcase. Then Flick gets the invitation of a lifetime: join Strangeworlds’ magical travel society and explore other worlds.
But, unknown to Flick, the world at the very centre of it all, a city called Five Lights, is in danger. Buildings and even streets are mysteriously disappearing. Once Flick realizes what’s happening she must race against time, travelling through unchartered worlds, seeking a way to fix Five Lights before it collapses into nothingness — and takes our world with it.
