Katrina Nannestad (text) and Cheryl Orsini (illustrator), Mim and the Baffling Bully (The Travelling Bookshop, #1), HarperCollins Publishers, July 2021, 224 pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780733341656
From the beloved author of The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Rome and We Are Wolves comes this enchanting new series for younger readers.
Step inside the travelling bookshop and you will find the right book that might just change your life …
Mim Cohen roams the world in a travelling bookshop, along with her dad and her bumbling little brother Nat. Their travelling bookshop is pulled along by a huge horse called Flossy leading them to where they are needed most.
They arrive in a picturesque Dutch village with canals and bridges with girls dangling off them. This is where the problems start as Mim rescues Willemina from the bridge to find she has ended up there thanks to Gerda the bully.
And from here, the story twists and turns with delightful sub plots of friendship, courage, discovery, animal friends, cupcakes and stroopwafles. Let’s not forget Nat’s fascination with the letter ‘O’, Mim’s treasured word collection, and the cavernous bookshop with books piled to the sky.
Frolicking fun aside, Mim knows they’re here to help Willemina: To help her find the right book which will make her strong and brave around bullies. But Dad appears to be giving out the wrong books to everyone who visits. Why would a lonely man want a book on knitted tea cosies? And why would Gerda the bully like an old dusty book with yellowed pages? If only Dad would find her the right book. If only he would stop giving everyone else the wrong book!
The story lines and fun and games in every scene will make this unputdownable. The children tripping over the tongues on their sock puppet feet had me in hysterics. Where else should sock puppet feet go? The language rolls off the tongue like honey and fun words will stretch the imaginations of the reader. Orsini’s line drawings are endearing and full of emotion.
This series is perfect for children searching for child-centric stories on friendships, snuggling hedgehogs, flying lambs, food of the world and wonder for ages 7+ years.
Reviewed by Stef Gemmill
