Rosalind and her brother Robbie are staying with their dad while their mum is on a holiday course. The problem is their stepsister Smash (Samantha), who is younger than Ros but rougher, louder, ruder and stronger. She is constantly nasty and doesn’t change that much through the story. There is also Maudie – their little half-sister who is just a toddler.

Dad wants them to get along and so he and Smash’s Mum take them for a picnic in nearby woods to a sandpit he used to play in. The children find a Psammead – the same creature out of E Nesbit’s Five children and It which grants wishes that end at sunset.
They become famous, fly, bring nursery characters and plastic animals to life – all the while learning to get on better.

Author – Jacqueline Wilson

Age – 8+

(2013, Penguin Random House, Adventure, Blended Family, Conflict, Magic, Magical Creature)