The little seaside town of Tidgy Bay is quiet this time of year. Summer has passed and the beach cabins owned by the Dynes family are all empty. Milly Dynes has a lot on her mind. Dad is redecorating the attic to become her room, as a new baby sister is soon coming home from the hospital into her old room. Milly still isn’t sure to be excited about a new room or not. And then there is the uncertainty of a new school. Milly is in her last year of primary, and the recent visit to her new school was daunting.

Sleepy Tidgy Bay is suddenly woken by a stranger in their midst. A woman with two bulging bags seemed to appear out of nowhere, wanting to rent one of the cabins. She seems friendly, thinks Milly as she learns the woman’s name. Eliza Vanda.

Eliza needs a quiet space to complete her work, and Milly is dying to know what that work might be, along with some more entrenched nosy parkers of the area. Soon Milly not only knows what Eliza’s work is, but is helping her with it. Eliza is sewing a beautiful wedding dress, and the wedding is very soon!

Milly is tasked with finding the correct buttons, and then much more besides. Eliza is much more than she seems and Milly’s worries of new rooms and new schools are swished away with magical spells, strange towns, a grumpy mouse boy and a princess.

It’s not all wonder however as a witch is causing trouble in Eliza’s world. She is full of trickery and plans, and Milly nearly falls foul of her and a magical object. As Milly is given more magical jobs by Eliza, her confidence builds, eventually saving a special event, an unhappy frog and Eliza Vanda herself!

Like the wonderful Mary Poppins, Eliza Vanda appears out of nowhere and magical things begin to happen. Milly Dynes is a lovely character, pondering being a big sister, and soon to be high school (intermediate in NZ) student. She’s worried about these changes, but also curious about the stranger in town, and still young enough to embrace the magic about to happen to her.

This story touches on fairytale, but is grounded with a local busybody, a chatty shopkeeper and a hard-working dad, who struggling to do all that needs doing. Milly has a guilty secret too, not knowing it could possibly cause a disaster. All these emotions, mixed with a creeping, cranky cat called Sultan, a button box (which many of us remember from our own childhoods) and simple travel spells, captured me quickly and kept me reading.

A lovely story for a good reader of 7 up, which would also be a great read-aloud for junior classes. Milly is the main character, but there is a key boy character too, appeasing boys in a classroom who think the pink cover is too girly for them.

Author – Emily Rodda

Age – 7+

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(2021, Harper Collins NZ, Magic, Adventure, Friendship, Animals, Cat, Mouse, Sewing, Dressmaking, Fairytale style, Courage, New Baby, Growing up, Mystery, Secret, Witch, Princess, Frog, Prince, Wedding Dress)