At 11 yrs old, Suzy Smith is smart. She loves science, especially physics, always keen to know how the world works. So one night when she discovers train tracks inside her house, her natural curiosity demands to know why and where they came from? Suddenly a train screams to a halt inside Suzy’s lounge, driven by trolls and a giant bear.

It doesn’t stay long, and after not getting any sensible answers from the trolls, Suzy  jumps onboard before it leaves. She is quickly caught up in an adventure on The Train to Impossible Places – a postal train that delivers and collects parcels, letters and messages across a spectacular plethora of strange worlds.

Suzy’s logic and physics don’t apply to these worlds. They have fuzzics instead, which allow train tracks to cross the sky, buildings to be built upside down, and travel to be possible between different parts of the Union of Impossible Places.

Full of wonder as they deliver the mail, Suzy makes another snap decision which hurtles them all into danger. An evil sorceress called Crepuscula is now tracking them with an army of concrete soldiers. Fleeing between multiple worlds, Suzy and her new friends are plunged into a dangerous mission. Control of the entire Union is at stake!

I liked this story from the very first page. Suzy’s adventure took me into haphazard worlds that all magically meshed together and when it was over, my inner ‘Narnian’ smiled. There are more adventures to follow in these magical worlds and I’ll be sure to jump aboard The Train to Impossible Places. The hardback cover under the book jacket is a hidden treasure and at the back there are tips and ideas from Wilmot (the chief postmaster in the story), how to write a letter.  Great read!

Author – P G Bell

Illustrator – Flavia Sorrentino

Age – 8+

(Magic, Physics, Siblings, Spells, Betrayal, Power, Control, Friends, Mail, Letters, Series, S.T.E.A.M)