Iggy and newly-arrived step-brother-to-be Cal are a bit dubious about the new family home, peppered by tiny wooden animals, and housing hundreds of distinctly rapidly-growing plants. Their landlady is in a shack at the bottom of the garden, swamped in its own foliage, and there's a wood nearby, that should be just ripe for exploring. The landlady says it's fine – other people say it's full of danger. However, as Cal, Iggy, and the girl next door are all about to discover, it's actually full of magic. And if you are nice to the trees, you can see their magic and friendship with you growing just as much as the leaves do… But that doesn't mean that everything is as it should be.

This then is a touch of a magic, faraway tree, and an environmental lesson, as the three kids discover this new reality. It's a book that does a surprising lot – I'd barely picked it up before I was a quarter of the way in, and already a lot more wonder had been presented to the children than I'd have expected. Where else would this go, and what could possibly be held back for the sequels? I did wonder at times if the action and drama had been rushed out of the way for an eco-harangue of a final third, but that wasn't the case either.

Ultimately this was a really effective and affecting drama, piling on the magic and wonder but for common-sense, grounded sentiments, seeming to go too far but for important and heartfelt reasons. There's a lot here that's a message, with the new family crossing the race divide, and the girl next door, Mae, a deaf character. But it reads as a story for story's sake, nudging us perhaps to classic forest-based folklore, but being very much of its own time.

It was a surprise to me to be reminded how little I'd rated the author's first main series. This seems a wonderful read to start her next, and yet self-contained in its own little way – although you too will want to see the kids versus the evil forest-bashing councillor, coming to us soon. Four and a half stars – a veritable verdant delight.

I was lucky enough to receive an e-galley of this via Netgalley. Thank you to Bonnier Books UK, Piccadilly Press and Netgalley!

The Wood Where Magic Grows is a new series by the author of The Boy Who Grew Dragons. I loved The Boy Who Grew Dragons, so I was excited to read The Wood Where Magic Grows. I haven’t finished The Boy Who Grew Dragons series yet, but I was keen to try The Wood Where Magic Grows anyway. I have to say, Andy Shepherd did not disappoint.

The Wood Where Magic Grows is a fairytale adventure with a strong environmental angle and some brilliant disability rep. The book is about two step-brothers who have moved to a strange cottage next to a magical wood. Of course, they don’t know it is magical at first, and they have their own problems, what with moving and a new school and both of them getting used to having a brother and sharing a room. The story takes place in the summer, so the boys haven’t started school yet.

Firstly, the story was great, it kept me interested and it had lots of twists and turns. There was always something interesting happening and it has great pacing. I wasn’t bored once, reading this book. The magic is so sweet and whimsical. I don’t want to say too much because of spoilers, but I absolutely loved the characters, especially Busby and Tiny.

The environmental angle was done really well, and I think it will make it even more popular with today’s children and young adults. I obviously care about the environment, but normally in books I get fed up of it as a theme and I feel like it’s being rammed down my neck sometimes. However, The Wood Where Magic Grows didn’t do this, and I really enjoyed it. It made me care more, and it didn’t give me the anxiety I normally get with books like this, where something is in peril and the heroes have to save it. It was more low-stakes and just nice. It was a really enjoyable, light read.

Another aspect of this book that I enjoyed was the disability rep. I am a hard-of-hearing person, and I wear hearing aids and lipread. So when the author introduced a hard-of-hearing character, I was immediately suspicious and scrutinising how the character was portrayed and how the author handled the topic of deafness. I needn’t have worried! Andy Shepherd did an amazing job! Mai’s hearing aids were mentioned a lot as Mai went about her adventures, and there were some moments where characters had to repeat something or Mai didn’t hear something. There was also lipreading. To see this in a book was absolutely amazing, and it was done so well. The reality of wearing hearing aids etc was portrayed really realistically, without being boring or too much. And Mai was a quirky, funny character as well. She wasn’t just a token deaf person, she was a great character. I will always treasure this book for the disability rep. I want to make everybody read it, because yes, that’s what it’s like.

The illustrations by Ellie Snowdon are lovely. I loved the animals, and how the characters were portrayed. The quirky style is just perfect for this book. My favourite illustrations were Cal’s tiger onesie and seeing Mai illustrated with her hearing aids!

I can’t sing this book’s praises enough, but if you love cute characters, magic, fairytales and whimsy, you will love this book. Also, check out The Boy Who Grew Dragons too, because it is just as good!

Have you read The Wood Where Magic Grows or The Boy Who Grew Dragons? Are either of these books on your TBR? Let me know in the comments!

5 stars.

Andy Shepherd is an absolute genius at writing books to hook in those reluctant younger readers. Loved this as much as I loved her others .

This is a charming book for young readers which celebrates the wonder and playfulness of nature. With echoes of The Enchanted Wood and The Magic Faraway Tree, without being too similar, it has themes of blended families, friendship and an important eco message. I loved Andy Shepherd's representation of a partially deaf character and the joyful magic she has created thoughout the story. Expect, transforming trees, an acorn-living pig, animate animals made out of wood and a sharp-tongued councillor.
The story takes a little time to get going but once it does, there's fun and joy on every page.

lovely middle grade book.
the story was well written, and the characters were great!
illustrations in the book just made it for me.
8 year old me would have loved this book!

It is a cosy read about a young boy facing the challenge of moving to a new house and adapting to his new role as the elder step-brother. It is very heartwarming and beautifully illustrated. It is a bit of a slow burner though.

This book is beautifully written with lovely illustrations full of hidden faces. It tells the story of 2 step brothers who team up with a neighbour to investigate the wood behind their cottage. It reminded me of the magic faraway tree by Enid Blyton which was a favourite of mine growing up. Full of magic and wonder and a nod to looking after the planet, this is a must read for all young readers. Highly recommend.

#TheWoodWhereMagicGrows #NetGalley.

The Wood Where Magic Grows tells the story of Iggy and his new younger stepbrother, Cal, as the family move to a cottage on the edge of a forest. As they explore their new home, they discover the magic inside the woods as the trees play with them, bring wooden ornaments to life and ask for their help.

This is a very sweet book, with a lovely story and beautiful illustrations, which sets the magic in a world children will recognise around them. It’s an old fashioned style of story in some ways but the setting is modern – blended families, disabilities, moving house – and encourages children to look around them with imagination and curiosity. Lovely.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

What a beautiful children’s book!

The writing and illustrations are wonderful. Having read a couple of books from The Boy Who Grew Dragons series, (and having the rest lined up ready) I couldn’t wait to see what this one was like.

I decided to read this ARC copy myself, without my son, as we love to read a paperback together and read a few chapters a night. I, as an adult, was captivated by this one! The magic and wonder of it, and found it very hard to put down.

The first thing my son will notice is the chapter titles. This is something he loves and I think more books should have!
The characters are all lovely and well developed, I love how this new family has come together and bonded. This book is about family, friendships, caring for others and the world around you, it’s about not judging someone by how they look or a problem they may have, but about being supportive and navigating things together.

All in all a wonderful book. I would definitely buy this for my son (6years old) and his friends.

The cover is enticing and the illustrations throughout break the text up nicely. These are definitely the sort of books that will encourage even the most reluctant readers.