I’ve often said on this blog, that writing reviews for blog tours can at times be a bit of a lucky dip. Sometimes you get the title and a bit of a blurb, this time I got the title and probably skipped the blurb, hence when the book arrived in the post, I was surprised to see that this fifty-three-year-old male, without any kids, was going to be reading a children’s book. Not that I or any of us for that matter are averse to crossing genres. Look at Harry Potter, I don’t think Ms Rowling could ever of imagined, while peering out of the coffee shop window, in the midst of writing the first draft, that so many adults would take to her creation. But as the old adage goes, we were all kids once, and sometimes you just want to lose yourself in a bit of non-challenging fun. This months book review is The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams by Victoria Williamson and published by Tiny Tree ( www.matthewjamespublishing.com ) in May.

In the mysterious village of Witchetty Hollow, eleven-year-old Florizel, is the first person to encounter the curious visitors who’ve come to open a Daydream Deli and a Sack Baby factory. At first the residents of Witchetty Hollow are delighted, because the cost of renting a real child is so expensive. Soon though the daydreams turn sour, the deli’s products are very expensive, and then the residents who start trading in their worldly goods in the newly open pawnshop, begin to disappear. Shortly afterward Storkhouse Services, who rent out the real children, start repossessing them when the parents can’t pay the rent. Can Florizel and Sack-boy Burbel, stop the daydream thieves, before its too late to save the Hollow?

Its often amazed me that not more people get into writing childrens books, because, when you weigh it up against the serious leading bestselling authors of adult fiction, you don’t have to worry too much about facts and inaccuracies. There is none, it’s all your imagination and more freedom you give it, the better the story. The only people who are going to pull you up on inaccuracies are your ardent young readers, or at least their parents. But even they may forgive you and laugh out loud at the ludicrously over the top place names and characters. Most must ask themselves as they read it to their kids, what the hell is this person smoking. This story by Victoria is no exception, I did find myself smirking and having the odd giggle at the Sack baby’s, the alphabet and mathematics taught in Florizels school.

But overall, what see here a nice little story in which is wrapped a serious message for kids about the dangers of having too much of a good thing, and being careful what you wish for. Which is what all kids need to be taught, before the social media monster gets its hooks into them.

This Scottish author Victoria Williamson’s ( www.strangelymagical.com ) sixth book, the others are The Haunting Scent of Poppies (2022), The War of The Wind (2022), Hag Storm (2021), The Boy With the Butterfly Mind (2019), The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle (2018). She grew up in Northern Glasgow and started writing adventure stories at a youing age. These days her stories are inspired by the voices and characters of kids she has met around the world in her work as a teacher. Her job had taken her to such places as Cameroon, China, Malawi and the UK.

So, if you are looking for a little light reading for yourself or an engaging bedtime read to enjoy with your kids, you could do no better than starting with this and moving onto Miss Williamson’s other titles.

Reviewed by: Adrian Murphy

This book review is part of a blog tour organised by www.writereads.com