Review – Marnie Midnight and the Moon Mystery

I was lucky enough to receive an early proof of this in exchange for an honest review. All views and opinions are my own.

Marnie Midnight and the Moon Mystery by Laura Ellen Anderson, published by Farshore

Having loved Laura Ellen Anderson’s Rainbow Grey books and what I’ve read of Amelia Fang, I knew I’d be in for a treat here and I wasn’t wrong!

This time, Laura has turned her incredible imagination to the world of minibeasts, with main characters Marnie (a moth), Floyd (an A not a bee) and Star (an ant) starting Minibeast Academy for the first time.

Marnie is desperate to learn more about the moon and moon magic (her favourite things) but when she finds her teachers and classmates at best disbelieving and at worst outright banning any mention of it, she and her friends set out to find out why.

They soon uncover a shocking and bewildering secret and set out on a thrilling quest, encountering some of my favourite characters in the book along the way – Sharon the Early Bird, Mould and Mildew. But can they save the moon from being destroyed?

This is at once sweet, funny, imaginative and original. It’s a great adventure that moves quickly and has just the right amount of tension and humour to keep younger readers hooked, and it’s guaranteed to make you laugh. “Never trust an earthworm with a jetpack” might be my new life motto and The Absolute Unit is still making me chuckle.

But there’s a depth to it too, with important, relevant situations and ideas subtly threaded through – making friends, not judging books by their covers, having your interests derided by others, grief and forgiveness, being passionate and dedicated and not giving up…

All of which sounds like A LOT for an early chapter book! But the sensitivity and skill in the writing means it doesn’t feel like it. None of these things feel like Big Themes we’re being bludgeoned over the head with, rather we briefly encounter them and they are easily ‘picked up on’ or not. They could easily start conversations, or have kids feel seen or be nothing more than small parts of a story to others. Laura Ellen Anderson’s ability to create books which do this is truly special.

The illustrations are expressive and full of little details, and like the text are a perfect blend of funny, exciting and moving.

Overall, this is – as we’ve come to expect from Anderson – a superbly illustrated, fabulously crafted world, full of real life details and facts alongside creative additions and twists, with a vibrant cast of rounded, unique characters, a pacy and exciting adventure and a whole heap of fun.