I’m delighted to be starting the launch celebrations of ‘Bella Broomstick’ by Lou Kuenzler with Faye Rogers Publicity. ‘

Here’s what you need to know about the book and I have a review too.

Title: Bella Broomstick (Bella Broomstick #1)

Author: Lou Kuenzler

Release Date: 7^th January 2016

Genre: MG Fantasy

Publisher: Scholastic UK

Format: Paperback and E-book and available here

This delightful new series, full of doodle illustrations and themes of friendship and fitting in, will have young readers bewitched from the very first page! Bella Broomstick is a hopeless witch. So hopeless that nasty Aunt Hemlock is sending her to live in Person World – with the warning that she must never do magic again! But when Bella finds a kitten in trouble, a spell is the only way to rescue it. What is Bella to do? For where there is magic, trouble is never far away!

My Review

Orphan Belladonna Broomstick is a useless witch, so when she fails her witch exams for the third time her Aunt Hemlock banishes her from the Magic Realm to the Person World. When she arrives, her adventures begin.

I loved this children’s book. It has some worthy themes as it explores love and belonging, failure and success and responsibility and family, but these are enriching layers in a super plot that races along and would be sure to enthrall any child. There is a blistering pace that keeps the reader entertained from start to finish.

The characters are easily identifiable to children without being two dimensional. The kitten Rascal is equally as good a character as Bella and the subsidiary cast give real variety so that all types of people, good and bad, are explored in the village setting.

There’s great humour in the writing and the descriptions are vivid and effective. I also really liked the annotations and notes from Bella as if she is talking directly to the reader alongside the actual narrative.

‘Bella Broomstick’ is the first in a new series and I’m sure children will be clamouring for every one. It’s a great read.

About the Author

Lou Kuenzler likes to write stories which make children laugh.

Her popular SHRINKING VIOLET books are funny, action-packed adventures about a little girl who suddenly shrinks …. Think Mrs Pepperpot with a 21st century twist!

And then Lou’s next series PRINCESS DISGRACE introduces the clumsiest princess ever in a comic romp through life at a posh princess academy – unicorns, dragons and japes galore!

For slightly younger readers, Lou’s AESOP’S AWESOME RYHMES add a comic, rhyming twist to the classic moral tales.

While JACK SPLAT: SUPERFLY PEST and JACK SPLAT: DOG’S DINNER tell the fly-on-the-wall adventures of … well, of a fly!

You can find out more about Lou on her website, on Goodreads and you can follow her on Twitter

There are lots more blog posts coming up as part of the launch of ‘Bella Broomstick’, so don’t forget to visit these too: