I’m really rather fond of children’s fiction, in spite of my advancing years so when a surprise copy of Frank Cottrell-Boyce’s The Wonder Brothers, illustrated by Steven Lenton dropped into my post box I was delighted. My thanks to Anna Read at Macmillan for sending it to me.

The Wonder Brothers is published by MacMillan Children’s Books on 20th July 2023 and is available for purchase through the links here.

The Wonder Brothers

‘Maybe you don’t believe me. Maybe you don’t believe in magic. I bet you will by the time you’ve heard what happened to us.’

Cousins Middy and Nathan love magic. The on-stage, cape-swirling, bunny-out-of-a-hat kind.

For Middy, it’s all about patience and practice. She uses magic skills to help her out of tricky situations.

Nathan is a show-off and a total danger magnet, he is drawn to the sensation, spectacle and audience.

So when the famous Blackpool Tower dramatically vanishes the night of the Grand Lights Switch-On, showman Nathan announces live on TV that they will magic it back home.

With a stick of rock, a spangly cape, and a bit of misdirection, they end up lost in Las Vegas, home to the grand master of illusion, Perplexion, ‘Legend of Magic’.

Full of tricks, twists and deceptions, the delightful Nathan and Middy will keep you guessing until the very end.

My Review of The Wonder Brothers

The Blackpool Tower is missing. 

The Wonder Brothers is chaotic, bonkers and absolutely brilliant. Like Queenie the rabbit, the timeline hops about all over the place making for a madcap and hugely fun read. I loved the scenes in the police station as poor Captain Jimenez interviews the children and tries to pin down exactly what’s been happening. The structure of the story echoes her bewildered attempts to perfection and is the source of so much of the humour.

There’s everything from oversized rabbits, Pop Tart eating nuns and pencils (not) shoved up nostrils in The Wonder Brothers in a kind of narrative kaleidoscope that is so entertaining. Add in the super illustrations by Steven Lenton, who has a talent for facial expression in particular that brings the characters alive still further, and this is a book that would make a brilliant gift or middle grade read. The balance of story between Nathan and Middy gives equal status to boys and girls, and with Middy’s ethnicity, this is a story promoting inclusion and difference too. I especially appreciated the way Nathan’s overactive bounciness gets him into trouble but the story uncovers real skill and kindness in his actions.

Kindness is just one of the heart-warming themes in The Wonder Brothers. Family, friendship, being brave, embracing opportunity, making the most of a talent, stereotyping (Middy’s mum being Blackpool Tower’s resident plumber, for example) are all woven into the story so that there’s positivity for all young readers to find.

I loved both the Blackpool and Las Vegas settings and with reference to real life people like magician David Copperfield, Frank Cottrell-Boyce creates a magical world very firmly rooted in reality. Indeed, the most special aspect of the story is the message that real magic is all around us in the people and places we love, but that sometimes we forget to look for it. If you read the Author’s Note at the end of the book, I think any adult would find a small lump in the throat at the final line. 

The glossary of magical terms at the end, as well as the cracking story itself, gives just enough insight into how magic tricks are created without spoiling them for children and without reducing the sense of wonder they create. I can envisage a huge craze of magic in homes and schools where this book is read.

I found The Wonder Brothers to be wise, witty and wonderful. It has a magical quality and I loved it. In fact, there’s only one way to describe The Wonder Brothers and that’s – Ta-dah! 

About Frank Cottrell-Boyce

Frank Cottrell-Boyce is an award-winning author and screenwriter. Millions, his debut children’s novel, won the CILIP Carnegie Medal. He is also the author of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again, Cosmic, Framed, The Astounding Broccoli Boy and Runaway Robot. His books have been shortlisted for a multitude of prizes, including the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Whitbread Children’s Fiction Award (now the Costa Book Award) and the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth was shortlisted for the 2017 CILIP Carnegie Medal and selected for the inaugural WHSmith Tom Fletcher Book Club.

Frank is a judge for the 500 Words competition and the BBC’s One Show As You Write It competition. Along with Danny Boyle, he devised the Opening Ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics. He has written for the hit TV series Dr Who and was the screenwriter for the hit film Goodbye Christopher Robin.

For further information, visit Frank’s website or follow him on Twitter @frankcottrell_b or Instagram.

About Steven Lenton

Steven Lenton is a multi-award-winning illustrator, originally from Cheshire, now working from his studios in Brighton and London with his dog, Big Eared Bob. He has illustrated many children’s books including Head Kid and The Taylor Turbochaser by David Baddiel, The Hundred And One Dalmatians adapted by Peter Bently, the Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam series by Tracey Corderoy and the Sainsbury’s Prize-winning The Nothing To See Here Hotel series written by Steven Butler. He has illustrated two World Book Day titles and regularly appears at literary festivals and live events across the UK.

Steven has his own Draw-along YouTube channel, showing how to draw a range of his characters. He has also written his own picture book Princess Daisy and the Dragon and the Nincompoop Knights and his new young fiction series Genie and Teeny.

For more info visit Steven’s website, and follow him on Twitter @StevenLenton or Instagram. Steven is also on Facebook.