I’m delighted to be part of the blog tour launch today for this wonderful book.

If we ever needed a book to take us to many places with our imagination, now is the time. The StrangeWorlds Travel Agency is a wonderful adventure through beautifully described worlds, each with interest and intrigue.

The main characters are an unlikely pair, that meet when Flick moves to the village. When exploring the village, Flick finds a shop, that doesn’t look much from the outside, but what she finds inside will change her world (and many other worlds) forever. The shop is run by Jonathan Mercator. L.D. Lapinski writes these characters so well, that you leave the book feeling rather fond of them.

The shop holds the magical suitcases, that hold gateways to many worlds. Woven into the story are visits to many of them. I think my favourite was the City of Five Lights. L.D. describes it in such a captivating way.

Both key characters have a sense of being disillusioned with the responsibilities life has thrown at them, yet in each other’s differences they a find a friendship. It is this bond and unexpected alliance that carries them through the quest they stumble upon, to save the many worlds.

It’s a proper page turner of a read, keeping you intrigued and wanting to know more and more. You are right behind our heroes, cheering them on as you follow the journey with them.

I think this book is a cracker of a read aloud for Year 4-6 classes. The rich world creation throughout the book will provide brilliant examples for children to base their own creative writing on. It’s a masterclass in setting and character creation.

I interviewed L.D. on book launch day about the book, being an author in lockdown and writing techniques. You can watch it here:

You can buy a copy of the book here:

https://readingrocks.selz.com/item/the-strangeworlds-travel-agency-by-ld-lapinski

The StrangeWorlds Travel Agency has featured on the #ReadingRocksAtHome all this week. You can find all videos and free resources on the Hachette Schools Website: