A thoughtful, honest and articulate voice for teenage girls

Beautiful and brave

Everyone should read this book

Witty

Packed full of honesty and insight

Robert Dinsdale’s engaging and enchanting new novel offers the literary equivalent of a Guillermo del Toro film; it is, at its best, a fairytale for adults, with all the wonder – and terror – that that entails. Even as the story takes an inevitably darker turn with the advent of the second world war, it is the sense of joy that lingers in this fine book.

The Toy Makers is a gorgeous puzzle-box of a novel, opening to reveal layer on astonishing layer. From the magic of a remarkable toy emporium to the carnage of trench warfare to the personal battles of an exceptional family, this story will delight, amaze and deeply move the reader.

Stewart is masterful. He weaves a chilling, supernatural plot with a playfulness and brings the darkest chapters back from the edge. I suspect Stephen King would be impressed

This eldritch escapade is certainly an option for kids too old to go trick-or-treating

Knausgaard’s assets are on full display, including his precise writing style and his unerring sense of detail … it is all muscle, a generous slice of thoughtful, ruminative life.

The curiously loose weave of Knausgaard’s prose allows it to return parts of the reader’s own life to them

A very striking debut novel … A swift, lithe and engaging read.

Atmospheric and disquieting.

Assured, immersive and atmospheric.