by Alexandra Sheppard
Longlisted Little Rebels Award 2025
 
“Magical things happen when people pull together”. 
Alyssa isn’t wild about spending the summer holidays with her Great Auntie Jasmine in her odd tea shop in Holloway, London. But, venturing in to Auntie’s mysterious Silverleaf School of Plants and Potions, she discovers her own special magic skills set, inherited from her (Jamaican) mother’s side. Auntie cautions that the magic gleaned from Silverleaf must only be used for the good of the community and, before long, those forces will need to be combined and trained on to the threat facing the local neighbourhood: greedy developers who, in their mission to ‘gentrify’ the area, hike up rents, issue eviction notices, destroy property and monetise everything they can, including access to public spaces. A story espousing radical socialist magic (!) while also a broader reflection on reconnecting with family and forging new friendships.  [Mixed heritage lead; secondary characters include the endearing, non-binary, Rue- Alyssa’s cousin]. Age 8-12, Paperback 325pp
 
Themes: Gender Equality