An inventive plot, humour, warmth and a host of delightful and varied characters make this an engrossing tale for young readers In this novel, Anna Dale skilfully combines a real life setting with magical elements Arthur, Mr Hardbattle and Miss Quint, together with their new 'magical' friend Susan, forge a strong and effective team and show how friends working together can overcome difficult obstacles

Praise for Anna Dale: 'The writing is fresh and vivid, with many humorous touches' The Children's Bookseller 'Dale nimbly ties together the spidery threads of the story in a beguiling denouement' Publisher's Weekly Praise for 'Spellbound': 'I was reminded of two other distinguished writers as I read this - Enid Blyton and C.S. Lewis. The story has that same magical edge about it, with its well-formed imaginary creatures and their world ... [it] would work well as a bedtime story or as a book for a pre-teen to read by themselves' Thebookbag.co.uk

This is Anna Dale's fourth book for Bloomsbury. Whispering to Witches, her first book, sold in twenty-five languages. Anna Dale lives in Southampton.