The first feverishly-paced story in a new fantasy series, Jennifer Bell’s Magicalia: Race of Wonders is a riot of Pokémon-esque pandemonium and globe-trotting mystery as a girl discovers she has the power to conjure strange magical creatures and undertakes a mission to rescue her kidnapped dad.
Readers are thrust right into the adventure from the off when Bitsy — who wants to follow in the footsteps of her deceased journalist mum — and her best friend Kosh are shocked to the core when a weird purple hamstoceros appears in her house, along with a woman who’s searching for a book. On failing to find it, the woman takes the next best thing — Bitsy’s dad.
The book turns out to be called Magicalia, which is the “name for the kingdom of organisms known as magicores”, of which there are six types that can be conjured using a different emotion. It also turns out that Bitsy’s dad can conjure magicores, and he’d failed to tell her that she’d been invited to take a test to determine whether she can do the same…
During their wild mission to rescue her dad, Bitsy and Kosh follow a trail of clues that sees them traverse the globe. Alongside being a fantastical adventure, Race of Wonders fizzes with riddles and history, astronomy and super-charged science, all of which adds up to a full-on phantasmagoria of fiction. If that wasn’t enough, it’s also funny, and laced with relatable real-world context.
From the internationally bestselling author of Wonderscape and The Uncommoners, comes a spectacular new fantasy series set in a world of magical creatures, ancient meteorites and secret organizations, irresistible to fans of Pokémon, Skandar and the Unicorn Thief and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Feel the magic. Conjure the impossible.
When her dad is kidnapped by a woman with a giant hamstoceros, Bitsy and best friend Kosh are swept into a secret world of ancient meteorites and strange beasts called magicores, each conjured using a different emotion. Using a powerful bestiary called Magicalia, the friends must quickly become conjurors themselves, before following a trail of clues that will take them from London to India to Paris, in a race to rescue Bitsy’s dad from a mysterious villain.
'Fun, fast and ferociously readable, I loved every minute of Bitsy’s and Kosh's adventures with the magicores. Pokémon meets Diana Wynne Jones in this outstanding start to a fantastic series. Already one of my favourite books of 2024!' - Elle McNicoll
'Jennifer Bell makes the impossible seem possible in this fantastical, pacy and hugely impressive story that’s filled with around-the-world adventure, intricate world building and magical creatures that are conjured from different emotions. It’s an absolute triumph!' - Mel Taylor-Bessent
'Spectacular! A world-beating feat of imagination, as enthralling as it is exciting. Climb on board your ozoz, and hold on tight!' - Sinéad O'Hart
'Magicalia had me gripped from chapter one, with thrilling twists and magical creatures at every turn. A spellbinding read.' - Rachel Chivers Khoo
'Magicalia is a thrilling story with brilliant, loveable characters. Bell’s storytelling is wonderful and the world she creates bursts with technicolour – I absolutely raced through it.' - Jasbinder Bilan
Author
About Jennifer Bell
Jennifer Bell worked as a children’s bookseller at a world-famous bookshop before becoming an author. She began working in children's books as a specialist bookseller at Foyles, Charing Cross Road - one of the world's most famous bookstores. Here, she looked after the shop's five not-so-deadly piranha fish as well as recommending children's books to celebrities, royalty and even astronauts. After having the privilege of listening to children talk about their favourite books for many years, she started writing one of her own
Her debut novel, The Uncommoners: The Crooked Sixpence, was an international bestseller. Jennifer came up for the idea of The Crooked Sixpence while packing for a holiday and wishing she could just disappear inside her suitcase and be there already. The world of Lundinor is inspired by sayings from traditional English nursery rhymes as well as the stories Jennifer grew up with about the Cockney markets her grandparents used to visit.
She is also the author of Agents of the Wild, an adventure series for younger readers; Wonderscape, which was selected as a Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month and is inspired by some of her favourite heroes from history and her love of gaming; and Legendarium, which celebrates incredible legends from around the world. Magicalia: Race of Wonders is the first in an exciting new fantasy series.
