We are delighted to welcome author Michelle Harrison to Story Snug to celebrate the publication of Midnight Magic, illustrated by Elissa Elwick. It’s the perfect Halloween read and tells the story of a mischievous black kitten, a magical broomstick and an action packed night time adventure.
The Story: Midnight is a black kitten and as soon as she is born her mother realises that she is different to her two siblings. Midnight befriends a broom and learns to fly but the magic becomes too much for Mum who abandons Midnight and takings her siblings with her.
Midnight is rescued by a little girl called Trixie but can’t resist experimenting with magic, much to Trixie’s delight! Bubbles, brambles, a magic carpet, a very excited Nana and a dubious Dad all play a part in this magical story.
This fun rhyming story is a wonderfully atmospheric first chapter book full of magical page turning action. Midnight is delightfully mischievous and enjoys experimenting with her new found magic skills – a kitten and a broomstick as a double act is a really unique and fun idea! Elissa’s fabulous illustrations on a mainly purple background add drama and atmosphere to the adventure – we hope it’s the first of many!
Michelle joined us to tell us more about how this original partnership was created and the…
‘Perks of Befriending a Broomstick‘
Hot chocolate and marshmallows, bedtime and stories, black cats and broomsticks. Some things just belong together, don’t they? When I began writing Midnight Magic, my new book about a magical black kitten, I knew straight away that I wanted her to have a broomstick companion. Brought to life by magical smoke trailing from Midnight’s whiskers, the broom soon ends up with a personality of its own as well as a name: Twiggy.
Twig is a non-speaking character which, in a way, makes things more fun and a little unpredictable. Bookish brooms, such as the ones in Carbonel and The Worst Witch, are great story devices for younger readers. Not only can they whisk your characters away on adventures but there are plenty of opportunities to inject humour which I did with Twiggy’s clumsiness, as well as the introduction of a playful ‘feud’ with Doodle the dog, who ends up chasing and chewing poor Twiggy. To him, Twig is an excellent stick to play fetch with! Yet, when Twig comforts Midnight and dabs away her tears we get to see a caring side to the character, too. Like the magic carpet in Aladdin, Twiggy isn’t just the transport but a true friend.
As someone who loves all things magical, it’s probably not surprising that I have three ‘witch’s’ type brooms. Two of them are Halloween props and the third is a very tiny one which swings from my car’s rear view mirror. As a parent I’m always on the lookout for inexpensive costume ideas for Halloween and World Book Day, and Twiggy would be an easy and effective accessory to make for free, simply by foraging in the garden or local woodland. Just don’t do what I did, and forget to bring in your besom after Halloween’s over − unless you want strange looks from the neighbours, that is . . .
Thank you so much for visiting Story Snug and for telling us more about your magical story Michelle, it’s the perfect story to read for Halloween. You can hear Michelle read the story here…
About Michelle Harrison
Michelle Harrison was born in Essex. She is the author of novels for children and young adults, most recently the best-selling A PINCH OF MAGIC and its sequel, A SPRINKLE OF SORCERY. Her debut, THIRTEEN TREASURES, won the 2009 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. She writes full-time and lives with her son and three cats.
Thank you to Little Tiger Press for sending a review copy of this magical book. We can’t wait to read more of Midnight’s Adventures 🙂
You can read more about Midnight Magic on the other stops on the Midnight Magic Blogtour;
We have lots of magical Halloween arts, crafts and learning activities on our Pinterest board
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