July Book of the Month - The Other Alice

July's book of the month goes to the wonderfully magical The Other Alice by author Michelle Harrison. Aimed at children aged 9 and upwards, being a big kid myself I just couldn't resist reading this one.

There was something odd about her eyes. They looked different to normal, but I couldn't figure out why... I waited for her to answer, but instead she took out a pen and wrote something in the notebook. She held it up to show me.

I'm not Alice, it said.

When Midge's sister Alice goes missing and a talking cat appears in her bedroom, Midge realises that Alice's stories contain the clues he needs.

But every tale has its villains - and now they are leaping off the page, Midge and two new friends must find Alice and work out how this story ends. Before a more sinister finale threatens them all...

Alice is a sixteen year old girl who loves to write. Most of her tales have been on the small side but her latest story is quickly turning into a full length novel, the trouble is she just can't figure out how to end it and that's when strange things start to occur.

Alice had a thing about stories. Not just an amazing talent to make them up and write them down, but also a strange and firm belief that every story started should be finished.

What Michelle has written is a very clever tale. It is actually a book within a book and that in itself is such a genius concept. However although this is a book about Alice's story the protagonist Midge is the one who is actually re-telling the tale as of course it is he who embarked on the adventure which we as the reader get to journey through.

Midge wakes up one morning to find his sister missing, her phone left behind and no note to say where she might have gone and then a black cat called Tabitha appears, now that in itself isn't too strange but then she begins to talk. And what he soon discovers is that Tabitha is in fact a character from Alice's latest story, but how can the characters actually come to life?

Storytelling was in her blood; blood that we shared, though Alice was a little different.

As Midge searches for clues he stumbles across new friends Piper and Gypsy (who happens to look just like Alice!) and along with Tabitha they begin to find out more about Alice's story and the curse that comes along with it!

This is a book that is fast paced, with plenty of twists and turned and filled with riddles that I'm not sure I could have answered without their help. I was more than intrigued the further into the book I got.

They started off as shadows, quick movements glimpsed out of her eye. Then came reflections in shop windows, the footsteps behind her on an empty street, the figure sitting outside the house.

The more you read, the more engrossed you become and not all is as it seems, with some not so pleasant characters lurking (well every good story needs a villain doesn't it), it is complex yet with how it's written the words flow seamlessly.

Filled with magic, mystery and a cast of characters that are highly entertaining, this story is definitely one to keep you turning pages. Wonderfully imaginative, it is a tale that is going to leave you spellbound.

My eldest daughter loves to write and I think that's what drew me in more as I can see her writing something similar. A fantastic fantasy not only for children but for adults too.