The Word-Keeper by Veronica Del Valle Children's Book Review (Sent by Silverwood Books)

The Word-Keeper is "A Book For Children About The Power of Words" and it is also a fabulous read, I really enjoyed it. Suitable for young readers aged around 8-12+, it contains very clever and varied uses of language, and shows us exactly what sort of disaster might happen if we lost control of our words.

The main character is 11 year old Florence, who showed great proficiency for language from a very young age, with her first word being 'hyperbole'. She lives in a world which is very much like ours, with a few oddities and exceptions.

When the school holidays arrive, Florence travels to visit her Grandfather, who lives in a very strange town named Inkwell. The town is populated by artists and creators, and has a secret history which includes a ferocious battle between good and evil - as all of the best stories do.

I don't want to give away too much plot, and the more I tell you about the storyline, the more fantastic it will appear, but really Florence is just like any other 11 year old girl and has the same worries and troubles at school. Once she is in Inkwell though, it all becomes far more surreal.

Florence inadvertently creates a living bookmark, Ben, and the magic which creates him is also responsible for controlling him in a ruthless plot to destroy language.

"Please was the first word to die and with it, good manners were gone and, out of the blue, everybody began to forget how to be polite. Then promise was killed and instantly people found it hard to remember the importance of commitments and pledges…”

The writing is great, it flows beautifully and the story pace is perfect. Unusually there are occasional illustrations, which I really like. They are black and white pencil drawings which are lovely to look at, and remind you that we are talking about a regular (almost!) 11 year old girl.

The Word-Keeper is very much a modern fairytale, and a book which will entertain any young reader. It's packed with adventure and excitement, there's even a big battle scene, but there are also an annoying group of catty girls and parents who have to work long hours. Aside from that there are brief poignant moments when we consider Florence's deceased Grandmother, and other people and times past. Most of all though, The Word-Keeper leaves you with a massive sense of the importance of words, and storytelling.

The Word-Keeper is written by Veronica Del Valle and illustrated by Eleanor Hardiman, published by SilverWood Books and available at all good bookshops instore and online. Excellent quality paperback with 180 pages, rrp £8.99 - Amazon affiliate link below.

We were sent our copy of The Word-Keeper for review. Amazon links are affiliate, which earns me a few pence if you buy through my link, but never costs you a penny extra. It all helps keep book reviews on the blog.