Pages and Co: The Treehouse Library by Anna James

Title: Pages and Co: The Treehouse Library

Author: Anna James

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 5^th October 2022

Format: Hardcover

Pages:416

Price: $19.99

Synopsis: The fifth and penultimate book in the bestselling bookwandering series for readers aged eight to twelve. As Tilly and Milo hurtle towards their final showdown with the Alchemist, the stakes are higher than ever – though there is always time for hot chocolate!
Milo Bolt is ready to be the hero of his own story. With Uncle Horatio trapped in an enchanted sleep by the power-hungry Alchemist, he sets off with his new friend Alessia to find a cure and save them all.

Their journey leads them to the magical treehouse – home of the Botanist, the Alchemist’s sworn enemy. Against the clock, they hunt for the cure: foraging in the Secret Garden, challenging Robin Hood and confronting the mighty Jabberwock.

But the Alchemist will stop at nothing to unlock the powerful secrets of The Book of Books, and Tilly, Pages & Co. and the whole world of imagination are under threat as a battle for the fate of bookwandering is set in motion . . .

~*~

With Tilly safely back with her mother and grandparents at their bookshop, Milo Bolt and Alessia, daughter of the Alchemist, set out to find a cure for Uncle Horatio. Their journey takes them to the Botanist in her Treehouse Library and they bookwander through secret gardens, strange monsters from poems, and forest-dwelling men to find the cure. Yet as they do, the Alchemist continues to threaten them and Tilly, in his search for the Book of Books. Milo and Alessia race against time to help Tilly – but as this is the second-last book in the series, all is not what it seems.

And so we have come to the next-to-last book in the Pages and Co series – bittersweet because I can’t wait to see how Tilly and her friends save bookwandering but I will also be sad to say goodbye to them. Milos story began in Tilly and the Book Smugglers, and I have enjoyed seeing him grow throughout the last few books, showing that he is nothing like the uncle who raised him. This book, like its predecessors, builds on the previous ones and what we know, whilst also giving new information slowly throughout each book. This has allowed the series and characters to grow, which has been really fun to read and watch.

This book focuses more on Milo and Alessia – which I liked, because Tilly still had a presence but as a fan of this series I was able to get to know more about the characters that would be aiding Tilly in her final quest (because of course, the final quest HAS to involve our beloved Tilly – how could it not?) I especially loved that the kids drove the narrative of this series and this book – the adults, particularly Tilly’s family – still have an important role to play though. I think this role will become clear when we get to the final book and the final showdown that will save book magic and bookwandering.

I’ve been following this series since the beginning. I was browsing my local bookstore one day when I came across the first book, and it seemed like one I would love, and I was right. It is the sort of book I would have loved as a kid, and I still love it now as an adult. It’s been one of the quieter books and series in Australia – I always seem to come across the new book right on time, and I quite like that. I enjoy reading something that isn’t splashed everywhere because the discussions about it feel more intimate, and I feel like I know the characters well. There is an intimacy with books that aren’t hyped that feels special. Maybe it is because not everyone is reading or talking about it, and therefore, the conversations are less about pressure to read it to fit in, and more about what your favourite part of the book is, do you wish you could bookwander (yes), and who is your favourite character? Each type of book of course has its place – it’s just that to me, the books that are not as hyped have something special about them, and I quite like that.  I had a chat about this one with my local bookseller – and I am sure we are both keen for the final book – which going by the release schedule, I am hoping will be out next year. I can’t wait to see what happens next for Tilly and her friends.