Helm is full of magic - saturated with it in fact. And when magic gets out of hand, bad things happen. Portals to other worlds can open under your feet. Watch out for vicious dust bunnies. And whatever you do, stay away from Nixes…
What to do when your city is full of out-of-control magic? Send in the cleaners! Enter the heroes of this delightful tale: the motley crew of The Spick and Span cleaning agency. Ward, a young outcast dwarf, wants to be the best cleaner in Helm and gain entry to the prestigious League of Cleaners by completing a series of near-impossible magical cleaning tasks. Helping him along the way are his newest partners – a stranded warrior girl from another world and a frog who needs to break a curse. When his best friend is lost in an accident, Ward’s plans are thrown into chaos and he must decide what he really values after all.
The Spick and the Span by Pil Van Martin is a heartwarming and fun middle grade read based around themes of identity, belonging and found-family. The attention to detail in the world-building of Helm is excellent, with vivid descriptions and a sense of the world’s larger geography, sprinkled with fairy tale references and highlighted by the regular use of footnotes to add funny additional details. The cast of characters is imaginatively diverse, adding this novel to the growing collection of children’s literature that takes inclusivity and representation to heart.
Plot points touching gently on the dangers of being careless with natural resources and the difficulties of being displaced from one’s own home allow for a very child-friendly exploration of contemporary social issues. This is excellently balanced with huge helpings of magic and mayhem on a fast-paced adventure. The book is written in shorter chapters, making it ideal for younger readers. An enjoyable romp for fans of Terry Pratchett and Jessica Townsend.
PWT rating: ♥♥♥♥
The Spick and the Span by Pil Van Martin is published by HarperCollins Children's Books and is available from bookshops and Amazon
Elaine Hewlett is a secondary school librarian.
