Thomasina’s family own a sweet shop and she longs to take over the business one day. However, since the death of her twin brother, Thomasina’s dad barely talks to her and her mum has taken to her bed with grief and no longer speaks to anyone. Thomasina helps to make sweets to sell in the shop and is in charge of running the household.

One winter, the River Thames freezes over solid enough for people to walk on. A number of local businesses decide to set up stalls on the Thames, including Thomasina’s dad. She helps him to make extra sweets and to sell them on the Thames and it becomes known as ‘The Frost Fair’. She also meets Anne, who works in a local apothecary. Thomasina hasn’t really had a proper friend since her brother Arthur died, so she enjoys her newfound friendship with Anne.

One night, Thomasina has a strange dream about a conjurer named Inigo who promises that he can conjure her brother back from the dead in exchange for the temporary loss of her memories of him. She must visit ‘The Other Frost Fair’ with Inigo, where she encounters frost folk, frost beasts and the creepy Father Winter.

A brilliant creepy tale involving magic, but also rooted in a family dealing with grief, The Miraculous Sweetmakers is an atmospheric read. Particularly appropriate to read on a cold winter’s night, children looking for something atmospheric and intriguing will enjoy this book. I enjoyed the relationships between the characters and the twists and turns the story took – I was never quite sure what was going to happen next!

Reviewer: Kristen Hopwood