This book charmed me from the very first page. The elements of a classic fantasy are skillfully interwoven: a museum full of magic which is threatened by evil property development and skullduggery, a likeable 'everykid' protagonist, some fairly clueless but well meaning adults, and magical bees plus a hippo. The story and illustrations remind me in a very good way of Roald Dahl. There's something special about books for younger readers whose authors are NOT afraid to shy away from crises in their stories. This book isn't all gentleness and sugary sweetness. The antagonists are creepy, sleazy, and straight up mean.
The illustrations are magical. The early eARC which I received had intentionally lowered resolution in order to maintain a reasonable transfer file size, but even slightly fuzzy, they were magical. I -loved- the illustrations and to me, they were the highlight. I really really enjoyed the afterword by the artist/author and I imagine the encouraging words, read by young artists, would be particularly timely and welcome.
It's a standalone, but the setup and denouement certainly wouldn't rule out more stories, and I hope there are more in store. This is a very special book, and I encourage anyone who likes fantasy, magic, art, or museums to read this one.
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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