BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSNine is a young pickpocket, a "thiefling" in the gang of Pockets, a harsh old gang-master who took her in when she was found alone in a doorway at three years old, holding nothing but a little silvery music box. At the market one day she tries to snatch a young lady's beaded handbag, and a small ornament flies out. Nine grabs it and runs. It turns out to be a tiny house that fits in her palm, and when she taps its tiny doorknocker, it grows into a crooked, eleven-storey House that fills a dead-end alley. Inside she meets Flabberghast, a tea-loving wizard in pyjamas and fluffy slippers. He lives with Eric, a troll housekeeper in a frilly apron, and Dr Spoon, a sword-waving wooden spoon in a kilt. A witch has cursed the House. The three of them can't step outside, their socks never match, the toilet keeps hiding, the tea cupboard zaps anyone who touches it, and Flabberghast's magic has been stolen. Only the person who knocked on the door can break the curse, and that is Nine. Flabberghast promises her a valuable jewel if she does. Nine storms off, but after a miserable night back in Pockets' cellar, she returns. Then a letter from the witch sets the hallway clock counting down. They must find the hidden magic words before the clock strikes fifteen, or the House and everyone in it will keep shrinking until they disappear for good.
Free Battle of the Books questions for The House at the Edge of Magic
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about The House at the Edge of Magic. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book does a wooden spoon in a kilt slide down a bannister brandishing a sword?
✓ Answer
The House at the Edge of Magic by Amy Sparkes
Dr Spoon is a wooden spoon with a face and spindly arms and legs, and he whooshes off the end of the bannister to land at Nine's feet. His first words to her are "About time, lassie!"
- First half
In what book does a steel-plated Wizards' Little Book of Calm lodge itself in a library door?
✓ Answer
The House at the Edge of Magic by Amy Sparkes
The moment Nine steps into the library inside the House, the steel-plated book hurtles at her head, and she ducks just in time. Paint-chipped scars all over the green double doors show this is not the first time it has happened.
- First half
In what book is a girl cornered in a dead end pulled through a brick wall like solid fog?
✓ Answer
The House at the Edge of Magic by Amy Sparkes
The butcher chases Nine into a dead-end passage and reaches out to grab her. Suddenly there is a blur of red, and she finds herself inside the building on the other side of the wall while the butcher runs off yelling.
- Second half
In what book does a graveyard vanish into black nothingness that a troll calls the Thursday void?
✓ Answer
The House at the Edge of Magic by Amy Sparkes
Nine has the flowers and is racing back when a BOOM rolls across the graveyard and Wednesday turns into Thursday. Eric recites the garden's schedule, Monday dragon, Tuesday goblin, Wednesday bat, and whimpers that Thursday brings the void, which swallows the gravestones until he pulls her back inside by her jacket.
- Second half
In what book does a hat stand sprout a leg and kick a wizard back?
✓ Answer
The House at the Edge of Magic by Amy Sparkes
Furious that saying SONG WIN WAR changed nothing, Flabberghast stomps around the kitchen kicking every cupboard he can find. When he kicks the tall hat stand, it sprouts a leg out of nowhere and kicks him right back in the shin.
- Near the end
In what book does a witch whisper "Still no strawberries?" into a girl's ear?
✓ Answer
The House at the Edge of Magic by Amy Sparkes
In the crypt, the witch studies Nine with a mix of curiosity and pity, then leans in and whispers the question right into her ear. It echoes the saying Pockets drums into his thieflings, "Life don't bring you strawberries," and it leaves Nine gasping.
