Review: Septimus Heap: The Magikal Papers by Angie Sage

Enter the world of Septimus Heap with this collection of previously unpublished papers.

This rich compendium includes:

The private journals of Septimus, Jenna, and Marcia Overstrand.

The best—and worst—places to eat as described in The Egg-on-Toast Restaurant Guide. Sirius Weazal's Speedy Guides to the Palace, the Wizard Tower, and Wizard Way. Excerpts from the Pigeon Post Biography series and the Heaps of History series. Alther Mella's Guide to Being Dead: Ten Handy Rules for New Ghosts. Beautiful maps, quirky flyers, funny letters, and much more!

This is a companion book to the Septimus Heap series. Although I've only read the first title (so far!) of five in this series I really enjoyed the fairy tale quality of the story. It was filled with rich detail and whimsical drawings at the beginning of each chapter. So when I saw this book at the library I had to pick it up.

The main characters are the Heap family; Silas, Sarah and their seven sons who have lived in the Ramblings. This is the section of the enormous Castle filled with a variety of rooms to live in, schools, factories, shops a hospital and the Chapel. The young girl they were raising was the rightful heir and princess of the Palace which had become their new home.

The book is divided into four sections: Papers From The Castle, The Wizard Tower, The Palace and Around The Castle. Filled with beautiful paintings, drawings, diagrams and other important information, it's all helpful to the reader. The pages are made to look like different documents complete with wrinkles and waterstains. From an official Biography Series come brief backgrounds and portraits of the main characters. There is a restaurant guide (do NOT eat at The Meat Pie & Sausage Cart), a list if shops on Wizard's Way (my personal favorite is Wyvald's Witchy Bookshop) and so much more.

The best part is that it's all done with a sense of humor. This is such a delightful book I've read it twice - so far! If you enjoy the series this is sure to enhance the experience and it's fun for all ages.

septimusheap.com
harpercollinschildrens.com

Publisher: HarperCollins Publisher
Release date: 2009
Pages: 167
Price/format: $17.99/hardcover
Type: children, fantasy