| Title | : | The Book Smugglers (Pages Co., #4) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 000841081X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780008410810 |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 432 |
| Publication | : | First published September 29, 2021 |
Milo lives on board the Sesquipedalian, or “Quip” – a magical train that uses the power of imagination to travel through both Story and the real world. The train is owned by Milo’s uncle, Horatio, and Milo has witnessed many of his uncle’s dodgy dealings as a book smuggler trading in rare books.
When Horatio takes on a dangerous new job, he needs the help of Tilly Pages. And Tilly owes Horatio a favour. But when poisoned copies of The Wizard of Oz are sent to Horatio and Tilly's grandfather, sending them both into deep sleeps, Milo and Tilly find themselves racing against time to save them – and to figure out what is going on.
Their journey takes them to the Emerald City with Dorothy, rocketing on the unruly Quip, and eventually to Venice in Italy, in pursuit of the mysterious Alchemist. The very essence of imagination, story itself, may be in danger . . .
The Book Smugglers (Pages Co., #4) Reviews
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My favourite Pages & Co. yet!! I love The Wizard of Oz!
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Adventures never happen to people who sit still and follow the rules.
When Tilly's grandfather receives a book in the post and falls asleep immediately after touching it and does not wake up until two weeks later, Tilly wants to help in any way she can. On the other side, Milo and his uncle are working to get something for the Botanist, and Milo's uncle Horatio believes that the time has come to call in a favor from Tilly as was promised in the previous book. Tilly's family refuses to let Tilly go with Horatio but when Horatio also touches the same book that Tilly's grandfather had touched, Horatio also goes into a deep slumber and now it is up to Milo and Tilly to find a solution and solve this mystery.
This started off really well and I like that it wasn't completely focused on Tilly and her family. Milo also gets a POV and I really liked Milo's backstory even though a lot is not revealed. The writing was not bad and I liked the art. Sadly, these were the only things that I liked.
This is the fourth book in the series and yet we don't know how the Bookwandering happens. Honestly, at this point, that is the only reason that I am continuing with this series and yet there's no explanation. There's no explanation about a lot of things, to be fair. The writer keeps writing these books and keeps throwing things that make no sense and yet we are onto the fourth book. As I mentioned, it starts off really well but it loses the whole plot. It tries to do too many things at once and fails to do even a single thing right. We are introduced to yet another sinister villain who is not-so-sinister and another generic one-dimensional character.
Oskar wasn't even in this book. Obviously, I missed him. But at the same time, I did like Milo. I also enjoyed chapters from Milo's POV more than Tilly's. The adventure itself started off really well but that ludicrous villain and his motives just muddied everything for me.
I am an adult so I have thought a lot about that maybe I am being too harsh but then again, as an adult, I have read and enjoyed so many other children's books that I don't think it's an it's me scenario. I strongly think that the writer has no clear direction but the series is so popular that she keeps writing these books with silly or no explanation at all.
There are a lot of other things that I could say about this that I didn't like but like the writer, I can't be bothered.
2 stars -
4.5!
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This never disappoints. Loved reading it. It was super fun and adventurous.
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The Book Smugglers returns us to Anna James's fantastic world of bookwandering. More than any other fictional world, I wish the world of Pages & Co. were real, because it means we could bookwander into any fictional world. Imagine being a guest at Aragorn's coronation...or having a cuppa in Thrush Green...or joining in Babbette's feast. What a world.
The Book Smugglers brings a new character to the forefront: Milo Bolt, who was introduced in the previous installment. He is quite good fun (his favorite book is The Railway Children by E. Nesbit) but I did miss Oskar. This novel takes us into the world of The Railway Children and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, as the cover hints. I loved the Oz books as a child, so it was really fun to revisit it and remember the details that didn't make it into the film adaptation, like Dorothy's silver slippers and locked-on emerald glasses.
This volume goes even deeper into the book magic slowly introduced to us over the series, finally getting into some concrete revelations about bookwandering and how Imagination and Story work. The tension runs a little high here. However, ingenuity, bookwandering, and teamwork save the day.
The illustrator has changed from Paola Escobar, who so wonderfully envisioned the world of Pages & Co. in the previous three volumes. Marco Guadalupi has a different style from Escobar, but the illustrations don't feel discordant. He keeps Escobar's invasive (in the best way) style of illustration, where the pictures inform and even tell the narrative. The book design is one of the things I love most about this series. It works so well for telling the story of bookwandering, as the detail makes the reading experience special. Not only are the covers gloriously detailed with items from the book, the endpapers are illustrated, and even the typesetting pitches in to make reading more immersive.
As always, highly recommended to all lovers of reading, especially children's books like Anne of Green Gables, A Little Princess and The Secret Garden, fairy tales, and the other books mentioned here. James carefully seeds grown-up literature into these books too (especially Shakespeare and Austen), which will certainly whet young appetites for those texts later on.
Announcement Reaction
The best bookish middle grade series is getting a new installment?? *aggressively pre-orders* -
Well, finally finished smuggling some books! Lol
"You should know by now that bookshops and libraries are much more flexible when it comes to space and boundaries. It comes from all the books, obviously. They're used to containing universes."
Every book is like a portal, a glimpse into another world. Real life BOOK MAGIC at its finest. This series is a big hug to all the book lovers in the world. Creativity spills from the pages. The chapters are pleasantly quick. It's adventurous and fun. Book 4 of the Pages & Co series brings us back to Milo and the Quip from book 3. And there I was thinking it was just a trilogy back in 2021! Imagine how excited I was to stumble along the existence of a 4th book. Not to mention also the discovery of a 5th book that is set to release in February 2023! (I may have already preordered it! ☺️)
One of my favorite things about this book was the bookwandering into The Wizard of Oz. I haven't read the original book yet, so it has definitely moved up on my TBR list. I also thoroughly enjoyed the introduction of a new character and her role into the series. I'm super excited for the 5th book, and it's driving me quite insane how this book ended with so many loose ends! But another adventure awaits..... -
I enjoyed the fourth instalment in the Pages & Co series, diving back into Tilly’s world. We also followed a new perspective in this book too which initially I wasn’t such a fan of because I want to be back with Tilly, the character I’d grown attached to for three books. However, I quickly warmed to this new narrative perspective.
As always I love the passion for books in these pages. There is always such love and respect for stories and I adore that. A favourite quote of mine from the book being: “Grandad always says that the books we read help us choose who we want to be, that we're all made up of the characters that mean something to us”. Love this line so much!
For me I felt like I expected more of a conclusion in this book than I got which left me wanting a little more, but I suppose that can’t really be a criticism because now I really want to read the next book to be released in the series! -
My least favourite in the series so far, alas, because of how the focus is shifting away from Tilly and her family and towards Milo, the boy she and Oskar (not present here at all) met on the magical Quip train in the previous book. The ending suggests that the next book may, at least in part, follow his separate adventures. I sometimes feel that the world-building gets the author tied up in knots, but then when she tries to set out the mechanics of things like “book magic” and “Story”, it can sound silly. Anyway, I am SO not the target audience, so I’ll step out of the way and let the middle-grade readers respond instead. I did enjoy the Wizard of Oz references and the way that Tilly and Milo’s “comfort-blanket characters” play a role in a climactic scene.
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This is such an incredible series. I love how the story keeps evolving & growing, so every book is literally a brand new adventure & story. While at the same time keeping the same original magic & familiarity. (I hope the next 1 goes in the direction I think it is, while keeping the original magic as usual too.) This keeps up the pace, intrigue, adventure, story, & the magic of it all. After falling in love with a newer character in the last book, I was absolutely THRILLED with the direction this 1 took. There’s a couple things done differently in this, & I really enjoyed & appreciated that. We meet another new character who I quite enjoyed, & I’m very eager to see more with her as well. I am so intrigued by her. Like I’ve mentioned, the author ups the level of everything from one book to the next-the adventure, danger, suspense, magic, friendships, mystery, intrigue, & the power of stories/books, & also their beauty & importance. I really can’t say everything else I loved since this is the 4th book, but boy I’m soooo happy I finally read these! I cannot wait for the next book in the fall! I don’t even want to stop reading these for even a few months lol. They’re soooo good! Highly recommend this whole series. A STUNNING cover front & back by Marco Guadalupi , as well as some inside illustrations & also a BEAUTIFUL naked hardback.💜
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Een Pages & Co boek is bij mij gegarandeerd een 5*. Deze boeken zijn puur goud, pure boekenmagie. Ook in dit boek zitten weer spannende ontwikkelingen, in het verhaal maar ook onder boekdwalers, waardoor ik weer anders over boeken en personages ga denken. Ik ben helemaal verliefd op het gevoel van deze serie, en dat weet de auteur ook vast te houden in alle delen. Heerlijk, geweldig. Heel blij dat er sowieso nog twee delen gaan komen!
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I still love this series and the characters but it wasn’t my favorite. I almost forgot how this book feels so inclusive without it really diverse. But the author really makes a point in making it clear that each person is their own and that they should be respected as such. As for the story, some parts were a bit slow and I realized I didn’t devour this one like I did with the others.
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While it was soooooo good to see and hear my favorite character, it was a bit weird not having Tilly being the main character but more of side one... but it was a good start and a nice build up to a new adventure in the pages & co world....
Can’t wait for a new duo to take over the magical world of book wandering.
Ps. Raise you hand if you wanted to punch a certain character 😡 -
Book #4 in the Pages & Co. series, which shifts the central character from Tilly to Milo Bolt, who was introduced in the previous book. Milo lives on board a magical train (the Sesquipedalian, or “Quip”), which is powered by imagination to travel through stories and the real world, along with his uncle, Horatio, a book smuggler who trades in rare books. In connection with finding a particular book, Horatio asks for Tilly's help as a half-fictional character with bookwandering excellence and offers something she desperately wants for her family's well-being. She sneaks off despite her mother's and grandmother's valid concern over Horatio's motives. Author Anna James continues to help readers understand more about book magic and the interplay between imagination and Story. This book is a bit darker than the earlier ones, but Milo and Tilly are a formidable pair, who manage to work though some of the problems they face, leaving some to be addressed in the next book.
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Love it.
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Falling into the fourth Pages & Co. book was like being embraced in a warm, comforting hug. This series continues to nourish my bookwandering soul.
This book really touched me as it highlighted the special bond the MC has with her grandfather, so much so that I was crying from the love that they share. I had an extremely strong bond with mine and reading this made me feel like he was right there with me. This is the power that books have.
Whilst it is classed as the fourth book, it acts as the start to the second part to the series, with the lovable Milo taking the lead. Mysteries and magic form to create a thrilling adventure through stories, and in this particular novel it combines The Wizard of Oz, The Railway Children, and Anne of Green Gables. Pure magic and excitment right from the very start!
Anna James weaves classic literary novels into her story so perfectly, and every time one shows up it's like being reunited with old friends. The way the fonts and the illustrations work together with the text brings the story to life, practically animating from the pages before your eyes.
What I particularly love is that this further cements how reading and books are magic, that every time we open a book we travel to the most amazing places and meet the most amazing people. To all the bookworms, writers, librarians, and booksellers, we are all magic!
All aboard on the magical Quip for the next whimsical journey to be taken next! -
3.5
I adore the concept of these books - the world they’re set in and the magic within the pages is something no book lover could not love! The characters are just as fun and lovable as always and I loved being back in this series. I will say this is probably my least favourite in the series so far as I thought the plot was slightly less exciting than the others and there didn’t seem to be as much book wandering which is what makes this series so fun for me. Still really enjoyed it though. -
This series just does not let up on the FUN and IMAGINATION! Perfectly bookishly-whimsical and I love how this book et up Milo and Alessia as future hero and heroine further in the series. Can't wait for the next one, especially since this one ends rather abruptly on a bit of a cliff-hanger. We're off to find "The Botanist" in book 5!
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5 ⭐
This was a fun and enchanting story! Part heist, part mystery, all adventure. I'm looking forward to the last book in this series, set to come out later this year! -
Another great adventure of the book wanderers.
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This series is so cute
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Another Pages & Co adventure! This time around, we more closely follow Milo Bolt - the boy we met in Map of Stories, who lives on the magical train, the Quip, with his uncle Horatio. The Tilly we know and love plays more of a supporting role in this instalment, a little like Oskar has in the previous books.
The story was very intriguing and had my anxious heart in my mouth for the fate of the characters. There’s a poisoned book inflicting venomous comas on those who come into contact with it, and our brave Milo and Tilly end up being the only people able to adventure to find a cure, and must decide whether to trust The Botanist or The Alchemist, both potentially promising to save the day… Or are they?
I really, really, really loved this story. It was clever and had such a menacing feel underneath all the adventure and fun. My only wish is that the story remained with Tilly and Oskar, as unfortunately, I’m sadly not sold on Milo (and newcomer Alessia) as main narrators. It also didn’t help that one of the main bookwandering references in Book Smugglers was The Railway Children, which was not a childhood favourite of mine.
All in all, it was a great Bookwandering outing that swept me up and definitely sets up the future of the series (in many ways, it is a setting-up novel i.e. new characters, new arcs and tying up and threading into past arcs). However, I’m unsure how keen I am to continue the series, with Milo, as I didn’t personally find him as an endearing protagonist as Tilly. -
The fourth instalment of the Pages & Co. Series and this did not disappoint at all, I have to say that I went into the Blind and was surprised at how despite the perspective change I really enjoyed the Story and what magical adventure awaited us inside.
This Continues on from where Book 3 Left Off and Its difficult to review this without giving away Spoilers for the Pervious book in the series, but we are once again through into the Book Wondering world with Tilly Pages and this is full of Adventure, Excitement and lots of fun wondering into the stories we know and love in the real world.
Throughout the Book we learn more about the magic of Book wandering As Tilly and her friends fight to keep Book wanderers safe from danger and the evil that is never too far away, but throughout the Book there are some strong messages in the book about growing up and having your own adventures that I think will resonate with the younger and older readers alike.
It’s Truly Deserve every Star you are taken on the journey through 2 Perspectives, and I think that this adds a new dynamic to the book and the reading experience. There is nothing I dislike about this book, and I think that this is one of my favourites so the series to date and the themes of Friendship and coming together really come through!
I have to say that Pages & Co is such an amazing series that I love reading each instalment and wishing that I could just live there myself and have Tilly and her Friends as my friends, it’s such a magical and lovely adventure that I think everyone who reads it will install fully in love & Its set in a bookshop what’s not to love! -
Ren bogmagi og kærlighed til bøger.
Tilly er tilbage, men i denne bog får hun følgeskab af en ny hovedperson, nemlig drengen Milo.
Bogen er, som sine forgængere, en rigtig god børnebog. Dog var der enkelte ting vi savnede i historien.
(Spoiler alert - næste 3 afsnit)
For det første så ville vi gerne have hørt lidt mere om det med, at bøgerne forsøger at få Tilly tilbage til den fiktive verden. Dette fyldte en del i bog 3, men der er ikke meget opfølgning herpå i denne bog 4.
Vi savnede også lidt flere udfordringer i bogen. Bogen er bygget op omkring en stort udfordring som Tilly og Milo skal klare og desværre så ender bogen på lidt af en Cliffhangar. Vi foretrækker at seriebøger skrives så hver bog afsluttes for sig.
Vi savnede begge Oskar og hans makkerskab med Tilly. Selv om Milo også er en interessant karakterer, så er vi ikke begejstret for skiftet af hovedperson her midt i serien.
Vi ser stadig frem til at læse næste bog i serien og kan fortsat varm anbefale serien til andre.
Denne anmeldelse er skrevet i fællesskab af Mads på 12 år og mig selv. Vi har hver især læst bogen og derefter sat os sammen for at samle vores mening om bogen. -
Langsam erschöpfen sich die Abenteuer um Tilly und ihre Freunde. Die Autorin versucht dem entgegenzuwirken indem sie den Fokus diesmal zwischen Tilly und Milo aufteilt und am Ende sogar andeutet, dass kommende Abenteuer sich noch weiter von Tilly wegbewegen könnten. Für mich ist das nicht geglückt, weil ich dadurch vor allem Tilly und ihre Familie vermisst habe und das Gefühl hatte, dass Oscar einfach mit Milo ersetzt wurde. Hätte vielleicht besser funktioniert, wenn eine komplett neue Reihe im selben Universum begonnen hätte.
Das book wandering in den Zauberer von Oz fand ich ganz wunderbar und auch ein bisschen gruselig. Hätte gern noch mehr Zeit dort verbracht. Was die Buchmagie angeht, bestätigt sich inzwischen mein Verdacht aus Band 3: das Magiesystem ist zu wirr und wird zu selten aufgeschlüsselt. Ich vergesse immer wieder, wie alles zusammenhängt, weil es zu abstrakt ist und bekomme es nur einmal erklärt.
Wenn ich ehrlich bin, verliere ich langsam an die Lust am buchwandern, was wirklich schade ist, bei dem hohen Potenzial der Reihe und ihren fabelhaften Anfängen. -
This was book 4 in my fave middle grade series and not only is this cover so beautiful but it was just as enjoyable as the earlier books! We followed Tillie and Milo as they try to save their family members from a mysterious poison book. Even tho we are following a diff story/mystery with Milo leading the way, we get to adventure into Oz and it was so much fun! If I haven’t convinced you to read this already, here’s me trying again to get you to pick this series up of you like middle grade fantasy.
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I'll admit that I was disappointed initially when I discovered that at least half of the book was told from the POV of Milo (introduced in the previous book) rather than all from Tilly's POV. However, not only did I warm to Milo, but became thoroughly intrigued by his history, his perspective. Oskar made only a brief appearance in this book, and did not accompany Tilly on any of her book wanderings. Instead, Tilly's companion was Milo, and I enjoyed this more. I can't wait for the next entry in the series (hopefully there is one), but will be curious to see exactly what role everyone plays.
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4.5 These books are simply so delightful; I don’t know what else to say. Are they a bit young for me? Probably, but every once and a while you need a simple, light hearted book. I loved Milo as a new narrator, and I’m excited for the next book! I rated the other Page & Co books a full 5 stars, and I don’t think I necessarily liked them more, I’ve simply grown pickier in my ratings. If you enjoy reading, you simply can’t not enjoy these books.
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Tillys morfar blir sjuk när han rör vid en förgiftad bok. Tilly måste tillsammans med Milo Bolt, som hon träffade i förra boken, ge sig ut på en resa för att försöka hitta botemedlet. Men problemet är att allt inte står rätt till i bokvandrarvärlden och vem kan de lita på.
Jag älskar böckerna om Tilly och hennes resor genom böckernas värld. I den här blir det väldigt spännande då Archie har blivit sjuk och vissa personer som säger sig kunna hjälpa henne är svåra att lita på. Det ska bli intressant att få reda på hur det går med världen som håller på att "gå sönder".
