Alyssa and the Enchanted Forest – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Magic, friendship, ancestors, plants, Jamaica.
Children’s book title: Alyssa and the Enchanted Forest.
Children’s author: Alexandra Sheppard.
Children’s illustrator: Bex Glendining.
Genre: Children’s fiction.
Published by: Faber.
ISBN: 9780571377466.
Recommended for children aged: 9-11 year-olds.
First published: Paperback June 2025.
This children’s book is ideal for: exploring the type of problems Alyssa encounters outside of her magic. These are common to many children in this age group, and the storyline could be used as a discussion starter once the book is completed. Outside of a whole-class setting, this would provide an exciting reading experience.
To see the latest price or order, click on the book cover image. As an Amazon Associate schoolreadinglist.co.uk earns from qualifying purchases.
Our review:
It’s a year since Alyssa discovered her family’s big secret – her Great-Grandma Effie had created a garden filled with magic plants which were only to be harvested to help others. Now, as the summer holidays are about to begin, it’s time for her, her two cousins Rosalie and Rue, and friend Leon to meet up again and start revising for the Bloom Trials. If they pass, then the next level of Keeper training will be allowed to begin.
The last school year has been difficult for Alyssa. Her two best friends have been ignoring her, and she has felt very alone. Unfortunately, she can’t seem to focus on anything, so when she finds a tin of tea leaves marked Banishment Blend, she makes herself a cup, hoping to push all the bad memories away. Things don’t go quite to plan, however, and before they know it, Alyssa, Rosalie, Rue, and Leon find themselves in a totally different and far more hostile garden than they are used to!
The garden, which in reality is now a forest, is in Jamaica, and the only way they can leave is by returning to London the same way they arrived! Gradually, they begin to win the forest over. It had been left to grow wild after Alyssa’s grandma fell ill, but all it needed was some love and care. There are other problems, however – ones the forest can help with – but will Alyssa spot the clues in time, or will the magic be lost forever?
Our verdict:
This is the second book in the series, and Alyssa is finding life tough. Senior school has been difficult, as has her parents’ decision to separate. Her Auntie Jasmine has been in Jamaica for ages, looking after her mother, so the only thing left is the garden and her friends. Alyssa’s problems are explained and dealt with sensitively and with care, while the addition of her magic makes things far more complicated than normal. After all, most cups of tea don’t send you through tree roots to a country halfway across the world!
Alyssa is able to work through her problems as she tends to the enchanted forest, and as her confidence grows, so does her ability to see things from more than one side. With the help of her companions, she sees a path which, if taken, should help her either regain friendships or realise they have run their course. The magical side of the story is just that – magical. The descriptions, the reasons behind everything that happens, and the gifts Alyssa has all add an extremely satisfying fantasy element to the storyline and mean everything is tied up neatly by the end.
Teaching points and book club discussion ideas:
- Alyssa’s life has seen big changes since the end of the first book, but she doesn’t tell anyone what’s happened. How much easier would it have been for her to work through everything if she had confided in an adult she trusted?
- The Enchanted Forest has a new part-owner whose plans will change the landscape forever. In a cross-curricular activity with art, design a poster extolling the positive holiday experience without mentioning the magical plants.
- Great-Grandma Effie’s journals told the story of her life, which was never easy. If your diaries were found a hundred years from now, what memorable moments would be detailed there?
Many thanks to Faber for the review copy.
To order a class set of this book, please click below to order via uk.bookshop.org, an organisation that supports local bookshops, or Amazon.co.uk.
Buy from UK.Bookshop.Org Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Disclosure: If you buy books using the buttons above: we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops; as an Amazon Associate schoolreadinglist.co.uk earns from qualifying purchases.
Browse our Year 5 reading list.
