Magpie Girl – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Myths, legends, memories, loyalty, wishes.
Children’s book title: Magpie Girl.
Children’s author: Rowan Foxwood.
Genre: Children’s fiction.
Published by: Usborne.
ISBN: 9781803707389.
Recommended for children aged: 9-12.
First published: Paperback January 2026.
This children’s book is ideal for: Looking at the lesser-known myths and legends, including those from France and Corsica.
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:
Lavender knows she is different to a lot of her peers and her father’s over-protectiveness doesn’t help. When she was eight years old, Lavender disappeared while playing with her best friend, Kit, before returning months later as a magpie girl, a child with the ability to grow feathers instead of skin, understand the language of birds, and find anything which has been lost. What she can’t do is remember what happened to her the night she was lost, or during the months she was away.
Her friendship with Kit never recovered, but now he needs her help. After a number of devastating earthquakes, his father, who was on an annual trek to the nearby mountains when they began, has yet to return and Kit needs Lavender to help find him before his new brother or sister is born. The children know the journey is dangerous and they will encounter many challenges before reaching their destination, where the vengeful wish granting firebird lives. Needing one more wish to ensure his freedom, the bird is anxious to entice any visitors to achieve his goal. Can Lavender and Kit overcome their differences, travel through a devastated landscape, and find Kit’s father without providing the firebird with the freedom he desires, or was their future already mapped out before they even left the comfort and security of their home village?
Our verdict:
Magpie Girl looks at some of the lesser-known myths and legends while also concentrating on the power of friends and family, the devastation of abandonment, and the ability to forgive the errors of the past for the good of the present and future yet to come.
Lavender remembers very little of what happened when she was eight, but it has determined the course of her life ever since. The author gives an insight into Lavender’s thoughts, especially her worries and concerns. The journey she takes with Kit will reveal what happened to her in the past, and, as the mythology is less well known, her travels are full of surprises and include characters most readers will be unfamiliar with.
The storyline includes an epilogue from a year after the original storyline, as well as mentioning a character from the author’s previous book, The Heartseer, which this is a continuation of but with different main protagonists, meaning it can be read as a standalone. The ending is extremely satisfying and should provide answers to most questions young readers may have.
Teaching points and book club discussion ideas:
- Lavender and Kit have never been close since she returned as a magpie girl. How hard do you think it was for him to ask for her help in finding his father?
- Lavender’s thoughts are written in italics. Do they help you get a better idea of what she’s like, especially as she keeps a lot of her feelings and ideas a secret?
- In a cross-curricular activity with art, design a poster appealing for help to discover what happened to the missing children. What information would you need to include?
- Redvine seems to be a mix of some older and newer ways of life. They can travel by horse and cart or car, but have no Internet. How much easier would their task be if they had had a mobile phone?
- Lavender finally changes into a magpie before her fight with the firebird. Which animal would you like to turn into? Give three good and three negative points that this ability could cause.
- The firebird had a devastating secret. Would you have guessed he caused the earthquakes and destruction just to lure Lavender to his mountain prison?
Many thanks to Usborne 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.
