Joey is on a school trip with her friends to the Abermaple Museum where they are taking part in the Mini Victorian Britain competition. They're hopeful that their diorama will win and there is much excitement as the prize is a trip to The Abermaple Igloo! However, when they arrive, they bump into Harry who used to be their classmate but left to move to another school. He seems intent on causing problems so when Joey sees him sneaking off she follows, determined to stop him but what she finds is something she could never imagine: three strange creatures who are on their own field-trip to bring bad luck to humans! They lure Joey and Harry to Impworld and to the Ministry of Mischief. The big question is: how do they get home?
I first read Alex's Rules For Vampires back in 2001 and loved it as well as the sequel, Ghosts Bite Back (you can read my reviews here: Rules For Vampires; Ghosts Bite Back) so I was thrilled to learn that she had a new book publishing when I heard her talk at the Simon & Schuster middle grade showcase earlier this year. Ministry of Mischief is another guaranteed hit for Alex and is full of humour with and just the right amount of peril in this adventure.
From the beginning, it's clear that Joey lacks confidence in herself, and you first see this when she is chastising herself for her messy handwriting. She feels she's letting her friends down and I wonder whether this is part of the reason why she goes after Harry when she thinks he's up to no good. Harry, on the other-hand, is uber-confident and seems to be rather full of himself. His arrogance shines, especially in the way he treats Joey. At the beginning, the pair clearly do not get on, so it is interesting to read their dynamic as they find themselves in Impworld (I won't spoil things but...)
The characters we meet in Impworld are rather brilliant, with their names reflecting their role in bringing bad luck to humans. Stubbz, Szlice and Warezit are very different but readers will quickly enjoy getting to know them and exploring Impworld with this strange group.
With illustrations by Nikolas Ilic to add to the atmosphere, Ministry of Mischief is a brilliant read and one that children in my class are already loving. Out now, this is a perfect read for autumn as the nights begin to draw in.
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