Alyssa and the Enchanted Forest (eBook)

Alexandra Sheppard (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
400 Seiten
Faber & Faber (Verlag)
978-0-571-37747-3 (ISBN)

Infos

In this stunning sequel to the critically acclaimed Alyssa and the Spell Garden, Alyssa is transported to Jamaica and must rediscover the magic of her ancestors. The air felt dense with magic, even more than in the spell garden back home. And not in a good way . . . When Alyssa accidentally transports herself, her cousins and Leon to the Jamaican spell garden, Golden Falls, they have to work out a way back home before the end of the summer holidays and the all-important Bloom Trials. But the magical plants are inexplicably hostile and they will need to win the garden over. Can they connect to the ancient magic of the forest? And when the very essence of the garden is threatened will their magic be enough to protect it? Illustrated by Bex Glendining. Praise for Alyssa and the Spell Garden: 'Enchanting and heart-lifting.' Sophie Anderson 'Bursts with glimmering magic.' Jasbinder Bilan 'Funny, heartfelt and packed full of magic.' Abi Elphinstone

Alexandra Sheppard (she/her) was born in North London, where she still lives with her family. Oh My Gods was her first YA novel. Alex is also the co-author of Fly High Crew and The Day We Saved The Future in collaboration with the Banjo Brothers and has contributed to Happy Here, an anthology of stories from Black British authors and illustrators. Her second YA novel, Friendship Never Ends, published to great acclaim and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. Bex Glendining (she/they) is a biracial queer, UK based illustrator, comic artist and colourist. Bex has worked as a cover artist, colourist and interior artist on projects such as Seen: Edmonia Lewis, Penultimate Quest, Rolled & Told, Lupina, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and When Life Gives You Mangoes.

Textauszug

Chapter One

‘I can’t believe you made another wrong turn, Mum,’ Alyssa grumbled from the front seat. ‘Isn’t this where you grew up?’

Mum sighed. ‘I haven’t lived here for decades, remember? Driving in London is harder than it looks!’

‘Sorry,’ said Alyssa, fidgeting. Despite the air-con, she felt hot and bothered. ‘I just don’t want to miss the party!’

‘And you won’t,’ Mum reassured her. ‘Nothing exciting will happen until the sungoes down, anyway.’ Alyssa was practically vibrating with impatience.

In only a few minutes (or hours, depending on the traffic), she would be back at her beloved spell garden, where she would be spending an entire summer. The term was kicking off with a gathering to celebrate the bloom of a rare flower. Alyssa had heard it was an unforgettable sight!

After a year of getting to grips with grammar, geometry and geography at secondary school, she was more than ready to be reunited with her friends at Silverleaf School of Plants and Potions, and to learn something interesting for a change.

Rosalie and Rue, Alyssa’s cousins and Silverleaf schoolmates, had visited her in Milton Keynes during the school holidays over the past year. They’d gone bowling, hung out at the shopping centre and had sugar-filled late-night sleepovers. Their friend Leon even joined them a few times. But it wasn’t the same as being at the spell garden, among the magical plants and silvery crux-water streams.

‘I can’t wait to see everyone,’ Alyssa said. ‘I wonder if the spell garden has changed much since last summer.’

‘I doubt it, sweetpea,’ Mum said. ‘Not without Auntie Jasmine – though I’ve never known her to be away from home for so long.’

Auntie Jasmine, the Keeper Supreme of the spell garden, was still in Jamaica. As the most senior, and most powerful, magical person in the neighbourhood, she was in charge of looking after the spell garden and its community.

She had travelled to Jamaica at the end of last year, to see her sister, Alyssa’s Granny Hyacinth, who it turned out was actually quite unwell. She’d been suffering from memory loss and recently had been becoming upset and disorientated. Alyssa had never met her grandmother, but the news made her heart ache. She wondered if Mum would suggest flying over to see them both. Alyssa had floated the idea, but Mum went all weird at the suggestion.

Auntie Jasmine’s trip was only meant to be over Christmas, but the weeks had bled into months, and now it was late July and Alyssa’s great-aunt still hadn’t returned. Alyssa and Mum received regular postcards and the occasional crackly long-distance phone call (there was one thing that hadn’t changed – Auntie Jasmine was still too much of a technophobe to figure out text messaging or email), so that they knew she and Granny Hyacinth were all right.

‘When do you think she’s coming back?’ Alyssa asked.

Mum shrugged. ‘I expect when she feels that Mother is doing better, or at least in the hands of a good carer. I’m sure she’s thankful that Debbie is handling things while she’s away.’

Auntie Debbie was Auntie Jasmine’s ex-partner, and they were still good friends. She was the second most senior Keeper, and was taking care of the spell garden in Auntie Jasmine’s absence.

After what seemed like an age stuck in traffic along the high street, Mum found a parking space on Holloway Road, some ten minutes’ walk from the spell garden.

‘I really hope we’re not going to be late. Maybe we should have set off earlier,’ Alyssa said as Mum turned off the ignition.

Mum rolled her eyes. ‘Is there a reason you’re so desperate to be here? You’ve been badgering me about coming to the spell garden for the last two weeks.’

Alyssa couldn’t deny that. She had even suggested that Mum pull her out of school early because ‘no one learns anything in the last week of the summer term, anyway’.

She gulped. ‘I just missed the magic school, that’s all.’ That was partially true.

Mum stared at her quizzically in the way that only mums can. ‘Is that all? Nothing to do with the divorce being finalised?’

‘Oh, that? No,’ Alyssa said.

This time she was telling the full truth. It had taken a little time to get used to the idea, but now she was fine that Mum and Dad were no longer together. They were both happier – plus, Alyssa got two of everything: two bedrooms, two sets of birthday gifts and two places to call home. Even better, Mum and Dad got on. The three of them could go out for dinner and everyone had a good time. No more arguing, no more awkward silences. Sure, she felt a little pang when Dad got in his own car and went home. But, on reflection, her parents’ relationship was much friendlier than it had been this time last year.

Alyssa got out of the car before she could be interrogated further. She stretched, enjoying the feeling. After two hours of being cooped up, it felt good.

They walked down the high street, the summer heat rising from the concrete and warming the soles of Alyssa’s sandals. She was pleased to see so much that was familiar. The local park was thriving, as was the greengrocer’s, launderette and corner shop. It didn’t sound exciting on the surface, but, to Alyssa, this was a welcome sight.

Alyssa’s school friends Zohra and Leah had been so jealous of her spending the summer in London the year before. They’d assumed she’d visited all the famous landmarks: the London Eye, Buckingham Palace and everything in between. They’d imagined Alyssa seeing Big Ben from her bedroom window, or helping her great-aunt do the food shop in one of those fancy department stores. Alyssa hadn’t had the heart to tell them that she hadn’t set foot in central London the entire summer. The closest she’d got to seeing a famous landmark was the posters advertising Madame Tussauds on the red double-decker buses that drove down the high street. But Alyssa didn’t care. She loved it here.

Mum took Alyssa’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as they crossed the road. Even though she was twelve and far too old for hand-holding, Alyssa allowed it.

‘Don’t worry.’ Mum smiled, reading her mind. ‘I would never try to hold your hand in front of your friends.’

Alyssa wasn’t sure if it was her mum’s touch or something else, but she felt a reassuring tingling in her palm. It took her a while to recognise it; it had been so long. Then she realised. It was magic!

‘The spell garden is close. I can feel it,’ she said.

Mum grinned. ‘Like sparks in the tips of your fingers, right?’

Alyssa’s jaw dropped. ‘You feel it too?’

She was so glad she could now share the magic of Silverleaf with Mum. Until last year, Mum had been so afraid of magic that she’d kept Alyssa away from it her entire life. But, thankfully, Mum had come to accept that, with proper teaching, magic could be wonderful too.

Mum laughed at Alyssa’s question. ‘Of course! I think it happens when we’ve been away from the crux-pebbles for a long while. I suppose it’s their way of welcoming us home,’ Mum said.

Crux-pebbles! It had felt like ages since Alyssa had last felt their energy. They were magical stones that tapped into an ancient power deep within the earth, and were the source of the spell garden’s magic. At least, that was how Auntie Jasmine explained it.

Suddenly a sweet perfume hit their nostrils.

‘Wow!’ exclaimed Mum. ‘The high street sure smells a lot better than when I lived here.’

Alyssa looked up. ‘It’s the hanging baskets!’ She pointed to the brightly coloured flowers suspended from each lamp post. ‘The flowers soak up the air pollution and convert it into nice smells.’

‘What a fantastic idea,’ Mum marvelled.

Soon, they arrived at the allotment behind Jasmine’s Teas, Auntie Jasmine’s iconic tea shop. They’d usually cut through the shop to reach the spell garden, but it had been closed since Jasmine had left for Jamaica.

They trod the worn narrow path through the allotment. Alyssa was pleased to see Mr Begum tending to his onions, as if nothing had changed since last summer. He waved, and Alyssa was touched that he remembered her. Mr Begum wasn’t part of the spell-garden community, but, like many of the neighbours, he was still part of Auntie Jasmine’s circle. They’d often exchanged tips on growing vegetables in the allotment.

Alyssa and her mum reached a fence concealed by thick weeds and vines. That was new – Auntie Jasmine would never have let the weeds get that high in the...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 17.6.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Kinder- / Jugendbuch
• ISBN-10: 0-571-37747-5 / 0571377475
• ISBN-13: 978-0-571-37747-3 / 9780571377473