Izzy the Inventor and the Curse of Doom

Izzy the Inventor and the Curse of Doom is the second in Zanna Davidson's amazing, laugh-out-loud Izzy the Inventor series. Packed full of illustrations with easy-to-read text, it provides the perfect transition from picture books to chapter books.

Izzy believes in science not magic, but when fairy Rose Petal flutters into her life and sends her off to Fairy Land, she starts to think that maybe both exist. Now Izzy must use her science skills to recue a Sleeping Beauty's prince from the curse of doom; if she fails, he will disappear! Izzy and Henry need to make it snow in summer, create an exploding volcano and get Henry, the unicorn, to fly. What could possibly go wrong?

With a fantastic map in the centre and real experiments to try out at the back, this series seamlessly combines science, magic and adventure, which will interest any young reader. It has a wonderful low-threat, high-fun storyline, which will engage early chapter book readers, and Elissa Elwick's charming illustrations add to the humour and help visualise the action-packed plot.

This will make an excellent reading for pleasure text on any classroom bookshelf or in any library. I look forward to reading the next book in this charming series.

128 pages / Reviewed by Amanda Shipton, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 5+

Izzy is back in her second adventure, Izzy the Inventor and the Curse of Doom, combining real experiments with anarchic magic and fantasy. This time, Izzy and her unicorn friend Henry travel into the magical land to save Sleeping Beauty and break the bad fairy's curse. As before, there is a great map in the middle of the book as well as several experiments.

This book captures some of the fun and daftness that young children so enjoy. The threat is always mild and the illustrations, by Elissa Elwick, are suitably zany. Lots of speech bubbles and fun lay outs make this an easy read for newer readers. The experiments might need support, as although they are simple to follow, parents will probably not want exploding volcanoes in the kitchen! More books featuring Izzy are also available. 

128 pages / Reviewed by Jacqueline Harris, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 7+