My favourite quote from Wick is ‘I think of all the small things the Hobs have done for me, how much they have added up. However, I found Bottletop destroying Old Ma Bogeys machine to be a little underwhelming, especially since he was being treated better than the other orphans and not filling matchboxes. However, the reader soon learns that there is more than meets the eye at this dark, dreary and lifeless institution. I’m not usually a fan of long narratives told in the present tense but here I think it works well: Wick’s first person tale gives both a sense of urgency and also uncertainty, just as youngsters’ accounts often are, and while the reader may guess at some of the things Wick puzzles over nothing is truly known until all is revealed. Wick has always lived in the dark and dreadful Harklights Match Factory and Orphanage, working tirelessly for greedy Old Ma Bogey.

Wick meets the Hobs, the guardians of the forest outside the factory and escapes with them to find happiness he has never known before. Doesn't necessarily mean that it was bad; it was well-written and well-paced, a heartwarming message or two at its heart, and it did not shy away from the less than savoury practices of the past. Wick wakes up that night to see the baby’s family outside the window, and they offer him a home with them. Through this encounter, Wick overcame some fears and fought against Old Ma Bogey, who destroyed the nature to force the orphans to make matches.I’m the illustrator for my school book club newspaper, and I’m rarely found without a book in my hand – my absolute favourite is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Our story begins in the gothic Harklights Match Factory and Orphanage, where our hero Wick works tirelessly for the dreadful Old Ma Bogey.

Its sinister proprietor, Old Ma Bogey, uses the children’s labour in the home to mass-produce and package matches that are distributed across the land for profit. Charmingly written and imbued with a vital, heartfelt message, this is a story sure to settle in the heart of anyone who has ever stood and breathed in the beauty of a forest or marvelled at a spell-binding sunset. When the story started nearing it's end, I still didn't feel connected to the Hobs because we'd been there for so little time, yet Wick acted as if he'd been there for months.You guys were so fab and Dawn was such a lovely presence in the schools - I will absolutely be in touch next time I'm in your neck of the woods. What’s more, we know how much Wick longs to have the sort of family he discovers for we’ve some idea of the horrors he’s experienced. When Wick first starts to explore his new environment, it is a joy to see him finding so much beauty around him. It seems that Ma Bogey is something to do with the Monster that lurks in their nightmares and history, that they will not reveal to Nissa or the other Hob youngsters. The author really did a great job in building this story :) This is a little book of gem that will bring your mind and heart back to the nature, it makes you want to walk in the forest and hope to find some Hobs, for me some Norwegian Hobs maybe?

Also, Wick’s interest in wanting to know his origins is woefully cut short with the documents being burnt. Illustrated throughout with simple black and white pictures, this is a lovely tale for children to ignite their wonder in the natural world.After all, nobody has ever got away from the match factory orphanage, and now there’s magic in the form of tiny Hobs, offering him a way out.