“She couldn’t stay a moment longer. Not in that room, and not in this big stone trap, either. Turning cat, she fled across the courtyard, through the archway that led to the kitchen gardens. They lay empty of people and interferences and rules, richly scented with growing herbs in the cool, violet air of twilight.”

Thanks to a running parallelism with A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream, How I Became A Dog Called Midnight manages to be magical, adventurous, super fun and educational all at the same time.

Beautifully paced and with several wondrously intertwining plot lines, it is a joy to read, with ancient spells, friendships, a little romance, stolen jewels and one very large and loveable dog.

The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere involves two of Franc’s greatest loves, magic and skateboarding. It is written as an account of Monday through Friday at the request of Oscar’s Deputy Principal. (She wanted to know exactly what Oscar considered more important than coming to school last week.)