Stella Montgomery is trapped with her three humourless aunts in the Hotel Majestic in the drab coastal town of Withering-by-Sea. Spurred on by an old atlas, she dreams of adventure and—when she spies something she shouldn’t have—she gets caught up in one! Stella vows to keep the small package Mr Filbert has hidden in the hotel’s conservatory safe from harm. But, as the evil Professor Starke desperately wants what’s in the package, Stella becomes his target.

Stella’s quick thinking, courageous moves and good fortune in finding allies give her the edge but she is still in mortal danger as she flees. What she encounters during her escapade is a far cry from her boring French and deportment lessons, her strict aunts (Temperance, Deliverance and Condolence) with their wave baths and plunge baths, and her meals of Mock Turtle Soup, Pickled Tongue and Collared Eels.

The adventure leads Stella backstage, and then into the audience, of a Victorian-era theatre where patrons are served oysters (four a penny) to eat in their seats. As the search for her closes in, she’s grateful for the help of her new friends Gert (a self-assured and wily dancing girl), Ben (a young ragamuffin who has the ability to ‘scry’ into the past using ink), and Mr Capelli (a theatre performer with a troupe of singing cats).

Can Stella and her motley group outwit the professor and his gang of thugs and save the town from the Grimpen Sorceror? Will Stella ever find out why she was immune to the sleeping spell that all the other hotel guests succumbed to on the night Mr Filbert was killed? Is Stella really ‘fey’ as some people think she is?

I was reluctant to leave this vivid world and its well-crafted characters and, as this is the first in the series of Stella Montgomery intrigues and a few questions were left dangling, I’m hanging out for the next.

Brings the Victorian era to life

Talented Australian writer-illustrator, Judith Rossell, evokes the Victorian era beautifully through colourful description, vibrant speech and striking metaphors. She also resurrects and creates some fabulous language in the process.

For example …

• A maid tells Stella to have ‘A proper wash, Miss, not just a lick and a promise, if you know what’s good for you.’
• The maids say of Mr Filbert’s death, ‘They found him just lying there. Flat out like a cold kipper!’
• The Professor is said to be ‘in a right maggoty flummox’.
• One of Gert’s outbursts includes her saying, ‘Nobble me granny. Stinking gumbleguts. Mangle their gizzards. I bit one of ’em, though. Made him flipping yell.’
• The mineral waters of Withering-by-Sea are described as ‘beneficial to all Rheumatic, Gouty and Hysterical Afflictions and every Disease accompanied by Debility or Great Age’.

Rossell cleverly references old folk tales and magical beasts, including selkies, sea serpents, giants, fairies and dryads.

When she’s captured, Stella also recalls a picture in her atlas of a horse being attacked by ‘an enormous, snake-like fish: The Gymnotus, or Electric Eel, can kill the largest animal, when in full galvanic vigour.’

This delightful book for readers aged 9 and above has racked up some significant prizes—and I’m not surprised. It’s a rollicking read and a lovely product—with charming illustrations and a little ribbon you can use to mark your place. Buy it in hardcover and give it pride of place on your shelves. Join the growing band of Stella Montgomery devotees as we wait impatiently for the sequel and try to guess what will captivate our spirited young adventurer next.

Withering-by-Sea
Judith Rossell
HarperCollins $19.99