The House At The Edge of The World

by Nadine Aisha Jassat

Hope House is more than just a building - it's a place of magic and mystery. . .

When Amal and her family unexpectedly inherit the enchanted clifftop home, they can't believe their luck. But their joy is short-lived when a mysterious couple arrives, claiming the house is theirs and giving Amal's family just thirty days to pack up their stuff and leave before they demolish it completely.

The clock is ticking, and Amal is determined to save Hope House from destruction. How will she unravel the secrets of the house and its mysterious benefactor in time to save it?

A page-turning, lyrical mystery with a magical twist, perfect for fans of Matt Goodfellow, Onjali Q. Raúf and Disney's Encanto. Featuring accessible text in verse and beautiful illustrations throughout.

Genres: Mental Health, Magical Realism

322 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 8, 2025

About the author

Nadine Aisha Jassat is the author of poetry collection Let Me Tell You This, described by Nikita Gill (The Girl and The Goddess) as 'beautifully written, immense and full of passion'. She is the author of two middle-grade mystery novels in verse: The Stories Grandma Forgot (And How I Found Them) described by Sophie Anderson (The House With Chicken Legs) as ‘one of those books that truly makes the world a better place,' and The Hidden Story of Estie Noor, described by Maisie Chan (Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths) as a ‘warm hug of a book', where 'finding the power of telling your own story is central to this joyful tale of kindness and community.’

Nadine has taught and performed internationally and across media, including BBC Scotland’s The Big Scottish Book Club and Author’s Live. She has been published widely, and features in popular anthologies such as Picador’s It’s Not About the Burqa (Shortlisted for Foyles Non-Fiction Book of the Year), Polygon’s The People’s City, and Bloodaxe's Staying Human. Her work has drawn significant acclaim, with her writing for adults shortlisted for the Edwin Morgan Poetry Award, a Herald Scottish Culture Award for Outstanding Literature, and winning a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award; and her writing for children longlisted for a UKLA Book Award, shortlisted for an Alexandra Palace Book Award, and more.

Nadine lives in Scotland, and grew up in the North of England with a Yorkshire mum and Zimbabwean Dad. She is of mixed heritage; a heritage which can only be told in stories.

Reviews

[milliereadsalot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A magical house is always so much fun! I really liked the writing style, written almost in prose, and I think this is a really great depiction of anxiety for younger readers. I struggled to connect with characters other than Amal and Sara, our main characters, but this is very gentle and warm and I would recommend!

[Florence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE a magical house as a character and this is one of my favourites!!!!!!

[BookBairn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Nadine Aisha Jassat's writing and was swept away by this mystery with a magical twist. The cast of characters in the book (including Hope House) is brilliantly conceived with both feisty, gentle and villainous characters all playing their parts to perfection creating a balanced dynamic that is a joy to read. I instantly connected with Amal - our storyteller - who struggles with anxiety and invasive Thoughts (as she calls them). The way those Thoughts could obstruct Amal's confidence, invade her dreams and make her feel guilt was handled with such grace and with a poetic turn of phrase that will deepen understanding makes this story one that will build empathy as well as self-compassion. And the way Amal manages those Thoughts, and overcomes them, is inclusive and supportive.
Above all this is a book about Hope. And it leaves the reader with that hopeful message in their heart. It's incredibly uplifting.
With beautiful poetry, humour and a keen sense of the challenges of modern childhood, Jassat is a must-read children's writer and I cannot recommend The House at the Edge of the World highly enough.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most distinctive read, this is one of those novels in verse form, but one that feels more novelistic than many. I've accused many of them I've read of sounding like short stories or novellas just designed to cover more pages and to look like a novel when they're not – I doubt anyone would think that here. We have a mixed-race British family, getting kicked out of their home and the community library they run, due to lack of funds. But immediately at the right instant they get to inherit a strange and strangely abandoned clifftop home – although just when they start to settle happily in they learn all is not as it seems…

This is a piece that juggles three things – mundane, fantastical and emotional. The mundane is the nitty-gritty of then inheriting, and sorting through what seems to be saying they have to move on again, against their will. The emotional is very much linked to that – the talk of family, home, positivity, the follow-your-dreams lesson passed down one midnight. The fantastical I think is perhaps the most interesting, but the part of the book that the least is done with, ultimately – the way the house is practically alive, giving the people in it what they want, doing the chores for them, and the way the local village remembers the other people who lived there.

So this is a heart-warming message, a drama with a deadline, and something that (initially at least) gives a couple of light chills. And it's doing everything pretty well, especially when you see those are quite differently-sized balls to keep on juggling. The central relationship between the sisters here, the younger one narrating and the more whipsmart older one learning her adult cynicism, is really enjoyable to read, too. The younger has an issue with intrusive thoughts I didn't think came across wonderfully, and the place an aspect of it has at the conclusion of the drama makes you question how sincerely the whole thing was included. But minor flaws don't get in the way of this being a pretty intriguing effort, and one I was glad to have enjoyed.

[Farah G · Rating 4 out of 5]

When their parents lose their livelihood after the library that they run is closed down due to lack of financial support from the authorities, Amal's entire family - and her Aunt Muriel - must move to a new place, and an even stranger new house on the edge of a cliff.

Isn't sure how long they can even stay there, because there are a nasty pair of local residents who want to claim Hope House for themselves. For Amal, who already struggles with her anxiety, this does not help! But the family are determined to put up a fight and save their new home.

Jassat delivers another book of what feels like prose poetry, poignant and thoughtful, drawing on themes of identity, dream jobs and found family.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this author, whatever she writes it's an exciting read. And this book is just the same. This is a book full of diverse characters that are feisty, gentle and believable. And every character is needed  in this book, especially the baddies. Even the character of the house is important in this story.The main character Amal is the narrator of the story and it's a great way to see the world through her eyes.She is an interesting character who openly suffers from anxiety which affects her confidence and it was interesting to see how she copes with this on a daily basis. This is written in verse with some humour scattered throughout the book.The main theme of this book is hope and believing in yourself.

[Dafen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The House At The Edge Of The World is a mystery with a magical twist which hold a deeper message behind about the transformation of fear to hope. I absolutely loved it! It makes you reflects not only through the story but also as it ends. Very powerful metaphor! I liked how the subject of anxiety and intrusive thoughts is tackled in the book through Amal - the storyteller - perspective and experience.

I found that the verse format while it brought some pace in some parts of the story; was on some other parts making it tiring to go through. Perhaps playing with verse & standard format could support further the story mysteries. However, my 9 yo loved reading in verse and found it made it very smooth & easy to read.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 10-year-old is quite an anxious girl, and she loved this book. She related so easily to the main character and found it fascinating to see how she coped with her own anxiety. She wanted to read the book out loud because the verses flowed so beautifully, and honestly, it was a joy to listen to her read and almost become the character.
Now she wants to write her own story in verse!
This is the magic of beautiful books. 💛

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Verse novels take my brain a minute to get used to, but they’re a gorgeous style. This is a wonderful story full of hope, incredible sister relationships, the power of belief and the dangers of rumours and gossip. Amal is a lovely main character, and her Thinking Thoughts are certainly relatable! This is going straight into my class library!

[Hannah Rials Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another gentle, heart warming, story from a gem of an author. This is full of hope, familial love, a kind haunted house, and a family mystery. I don’t like poetry, but I do love a novel in verse!