The Hats of Marvello

by Amanda Graham, Lavanya Naidu (Illustrator)

A delightfully fantastical story for middle-grade readers that sparkles with magic and mystery. Perfect for Emily Rodda fans.


No matter how much Olive longs for a pet rabbit, it's never going to happen. Not when she lives in an Australian country town where most people think they're a pest.

So imagine Olive's shock when she unexpectedly finds not one, but one hundred and one rabbits. And one of them can talk!

How Olive will ever be able to hide and protect the rabbits is going to be her greatest challenge, and all while preparing for the Year 5 play. At least she has her costume ready, although the old top hat she found in the local op-shop seems very odd ...

Perfect for fans of Emily Rodda, The Hats of Marvello is a delightful, magical adventure story that will keep readers spellbound.

' ... children's fantasy at its best - sparkling, funny, clever, original, filled with suspense - and white rabbits! I adored every minute I spent inside the pages of this story.'

- Katrina Nannestad

Genres: Animals

303 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2023

About the author

Amanda Graham is an author and illustrator of over 100 books, many for the educational market. Her debut, Arthur (1984), won the UK Children’s Federation Award and was CBCA-shortlisted. She now writes, illustrates, and teaches in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia.

Reviews

[Smitchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Olive finds an old top hat in the local Op-shop she thinks it will be perfect for her costume in the school play. What she never expected is for this top hat to lead her to a talking bunny named Robert, get her involved with the nefarious plans of a struggling magician and take her all the way to the other side of the world AND solve a mystery that has unsolved for more than 100 years!

Olive lives in Mount Dry, a little town in the middle of Australia, on a farm with her parents and grandpa. In Mount Dry bunnies are a daily topic of conversation - mainly to complain about how many there are and what people can do to get rid of them. But Olive likes bunnies, they are cute and it is not their fault they were brought to Australia. So when Robert, a little black talking bunny pops out of Olive's new hat and asks her to help his 100 bunny friends Olive knows she must! But how to hide 100 bunnies in a town where bunnies are not welcome?!

This is a fun and mysterious middle-grade story with magic, cute bunnies and lots of suspense. The author has lightly touched on the serious issue of introduced species in Australia. This is a fun and mysterious middle-grade story with magic, cute bunnies and lots of suspense. The author has lightly touched on the serious issue of introduced species in Australia. This is a fun read for fans of "Eliza Vanda's Button Box" by Emily Rodda or Katrina Nannestad's books.

[Kathy Temean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is delightful, magical adventure story. The text is filled with suspense, and funny, original clever white rabbits. It is sure to keep readers spellbound. Lavanya's stunning cover and the black and white interior illustrations are sure to spur children's imaginations and keep them riveted to the very last page.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did as a read out loud. Beautiful book, interesting story line about rabbits, magic hats, conservation. Inspired my son’s Book week costume!
2023 pop sugar reading challenge- book with rabbits on cover

[Aaliyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending could be a bit better but over all a great book

[Kristin Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amanda Graham’s novel, The Hats of Marvello, is a gem. The story is original, with humour, magic and well-rounded characters. Amanda writes beautifully, and creates a strong sense of place, both in rural South Australia and an English village.
Highly recommended for primary school children, and for adults as well.