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The Spectaculars

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The Greatest Showman meets The Night Circus for children, The Spectaculars is the enchanting new middle-grade adventure series that combines magic, theatre and danger with a large pinch of starstuff...

When three figures arrive at Harper's window in a flying canoe, informing her that she is due to start her apprenticeship, Harper discovers she is a Spectacular - a magical performer, gifted special powers from the stars.

Harper is thrilled to be part of the Spectaculars' travelling theatre and boarding school, until everything is plunged into great danger.

With her new friends Trick and Thief, Harper sets out to save her school... But while dreams come true at the Wondria, nightmares might just be lurking in the wings.

368 pages, Hardcover

Published September 29, 2022

6 people are currently reading
136 people want to read

About the author

Jodie Garnish

5 books4 followers
Jodie Garnish is a performer, playwright and author. She studied at the University of East Anglia and trained in acting at Drama Studio London.

Throughout her theatre career she has performed across the UK and Italy. She has played monachs, mathmaticians and murderesses, and worn more terrible wigs than she cares to remember. Her experiences as a performer inspired the world of the Spectaculars, her debut novel.

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5 stars
34 (35%)
4 stars
46 (47%)
3 stars
11 (11%)
2 stars
4 (4%)
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1 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
Profile Image for Jacq.and.the.readstalk.
354 reviews16 followers
March 5, 2023
A delightfully magical new series that captures the essence of The Greatest Showman, Nevermoor, and X-men. but with a vividly grandiose flare!

Garnish does a wonderful job at capturing drama and adventure with mystical powers, which makes the perfect concoction for the three lovable, funny and quirky protagonists. There was so much exciting things happening at each turn of the page, although I found it sometimes a bit much to take it all in at times

The authors' words are easy without sacrificing on imagination, and excellent storytelling. The world is so creative and practically bursting with magic that you are immediately enveloped in Garnish's mystical series and left with wanting more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Usborne Publishing for this eARC in exchange for an honest review
Profile Image for Becky Cann .
93 reviews11 followers
June 15, 2024
4.5⭐️ I loved this book!! Such a magical homage to the world of theatre. As an actor there were parts that made me long for the stage again and really root for Harper, Trick and Thief. What incredibly believable characters! There was so much action and adventure thrown at us that sometimes it felt overloaded but it never made me want to stop for a second. The writing is effortless and whilst quite easy, still captivating. I will definately be picking up the sequel and see what adventures await this lovely sweet trio of friends. I loved how refreshingly original this felt for me and recently that appears to be quite the challenge for middle grade stories right now.
Profile Image for kate.
1,782 reviews969 followers
December 29, 2022
I love a good magic school story and this wonderfully unique, magical and fun book didn’t disappoint. Set in a vibrant and exciting world and starring a cast of quirky and lovable characters, The Spectaculars is one of my most memorable middle grade reads of the year. Filled with magic, adventure, sabotage, secrets, friendship and a few plot twists you won’t see coming, this is an original middle grade fantasy I couldn’t recommend more highly.
Profile Image for Jessica Rolland.
11 reviews2 followers
October 18, 2022
I realise I’m biased because I know the author but this book is AMAZING! Well written, excellent world building and brilliant characters! The perfect read!
Profile Image for ☆.
14 reviews1 follower
May 24, 2024
This has so few reviews that I feel the need to say something: this series is amazing. The author has something really good in their hands with both this book and the sequel (which I'm reading right now).
Does it have some typical middle-grade tropes? Sure! But that's okay, because this world is so fun and so well built that you end up ignoring both that and the similarities it sometimes has with other middle-grade series.
Read this book to your children but as an avid middle-grade fan I also say, read this for yourself.
Profile Image for Chantelle Hazelden.
1,470 reviews64 followers
September 29, 2022
I absolutely loved this.

A brilliant MG book from start to finish.

Think Greatest Showman but so much more enchanting.

Filled with magic and wonder, there was an exciting storyline made even better by the quirky cast of brave and inspiring characters.

I'm very much looking forward to seeing what the rest of the series has to offer.
Profile Image for Tim.
1,278 reviews31 followers
March 8, 2025
"A letter, you say! Well, the forecast said that this evening would be Cloudy With A Chance Of Bottles, so there should be some coming around any moment. Feel free to take a seat while you wait. Of course, by take, I mean sit - please don't remove any of the chairs from my study, they do get dreadfully homesick."

This was fun! Sometimes, there are just some British books that fall flat, and I think it's because my expectations are too high. I've gotten used to very elaborate and original worldbuilding in British children's books, and sometimes that's just missing. But Jodie Garnish knows what she's doing. I loved the descriptions of the world and how the magic and tricks all work! I also had to grin a couple of times, because there are some references to odd and funny traditions from the UK, if I interpreted that correctly.

Harper is a nice character. She's not that special, and she did annoy me a couple of times, because Trick is right when she says that she's obsessed with the idea that all the misfortune is her fault and she just doesn't believe him. It takes a while before she sees reason. But apart from that, it was lovely discovering this world with her and seeing her evolve.
Trick was nice too, although Thief is more interesting as a male character. The other young side characters aren't that special, but I did like all the adults, like the teachers.

The plot has been thought out very well. Even though it was obvious that something was going on with Trick, I had no clue what that could be. The author includes a couple of great plot twists as the end approaches. At first, the story is mostly interesting and fun, but as it goes on, it definitely becomes more exciting.

One thing that I did find a bit odd, is that Harper and her friends are about eleven or twelve years old, but they seem to act more as if they're teens, four or five years older, perhaps. I'm not entirely sure what gave me that idea, it's just a feeling I had. Not that it matters that much, but it take me some time to get used to.

7.7/10
Profile Image for Amy (Golden Books Girl).
890 reviews17 followers
August 3, 2023
Someone with very similar taste to me told me this was so good it had felt like reading Nevermoor for the first time (hi Paris, if you read this!), and as far as I’m concerned that’s basically the biggest compliment you can give a book, so I was unbelievably excited when I started this and it didn’t let me down. I genuinely don’t even know where to START raving, because I just loved everything about it. It’s about a girl named Harper who discovers she is a Spectacular (performers with magical abilities) after people turn up in a flying canoe to take her away to the Grand Wondria Theatre and Music Hall to learn her craft. The characters in this are so vivid that they feel real to me: Harper is a determined and strong and clever heroine; Trick is one of the best best friend characters I think I’ve ever read and there’s a twist with him I just can’t get over; Fletcher is very possibly my new book crush and I loved the rest of the teachers too; I’m excited to learn more about Harper and Trick’s classmates in future books as well and the villain is SO MENACING. The worldbuilding can only really be described as ingenious and intricate, and with every chapter I just fell a little bit more in love with this book. I can absolutely guarantee you I’ll reread this at some point, possibly even before book 2 comes out, or maybe after we’re a couple books into the series for gorgeous, magical comfort vibes, and I just can’t wait to see where this story goes next. Let’s give Jodie a standing ovation, please!!
Profile Image for Cuti-CLUE-les.
222 reviews4 followers
January 27, 2023
Beautiful cover under the dust jacket and the premise was interesting. The story felt a bit all over the place at times. It was trying to fit too much in with too little explanation or connection to other parts of the story. The magic system was a bit of mess and not explained very well at all.
Profile Image for Liam.
267 reviews8 followers
September 29, 2022
The Spectaculars is spectacular!

I'm sorry, I had to say it, but it is true. This is a really fun, cool, magical book.

It opens in the middle of a very dramatic scene, as an unknown group of people try to escape on a tram into the mountains. After that goes quite well, with just a little bit of tragedy the novel jumps ahead five years to where it picks up the main narrative. Harper, one of the young children on the tram, is now older and living a fairly dull life in a fairly dull town. Luckily it isn't long before she's whisked away to a much more magical life in a much more magical world, because this definitely isn't a fairly dull book!

She finds herself in her slippers and dressing gown in a theatre where she's about to being a magical apprenticeship and become a Spectacular! Spectaculars are spell weavers who use star light and star dust to add magical effects to their performances, costumes, set designs and everything else that's part of the theatre world.

That's one of the great strengths of this book, it beautifully blends the whole learning how to do magic in a world you never really knew thing with theatre school, and it just works so well. Everyone knows there's magic in theatre already, right? Well how about if you could actually create costumes which shift and change with magic? What if you could summon magical effects throughout the auditorium while singing your aria or change your appearance as your death monologue goes on and on and on? It's such a perfect fit, and Jodie Garnish pulls it off with style.

There's a wider world out there though, and a theatre built on a tram is a great way to see it! The Wonderia is a travelling theatre, allowing us to see little glimpses of so many other fascinating locations, from magical libraries to underwater performances by mermaid orchestras. We see witches and fae and goblins and it just left me wanting to explore more of this world.

There is, of course, an overarching plot beyond just magical theatre school, and it's a good one too. Magic, for the Spectaculars at least, is built on starlight. (Witches have their own very peculiar form of spellcasting that I just loved!) However, there were thirteen stars that fell when the tram first passed through the mountain portal, and they've never been found. There are also four curses, taking animal form in a decidedly creepy way, one of which, Misfortune, is stalking the Wonderia theatre causing terrible and escalating accidents. There are grim hunters and unlikely allies and a few very well kept secrets, and it is all, quite honestly, spectacular.
Profile Image for A.M. Loughrey.
Author 1 book3 followers
October 2, 2023
The Spectaculars is a fantastic amalgamation of the world of theatre with the world of magic. This is a boarding school story with a difference containing some exceptional twists. I was enticed to read this book by the beautiful cover illustrated by Nathan Collins. However, it took me a while to get into the story and feel any rapport for the main protagonist, eleven year old Harper Woolfe, but after the first three chapters I was hooked.

Trick is my favourite character and in a lot of the ways he carries the book. He comes across as mischievous, but he also has a calm and reassuring side to his nature. He is always very supportive of Harper.

This well-crafted story reminded me in places of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust and J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series but instead of a sorting hat there is a teapot, which brews the perfect tea for their character and instead of the fallen star being human they are animals.

This novel is a fascinating look at how superstition can lead to dramatic over-reactions. Jodie Garnish shows a real talent for creating imaginative worlds as well as some incredible, unique magical creatures, such as a ‘kobold’ called Helja, who can shape-shift into a broom and a mangle. Her world building is elaborate and impressive. One of my favourite settings is the ingenious magical library where the bookshelves look like they are suspended in the air high above their heads.

I particularly enjoyed the excellent twist at the end when the real antagonist is revealed with a surprising secret.

Ideal for readers 8+. This book would be a beautiful addition to libraries and school bookshelves.
490 reviews15 followers
March 12, 2023
Hello Bookish People Welcome To My Tour Stop For #jodiegarnish #thespectacularsthefourcurses This Is The First Book In The Brand New Middlegrade Series #thespectaculars Which Is Described As #thegreatestshowman Meets #nevermoor 😍

The Premise Of One Of My Favourite Films Meets One Of My Favourite Middle Grade Series Had Me So So Excited. I Will Include The Blurb In The Comments But I Would Describe This Book As Adventure, Wonder, Theatrical, Mysterious, Found Family & Just A Dash Of Stardust 😏

Harper Is A Fantastic POV To Follow As A Guide Into This World. Due To A Tragic Incident When She Was A Young Child She Was Separated From This Magical Community And Must Learn About It Again. As Harper Is Learning We As The Reader Learn About The World & It’s Theatrical Wonders In An Organic Way Rather Then Either Info Dumping Or Leaving A Lot Of Information Unexplained. Kudos For The Author Doing This In Such A Fun & Energetic Way 🥰

My Favourite Element Apart From The Magic Has To Be The Element Of Found Family. This Is One Of Absolute Favourite Tropes In Books And Always Hits Me In The Feels. Harper Finding Her Tribe Within Her Fellow Apprentices Is So Wholesome While She Tries To Find Where She Belongs. Trick Is One Of My Favourites With Hid Optimism & Mischievous Nature. I Dare A Reader To Say He Won’t Steal Your Heart 💜

This Was A Thrilling & Charming First Instalment That I Think Will Resonate With Any Reader Or Person Who Wants Escapism, The Magic Of Theatre Or If You Want To Experience Again The Imagination Of Childhood ✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Profile Image for Shawne.
440 reviews20 followers
June 25, 2024
this book could not be more up my alley - a sharp, smartly written and gorgeously imagined magical universe where the protagonist is whipped away one night to a magical boarding school?? a school dedicated to teaching aspiring performers how to harness the magic in stars to enhance their acts?! fantasy + boarding school + theatre??? sign me up!!

this really is a lovely read. Jodie Garnish's world of the Hidden Peaks, populated by the Spectaculars (gotta love a book where the people blessed by magic use it to make theatre rather than, idk, rule the world lol), is charmingly, richly imagined. The Wondria - the wondering theatre/boarding school to which young Harper Woolfe is spirited away one night - is a cornucopia of riches.

the twist at the end of the novel is both rather clever but also slightly tenuous - does it make sense? or is it just deeply convenient plotting? it's still intriguing though, and I hope its consequences get explored in subsequent novels.

the book's pace does flag occasionally, and it feels a mite repetitive in places. but overall great fun and a promising start to a new series!

3.5 to 4 stars
369 reviews14 followers
March 7, 2023
Can you imagine listening to a music performance that will literally make you float into the air? There are all sorts of amazing acts like this at the Grand Wondria Music Hall and Theatre. All performed by The Spectaculars, a group of magical performers with gifts from the stars.

When Harper joins The Spectaculars school to hone her own gifts she is understandably excited but that joy soon dissipates when she discovers she may have awoken the four curses.

The Spectaculars is such an original debut children's book. I was captivated by the characters and the wonderous world the author has created. I'm so pleased The Four Curses is only the first in the series and I can't wait to read what Jodie Garnish imagines up next.
Profile Image for Staceywh_17.
3,690 reviews12 followers
March 11, 2023
This was such a fun debut to read and a fantastic introduction to this new and exciting series.

Garnish has created magical worlds and a bright, young cast of characters for The Spectaculars that will delight and amaze all those who read it.

Harper and Trick take us on an adventure like no other as they battle to save the school from the Four Curses, with plenty of twists and turns along the way.

I enjoyed my time at the Wondria and I'm hoping my nephew will too, as I'll be passing the book down to him.


Many thanks to Kaleidoscopic Tours for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Profile Image for Mrs Walsh.
852 reviews6 followers
December 15, 2022
OMG!!!!!!!!!! From beginning to end this book was just WOW!! I was just drawn in to such a magical world, with twists and turns throughout. It was such a delight going on such a wondrous journey with Harper and Trick.
Profile Image for Claire.
471 reviews2 followers
September 2, 2023
Wonderfully imaginative book with a real Harry Potter feel about it. Harper never knew she was destined to be a Spectacular, a group of people that use a form of magic with starlight as its source. When she starts as an apprentice at the Wondria accidents start happening at the theatre she lives in. This all links to thirteen missing fallen stars and a villain who’s trying to kill them all. It all comes together at the end in a most satisfactory way. I love a book where I haven’t guessed what will happen and I didn’t with this one. As I said, it did seem to remind me a lot of HP in certain aspects but that didn’t mean I enjoyed it any the less. I just loved the characters. I really enjoyed it and truly hope there’ll be another book!
Profile Image for Sabrina.
1,617 reviews36 followers
August 5, 2023
I loved the very mysterious start to the book and Harper is a great protagonist, a heroine who prefers dragons to knights in shining armour! I was also pleased that for once, the class bully wasn't the best at everything and favoured by all the teachers.

I was awestruck by this whole world which is built around spectacular performances and theatres. All running on Star-Stuff! There is so much to amaze, like a train that turns into the Grand Wondria Music Hall and Theatre, the Dreamscape Transit System that lets you visit with people in your dreams, and the super-cool lessons that the apprentices learn. Can you Imagine a cable car system that runs on the complaints of commuters, that would be extremely efficient in London!

The mystery of the four curses was cleverly written and I must admit it kept me guessing all the way through. I could not work out who was behind the sinister events and actually suspected completely the wrong person.

https://sabrinasbooktails.blogspot.co...
Profile Image for Tara.
83 reviews2 followers
August 15, 2023
The Spectaculars are amazing people who have magic in their fingertips, they can make people float, make a tracking spell, all kinds of things! Harper has just found that she is one of the many Spectaculars! Meanwhile, a star hunter is tracking down the 13 fallen stars. Can Harper and her friends stop him in time? I recommend this book to magic lovers, people who love adventures and people who love books.
Profile Image for Elpida.
32 reviews
July 30, 2025
Somewhere between 2.5 to 3 🌟

The book has potential. It reminds me so much of Nevermoor (big fan of Morrigan!!).

I enjoyed the first half, but the second was a bit all over the place and *slightly* unnecessary long.
Profile Image for Sophie Crane.
5,235 reviews179 followers
November 10, 2023
This book was an amazing story of friendship and magic. I would highly recommend it to fans of books like pages and co or nevermore. I never wanted it to end!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews

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