The Hatmakers

Product Information

Cordelia's father was reported missing by his colleague Witloof at book one's outset, and we find out at this book's open that Cordelia has been slipping out after dark to look for clues regarding her father's disappearance; she's still the only one of her family who is convinced he is not dead. She needs to find him to reverse the family's dwindling fortunes, and though caught by Sam, the orphan the Hatmakers took in in the last book, Cordelia is reluctant to share the purpose of her nightly hunts. Free Netgalley book for review ~~ Just as fun as the first book! I’d highly recommend this series. If there’s a sequel as I will definitely read it. Imaginative . . . entertaining, comical and breezy, and the settings are conjured in transporting detail' The Times

One to recommend to fans of Michelle Harrison and if you’re after more magical millinery, there’s always Howl’s Moving Castle too by the incomparable Diana Wynne Jones. I'm really hoping there will be a sequel to this, especially with the surprise at the end. I'd love to learn more about the other Makers and hopefully see them come together and make more awesome outfits! Overall, this was a gorgeous book with a gorgeous cover. This middle grade series is a true gem and I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for something cute, fun and magical! Really enjoyed this 🥰🥰

Puffin started out as a non-fiction publisher, with its first title appearing in 1940. As the most iconic and well-known children’s book brand in the UK today, we are always on the lookout for innovative ways to tell the world’s favourite stories and for brilliant new debut talent and brands that connect with today’s young readers, from newborn up to twelve years old. The Hatmakers is even more delightful and beautiful than its cover--and I think that it's cover is spectacular. The magic is brilliant and nicely integrated into the world, which, if you’ve read the first book, you already know, but there’s some cool reveals I won’t spoil here. A world of many Makers—there are Hatmakers, Bootmakers, Glovemakers, Cloakmakers, Watchmakers and Cane makers. Hatmakers weave enchantments into the hats they produce allowing the wearer to be more focussed, brave, daring, violent, angry; anything! And the hats need unique ingredients—like feather of an owl for which you have to undertake a journey, storms in jars, moonbeams etc. At the end of the Middle Ages, a group of hatmakers from the Low Countries migrated across the North Sea to London. These men brought with them new skills and technologies, unknown to English artisans, becoming the first to manufacture brimmed felts hats in England. However, though their wares were immediately popular with English consumers, from courtiers to ordinary people, they faced an economic environment in London that restricted and sometimes completely disallowed the production and retail of their goods. In the early years of the sixteenth century, the hatmakers' desire to remain independent from regulation and governance by London civic guilds led to their formation of a craft association of their own. The Hatmakers' fraternity of St James operated for about a decade, until in 1511 the royal council mandated their amalgamation with and subordination to the powerful London Haberdashers' Company. In their short period of independence, the Hatmakers' guild wrote bilingual ordinances, in English and Dutch, regulating the craft of hatmaking in London. The small parchment booklet in which they wrote the ordinances, now housed in the London Guildhall Library, contains more than a simple list of craft rules: it reveals how these Dutch craftsmen negotiated their immigrant lives in both the specifics of their artisanal practice and the broader social and linguistic realities of their daily interactions.

Right from the first chapter I was enchanted by the beautiful writing. I constantly found myself tabbing and writing down quotes as I went. Like, this: "Keep wildness in your wits...and magic in your fingertips".....come on that's just pure magic. She never expects to stumble upon a secret society of Mapmakers - or to learn that magic isn't limited to the few Maker families, but is instead is all around, if you just know where to look . . .This book was fun! Cordelia is energetic, and super determined. Though I wish she had opened up to Sam earlier, Cordelia is seemingly tireless at trying to find her father, despite her family's disbelief. I loved how she, Sam and Goose finally got people to begin working together, though it did take things getting pretty bad for all Makers for that to happen. This book was so entertaining and the premise is just so charming. Rival families of merchants that create clothes or shoes or watches infused with spells and magic. This reminded me a lot of the Netflix movie "Slumberland" too (not really in concept but more in vibes) and I really loved that. It's allowed me to communicate some thoughts that I have about life, how good life can be and the beauty of life in what hopefully isn't a super cheesy way. You have your own voice as a writer and when you're acting a part that has been written by someone else, created by someone else, and you're coming in to bring yourself to the part, you can’t say things about life through the part necessarily. With a book, there's this amazing opportunity to almost give a vision of life and thoughts about how good and beautiful life can be. That's been nice. I definitely wreaked a little bit of revenge on some silly actors that I've known in my past through the character of Sir Hugo Gushforth - who was a very silly actor - but it's affectionate as well. It's not all like a character assassination by any means. What do you think you've learned about yourself through becoming an author?