About This Book
Reach for this book when your child starts questioning the invisible hierarchies of the world or feels like the adults in their life are keeping strange secrets. It is a brilliant pick for kids who feel a bit different from their families or who are beginning to realize that the systems governing their town or school are more complex and perhaps more absurd than they appear on the surface. At its heart, the story explores identity and agency through the lens of a family caught in a magical, bureaucratic tug-of-war. Thirteen-year-old Howard Sykes discovers his father has been paying a bizarre tax of two thousand words of nonsense to mysterious town leaders for years. As Howard investigates, he uncovers a hidden world of seven wizard siblings who control everything from the power grid to the schools. The book masterfully blends urban fantasy with dry British humor, making it a sophisticated but accessible read. It is particularly valuable for children processing the complexities of adoption or family legacy, as it treats Howard's discovery of his own origins with both wonder and grounded realism.
