Mr Milliner
The Magical Misadventures of Mr Milliner are whimsical children's adventures that celebrate imagination, friendship, and the magic of childhood wonder.
The
Story
When eight-year-old Josie meets a peculiar hatmaker living in an oak tree, her summer holidays transform into an extraordinary adventure. The Milliner, who can't seem to settle on a name (and can't remember if he is called Edward, Cuthbert or Hector), is unlike any adult Josie has ever encountered. With his odd-sized feet, terrible spelling, and magical top hat that contains a retractable ladder, he lives by his own rules and sees the world through a child's eyes.
Together with her brother Morgan, and their beloved dog Spike, Josie discovers that the Milliner's oak tree is a portal to impossible adventures. They fly through clouds in a magnificent airship, drop flour bombs on cruel hunters to save geese, learn that time was "invented to stop everything happening at once," and discover that fear can be conquered with a simple nonsensical rhyme: "What's the difference between the bird? One leg is blue, the other one's also a yellow wheel."
But their magical summer brings complications, too. Mysterious gifts arrive at the doorstep of their home, including a basket of goose eggs secretly delivered each morning.
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When the villainous Mr Disorderly threatens to kill the turkeys for Christmas, the children must navigate an accidental kidnapping that tests their loyalty and courage.
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And that's just in book one!
This series of stories are full of delightful characters
Soon, a strange collection of animals begins to appear at the house, including an ostrich, a pig named Pardon, three turkeys (Turn-keys, as the Milliner calls them), and even a wallaby (Wanna-bee).
This peculiar situation leads Mrs Berwick to question whether Mr Milliner is truly a real person rather than just an imaginary friend conjured by her children.