Written by Pip Jones Illustrated by Sara Ogilvie
Published by Simon and Shuster ISBN 978-0-8570-7513-0
Reviewed by Holly St Clair
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Illustrated by AOI member Sara Ogilvie and written by Pip Jones, Izzy Gizmo tells the story of a feisty girl who loves to invent. In this first adventure she discovers a crow with a broken wing and feels compelled to help using her special set of skills, but Izzy struggles with the reality of invention: it goes wrong. A lot. (And she gets very cross!)
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Sara Ogilvie’s illustrations are full of idiosyncratic details that will definitely keep children engaged. These are Michael Landy-esque constructions (and similarly self-destructive at first) fitted together with bits and bobs you will recognise from about the house.
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The moral of the tale is one of resilience, which is something to be admired. The main character being a child genius making things that don’t work is a nice twist on the archetype. It is also always warming to see diverse characters in children’s illustration and Ogilvie’s ability to bring each one to life so uniquely creates a cast of recognisable neighbours and families that children will definitely hope to see more of. This is the first book in what has the potential to be a successful series.
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