The Time of Green Magic

The emotions of real families have always been [McKay's] forte, but in this evocative novel she makes something fantastical happen * Sunday Times *
This is magic without whimsy, a story about secrets and the power of books, with enough edge-of-the-seat moments to keep you hugging a cushion. * Observer *
A wonderful, sensitive depiction of the highs and lows experienced when trying to blend two families. * The Times - Children's Books of the Year *
The real pleasure of McKay's fiction lies in her eye for the everyday. There is always drama in her books, but she is too confident a writer to feel the need to shatter any teacups – and unusually for a children's author, many of her tales have no obvious villain. * The Telegraph - Best Books of the Year *
Wise and kind and utterly heart-wrenching and full of characters you will give your whole heart to -- Anna James
[She] nestles her story so snugly in the literary canon that you can imagine E. Nesbit and Frances Hodgson Burnett fluttering nearby . . . and pitch-perfect, up-to-date prose should make this book an instant classic * New York Times *
This story of blended families and a house where books come to life would make a perfect Christmas present for any bookish nine- to 12-year-old. -- Sally Nichols * The Observer - Children's Books of the Year *
Wise, funny and thoughtful, there are so many touching moments in this lovely book. * ReadingZone *
Vivid, hilarious, and heartbreaking, Hilary McKay’s radiant characters touch my heart like real people, friends and loved ones I know well. Possibly the finest writer of our time. -- Elizabeth Wein
A bewitching tale about blended families and the power of books told with all the wisdom and heart you would expect. * Bookseller *
Hilary McKay is one of the great writers of children’s fiction -- Sarah Hughes * Independent *
McKay couples warmth and grace with wry humour like nobody else out there -- Katherine Rundell * The Guardian *
Picking up a book by Hilary McKay is like slipping on bed socks on a chilly night. She knows how to look after her readers by ensuring that her characters are interesting and loveable from the start . . . -- The Times on The Skylarks' War, selected as Children's Book of the Year
Hilary McKay has a rare gift for novels about families and their interplay. -- LoveReading4Kids
McKay is a superb writer -- Sally Morris * Daily Mail *
Hilary McKay writes with a wry wit, warmth and just the right amount of now-characteristic whimsy -- Anne Fine, BookTrust Books of the Year, 2019
McKay leaves enticing ambiguity between the real and fantastical, creating an unassailable magic of her own in an incandescent portrait of family, friendship, and imagination. -- Publishers Weekly
It is truly authentic - McKay's great insight into the world of childhood shared with us as adults and freely given to children in solidarity and trust -- A Few to Read