The Story Thief

Olive is shy. Her adventures happen in story books where she can be the hero. One day returning from the library her book drops into the sea, waking a creature asleep there. Suddenly books and their stories are disappearing. It is up to Olive to find her inner courage to discover what is going on – and even more important, to find a solution.

The theft of stories is a familiar trope, and here it is handled with a refreshing confidence and imagination. The ending is particularly enjoyable and satisfying. Carter’s bold colour-saturated illustrations fill each spread using all the dynamics – whole page, split panels, vignettes – to add rhythm and movement to the story as the pages turn. The end pages themselves introduce the imaginative world Carter brings to life – book shelves, tentacles and an underwater murk. Olive is a brave little character who young readers will recognise. The problem that faces the Octopus is also one that will be understood – books need someone who can read them and share the stories.…but it is a problem that has a solution just as access to books, whether for adults or children, also has a solution. A very enjoyable picture book on all levels, to be recommended – and shared.