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Comet in Moominland
by Tove Jansson
A comet is heading for the valley, so Moomintroll and Sniff set off to the observatory on the Lonely Mountains to find out exactly when.
A story about magical creatures and families, gentle and strange in tone. We would put it with children of 7–11, and at a reading age of about 9 for reading alone.
Worth knowing before you buy
- Mild peril
None of this makes it a bad book — often the opposite. It is here so you can decide whether it is right for your child now or in a year or two.
Part of a series
This one belongs to the The Moomins series, so there is more to read if it goes down well — which is worth a great deal with a reluctant reader.
Our take on this book
A comet is heading for the Moominvalley, and Moomintroll and his friend Sniff set off on an expedition to the Lonely Mountains to consult the professors at the observatory, gathering an odd, lovable band of companions along the way as the sky turns steadily redder. Tove Jansson's Moomin books are like nothing else: gentle and philosophical and faintly melancholy, full of small anxieties and great kindnesses, with a threat on the horizon that is real but faced with characteristic Moomin calm. The comet lends a genuine tension, but the tone throughout is reassuring rather than frightening, more about friendship and facing fears together than disaster. For a nine- to twelve-year-old — or a younger child read to — it is a quietly magical, slightly strange classic that rewards a reader who likes atmosphere and character over fast plot, and it opens the door to one of the most beloved worlds in children's literature.
If they like this, try these
Chosen by matching age, reading age, tone and subject — not by what is selling.
The Wild RobotPeter Brown
Five Children and ItE. Nesbit
HeidiJohanna Spyri
Alice's Adventures in WonderlandLewis Carroll
Children of the QuicksandsEfua Traoré
Or let them write their own.
Nothing gets a child reading like a story they invented themselves. Your child plans the characters and the plot, and we write, illustrate and print it as a real book with their name on the cover as the author.
Find another book
Tell us the age, the reading age and what they like, and we will suggest a handful.