In the little town of Crumbly Thickets, storybooks are more than tales - they are threads that hold the world together.
When tenyearold Petralina Bland returns from her summer holiday, she discovers that something is terribly wrong. Buildings are changing, the landscape is under threat and the familiar feeling of home has gone. Petralina soon learns a dangerous truth: when stories are destroyed, every legend, every memory, and every idea begins to crumble - and the past, present, and future fall into the wrong hands.
To protect the things she loves, Petralina must stop being the "nice girl" her grandparents expect her to be. She has to stand up to powerful businesspeople armed with mindbending technology and mysterious chocolates that muddle the mind. But help arrives in the most unexpected place - a bakery that is no ordinary bakery at all. Here, Petralina meets Alec, a teenage rebel who helps her find the courage she needs through stories, kindness and cake.
As secrets come to the surface and friendships are tested, Petralina must discover whether her new ally is truly on her side... and whether she can trust him when she needs him most.
A whimsical, imaginative middlegrade fantasy, perfect for readers who love quirky towns, brave hearts, gentle magic and stories that remind us how children can shape our world.