Review: The Wondrous Prune by Ellie Clements, illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat

When 11-year-old Prune Robinson moves to her deceased grandparents' house in the nondescript town of Delmere, her life alters spectacularly in this enthralling fantasy adventure from newcomer Ellie Clements.

As artist Prune tries to adjust to her new neighbourhood, her challenging journey of self-discovery begins when, one day, she realises that she's been inexplicably bestowed with a rather unusual, phantasmagorical superpower.  

Pitched as the first in an exciting series about extraordinary kids who've all inadvertently inherited forms of this 'Delemere Magic', this highly original middle-grade is gripping from start to finish. And with a refreshingly distinct, memorable voice in Prune, who comes from a single-parent household, it's sure to be a relatable, enjoyable read for children in upper KS2. 

I too was particularly excited to explore this text, mainly because it features a determined and unconventional Black-girl superhero from a Black-British writer — a combination I've been hankering after for a very long time.  

And I'm glad to say it does not disappoint. Clements' well-constructed, accessible first-person narrative, in short chapters, drives the story forward effortlessly and she does a superb job of giving Prune great agency while guiding readers through her rollercoaster of strong emotions and strange experiences. 

The vivid, playful scenes where Prune experiments with her newfound superpowers are wildly imaginative and wholly captivating, at times feeling so vast in scope they're almost cinematic in quality. Clements skillfully ramps up the risk level a little more, each time, to increase the dramatic intensity. 

Alongside all of the superhero escapism, Clements carefully weaves in down-to-earth, serious themes of bereavement, divorce, teen peer pressure, petty crime and bullying by Prune's classmates, the Vile-lets. Prune's increasingly strained relationship with troubled-teen-brother Jesse plus her longing to reconnect with their estranged father are both delicately and tenderly drawn, although the arguably outdated descriptions of Dad's 'almond-shaped eyes' and 'cinnamon skin' on page 162 might warrant a rethink. (UPDATE: I have been advised by the publisher that these descriptions have been updated and will not appear in the finished book.)

My only other slight niggle was that the jeopardy of the final climactic scene didn't quite seem to live up to the epicness of Prune's out-of-this-world abilities, although this didn't diminish my enjoyment of the rest of the book. 

Overall, it's a marvellously mind-expanding, heartwarming story where the greyness of everyday life is superseded by technicoloured possibilities — where the mundane becomes magnificent — all at the hands of an inventive writer whose intriguing characters feel as though they could lead wondrous lives beyond the page.   

The Wondrous Prune by Ellie Clements, illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat, is out May 2022. You can preorder from Bookshop. 

Thanks to Bloomsbury Children's for sending me a proof copy. (Note: As I read a non-illustrated proof there may be final edits made to the text and I cannot comment on Prabhat's incidental illustrations.) 

Check out my Black Children's Books directory for suggested suitability of all the books I review.  All the books that I read are also checked against my Jericho Benchmark.