Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

A truly enchanting read. I really enjoyed reading this. It was something a little bit different and was truly magical.

Hattie Brown versus the Cloud Snatchers is an adventure into Somewhere-Nowhere, a strange world where there is no rain but there is a vast array of talking animals and inanimate objects. Hattie is whisked into the world by an elephant in her fridge and the strangeness continues from there!

Hattie is a tenacious character, not accepting of how things are and determined to find a way home, while saving a hundred other children along the way. However, although I liked Hattie, other characters were less sympathetic and I found the story didn't really flow. The ending was also rather unsatisfactory.

Obviously, I am not the intended audience, however it is not a book I would be rushing to put on my class shelves.

Thanks to Net Galley for the advance copy.

An interesting attempt at an alternate dimension. Not much character development. The plot feels disjointed and confusing. Characters pop in and out randomly and you are left wondering where they went or where they came from. Plot developments are not explained, just presented as “it is what it is”. You want to like the main characters, but it is hard to connect with them until the very end. Even then you don’t get much depth of feeling or even really care what happens to them at this late juncture. Not sure where the rest of the series is going, but I’ll try to read the next one. Not sure I’ll make it to the third though.

A wonderfully whimsical adventure crafted from an equally whimsical imagination. Claire Harcup has dreamed up a fantastical new world full of tiny dragons, talking elephants, and an army of kidnapped children ruled by a wicked lord.

With subtle yet approachable nods surrounding mental health and depression, Harcup largely keeps Hattie Brown versus the Cloud Snatchers light and lively. Heroine Hattie is an amiable and admirable character, experiencing growth and challenges compared to her bland supporting cast. The colourful commentary and short chapters will keep readers engaged, and the hint of more adventures with Hattie Brown in the land of Somewhere-Nowhere will hopefully make this a fun and exciting trilogy.

When compared to the triumphant likes of Alice in Wonderland or The Land of Roar, which both effectively deploy another magical world within their stories, Hattie Brown feels relatively safe and simple. The classical tropes are there - good conquers bad, charming animal sidekicks, an overarching message of courage and kindness - however that essential special spark, that magical oomph, fell flat and unsatisfying for me. Perhaps it was the slightly underdeveloped plot, its repetitive nature, or the lack of show stopping substance, but, this does leave potential for Harcup's future stories, which I'll definitely be reading.

A confidently, quirky debut that will delight newly confident and curious readers.

When Hattie is sucked through her fridge and finds herself in another land with tiny dragons, elephants and other crazy creatures, she's in for an adventure.  At first the residents of this new world are excited to see her, thinking she's the one they've been waiting for.  But then things start going wrong and she finds herself arrested....

But with her new friend Arthur, she manages to escape but realises that rather than going home, she must help the hundredth children....but can she succeed in her mission?

This book definitely has an Alice in Wonderland type vibe to it.  Disappearing through something, new fantastical creatures, a cruel leader, even a river that says 'drink me'.....but I thoroughly enjoyed it!  This is the sort of book children will be able to lose themselves in, with short chapters to keep their attention and wonderful characters.

Hattie is a great character - I really liked her and was with her on every step of her journey.  And I really liked all the creatures, especially the tiny dragons and the cockatoo's that kept doing Hattie's hair!!

The descriptions are fantastic and really helped to bring this colourful and fantastical story to life.  I really enjoyed the writing and think kids will find this a joy to read.

Overall a fab children's book with a fantastic protagonist and a strange, wondrous world.  I love the fact that it's a series and can't wait to see what Hattie gets up to next.  If you're looking for something new for your children, or something to read with them, then check this out.  Recommended by me.

Hattie Brown versus the Cloud Snatchers is a crazy and fun adventure, and a triumph of good over evil set in a fantasy land.
We meet Hattie at home where we learn that she cares for her mother who suffers from what Hattie refers to as The Gloom, described as ‘a gaping hole at her centre that was sucking the rest of her in’ and may be depression. Hattie and her mother are discussing items strangely missing from the fridge, when inexplicably Hattie is sucked inside by an elephant named Victor. Landing in the strange world of Somewhere-Nowhere, a land of dragons and talking animals, and ruled over by evil Lord Mortimer, we learn that Somewhere-Nowhere cannot create rain and so clouds are stolen from the human realm. There is a rightful heir, Nimbus, who has the power to create rain, and when Nimbus returns the clouds will main rain and suffering will cease. Hattie meets Arthur, who discovers that he has made it rain, and the inhabitants believe is Nimbus. She learns that children like Arthur are taken from the human realm in the hope that one will be Nimbus, all can produce a little rain, but none so far have been the true heir.
The twist when it comes is quite satisfying, and this is combined with themes of good over evil, working together, kindness and bravery. Ages 9-11 might appreciate the story most.
Many thanks to Agora books for the arc, reviews and opinions are my own.

This was a fun, middle grade read! Hattie goes on crazy adventures that I think any middle schooler would love!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Hattie Brown versus the Cloud Snatchers is a unique, whimsical read for middle graders.

I liked this book but it wasn't for me as an audience, which is okay! Let me remind you, I am an adult reading children's books. They're whimsical, get my brain away from reality and are just utterly adorable. It brings me back to my childhood.

That being said, this wasn't for me but it still a worthy read. It's a whimsical story where Hattie Brown gets whisked away and goes on an adventure.

I didn't like that it was repetitive, but that's just a personal annoyance of mine. In some stories it works, but I found it didn't fit as well with this one (at least for me as a reader). The repetition made the story seem too long and a bit boring. I wanted more plot and substance to the story, since the synopsis sounded mighty cool.

Overall, it was a great start to a story. I can easily see middle graders enjoying it as a simple, mind escaping read.

Two out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Agora Books for providing me a free copy in exchange of an honest review.

The opening of the story takes you straight into the action: Hattie being pulled through her own fridge by an elephant and taken to a magical far-away land, Somewhere-Nowhere. This book is action-packed with lots of colourful, interesting characters that will keep children entertained and engrossed. Hattie's adventure in the world of Somewhere-Nowhere had an Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz feel about it as she meets a host of strange characters in a seemingly crazy world ruled by Lord Mortimer. As Hattie tries to find her way home she makes special friendships along the way and realises that she must put the hundredth children first by attempting to rescue them rather than escaping herself. Hattie, who is normally quite reserved discovers a new found confidence in herself along with other qualities such as determination, perseverance and bravery, which surprises but motivates her further.

This book was a pleasure to read and I can really visualise children becoming absorbed in the magical world of Somewhere-Nowhere. The descriptions and imagery were vivid, the chapters short and punchy with a good mixture of dialogue, characterisation, setting and action. I am looking forward to reading the next books in the series and finding out more about Hattie's adventures in the realm of Somewhere-Nowhere.

Many thanks to Agora books for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest review.

Hattie Brown is minding her own business when she finds a tiny elephant in her fridge. This elephant pulls her into the alternate world of the Somewhere-Nowhere, where clouds no longer produce rain. After landing in this world, Hattie tries to find her way home with the help of fellow zany characters. However, along the way, Hattie finds out that to counteract this problem, the citizens of Somewhere-Nowhere have been stealing kids from Hattie's world to produce rain.

There was a lot happening in this novel because Harcup took the time to create a very in-depth alternate world. The world was inventive and reminded me of Wonderland in the sense that weird and zany things were possible. However, at the same time, I felt like the plot was twisting and turning a bit too fast. Often times, I was confused with why Hattie or other characters made the choices they did. There was a lot of action, but not a lot of explanation of the actions that the characters took. A reason for this may be that the characters were really pretty flat. Many had one maybe two defining traits. Such as the mom was only ruled by "The Gloom", depression, and the villain was just maliciously evil without any real grounding as to why he was evil. There is a lot of potential for future novels that come from a world that is as imaginative as the Somewhere-Nowhere. However, I would love to be able to see characters with some more depth. That would help to create better plot flow and believability.

Hattie Brown Verses the Cloud Snatchers by Claire Harcup took me back to being in late elementary school around grades fourth or fifth where I was still super imaginative and loved books like this. I had to put myself back in that place. The book does require someone to really have a child like imagination to put yourself in the book and the world the author has created. But I love this about the book. I loved imagining all of this Somewhere-Nowhere land and all the creatures and people in it.
At the start of the book we meet Hattie Brown, and eleven year old girl who is caring for her mother who is suffering from what Hattie refers to as The Gloom, which we can presume is depression or something of that sort based on Hattie’s description of her mother. Hattie is kind, strong willed and determined to help her mother, and others as we see later in the book.
After making her mother a sandwich and listening to her mother talk about items that have been going missing from their home, Hattie opens the refrigerator door to see something and then is suddenly sucked into another world. We find out she is sucked in by and elephant who can change size named Victor who brought her to the world of Somewhere-Nowhere. When they arrive, they also run into a tiny dragon knight named Sir Gideon.
Somewhere-Nowhere land is full of some fantastical creatures. There are tiny dragons, no larger than sparrows who are part of the Guild of Knight Dragons and assist the realm in searching for Nimbus who is possibly key to solving Somewhere-Nowhere’s big problem. You will also find elephants like Victor who can change size to travel to the human realm. Cockatoos who ask lots of questions, are spies but also share information in positive ways as well. The cockatoos also are out to make some money too in various ways. There is a Time Worm and Knowledge Worm who are also important to the realm as you will see.
The big problem Somewhere-Nowhere land has is that they do not experience clouds or rain. The clouds must be stolen from the human world by the Time Worm and are kept protected until needed by a Cloud Keeper. The clouds are needed for rain which never comes to the land, so they must steal the clouds. There is one big problem, the clouds do not produce rain on their own, so the people of the land need another way to make it rain. In comes Nimbus, the supposed chosen one who can create rain. He is said to be a boy who is son of the former Lord of Somewhere-Nowhere land (this man, who married a human is considered a traitor and locked up for marrying a human from our world) who has the power and a “Lost Seal” in his possession that will prove he is son of the traitor. He also has the power to make it rain which is needed.
That said, Hattie, being stuck in this other world full of creatures who talk, a mean and evil Lord who cannot be trusted comes to realize more dark things about the world than she ever imagined. Parts of the book are dark, I cannot lie, which is why I suggest it for older elementary or early middle school ages. Themes such as depression, kidnapping, people, or creatures locked in dungeons for simply making the Lord mad and children locked in cages (these are called The Hundredth Children) who are essentially made to be compliant and no longer act like children.
In the end we see Hattie Brown is a determined, defiant (in a good way), stubborn and smart young girl who realizes her potential and wants to save others and help Somewhere-Nowhere if she can.
I honestly fell in love with this book for the story and idea itself. It is repetitive at times, but I think it is to get the points across and to ensure the reader understands the story fully. There are parts I do think could have been removed and the story been just as good. Overall, though, it is a fun and imaginative book. I could honestly go on and on about this book, but do not want to spoil it for anyone!! Read it!!
I wish the ending had left us with more, but there will be more books in the Hattie Brown series so I hope we get a wrap on what will happen with Hattie, her new friends and Somewhere-Nowhere land. We shall see!
Thank you to NetGalley and Agora Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Telling the tale of Hattie who was pulled through the fridge, the book is a wonderful adventure and follows Hattie as the heroine who is going to save them all.

We found the book very entertaining because of the characters, especially Victor the elephant – who doesn’t love a talking elephant? We found it really thrilling as Hattie battled against Lord Mortimer and wanted her to defeat the Lord. As we raced to the finish of the book, we hoped that Hattie would win and be able to make it back home safely.

Hattie is a really strong character and knows what she wants and how to achieve it. The world of Somewhere-Nowhere is intriguing and we would love to visit ourselves !

Overall we really enjoyed the book and would love to read more in the series

Hattie Brown is a good character, determined, caring and with a firm sense of right and wrong,
The book is imaginative and fantastical in setting but I found I hard to keep sense of what was happening. It is entertaining but needed a bit more thought put into the plot.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Sadly, this book isn't the one for me.

What I liked while reading this book was the Alice In Wonderland vibes.

First, the writing isn't my cup of caffeine. I cannot stand repetitive sentences or repetitive scenarios way too much in a book.

Second, the characters. The grumpy, uninteresting characters.

Third, what's with the girl boy dilemma. So what if Hattie is a girl. If the story required a boy, go for it instead. The repetitive it should have been a boy burnt my nerves.

Fourth, there's not much of dragons. Instead, there were just too many talking objects talking about the same things again and again.

Fifth, the book could have been way too much shorter.

Sixth, there wasn't much of character or plot evolution.

Finally, the ending was disappointing. I take 'The Gloom' which Hattie's mother was struggling with. I wish it was represented better.

Love the book cover so much. Wish I could like the book much more.

The day Hattie brown is pulled into the fridge stuff is disappering from the house. I really liked Hattie. I didn't think the tone was too cutesy. The pacing was okay.

This was an odd one. Hattie Brown gets pulled through her fridge into a mysterious land called Somewhere-Nowhere, with talking animals, a lack of clouds, and various other weirdness. I liked Hattie a lot, she didn’t give up, and she looked after her friends, and had a good sense of right and wrong. The setting was crazy and fun, but it was a bit too odd for me. I was left with far, far too many questions about both the plot, and how Somewhere-Nowhere works. I love fantasy stories, but this one just doesn’t seem to have enough internal logic for me. The story didn’t feel finished - the children got back home okay, but we don’t know what has happened to any of the other characters we’ve come to care about. I’m assuming there is a sequel planned that will explain some of this, but meanwhile I’m left feeling unsatisfied.

If you are not the sort to question why, then this is a fun adventure in a whacky land, and great entertainment. However, if like me, you like your world-building to make sense, at least with itself, you may also be left unsatisfied.

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

Hattie Brown versus the Cloud Snatchers was not for me. Though I enjoyed creative parts about dragons with the size of sparrows and time worm and other things, the story felt a bit empty. I guess many would like this safe middle grade novel. It is almost like a dream. Red soils, tiny dragons, a lovely elephant, a speaking bench...