Bookzilla Book of the Month: The House at the Edge of the World by Nadine Aisha Jassat

We have five copies of The House at the Edge of the World by Nadine Aisha Jassat, illustrated by Flavia Sorrentino, published by Orion Children's Books, to be won! All you need to do is answer the question at the bottom of the page.

Entries close at 11.59pm on Thursday 31 July. All entrants must reside in the UK and full terms and conditions apply. You can check out our competitions page for other giveaways. To find more great reads for children and young adults, download the Bookzilla book finder app.

About The House at the Edge of the World

When Amal’s family inherit a mysterious clifftop house from a relative that nobody has ever heard of, just when they need it most, they can’t believe their luck. Sure, it’s a little imposing to look at, engulfed in the mist from the sea below. Sure, the locals won’t go anywhere near it for fear of disappearing forever. But, shrouded in fog and folklore, this is home.

It isn’t long before Amal begins to notice that Hope House is more than what meets the eye – the hearth is always stoked, hot chocolate is always the perfect temperature, everything that the family needs seems to be quietly offered by the house… It feels like peace. That is, until a new couple arrive, claiming that the house is theirs and giving Amal’s family 30 days to prove that they belong there before they demolish it completely. Can Amal unravel the mystery of the house and how it found its way to her family? Can she prove that it’s where they were meant to be? Can she find a way to gently question her anxious thoughts and find the hope at the centre of it all?

This newest title from Nadine Aisha Jassat, with illustrations from Flavia Sorrentino, is a showstopping lyrical verse novel. At once life-affirming, enchanting and hopeful, reading it feels like a deep breath. The book is a fun, magical mystery romp with real heart, keeping readers guessing and cheering for Amal. Jassat sensitively explores the experience of living with anxiety – of making space for that and moving through it with grace and patience. The House at the Edge of the World is a determined reminder to face the world with a kind and open heart – to place trust in the universe, in the people who love you, and, most importantly, in yourself.

Q&A with Nadine Aisha Jassat

So often your books include characters that offer unconditional kindness, quiet wisdom, fearless joy, a settled sense of self (here, it’s Aunt Miriam: opera sensation!) – where do you find the inspiration for these characters?

I always say I want my books to be a friend to young readers. Through characters with these qualities, I hope I can help create a safe space within the book’s pages to find comfort, joy, and words of wisdom for when you need them most. I always say I put parts of myself into each character I write. With some of the adult characters, like Aunt Ru in The Hidden Story of Estie Noor, Miss Haldi in The Stories Grandma Forgot, and Aunt Muriel, I try and create the loving souls that I think we all need in our lives – with messages I know I needed to hear when I was younger, or navigating some of the themes of each of the books. That said, characters are their own magic. Sometimes they come fully formed and with their own personalities – as was definitely the case with wonderful Aunt Muriel!

You’ve played with different text sizes, positioning, and fonts in a way that adds a beautiful visual aspect to the book. Does that happen while you are writing the first draft or is it something you think about during the final edits?

When writing a verse novel, you are already thinking outside of the box. You’re already in a state of mind where anything is possible on the page! Because of this, I usually find that ideas around how the words should be come to me as I’m following the flow of the story. Sometimes I can directly make these changes while writing – like fading the font colour in The Stories Grandma Forgot to reflect Nyla’s Grandma’s time-travelling memory. Other times, I might ask the designer working on the book if they could help create something fun – like Aunt Muriel’s voice dancing across the page, or turning words upside down when the character feels the same. In The House At The Edge of The World I was really keen for Amal’s Thinking Thoughts – the term she uses to talk about her anxiety – to be clearly separate to her Amal thoughts, and who she is. It was my way of showing how anxiety feels to me, and being able to use a different font for her Thoughts helped translate this to the reader in a new way.

What is it like working with an illustrator and seeing someone else’s interpretation of what you have written? Do you get to decide which aspects are illustrated?

I feel like the luckiest author around as I have been able to work with Sandhya Prabhat for my first two novels and Flavia Sorrentino for The House At The Edge of The World. Just look at those covers! The right illustrator brings your characters, and the story, alive on the page. House is very gothic – and indeed my contribution to the gothic novel genre – and Flavia’s illustrations really capture that. I ADORE her illustration of a certain portrait Amal and Sara find when trying to solve the secrets of Hope House – so much so I even dressed up as it for World Book Day! When writing, I will include sections asking for specific illustrations – often because the illustrations are part of solving the clues. Some of the illustrated elements will come from this, and others will come from the design team’s vision. I’m very grateful to the designers I work with for helping to bring the story to life in a visual way – Jennifer Alliston, who has worked on all my novels, and Rosie Bellwood-Moyler, who joined us to work on The House At The Edge of The World. It’s their magic brains who look at a page and think, wouldn’t it be fantastic if there were swirls of mist here?

What advice would you give to young writers who might be feeling nervous about putting their thoughts onto paper for the first time?

A first draft is just that – a first draft! It’s the start of telling the story, not the end. A published book has been through so many edits by the time it hits the shelves VS the first draft that the author wrote, so try not to let worries about making it perfect stop you from finishing the first draft. Instead, take it one step at a time, and know that once you’ve finished you can go back over and edit and change things. The important thing is simply that you start writing, and that you enjoy it, and that you stick with it. And if in doubt, ask yourself: what would be fun to happen next in the story?

Amal keeps a word journal with her Words of the Day – what would your word have been on the day The House at the Edge of the World was published?

Joy!