Lily Green is a messy, unfussy kind of a girl, bursting with creative exuberance and a vibrant mind. Her mum’s beauty salon is the family’s sole source of income since Lily’s dad passed away some years before. Faye, Lily’s older sister, bemoans Lily’s messy looks and is forever trying to give Lily a beauty makeover. But Lily’s only interest in beauty is to make things to sell in her mum’s salon. She makes products like peanut butter and apple-cider-vinegar hairspray that mostly look dreadful, smell even worse and boast doubtful beauty benefits. That is, until Lily comes across strange and magical ingredients sourced from the garden of her elderly botanist neighbour.

Suddenly, Lily’s fortunes seem to have turned, but will this discovery help her save the salon, win the invention competition and entice back the best friend she fears has strayed? A refreshing, inventive story full of mischief and dollops of gloop for readers aged 9+.

Natalie Platten is the assistant manager and children’s book buyer at Readings Doncaster.