The Hatmakers

by Tamzin Merchant, Paola Escobar (Illustrator)

Overview

An enchanting fantasy adventure about the importance of bravery, resourcefulness, and following your heart from a debut celebrity author.

The most important rule to follow when you hunt for hat ingredients is this: keep wildness in your wits and magic in your fingertips.

In Cordelia’s London, magic is real and is woven into objects created by the five Maker families: the Hatmakers, the Bootmakers, the Watchmakers, the Cloakmakers, and the Glovemakers. Growing up in her father Prospero’s footsteps, eleven-year-old Cordelia Hatmaker has learned the family’s ancient skills and secrets so she can one day make her own enchanted hats.

When Prospero and his ship are lost at sea during an important ingredient expedition, her grief-stricken aunt and uncle must turn their attention toward fulfilling a decree to create a Peace Hat for the king. But Cordelia refuses to accept that her father is gone for good and desperately begins making plans to find him. Then, the Peace Hat is stolen—along with the Peace Boots, Watch, Cloak, and Gloves—and Cordelia realizes that there is a more menacing plot against the Makers’ Guild, and that Prospero Hatmaker’s disappearance may be connected. Cordelia must uncover the truth about who is behind the thefts if she is to save the Makers and find out what really happened to her father.

Full of magic, surprise, and adventure, Tamzin Merchant’s sparkling debut introduces a captivating heroine and her extraordinary world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781324020035
Publisher:	Norton Young Readers
Publication date:	03/08/2022
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	241,398
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Tamzin Merchant is known for her roles in Pride & Prejudice, The Tudors, Salem, and Carnival Row. She is also the author of The Hatmakers, which Kirkus Reviews called “a swashbuckling romp for lovers of history and magic.” She lives in England.

Editorial Reviews

02/08/2021

In the Hatmaker House in London, everyone except for Cordelia Hatmaker, 11, believes that her father, Captain Prospero Hatmaker, was lost at sea during “an ingredient-hunting expedition” for hat components. Sending a quest pigeon with a note, Cordelia remains optimistic; after all, her father’s adventurous life has inspired her own. Cordelia and her family make up the Hatmaker Guild, which serves the Crown by creating magical hats that influence behavior. But trouble brews in England, as King George’s bizarre recent impulses have increased tensions with France. Commissioned to create Peace Clothes along with the other Maker families (Bootmakers, Cloakmakers, Watchmakers, and Glovemakers), and faced with the threat of being banned from making anything ever again, the Hatmakers hope to help prevent conflict before King Louis declares war on England. But the Guilds have never excelled at collaboration, a burglar lurks, and an evil figure looms. Merchant’s action-packed, intricately described debut relies on fantasy tropes—the princess in distress, the threat of winding up in the Tower of London, and good versus evil—making characters and plot feel thin, but readers new to the genre may find this an engaging endeavor. Back matter includes a detailed glossary of ingredients for apprentice hatmakers. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 9–12. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

"An engaging ode to the bonds of family and friendship, the power of teamwork, and the magic that we all have inside ourselves."

Booklist

02/01/2021

Gr 3–6—A challenging but innocent fantasy. Cordelia Hatmaker comes from a long line of magical Hatmakers, who create hats that encourage the wearer to adopt a specific mood or take a certain action. There are love hats, confidence hats, and more. When Cordelia's father is lost at sea as he attempts to return with a vital ingredient for a hat for the king, and the other "makers" in town are burgled, Cordelia must save the kingdom. This whimsical story is full of fun nonsense, but the vocabulary is surprisingly complex. The simple mystery and uncomplicated emotional elements seem at odds with the length of the book. This novel would be ideal for younger elementary students who are reading at a high level. However, most students will grow out their desire for whimsy and innocence before they are ready for the complex vocabulary and length. VERDICT An additional purchase.—Jeri Murphy, C.F. Simmons M.S., Aurora, IL

School Library Journal

2020-11-27
In her debut novel, British actor Merchant creates an elaborate fantasy world around a family of magical milliners.

Cordelia Hatmaker, almost 12, is smitten with grief at the apparent loss at sea of her beloved father. Despite the tragedy, Cordelia’s extended family members continue to fulfill their duties as Hatmakers to the Crown. Their hats are works of art, custom-made using rare ingredients to magically influence the moods and intentions of their wearers. The family’s present task is to create a Concentration Hat for the king, who turns out to be none other than England’s King George in full insanity mode. Cordelia’s compassion for others leads to friendship with a member of the archrival Bootmaker family as well as a street urchin named Sam. The friends work together to overthrow a complicated plot to wage war on France spearheaded by the dastardly Lord Witloof, who stands to profit from war by manufacturing cannons. This is an action-packed story with an appealing role model in feisty, determined Cordelia, who acquires confidence in fighting evil and protecting family and friends. Magical elements, complicated plot twists, and colorful characters will appeal to Philip Pullman and Harry Potter fans, although the subject matter is on the younger side for the reading level. A cliffhanger ending implies a sequel. All characters present White. Illustrations not seen.

A swashbuckling romp for lovers of history and magic. (glossary, note about ingredients) (Fantasy. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews