At 40 years old, Linus Baker is a quiet, simple man who lives a solitary, uneventful life. Every morning he goes to the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, where he works as a Case Worker writing report after report, either encouraging or discouraging the continuation of orphanages that serve as homes to children with magical abilities. In the evening, he returns to his tiny house, which is situated in the midst of hundreds of the same identically tiny houses. Rinse. Repeat. Rinse. Repeat. Linus Baker has grown accustomed to this routine that runs like clockwork, and likes his comfortable (albeit perhaps a bit lonely) life perfectly well. When his superiors at work send him off to a charmingly small island to investigate an orphanage housing particularly dangerous magical children, he is prepared to treat the case like all the others — with detachment and impartiality. But he gets far more than what he expects — on the island, he finds a warm-hearted, fiercely protective man, a flock of erratic children brimming with vitality and wonder, and quite possibly even a family.
Holy cow. This book was one of the best I have ever read. It was quirky and playful and heartwarming, and just overflowing with whimsy and joy. But what truly made this book stand out from the rest was the characters. They were so unique yet so familiar, and I couldn’t help but fall in love with them. The dialogue was so good as well — there was dryness and sarcasm and wit, but also emotional resonance. This book was just perfect — I fell in love from the very first page and I just couldn’t stop until I devoured the whole thing. I would recommend this a hundred times over!