Vivi Conway and the Sword of Legend is the first book in a new exciting, fantasy middle grade series by Lizzie Huxley-Jones. They most recently were a contributor to the Being an Ally World Book Day Title in 2023. The bright and beautiful cover is drawn by the award-winning author and illustrator Harry Woodgate.
The book follows Vivi Conway, an autistic girl with a passion for Welsh mythology. Not only does she have to deal with moving with her mums away from their rural home in Wales to loud, busy London, she’s got a magical destiny to fulfil, a cranky talking ghost dog that’s come into her life and a plague of mysterious creatures to battle!
After having bullying problems in the past, she must learn to trust her newfound friends and work alongside them to defeat an evil threat to our world…
“It deals amazingly with how it feels to be autistic while still trying to save the world.”
Niamh (10)
Vivi Conway and the Sword of Legend has all the ingredients for the perfect story. It has non-stop excitement, fascinating legends from Welsh mythology, warm and loveable characters that you’d love to know in real-life, and it ends on a cliff-hanger. It also features LGBTQ+ and disabled characters, and deals amazingly with how it feels to be autistic while still trying to save the world.
Lizzie Huxley-Jones is non-binary and autistic and they draw from their own experiences in the book, including having been bullied. I really liked that the character Dara is introduced by their pronoun ‘they/them’ immediately without any explanation.
I loved the part in the science museum because it was really exciting! After getting to know all the characters, I grew to love them all, especially the ghost dog Gelert!
I couldn’t put the book down and read it all in one weekend! Vivi Conway and the Sword of Legend is one of the best books I’ve ever read!!! I’m so glad it’s a series of books, as I can’t wait for the next one to come out!
Perfect for fans of: Like a Charm by Elle McNicoll; Like a Curse by Elle McNicoll; and Jayben and the Golden Torch by Thomas Leeds.
(Illustration above by Niamh)
