With the final instalment of the Grandest Bookshop in the World, Amelia Mellor shares her favourite moments and the real-world inspiration for the series.

What do you love about writing children's literature?

For me, writing kids' books is quite a playful creative process! When plotting The Lost Book of Magic, I had a list of about twelve possible historical settings, and the weightiest deciding factor in picking the final five was their 'fun rating'. I also read the dialogue aloud to myself and get into character. At the same time, I'm a huge perfectionist and I take the quality of my writing seriously. The arts can have such a formative effect on kids that I consider it my responsibility to nourish their imaginations with my very best work.

What inspired you to write the Grandest Bookshop in the World series?

This series was inspired by the real history of a 19th-century Melbourne bookshop called Cole's Book Arcade, and the children who lived and worked there. Although I've added magic to the plot, most of the characters and all of the Melbourne settings are based in reality — even the monkey house in the bookshop! The first time a friend shared this wondrous place and its eccentric founder with me, I thought that Australian kids deserved to know about this marvel and its positive influence in the world.

The Lost Book of Magic is the final instalment of this series. What have been your favourite or most memorable moments of this series?

The high-drama moments are my favourite! Any time the characters are running, yelling, hugging, crying, or freaking out, picture me at my keyboard having a blast. But I've also included a lot of moments that are memorable because they're horrifying. I've even given myself nightmares sometimes.

What has it been like to take Vally and Pearl on adventures and have them grow and develop as characters?

I really put Pearl and Vally through the wringer — and Billy and Kezia, too! But they all needed a catalyst to grow. I'm proud of how my heroes develop trust within the group, and come to understand strengths and shortcomings in one another, themselves, and the people around them.

Do you have a usual process when writing novels? How did this compare? 

I always start with a big outpouring of every element that's in my head, and then I turn it into a detailed outline. With Lost Book, I had to redo that outline a few times to find a suitable storyline, and I was still making major changes to it when I wrote the second full draft of the manuscript. Autonomous Wraith was the biggest change. In my earliest brainstorms, which even my editors didn't see, he was a kind of mind-virus called the Entity that took over the whole city but hardly touched our heroes. In the final draft of Lost Book, he's a little ghost boy who gets one of our heroes into a lot of trouble.

This series blends a historical setting with fantastical magic. What was it like to combine these things and was there anything you found fun or challenging about it?

The Victorian era was honestly so weird that a lot of the facts I included seem more bizarre to us than the magic. The challenge was making sure that the magic stayed small. It had to be limited to entertainment and everyday convenience, or otherwise it would have changed history too much. People would have been solving famines and building bridges with it. My solution was to make magic a difficult art form that anyone can try but few people truly master. The big exception was the Obscurosmith, who's skilled enough to transfigure living people and manipulate time and space, but only uses his talent for his own gain or amusement. I had to make sure the rest of the characters commented on how unusually talented he is to make it clear that magic can't normally do that!

What do you hope readers can take away from this series?

I hope they have fun first, and learn something second. Edward William Cole, founder of Cole's Book Arcade, was also a children's author, and was a big believer in that principle. Many readers have written or spoken to me about the wonder they experienced in learning about this part of our history, and I'm proud of that, too.

Do you have any other projects in the works?

Yes! My next series for readers aged 8 and up, Oceanforged, is a funny and energetic high fantasy on the high seas, which plays with the Chosen One trope. It will launch in August 2025 with the first instalment, The Wicked Ship.