The Minute Minders

By Mary Murphy

Reviewed by Christine Pirrone.

Mary Murphy is an Irish based author-illustrator who has published over 40 children’s books. She is celebrated internationally and some of her work has been adapted for the screen. The Minute Minders is her debut middle grade novel, the first of an imaginative new series.

Ten year old Stevie Clipper and her dad are miniature people called fidders.  While they cannot be seen by humans, their purpose in life is to help humans through the tricky parts of their days. Fidders work in a plethora of departments, Stevie’s dad is a Truth Revealer.  Stevie repeatedly interferes with her dad’s work, landing him in trouble one too many times and he is moved to the Minute Minders, a department that drives everyone bonkers. The first mission given to Stevie’s dad is helping a young girl, Sandra May who is in desperate need of a friend. Stevie and her dad navigate Sandra May’s big issues with kindness and patience – they have their work cut out of them.

The Minute Minders has themes of empathy, loneliness and courage to do the right thing. They are wrapped in humour and relatability. A strength of the story is the loving relationship shared between Stevie and her dad filled with witty banter. Subtle illustrations by the author help with characterisation and adds a lightness to the story without distracting from the text.

Readers will be fascinated by the intricate world Mary Murphy has created, where there is space for lesson learning with fun nestled in-between. For fans of The Borrowers by Mary Norton and The Minpins by Roald Dahl.

Pushkin Press UK 2024

Mary Murphy