Basil & Dahlia

A Tragical Tale of Sinister Sweetness

By: Joy McCullough, Shane Cluskey (Illustrator)

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Paperback | 29 July 2025

At a Glance

Paperback
288 Pages

Age
8 - 12

Grade
P - 2

Dimensions(cm)
19.37 x 13.02 x 2.29

Paperback

RRP $17.99

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Two orphan siblings with truly terrible luck battle an evil celebrity chef in this “bitingly humorous and appealingly weird” (Publishers Weekly) illustrated middle grade romp in the vein of A Series of Unfortunate Events.

It’s hard to imagine things could get worse after one’s parents die in a greenhouse explosion. But that is precisely what happens to Basil and his younger sister, Dahlia. They escape from the social worker who wants to split them up to different foster homes by jumping off a moving train, only to find themselves wounded (Dahlia) and bedraggled (Basil) and without a soul to care for them. What’s more, they’re lost in the wilds of New York City.

Famished and alone, they wander into Cravings, the delectable bakery owned by Laurel Fox, disgraced celebrity chef with a soft spot for poor, hungry orphans. When she offers them luxurious accommodations and all the éclairs they can eat, Basil and Dahlia dare to hope their luck has changed at last. But the savvy reader will know it can’t be as simple as all that! Laurel Fox is out for redemption, and she’ll do anything to get the sinister secret ingredient she requires.

Industry Reviews

“A quirky, lightly magical mystery filled with mouthwatering food and sinister adults. . . . McCullough's character work shines: the titular heroes struggle with guilt over their parents' demise even as they consistently support each other; the creative yet dastardly villains are only outshone by the everyday workers who step up to help. . . . Stark, stylized illustrations from Cluskey (The Sackville Street Caper) are perfectly creepy and help set the unconventional tone."

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