Cover art for Basil & Dahlia
Published
Atheneum, August 2025
ISBN
9781665944243
Format
Softcover, 288 pages
Dimensions
19.4cm × 13cm × 2.3cm

Basil & Dahlia A Tragical Tale of Sinister Sweetness

Not yet released
Due August 12, 2025.
Fast $7.95 flat-rate shipping!
Only pay $7.95 per order within Australia, including end-to-end parcel tracking.
100% encrypted and secure
We adhere to industry best practice and never store credit card details.
Talk to real people
Contact us seven days a week – our staff are here to help.

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 eclairs 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.

Related books