Jane Doe and the Cradle of All Worlds by Jeremy Lachlan

Jane Doe has grown up in the basement of a couple who hate her; with a bedridden dad who’s incapable of communication; in a town that regularly burns effigies of her; and her only friend is the 8-year-old pyromaniac daughter of her reluctant landlords.

With a life like this you can be forgiven for greeting every unwanted challenge flung at you with a smart-alec comment, which is something Jane Doe does to great aplomb. Her exasperated bluntness made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion and Jeremy Lachlan does a good job of acknowledging the frustrating tropes of children’s fantasy without ever making the book or characters seem self-aware, or even changing them.

When Jane snaps at the tight-lipped maybe-bad guy to drop the mystery guy act and just tell her his big secret already I cheered! How often have you read a fantasy book and thought the exact same thing? It’s a completely natural reaction and very refreshing to read. And on top of all this there is a fantastic fast-paced exciting adventure set in a magical labyrinth of a manor with rooms that shift, booby traps and a classic bad guy who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. I highly recommend this book for kids 11+.


Dani Solomon is the assistant manager at Readings Kids.

Cover image for Jane Doe and the Cradle of All Worlds

Jane Doe and the Cradle of All Worlds

Jeremy Lachlan

In stock at 5 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 5 shops