Available Formats
Hardback
Published: 4th June 2025
Paperback
Published: 29th January 2025
CD-Audio, Audiobook
Published: 28th January 2025
Inkbound: Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo: [Audiobook]
By (Author) Philippa Leathley
1
HarperCollins
HarperCollins
28th January 2025
Audiobook
United States
Children
Fiction
Childrens / Teenage fiction: Action and adventure stories
Childrens / Teenage fiction: Family and home stories
Childrens / Teenage personal and social topics: Families and family members
CD-Audio
Enter an extraordinary magical adventure about family, fate, and finding the courage to be yourself. A remarkable debut!
One of my favorite middle grade books from recent years. Jordan Lees, author of The Whisperwicks
An adventure overflowing with magic, brought to life with wit and charm. Beth Lincoln, author of The Swifts
On her tenth birthday, Meticulous Jonesknown to her friends as Mettyreceives her fate, as all children do, in the form of a magical tattoo on her hand. She hopes that her ink will reveal something exciting: a tattoo that will symbolize travel, or discovery, or adventure. What appears is a skull, balanced in the palm of a violet glove.
Mettys fate is to become a murderer.
Metty is swiftly hidden away by her father, Moral Jones, in a remote Welsh farmhouse, with only a miserable housekeeper (whos terrified shell become Mettys first victim) for company. But when Moral goes missing, his sister, Aunt Magnificent, arrives to sweep Metty off to the glittering city of New London. Metty is mesmerized by the magic and enchantment she discovers there. But when she starts to hear rumors of a mysterious and dangerous organization known as the Black Moths, she wonders if they might be connected to her fathers disappearanceand to her own fate. . . .
Lush writing, breathtaking action sequences, and a darkly comedic tone imbue Leathleys series opening debut with verve, while ethical questions relating to fate and magic add depth to the innovative setting. Publishers Weekly (starred review)
A page-turning exploration of family ties, self-perception, and the powerful effect of labels. Kirkus Reviews
Philippa Leathley grew up in East Yorkshire, spending summers down south with her eccentric grandparents and writing feverishly as soon as she could hold a pen. When not writing, she enjoys learning new languages, is fond of studying anything from historical fiction to shipwrecks, and is a bit obsessed with sharks. She lives just outside Hull with her family and three weird and wonderful rescue cats, Bram, Lyra, and Theo the Brave. Inkbound: Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo is her first novel.