Like her namesake, Matilda grew up knowing one of the most important things about human life – that stories have powerful magic.

When she grew up, she opened a bookstore, a warm and caring place she called Squishy Minnie, where everyone felt welcome. Children, young adults and the young at heart were invited to lose themselves or find themselves in the magic of stories.

Tended to by a lovely team of helpers, surrounded by the love of the community, the store thrived. Customers came in and walked away with books. And those open to the magic walked away with worlds.

One day, Matilda knew it was time to move on, to pass on the sacred task of storykeeping to another.

But a shadow loomed, and for a time, Matilda and her community were scared the magic of Squishy Minnie wouldn’t survive.

For days, weeks, and months, people would walk past the closed shopfront and wonder what had happened and feel the loss of something indefinable.

But Squishy Minnie’s magic was something already passed on. It sent out whispers to many, and eventually found its way to two friends of the store. It released the dream inside them, giving them the story names Lyra and Iorek. It gave them the self–belief that they should do what it took to save the magic of Squishy Minnie.

Battling obstacles and monsters, Matilda, Lyra and Iorek found a way to bring the beloved Bookstore back to the community that had loved it and nurtured it.

The shopfront reopened its doors and welcomed people young and old back inside. Battle–weary yet hopeful, Squishy Minnie smiled, knowing that it would regain all its magic and thrive along with its community.