- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 7–10
- Fantasy

Hilda and the Nowhere Space
Book 3 of 9 in Hilda Chapter BooksView the full series
Part of the Hilda universeOpen the collection
A slightly spookier, mystery-led Hilda tie-in that brings in Marra, Nisse, weather spirits and hidden spaces. It is a strong pick for children who want more plot momentum without leaving Hilda's gentle world.
- Best for7–10
- FormatIllustrated
- Length200 pp
- Read aloud~2 hr50 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Adventurous
- Whimsical
- Suspenseful
- Warm
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Hilda's life in Trolberg keeps getting stranger. She has to deal with nightmare-bringing Marra, a homeless Nisse, mysterious hidden spaces and a city full of creatures most people barely notice. As she tries to help, investigate and make sense of it all, Hilda discovers that the ordinary world has pockets and passages where very unusual lives are unfolding. This third illustrated tie-in novel adapts multiple animated adventures into a single prose reading experience, giving children more sustained chapters while retaining the show's charm and strangeness. The story is busier and more mystery-driven than the first two tie-ins, with a little more suspense, but it still centres Hilda's empathy: odd creatures are rarely simply problems to be solved. They are neighbours, friends or frightened outsiders waiting to be understood.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 7–10
- Read aloud · 6–9
- Independent · 7–10
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
Moderate
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Works well for
- Reading together
- Reluctant readers
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: scary imagery.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
2 / 5 · Use judgement
Graphic intensity
3 / 5 · Some
Best for
- Slightly spooky
- Magical mystery
- Tv to book bridge
- Hilda fans
- Hidden worlds
Avoid if
- Very sensitive to nightmares
- Wants zero suspense
- Prefers realistic stories
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Nightmares or fears
- Making friends
In the classroom
How it works in school.
Illustrated Hilda adventures — a classroom-library pick for fans of the comics moving into longer reads.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific draw is the hidden architecture of Trolberg — Marra-creatures who bring nightmares, a homeless Nisse, spaces between spaces, a whole city full of folklore tucked behind ordinary walls. The Hilda chapter-book for a child who loves discovering secret rules.
- Secret world
- Making a difference
- Surviving danger
- Friendship and belonging
Why parents love it
The chapter-book Hilda that adapts the Black Hound storyline for prose — Marra, Nisse, hidden spaces, a busier mystery plot than the earlier tie-ins. Best for a child who's already comfortable with the cast and wants the world to keep expanding.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Conversation starter
- Beautiful illustrations
In the series
Hilda Chapter Books.
9 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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