Moominsummer Madness by Tove Jansson

Another re-read that’s appropriate for the time of year, and probably the least read of the Moomin books because I somehow didn’t have a copy of this one growing up and so only read a borrowed library copy once or twice.

The story revisits some of the themes of The Moomins and the Great Flood, with the valley being inundated by a devastating flood after a pesky volcanic eruption, and the family being set adrift on a mysterious floating house that turns out to be a theatre. Moomintroll and Snork Maiden are separated from the others, and the indomitable Little My also finds herself floating away in a sewing basket, splitting the narrative into three strands. There are irascible Theatre rats, tragic heroines, disastrous dress rehearsals, lonely Fillyjonks, officious Hemulen park keepers and the return of old favourite Snuffkin. 

I really enjoyed re-visiting this one, with a lot of the forgotten elements being a delightful surprise. I read this as a physical book that really allowed me to appreciate the illustrations with fresh eyes.