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Unexpected Guests

Shortlisted for Illustrator of the Year - British Book Awards 2025
By Mariajo Ilustrajo
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Brief Description
Shortlisted for Illustrator of the Year - British Book Awards 2025 Step inside the mice's hidden world in this interactive page-turner from internationally bestselling author-illustrator Mariajo Ilustrajo. In a playful twist on the classic 'unexpected guest' story, humans become the surprise visitors in a tale told... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$1899
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Releases 3rd November 2026 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "Unexpected Guests" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

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Unexpected Guests is an interactive picture book full of suspense and surprises from the multi-award-winning creator Mariajo Ilustrajo. Find out what happens when a family of mice investigate the unexpected guests in their home . . . humans! 

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Shortlisted for Illustrator of the Year - British Book Awards 2025

Step inside the mice's hidden world in this interactive page-turner from internationally bestselling author-illustrator Mariajo Ilustrajo. In a playful twist on the classic 'unexpected guest' story, humans become the surprise visitors in a tale told by mice!

A family of mice living happily under the floorboards get the shock of their lives when they discover some very unusual houseguests - humans!

At first, the mice are wary, but curiosity soon takes over. They investigate the strange objects and delicious food their guests have brought with them and decide maybe humans aren't so bad after all... until one mouse gets trapped in a jar.

When the mouse's friends try to help, they get caught too! But just when things look hopeless, they are set free from the jar... and into a cardboard Mouse Land created by their new human neighbours. Maybe these humans aren't so terrible after all.

All is well until the mice discover there is one last guest to deal with - and it's even worse than humans: a CAT.

Providing a full interactive picture book experience, Unexpected Guests features a clever gatefold device that reveals the mice in their home under the floorboards, while die-cut holes can be found on the front and back cover. These elements elevate the fast-paced and funny story and bring to life Mariajo's irresistible artwork, resulting in what is sure to become a firm family favourite.

Following the prize-winning Flooded and I (Hate) Love Books - along with other titles such as Lost and Oh, Carrots! - Unexpected Guests confirms Mariajo as one of today's most exciting picture book creators.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781577157083

Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 10 September 2026

Country: United States

Imprint: Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Width: 225.0mm

Height: 296.0mm

Weight: 350g

Pages: 48

Collections

Children's Books Children's Fiction Children's Picture Books Children’s, Teenage and Educational Kids & YA Pre-orders Mariajo Ilustrajo Pre-order Books Pre-Order Children's Books Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date

About the Author

Mariajo Ilustrajo is an award-winning Spanish illustrator based in the UK. She completed her MA in Children's Illustration from the prestigious Cambridge School of Art, before going on to be crowned the overall winner of the World Illustration Awards. Her debut picture book, Flooded, has been translated into 20 languages and won the Klaus Flugge Prize for Illustration.

Also by Mariajo Ilustrajo

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  • Flooded
    Flooded is the funny and beautifully illustrated tale of animals who live in a city that is ever so slowly flooding. The flood comes gradually at first. All the animals ignore the obvious and go about their busy lives, disjointed from one another and preoccupied by their own problems. Eventually, the flood water reaches a height that they can no...
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  • I Love Books
    Winner of the Klaus Flugge Prize for Illustration 2023 From the award-winning creator of Flooded and Lost comes a magical story about discovering a connection with books for the very first time. This brightly illustrated adventure story is perfect for kids who claim to hate reading, as the enchanting narrative opens their eyes to a fantasy world created by words...
    By Mariajo Ilustrajo
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  • I Love Books
    From the award-winning creator of Flooded and Lost comes a third, colourful picture book about the joy that comes from discovering a connection with books for the very first time. It's the end of term, and a little girl is given the unreasonable task of reading a whole book over the holidays. A whole book? But she HATES books. Luckily,...
    By Mariajo Ilustrajo
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  • Lost
    A new book from award-winning illustrator Mariajo Ilustrajo, Lost is the story of a polar bear who finds himself lost in a big concrete city. He politely asks the city folk for help, but everyone is much too busy and impatient to assist the newcomer. He finds himself travelling on the subway, only to be noticed finally by a little...
    By Mariajo Ilustrajo
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  • Oh, Carrots!
    Oh, Carrots!
    From the award-winning creator of I Love Books comes a humorous and heartfelt tale about the value of kindness and the magic of making new friends. Oh, Carrots! is the perfect choice for young children as they begin to navigate their first friendships. Mr Rabbit lives alone, and do you know what? He likes it! He enjoys peaceful moments spent...
    By Mariajo Ilustrajo
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  • Lost
    A new book from award-winning illustrator Mariajo Ilustrajo, Lost is the story of a polar bear who finds himself lost in a big concrete city. He politely asks the city folk for help, but everyone is much too busy and impatient to assist the newcomer. He finds himself travelling on the subway, only to be noticed finally by a little...
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  • Oh, Carrots!
    From the award-winning creator of I Love Books comes a humorous and heartfelt tale about the value of kindness and the magic of making new friends. Oh, Carrots! is the perfect choice for young children as they begin to navigate their first friendships. Mr Rabbit lives alone, and do you know what? He likes it! He enjoys peaceful moments spent...
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