London, Fate, Family, Freewill, Destiny
Inkbound: Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo
by Philippa Leathley
Key information
Author: Philippa Leathley
Cover artist: Brie Schmida
Release Date: 30th January 2025
Book type: Hardback, chapter
Star rating: ★★★★★
Reader level: Confident reader
Age: 9+, UKS2
Overview
On her tenth birthday, Meticulous ‘Metty’ Jones receives her fate, as most 10 year old children do, in the form of an ink-bound magical tattoo that blooms on her skin. Like a fingerprint from the stars, it marks her life’s path. Metty dreams of a fate filled with adventure, exploration, or scholarly prestige—perhaps a historian, an explorer or a life of wealth. But what she receives is far darker: a violet-gloved hand bearing a black skull, etched onto her wrist. The mark of a murderer.
Terrified by her fate, Metty’s life becomes one of isolation as her family hide her away from the unsympathetic world. But when her loyal, kind-hearted father vanishes without a trace, Metty is swept away by her enigmatic Aunt Magnificent. Tall, sharp, and draped in silks that seem to shimmer with secrets, Aunt Magnificent whisks her off to New London: a labyrinthine city of magic, thousands of fates, markets and whispered spells.
When Metty realises that her family are not searching day and night for her missing father, she decides to take his fate into her own hands. Risking the possibility of fulfilling her fate and becoming a murderer, Metty begins to use magic to learn more about her Dad's disapparance. With the help of her Aunt's lodger, Sundar, and the light fingers of pickpocket Faith, Meticulous begins her journey towards the truth.
As Metty investigates the shadowy organisation known as the Black Moths—a secretive society whispered to traffic in corrupted ink and stolen futures—she finds unsettling connections to her father’s disappearance, Aunt Magnificent’s hidden past, and the chilling possibility that someone is using fate itself as a weapon.
To protect those she loves and reclaim her own story, Metty must risk defying the ink that binds her—and face the terrifying question at the heart of her journey: what if the only way to save her future… is to become the villain fate intends?
Key concepts/themes
- Fate
- Destiny
- Freewill
- Family
- Bravery
- Friendship
- Morality
Considerations
- Death
- Spirits
- Murder
- Communication with the dead
Curriculum links
PSHE:
- Free will
- Destiny
- Fate
- Autonomy
- Self-identity
- Disproving stereotypes
Additional teaching opportunities
1. Writing
- Diary entry (Metty)
- Letter (to the captain, Daphne or Madam Fayola LeBeau)
- Advert (Madam Fayold LeBeau)
- Discussion (Are the Black Moths moral?)
- Discussion (Should magic be available to everyone)
- Letter (To Madam Fayola asking for fate to be changed)
- Recount (recalling fating day)
- Setting description (New London)
- Character description (Aunt Mag, Sundar, Faith)
2. Geography
- London
3. Art
- Purple ink
4. Reading lessons
- Discussions of fate
- Does fate exist?
- Does the tattoo define the person?
- Lots of wonderful vocabulary
Vocabulary
| Tier 2 | Tier 3 |
|---|---|
| thrummed, slumped, churning, lurched, queasily, ruddiness, conjuring, ghoulish, impeccably, mournful, scultped, unfurled, associated, bulbous, mischievous, meticulous | London underground, seances, prophetess, enchantments, drawing room, seance room |
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