Tag: MG Mystery

‘Peril on the Atlantic’ by AM Howell

Rebecca RouillardLeave a comment

When Alice comes aboard the Queen Mary with her father, the Staff Captain, at Southampton docks for a voyage to New York, she doesn’t anticipate all of the drama and intrigue that awaits her during the journey. She’s supposed to keep to her cabin and out of sight of the paying customers, but when she overhears an attempted murder and uncovers a sabotage plot, she knows she has to investigate in order to find proof and stop the criminals from carrying out their diabolical plans. Alice is assisted by Sonny, a slightly older boy who is travelling with his guardian, and Miriam, a German Jewish girl travelling with her parents to start a new life in America away from the threat of the Nazis. But this is not the only mystery to unravel – Alice’s father is also keeping a life-changing secret from her…

I’ve read a few ship-based mysteries lately and have to confess that I’ve found some of them a little dull, however AM Howell does a fantastic job of sustaining the tension and keeping the plot ticking along at an engaging pace. There were lots of fun historical tidbits that added to the story and effectively created a sense of time and place.

Middle grade mystery books are very popular but I have plenty of requests in the library for mysteries that are not about murder, so I think this type of story fills an important gap. I look forward to the next book in the ‘Mysteries at Sea’ series. ‘Peril on the Atlantic’ is a thrilling, seafaring historical adventure – perfect for fans of Emma Carroll and the ‘Adventures on Trains’ series.

Thanks to Usborne for the ARC.

‘The  Wrath of the Woolington Wyrm’ by Karen Foxlee, illustrated by Freda Chiu (Miss Mary-Kate Martin’s Guide to Monsters)

Rebecca RouillardLeave a comment

“There are those that hunt monsters to harm them and there are those that hunt monsters to help them.”

Mary-Kate likes facts, the shopping channel and her sparkly red shoes. She dislikes brown colouring pencils and sudden changes. When she has to accompany her archaeologist mother on a dig, their trip seems bound to include lots of things that will make Mary-Kate uncomfortable. But when they arrive in Woolington it seems that there is a mystery to be solved – Mary-Kate gets out her notebook and starts collecting evidence. Does the Woolington Wyrm really exist? And if so, what does it want? 

Mary-Kate is an anxious but conscientious detective and (as most parents in children’s fiction are awful) I particularly enjoyed her supportive but empowering mother, ‘Prof’ Martin. Mary-Kate’s anxiety is sensitively referenced, and though she has some wobbly moments, she has the tools to cope with the adventure she finds herself in – even if she’s not a big fan of the wyrm-slime. This is a wonderfully empathetic and engaging story that encourages resilience and trying new things…like monster hunting! The illustrations are absolutely delightful too.

‘The Wrath of the Woolington Wyrm’ is the start of a thrilling new monster mystery series, it is ideal for the lower KS2 age group and perfect for fans of ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’, ‘The Beast and the Bethany’, and Sylvia Bishop’s mystery stories.

Thanks to Pushkin Children’s for the ARC.