Inspired by the same legends that informed Wilkie Collins’s ‘The Moonstone’, ‘Secrets of the Snakestone’ is a thrilling, pitch-perfect middle grade adventure set in the streets and the sewers of Paris at the end of the nineteenth century.
Zélie has been sent away from her family in India to live in Paris and work as a maid. But when a boy appears out of the sewers with a mysterious locket belonging to her father, the two children are swept up in a breathtaking mystery involving a cursed stone, a dark secret society and a vibrant cast of circus performers. There is also, very importantly, a baby sloth.
Zélie is a brilliantly bold and audacious narrator, balanced by the more careful and considered character of Jules. I particularly loved the little pep talks that she gives herself throughout the book, whenever she’s feeling nervous or uncertain:
Zélie Dutta, she told herself, you can hold your breath underwater for three minutes, thirteen and three-quarter seconds. You can peel a banana with your toes. You can recite the preface of Les Miserables by heart and you can lick your elbow. You are more than a match for the rubbish Malaises.”
Though it has a historical setting, this story combines a classic feel with contemporary pacing. The action is fast and furious and I read it in one sitting, engaged all the way though.
I also have to mention the thoroughly eye-catching and enticing cover design – what an absolute triumph! Designed by Elisabetta Barbazza and illustrated by Helen Crawford-White.
This engaging, evocative adventure is perfect for fans of Sophie Anderson, Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Katherine Rundell’s ‘Rooftoppers’. I know it’s going to be popular in the library!
Thanks to Netgalley and Nosy Crow for the digital ARC.
Swimming in Books 