#MG Review: Shadow Thieves by Peter Burns

Cover image by Vivienne To, published by Farshore, 5 June 2025,
ISBN: 978-0008667818

I simply cannot sing the praises of Shadow Thieves highly enough! This middle grade debut by acclaimed sports writer Peter Burns has all the elements that encourage youngsters to read for pleasure; an empathetic central character, masterful world building, a thrilling plot and wonderful writing which grips, entertains and delivers a thoroughly satisfying read. I know a number of individuals who became readers thanks to the Alex Rider, Young Bond, Gallagher Girls, Harry Potter and Percy Jackson series, and I would say that Shadow Thieves combines the best elements of these adventures in a brilliantly original milieu.

The story begins in an undefined historical period in an alternative version of London, which along with the rest of Europe and most of Africa and the Americas is ruled by the Grande Republic de France. The remainder of the world is split between the Kingdom of Prussia and the Japanese Empire. The main protagonist, Tom Morgan, is an orphan who lives with a group of homeless children in the offices of an abandoned warehouse on the bank of the Thames. They all scratch out a living on the streets, forever alert to the ‘snatchers’ who round up street kids to sell to the workhouses. When the authorities find their hideout, Tom is the only one of the group who escapes incarceration and is subsequently recruited by Hezekiah von Stuppe (known as the Corsair), Master of Guile House at Beaufort’s School for Deceptive Arts, or Thieves School. Tom quickly learns about the Shadow League which maintains the balance of power between the three ruling empires, and the four schools which train new recruits for the criminal professions; Thieves, Assassins, Politicos and Spies. After proving his worth to the Corsair, Tom is whisked away to the remote mountain town location of Beaufort’s where his new life begins to take shape.

The adventure is pacey, complex and perfectly plotted. The descriptions of school life, the unusual lessons (double accountancy swindles anyone?), the training missions and the House Challenge are likely to keep young readers enthralled. Background details are scattered through the narrative, forming a detailed picture of the world occupied by the story and making the fictional world entirely believable. I thought that the transformation in Tom’s life was developed really well. He has been taken out of dire poverty and moved into a world where extreme riches will be within his grasp, but he can’t stop thinking about his former friends who have been consigned to the misery of the workhouse. It is also very hard to know who to trust in a school full of thieves, and while some of his house-mates offer friendship, there is a cohort of pupils who believe that only children from ‘legacy’ families should be admitted as pupils. There are also moments of subtle humour, I loved this description from the departure of the Beaufort’s team as the whole school turns out to watch them set off for the Shadow Cup competition:

a band murdered a version of ‘Le Chant du Départ’, violins squeaking and scratching unpleasantly while the brass section meandered around the melody and the drummer hammered away to the beat of a different tune. p273-274

I am not going to describe any details of the plot because this is a book which needs to be enjoyed without any prior hints or clues. The chapters are generally quite short making this an ideal book for a classroom read-aloud, although a warning to adults: don’t expect to ever get-away with only reading one chapter! I am certain that confident readers in Year 6 will thoroughly enjoy reading Shadow Thieves independently and it will also be enjoyed by secondary school pupils. It is without doubt a book that should be on every school librarian’s wish list, and would be an excellent summer holiday present for adventure and mystery fans aged 10 and above. I cannot wait to find out what happens in book 2, due for publication in 2026.

Disclaimer: I am very grateful to Rory Codd and Farshore Books for sending me a copy of Shadow Thieves. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.

#MG Review: Dracula & Daughters, written by Emma Carroll

Cover illustration by Alice Guidi, Publisher Faber& Faber, 25 September 2025,
ISBN: 9780571388769

I have updated my original review of the NetGalley e-ARC after collecting my pre-ordered physical copy and adding another signed edition to my Emma Carroll collection!

A new middle grade, historical fiction title written by Emma Carroll will always excite my interest, I have been a huge fan since meeting her in 2013 when she launched her debut novel, Frost Hollow Hall, and I expect her many fans will be as thrilled as I at the prospect of a vampire trilogy from the queen of historical fiction! I was fortunate to be given access to an advance e-copy of Dracula & Daughters on NetGalley, and I am happy to report that it was everything I expected.

The foreword announces the unexpected death of Miss Elsie Irving during a stage performance in Temstown’s Lyceum Theatre and from here we plunge immediately into the first person narrative of Mina, who is embarking on a spot of late-evening graverobbing in an attempt to impress her boss Dr Polidori. She desperately wants to become a doctor herself, but in an age when women are not admitted to many of the professions, she thinks that her only hope of being allowed to attend one of his training demonstrations is by supplying the cadaver. She has therefore ventured to the Northside Necropolis with her spade, and arranged for her friend Varney to meet her with the doctor’s horse and cart so that they can transport her prize back into town. Mina gets more and less than she bargained for in the graveyard; an unexpected encounter with Bella Drake,daughter of Beatrix Drake who is Temstown’s most successful undertaker and only woman in a position of power…and the realisation that despite all of the anti-vampire precautions that were taken at the burial, Elsie Irving has clawed her way out of her coffin and the Contagion has reappeared 20 years after the last vampire was killed in Temstown!

From here the action moves thicker and faster than blood through an artery! Mina and Bella turn out to be cousins, and along with Mina’s younger sister Buffy, they form a fearsome trio of vampire healers once they discover their special powers as half-vampires or dhampirs. They will need all of their supernatural skills to outwit the corrupt men who rule and manipulate the town, and to prove that healing of a vampire is an effective and more humane treatment than the usual prescription of hawthorn stake through the heart. For Mina this is personal, she feels immense guilt at putting her dear friend Varney into a position where he became Elsie Irving’s first victim, and she is determined to rectify this mistake.

The countdown to the next full-moon gives a huge sense of urgency to the narrative, which will keep readers gripped, wondering whether the cousins can fulfill their mission. There is an interesting layer of feminism woven into the plot, Mina is constantly irritated at the lack of opportunities open to her as a female, and the attitude of Dr Polidori toward her is perfectly illustrated by the fact that he cannot be bothered to even remember her name. The inspiration that she gains from finding a medical text on the treatment of vampires written by Professor Lucy Westenra is almost palpable. The cousins soon realise that they gain strength by working together, their combined individual skills being greater than the sum of their parts, which is a great message to be passing on to all children about the power of collaboration. I also enjoyed the author’s use of names associated with classic works of vampire fiction, making this an excellent introduction to vampire lore. Although necessarily a bit spooky and developing a truly gothic atmosphere, the plot is not too gory and I think that it will appeal to fans of Jennifer Killick’s horror novels, as well as historical fiction devotees aged 10 years and above.

Dracula & Daughters was published by Faber & Faber on 25 September 2026 and I am thrilled to add a finished edition to the Emma Carroll collection on the bookshelves, I would recommend that primary and secondary school librarians do the same; be sure to stock-up on garlic too! The physical book features chapter headers illustrated with bats and occasional small greyscale illustrations throughout the book. My copy also has some lovely sprayed edges featuring bats too.

#BlogTour: A Place of a Thousand Wishes by Sarah Merrett, illustrated by Ewa Beniak-Haremska

Graphic created by Everything With Words, Publication date 29 May 2025, ISBN: 978-1911427452

Welcome to the final stop on the blog tour for A Place of a Thousand Wishes, a magical, historical adventure which shimmers with chills and thrills in equal measure.

The summer heatwave of 1899 sees Mason and his Dad (Jack) arrive in the town of Dingbury, trying their hardest under the unforgiving sun to sell the delicious ice cream that Mason creates. When his Dad trudges off to the ice warehouse for fresh supplies to stop their products melting, Mason has three encounters which will catalyse big changes in his life. Firstly, the Wish-maker, Darlington the Miraculous flies overhead in his hot air balloon, dispensing invitations to Darlington Manor which float down to the streets inside bubbles. Mason can hardly believe his eyes when one of the invitations falls onto the ice cream cart, personally addressed to Jack and Mason Kemp. Then a well dressed gentleman with a dazzling pocket watch asks to buy two ice creams, one of which is snatched by a girl about Mason’s age to whom he gives chase. When he finally catches up with Clem and realises that she is hungry and has no money, Mason graciously lets her eat the ice cream, an act of kindness which sparks a friendship. In contrast, the gentleman ensures that the Kemp’s wooden ice cream cart is destroyed in an ‘accident’, leaving Jack and Mason facing eviction from their lodgings with no means of earning the rent money.

Word in the town is that Darlington has the magical power to make wishes come true for one audience member at his shows, but Jack Kemp tells Mason that Darlington is a con-artist and forbids him from attending the event. However, when a magnificent carriage pulls up in their street, Mason slips out of the window, is joined by Clem in the carriage, and they are whisked away to witness a spectacular performance in the opulent grounds of Darlington Manor. Here Mason will learn family secrets, witness deadly family rivalries and experience the wonder of Darlington’s magical gift. The abduction of Darlington, will lead Mason and Clem on a death-defying rescue chase, which will test their ingenuity, loyalty and bravery to extreme limits. Will Mason’s wish come true, or are wishes as ephemeral as the bubbles that Darlington conjured?

This is a fantastically well-written adventure which just flows off the page, drawing you in to the fictional world that author Sarah Merrett has crafted. She renders her characters so authentically that you experience every twist and turn of the plot alongside them, and the narrative builds so thrillingly that you really don’t want to put the book down. What I loved as much as the plot was the clever layering of contrasts throughout the novel and for me, this elevated the story. At the start we have the sweltering heat of midsummer overwhelming the cool of the ice; we see the contrast between Mason’s optimism and innovative spirit and his Dad’s worn-down, defeated-by-circumstances mindset and Clem’s lifestyle of doing whatever it takes to survive; the rich folk of the town are set in contrast to the poor who cannot keep a roof over their heads no matter how hard they work; and finally we have the battle between good and evil when we see how envy can blacken a heart and drive a person to dark deeds. The stunning illustrations by Ewa Beniak-Haremska in stark black and white, magnificently capture the atmosphere and contrasts in the story.

A Place of a Thousand Wishes is a story that fully captures the reader’s imagination and I would highly recommend it to readers of 10 years and above. I think it will be a popular addition to primary and secondary school library collections, and if you are a parent or caregiver of a child who enjoys historical fiction or fast-paced adventure, this would make an excellent summer holiday present.

I am grateful to Mikka at publisher Everything With Words for inviting me to join this blog tour and for sending me a copy of A Place of A Thousand Wishes in return for my honest opinion. Do checkout the other blog posts on the schedule to learn more about this amazing story.

#Non-Fiction Review: Shoot for the Stars by Danielle Brown, illustrated by Jayde Perkin & Filigrana de Ideas

Published by Little Tiger, 3 July 2025, ISBN: 978-1838916657

Shoot for the Stars is an informative and empowering book written by Danielle Brown MBE, who is herself a double Paralympic gold medallist and five time world champion in the sport of archery. She has produced this guide to particularly encourage girls to continue to participate in sport during the tween years, when so many turn away from physical activity for various reasons. It is a colourful, well-structured book which contains inspirational stories, practical advice and interactive activities. The illustrations by artists Jayde Perkin and Filigrana de Ideas add greatly to the enjoyment of reading, and there are also colour photographs of internationally-renowned female sports stars to accompany short biographies.

Throughout, the book provides positive and encouraging messages to help girls identify the sporting activities that they might enjoy, promoting the view that there are a vast range of sports available and finding the right one for you is very important. Perceived barriers to participation are recognised and discussed frankly, whether it might be the feeling of being judged, discomfort in regulation PE kit or body image concerns experienced during puberty. I applaud the frank discussion and practical advice around sporting performance and participation during menstruation. For so many years this seems to have been an aspect which was ignored but the book highlights the story of a Chinese swimmer, Fu Yuanhui, who openly discussed the impact of starting her period on her performance at the Rio Olympics in 2016. There is also the story of the Norwegian Beach Handball team who broke the rules at the 2021 European Championships by wearing shorts rather than the regulation bikini bottoms, and after much outrage at the fines they were given, a resulting rule change now allows women to choose to wear shorts in this sport. Another example of enabling greater access to participation, is the stand taken by US/Pakistani weightlifter Kulsoom Abdullah to allow the wearing of a hijab and kit which covered arms and legs, to enable women with strong religious beliefs to participate in weightlifting.

The chapter about accepting feedback and using it to make positive improvements can be applied to any aspect of life, not just sport. In fact, I think one of the best takeaways from this book, is the positive impact that being active can have on so many aspects of life. In a society where we are being encouraged to take more care of our bodies and minds to help prevent the onset of long-term diseases, this book provides excellent encouragement to take those first steps.

I would encourage primary and secondary school librarians to add Shoot for the Stars to their collections, and school PE leads to read it too; I will be passing my copy on to the PE lead at my former school. It’s a book which I think will appeal to those girls who already participate in competitive sport and who will be further inspired by stories of champions across a broad range of sports, as well as helping those who have not yet found joy in sport to perhaps try a new activity or reframe their thinking around sport.

Disclaimer: I am grateful to Jasmin at Little Tiger for sending me a copy of Shoot for the Stars ahead of publication. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.

#Non-fiction Review: YOU Decide YOUR Adventure by Bear Grylls, illustrated by Jake Alexander

Cover image by Jake Alexander, published by DK Books, 29 May 2025, ISBN: 978-0241681275

Bear Grylls will be familiar to many children from his TV adventure programmes as well as his former role as the UK’s Chief Scout. So who better to author a non-fiction, interactive, choose-your-own-adventure book published by the ever reliable DK books. This is a fantastic book to encourage children to get outside and enjoy the challenges of exploring the natural world; I am sure it will be welcomed by Forest School leaders, teachers, librarians, parents and caregivers who want to nudge children into participating in activities in green spaces.

The scene is set in the early pages with an adventure map which depicts the different terrains that would be encountered on an expedition in the northern hemisphere. This is accompanied by instructions to travel from the starting point to an extraction point, with checkpoints along the way. I must praise Jake Alexander’s artwork which totally immerses the reader in the landscapes and situations, as well as providing detailed diagrams of kit and techniques that will be required to complete the challenge.

At each stage of the adventure, the different kit required for advancing across the varying terrains is depicted and described in detail, providing very many learning opportunities. You will find instructions on how to navigate with a compass; how to choose a good campsite; how to forage safely and how to build a shelter, amongst other survival tips. Scenarios are presented with descriptions of the geography and then readers are presented with two choices, with directions to turn to different pages depending on the choices made. I know that many children love these non-linear, interactive choices (which they more often encounter in fiction) and I think that they will thoroughly enjoy constructing their own expedition adventure in this non-fiction text. If, like me, you make a decision which leads you into a potentially dangerous situation, the signposted page provides lots of advice about how to keep safe, how to attract attention and what to do while awaiting rescue. The format will encourage readers to try different selections, learning from mistakes to eventually navigate the challenge successfully. The anecdotes provided by Bear Grylls about his real life adventures, give further information which can be incorporated into the decision-making process.

I think that this book will appeal to readers from age 9 right through to secondary school, it would be great to use in a primary classroom in preparation for residential trips which take place at the top end of key stage 2, and would also be useful in encouraging older children to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme, Ten Tors and other outdoor challenges. I would highly recommend that primary and secondary school librarians add YOU Decide YOUR Adventure to their collections, and to parents/caregivers I would suggest that this could make an excellent summer holiday present for children aged 9 and above.

Disclaimer: I am very grateful to publicist Sally Oliphant and DK Books for sending me a copy of YOU Decide YOUR Adventure. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.