Robins and Crows

Robins and Crows.

O and I are always thrilled to meet authors and are rather proud of the growing collection of signed books that adorn our shelves at home. And this week was no exception, in fact, I’d go as far as to say it was a highlight as Robin Stevens joined us in school on Friday afternoon.  There had been much excitement in the build up to the afternoon and it's fair to say that the children were giddy at the prospect of meeting their favourite murder-mystery writer. As  we entered the dinner hall for lunch, there was actual shrieking and what can only be described as pop-star style fan moments.  Robin took this in her stride and spent time before her talk with the students, enthralled everybody in school with her presentation and then her stamina knew no bounds during a mammoth 1 and 1/2 hour signing session which saw 2/3 of the school bring books (on many occasions piles of them) to her table.  It was a truly memorable afternoon and a wonderful way to end the week.  Late room was littered with children reading Robin Stevens books and next week will no doubt see classes filled with her exciting novels. 

Our first blog was dedicated to A Spoonful of Murder; however, we couldn't not mentioned the Murder Most Unladylike series in this post ... we both agree that they are exciting books with action-packed plots and are never the easiest 'who dun its' to guess (which we like!). Most of all, though, we love Daisy and Hazel for their daring, their friendship and their differences. We can't wait to see what happens next!

From robins to crows ...

Our book for this week is Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan 
Crow by Jessica Townsend.

Morrigan Crow is a girl who believes she's cursed (as does everybody else in Jackalfax who blame her for everything) and she also knows exactly when she is going to die: on her eleventh birthday.  Jupiter North, however, has different ideas and, as the clock strikes midnight, he arrives to whisk her away to Nevermoor - a secret city where magic abounds.  Through Jupiter, she is invited to take part in trials to join the Wundrous Society. There are four trials in total, all of which seem impossible to Morrigan who needs to use an exceptional talent to pass them - something she doesn't believe she has. How many trials will she manage?  Will she discover her talent? Who is the Wundersmith?

K's opinion: 
Without a doubt, this a feel good book with magic and strange events around every corner.  Even as an adult, I was desperate to delve into Nevermoor: to visit the Hotel Deucalion and stay in one of its rooms to discover how it would change for me and to travel by umbrella!  

Morrigan is a great character and I particularly like the contrast between her (her black clothes, her pessimism and her self-doubt) and Jupiter (his colourful outfits and his optimism).  This is a book that allows you to escape into a world that is partly reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz and also has a feel of Harry Potter about it.  

O's opinion: I loved the language used to describe the surroundings and the characters. Watching them delve into adventure filled me with anticipation for what would go wrong. It always turned out that I was wrong and they got into trouble and sorted it out. I loved how Morrigan usually had a lot of time to herself as Jupiter had other stuff to do. It ended up with her being told off and getting into a mess. This is why I loved the book.

It's a wonderful book that will be enjoyed by many so "Step boldly" into the Nevermoor and get lost in its pages.