Peril in Paris - Katherine Woodfine
'I do believe I have a taste for adventure.'
This was a much anticipated book in our house and when the copy came through the letter box (thank-you Egmont!), there was a mad frenzy to see who would get to it first.
Sophie and Lil are back with a bang (yeah!) and whilst the detective agency is still thriving within Sinclair's department store, the girls have taken on more daring challenges in this book as the they are working for the Secret Service Bureau as spies!
There are two main plots interwoven within the book: the mysterious death of Professor James Blaxland, a member of the Bureau, who was working at the Sorbonne in Paris; and the story of Prince Alex and Princess Anna of Arnovia whose parents were killed when they were very young and who now live with the King's cousin The Count of Wilderstein and his wife. At the beginning of the book, the children have just met their new governess, Miss Carter.
We follow both plots to Paris where danger and peril are lurking at every turn and it's up to Sophie and Lil to save the day.
O's opinion:
The best stories are the ones that can't be put down, for fear of what the characters are braving to save a cause they love, and this story does just that. Throughout the whole book, I was enticed into reading on to the next chapter until my Mum called me down to do something, and then I would return to the book instantly. The dual plot line helped with this as, just as one group ran into trouble, I was transported to the other instead of finding out what happened to them.
My favourite character is Anna, because she has a younger brother who is destined to rule Arnovia when their Grandfather dies and gets to go to an English boarding school when he doesn't want to, while she has to stay in Wilderstein castle with the Count, Countess and their mysterious new governess. All she wants is to go to an English boarding school, but she can't. I like her because she wants something we have but she can't have it. This makes me think of the Suffragettes, who only wanted simple things, but had to fight long and hard to get them. She also thinks that there is something strange about Miss Carter.
After all of that mystery and action, the worst thing to do is to end the story on a cliffhanger! Even though the cliffhanger left me gasping as to what was going to happen to Sophie and Lil, this was the best novel Katherine Woodfine has written. AMAZING! Thank you so much.
K's opinion:
Sometimes I think I should put my foot down and write my opinion first so O doesn't grab all the best bits to say! He's right, I think this is Kathernie Woodfine at her best! Peril in Paris is a fast-paced, thrilling adventure, full of mystery and intrigue which leads you through the story (actually, leading you through the story suggests I read it at a leisurely pace and that certainly didn't happen for either of us, as O eluded to above!) . You are lured in with the temptation of the two plots and then kept hanging as one chapter ends and an other begins - O is right (again!), it's part of what makes this book so difficult to put down.
We already know that Sophie and Lil are brave and intelligent having read the Sinclair series (although I love the fact that you don't have to have read those to be able to pick up this book, follow the plot and fall in love with the girls) and it's lovely to see them growing with their books. Whilst I'm aware that their strength and independence wasn't the norm at the time, I am always thrilled to see girls portrayed in this way - they make good role-models for our children today. Anna too is a strong character and one who clearly is at odds with her role as a princess in 1911. Her love for her brother is evident, yet her desire to be treated as an equal drives her towards her own character and a desire for adventure - again a good role-model for our children today.
This is definitely a must-read book and will be snapped up in the classroom come September - now, when can we expect the next instalment?!
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