'It's all right not to understand things... The acceptance of not knowing, saying you don't know, is what opens the pathway to knowledge.'
Maudie and Arthur are back and off on their adventures on the Aurora again. Explorer Ermitage Wrigglesworth (what a wonderful name!) is missing and Eudora Vane is leading a team of explorers to search of him. The Aurora is amongst the team but the twins are suspcious: why was Eudora's assistant stealing books from a neighbouring house? What is the significance of the ring Harriet's great aunt gave them and why is Eudora so keen to find Ermitage?
K's opinion
It was great to be back in Lontown with Maudie, Arthur and the rest of the Aurora crew, and then to join them on their exciting journey East, venturing into new, intriguing lands with a whole host of creatures and people for them to discover and experience (I desperately want my own Valiant!). It's a thrilling adventure with plenty of characters to love and hate! (I'm pleased to see Eudora up to her old tricks again!) and leaves things with just the merest hint that there could be more to come (just the way I like a book to end!).
The attention to detail throughout the book, in inventions, ideas and lands, helps the reader to clearly picture each and every world, and experience it alongside the twins. From the Geographical Society and Lontown to the Aurora and the many creatures they meet along the way, the book is full of exciting ideas for readers to discover.
The twins clearly have a very strong bond but it's also good to see them finding their own strengths in this book. Maudie's love of engineering makes her a perfect STEM role model (along with Harriet) and it's great to see her making the most of every opportunity afforded to her; however, as with Brightstorm, it's Arthur who tugs at my heart a little more and I was thrilled to see him discovering his strengths in difficult situations and refusing to allow his arm to get in the way of anything he did: he strikes me as a dreamer but one with a determined side to his nature as well - my kind of character! I must also mention Felicity, the ship's cook: her warm, caring nature and positivity make her one of the book's hidden gems in terms of characters and I love her!
As expected, Darkwhispers is an action-packed adventure just waiting for reading explorers to dive in and board the Aurora for another thrilling journey into the unknown.
O's opinion.
From the very beginning, I was hooked on every page, excited at being back with Maudie and Arthur on the Aurora. I loved how adventurous the twins were and how they were ready to learn from Harriet and Welby. I found the way that Harriet taught the twins how to be great explorers to be inspiring and it shows young people that they can be anything they want when they grow up.
This is a stunning sequel to an absolutely amazing book. I loved it!
No comments:
Post a Comment