It's 1910 and, with Halley's Comet visible in the sky and only days away from reaching its closest point to Earth, Nancy and her sister Violet are surprised that their mum is taking them from their home in Leeds to Suffolk to stay with a grandfather they didn't know they had. And once they arrive, things get even more surprising: the girls are forbidden from leaving the house and must remain away from the windows; they are not allowed to go to the room at the top of the house, and their grandfather's apothecary shop never has any customers. The girls are confused and Nancy, in particular, is determined to find out what is going on. Why is her mum behaving so strangely, why are there late night trips out of the house and what are the secrets her mum and grandfather are keeping hidden? With the help of her new friend, Burch, it's up to Nancy to negotiate the dangers and uncover the truth about what is going on.
AM Howell is a master of historical fiction and I always find curling up with one of her books rather comforting, and Mystery of the Night Watchers was no different. She has a way of drawing you in from the very beginning that makes you feel like you are part of the family, and I quickly felt as though I was travelling along with Nancy as she journeyed from Leeds to Suffolk. She mixes historical fact with fiction seamlessly which transports you back in time and will no doubt make readers want to discover more about Halley's Comet (the Usborne Quicklinks at the back of the book will be invaluable for this: you can browse photos of the comet from 1910, see inside the observatory in Bury, see women protesting for the right to vote...). The book will inspire children to want to know more about the science behind the comet as well as equal rights for women.
For me, it was Cupola House that captured my imagination: the idea of this seemingly grand house that is dusty and neglected and linked directly to Greenstone Apothecary, the family business, had me wandering the corridors as if I was there. I could imagine evenings spent in the very top tower, sipping a blend of herbs from the shop below. The house sounds as if it is in dire need of love and life and there was almost an eeriness about it that hinted at the secrets that are begging to be revealed.
Nancy is a character that many readers will be able to relate to: at the beginning of the book she is rather irritated by her younger sister, Violet, but time and her change in circumstances mean that she quickly becomes keen to help in any way she can. Although she gets it wrong at times (who doesn't?), her determination to help her family is what drives her on and why I admire her, not least for her desire to be a solicitor like her father. Burch, meanwhile, has strength of a different kind: from the beginning, we discover that he is delivering to Laurence Greenstone in secret as he knows nobody else will help him. There's a kindness and sense of knowing his own mind that is apparent from the first time I met him - he may be my favourite character!
Mystery of the Night Watchers is guaranteed to be another resounding hit for AM Howell; combining history with mystery in a way that will keep you guessing until the end. This is a book you won't be able to put down.
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