It's my stop on the Vivi Conway and the Sword of Legend blog tour today and I'm thrilled to be sharing my review of the book which is already going down well in school.
Vivi is about to move from a remote area of Wales to central London and on the morning of the move she sneaks out very early to head to the lake where she thinks she can hear a mysterious voice calling her. The lake is one she is familiar with as she swims there often, but this time she is confronted by a terrifying monster and she only just manages to escape (with help from Dara, the sword Excalibur and Gelert, a ghostly dog who can talk). Shell-shocked, Vivi returns home, and she and her mums make the move to London where she begins a new school. So imagine her surprise when she bumps into Dara on her first day. It turns out that Dara and Vivi were destined to find each other as part of a group who share the soul of magical legends. But when children start going missing, can Vivi use her new ability to control water (along with help from her friends) to save them and protect the world from the monsters?
This is a book the combines myths with modern-day England and Wales in an adventure that will grip readers. It's an immersive read that will transport you from London to Unlands in the blink of an eye.
Vivi and her friends make four incredibly strong main characters and, even though it takes them a while to trust each other and let their guards down, they will be adored by readers. I loved the representation within the book with neurodiversity, LGBTQ+, disability and different ethnicities all woven in. It is important for children to be able to see themselves in books and to understand that they can be heroes, and Vivi Conway and her friends will show them that in great dollops.
Vivi Conway and the Sword of Legend is a spellbinding story of courage, adventure and being your authentic self.
Student opinion: one of the children in my class brought the book back on Tuesday, having read it over half-term and said: 'If you like myths like King Arthur, read this amazing book filled with dreams, stories and adventure.'
No comments:
Post a Comment