It's the start of a new term at the School of the Good Sisters and Hannah, Edie and Calla are ready to enjoy everything their extraordinary school has to offer. But they soon realise that Something Is Most Definitely Up when their beloved Headmistress Good Sister June disappears - and nobody knows where she's gone.
It's time for Hannah and her friends to set out on an adventure to bring Good Sister June home. As they travel across the country following a trail of clues, they will learn about the power of family, friendship and a well-timed slice of Victoria Sponge...
It's no secret that I adore this series of books and you can read my previous reviews here: How To Be Brave; How To Be True. So it will come as no surprise that the arrival of How To Be Free was met with squeals of delight, and a race to get the supplies of emergency biscuits before diving straight in.
The start of term is hectic but it quickly becomes apparent that Good Sister June has disappeared, and it takes no time at all for Hannah, Edie and Calla to get on the case. Employing the help of the other girls, they devise a plan to escape and follow the clues to find Good Sister June. What ensues is the most delightful race across the country, filled with peril and pastries ... and kale paste! There is more to Good Sister June's disappearance than first meets the eye and the girls are determined to get to the bottom of things, both on the road and also at school, where the promise of a kale paste shop near the school is in danger of ruining the lives of all of the girls.
The School of the Good Sisters is the sort of place I can imagine so many readers wanting to attend, but who wouldn't? With lessons in camouflage, emergency supplies of biscuits always on hand, cakes a plenty and a set of wonderfully surprising nuns to lead the way - if I were young enough, I'd sign up myself!
For Good Sister June, this book is a journey of finding herself and rediscovering what she has pushed from her mind for so long. It helps the reader fully understand the lady who has narrated the series and gives us a deeper understanding of the life she has led ... and I love her even more now!
This is a series that just gets better with every book. Is it the traditional style of the writing that lulls you into a feeling of safety even when the most perilous of adventures are taking place? Perhaps it the use of footnotes to provide the reader with vital extra information; or is it the frequent references to cakes, pastries and biscuits? In all honesty, I think it's a combination of all that and more, for reading How To Be Free was like being embraced in a warm hug; the writing makes you feel like you are returning home to old friends and fills you with a sense that all will be well with the world.
How To Be Free, like the rest of the series, is a must-read. But, a word of warning: you definitely need to have emergency biscuits to hand ... and I can highly recommend a supply of cakes too!
How To Be Free publishes on the 2nd May.
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