Saturday, 1 October 2022

LIBBY and the HIGHLAND HEIST

 

 by JO CLARKE;  

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat ©

 

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LIBBY  and the HIGHLAND HEIST


 


Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring Adventures in Middle-Grade Fiction! 

 

We had wanted to bring you some local news, but alas, since the local printer can only afford to run off two copies of the Upper Much-Mousing Gazette, they are being passed from house to house, one copy starting at either end of Main Street. With any luck, both will meet at the village chip shop, where they will have a second life around small portions of cod and chips. 

 

Being situate outside the village, Friday nights have become quite a novelty, and much to Mrs H's delight, she was able to complete a full, albeit slightly greasy, crossword with her supper. I, however, was not so lucky and got the less than appealing face of a drooling bull mastiff peering at me from the Lost and Found section under my pile of potato wedges!


So, with all that said, and not wishing to put you off your suppers, let's get on with a rather fine new adventure from Award-Winning Book Blogger and Primary School Librarian Jo Clarke!

 

LIBBY and the HIGHLAND HEIST


 


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AUTHOR: Jo Clarke

 

Cover art by: BECKA MOOR

 

Published by: FIREFLY PRESS

Publication date: 19 January 2023

Paperback ISBN: 978 191 544 4011 

 

Cover price for Paperback: £ 7.99

 

Pages: 243.

 

Age range: Middle Grade (9-12 AND upwards)



 

 

SPOILER ALERT


Some as to plot direction and characters. 

 

 

Thank you to... 

 

We are exceedingly grateful to FIREFLY PRESS & NetGalley for the privilege of getting to Read & Review this much-anticipated book before publication. 

 

As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we like and feel our readers deserve to know about and that we hope they will enjoy. 

 

 

The plot


A little bit of back story for you as this is the second book in the series. It features Libby, and her best pal, Connie, who are students at a school that quite literally moves each term from building to building and city to city across the globe. The first novel was set in Paris. Here Libby and Connie solved a matter of stolen jewels which had left Libby's aunt in the frame for the crime! This term, the school was supposed to be heading for New York. But a flood there meant at short notice, the students and teachers find themselves staying in Edinburgh. This is handy as Connie's family lives nearby in a delightful, if somewhat dilapidated, stately turreted home. Moreover, Connie's parents are 


The book opens with Libby, Connie and Libby's aunt, Miss Mousedale, a teacher at the school, arriving at Connie's home for Christmas. Libby's mother is away on a trip to Peru and won't be home for Christmas. All is not well, it seems, and Connie's father is shut up in his study whilst her mum has dark rings around her eyes. But the friends are intent on making the most of the time and go off exploring, putting aside any strangeness of the strangely quiet troubled reception.

 

It is, of course, inevitable that the best intentions of both girls to keep out of trouble lapse. In a rambling stately home, nothing could be more fun than a game of hide and seek. Which is when things start to get all exciting. 

 

Now, I won't be drawn into giving too much more away about what happens next, as it is all so nicely embroidered together that it will spoil it for you. Suffice it to say, the discovery of secret passageways, a mysterious yet strangely familiar intruder and any number of things that aren't what they seem or are where they are meant to be, lead Libby on a merry chase. The game is afoot, and Libby needs to uncover a family mystery and save the not-so-stately family pile from ruin. 

 

 


So, what did we think?

 


Simply elegant, adventuresome, mysterious, and delightfully addictive read. Jo has let the magic flow through this, the second adventure. In its MG way, it is as rambunctious as a ceilidh reel! Everything to love and recommend!




So . . . . 



Crunch time. 


I don't usually read series out of order, but I find that with this one, I will, and book one of the Travelling School Mysteries is already waiting for attention. 

 

This fine series is an able step up from the Enid Blyton of yore and those fabulous – or so Mrs H says – kids' TV adventures of the seventies. I have no doubt that this adventure rooted in current times will be an immense delight and a 'gateway tale' to grander adventures as the readers grow. 

 

It is lovely to see and read such stories. Where once years ago there was a desert, now there are oases of literary magic aplenty to quench the thirst of the most avid young reader.




Want to buy a copy?

 

To get a copy, please do think of your local independent bookshop. There are plenty out there, and each is just waiting to serve up a treasure of literal magical resource, fun and adventure with a personal touch.

 


JO CLARKE'S WEB page can be found HERE or type this: https://jo-clarke.co.uk 


 

FIREFLY PRESS'S web page can be found HERE. or type this https://fireflypress.co.uk/

 


BECKA MOOR'S web page can be found HERE.  or type this: https://beckamoor.com

 

 


 

I shall leave you with a picture of me getting in some winter snoozing practice 🙂.



©Erin the Cat Princess


 

 

Till laters!

 

ERin

 

 

 © All images and text are copyright, and nothing may be used, copied, stored or shared, either in part of whole, without the express written permission of the copyright holders in advance.

 

 

18 comments:

  1. That looks to be a fun read.
    Erin you sure know how to turn yourself into a furry ball! You do look comfy as you enjoy a good snooze.

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    1. It was lots of fun, but alas the next installment is some time away. More to look forwards to though! 🙂

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  2. Princess Erin you are very talented to form yourself into a purrfect ball with front paws touching back feet for an extended period of time. You sure do remind me of my Darling Domino, who was a tuxy like you. So kyoot!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. The cold snap we had made me think it was time to get the practice in, just in case we get snow. Have a lovely day.
      ERin

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  3. Those gals are really something and it sounds like a good one. Happy snoozy sweet Princess!

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    1. Thank you, Brian. These adventures do make Mrs H hark back to less modern times. These are however nicely placed in this time. Hope you have a happy snooze, too. Stay safe and well and may the storms and hurricanes your way spare you, yours and your home.
      Purrs
      ERin

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  4. Replies
    1. Thank you, we are blessed with some brilliant authors, publishers and tales to share. A brilliant gothic ghostly ghouly MG read comming up very soon, too, one to better Harry Potter and the like! Expect more such poses as the weather chills, MOL
      Purrs
      ERin

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  5. Princess Erin, you sure do look comfortable. As for that book, it sounds like quite the entertaining read. We think we just may check it out! Hugs to you and Mrs. H.

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    1. I was super snug, for sure. We have two awesome books lined up, one is a gothic ghostly read that all adults I think will love, eben though an MG read. The other is a brilliant adult read about a mystery at a lighthouse that happens to be a folly.
      Purrs
      ERin

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  6. Princess Erin, you look so sweet, all curled up like that!
    The book sounds great too. Mummy wishes she had more time to read (She should spend less time of Fakebook, if you ask Us).

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    1. Thank you 💙. Better to practice now than have to rush and do more later. . . . Hang on, actually doing more naps later would be kind of cool, MOL
      Everyone should spend less time on Facebook. Mrs H seldom goes on, and then only to share my post. Twitter is definitely the place for the well groomed cat to be 🙂
      Purrs
      ERin

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  7. Sounds like fun. I enjoyed Enid Blyton’s books.

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    1. With only one main character + best friend, it has a slightly different feel to Enid's work which often had multiple lead characters. But that said, it is all about discovery, fun and challenging the younger mind.
      ERin

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  8. Another great book that I have made a note of. When I was younger I never had my nose out of a book. The books you review remind me of those that I enjoyed so much and make me want to increase my reading again.

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    1. Thank you, I do hope you will. These books remind me of all the fun things in life, innocence of sorts, and adventure created along with the characters.
      ERin

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