SMITH

 

by Leon Garfield; 

Artiste: Kenny McKendry

 

                                                                               

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review, featuring this week an Adventure in Middle Grade Fiction.

If you have ever wondered about what life was like in the 1800s London town, the rogues and villains, and those who really were trying just to survive, then this middle-grade book is very interesting and fun and a classic period tale. Leon Garfield, who is famed for his historical children's fiction, as well as a foray into adult literature, may well be familiar to you for works, such as Blackbeard, Jack Holburn, various adaptations of Shakespeare's works and for completing Dickens' unfinished novel – The Mystery of Edwin Drood. A truly talented, prizing winning, and much loved and lauded author on both sides of the Atlantic.

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AUTHOR: the late Leon Garfield (1921-1996)

Cover art by noted artist: Kenny McKendry.

Published by: PUFFIN

This edition publication date Paperback: 3 July 2014

Paperback ISBN: 978-0141355214

UK Cover price for Paperback: £7.99 

Kindle UK price £4.99

Pages: 277

Age range: 9 - 11 and upwards

Any dogs or cats? Not really, but lots of dodgy folks

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters. 

 

Thank you to...

This is one of those finds where the cover and title spoke volumes, and having read the back cover blurb, both Mrs H and I were hooked and went straight out and bought the book. 

First and foremost, the books we review are those we select to read, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy. 

 

The plot

Smith, arguably a bit of a hero, even though a pickpocket, is only twelve. But in the 1800's he can still be hanged for his crimes, being 'nubbed', as the downtrodden and lower order of people called it at that time. Life in a London so very unlike that which we see today, was hard. Highwaymen and footpads prey on travellers using roads across commons and through woods that have long since formed part of the modern London urban sprawl. The side streets of London are mazes and rabbit warrens and home to dangerous folk who would kill you for a penny or the silk handkerchief in your pocket should you stray and be gone before you hit the ground.

Smith, Smut to his kin and those that know him well, is a swift of foot and finger pickpocket, in and out and away before anyone would know, let alone see his shadow. He lives below a very seedy public house, home to the worst kind. Their landlord would never give any of the villainous drinkers up to the law, leastways not for anything less than a shilling. Along with his seamstress sisters, Miss Bridget & Miss Fanny, they eke out a living. The sisters are brought the clothes of the recently executed by the prison hangman. They mend and adjust them to suit a new and presently living body for a small fee.

When Smut picks the pocket of an elderly gent seeking passage through streets he once knew, he gets more than he bargains for. Stopping to investigate the piece of paper he has picked, he sees the man stabbed to death for something he now doesn't have – the document. There is a third man, who walks with a wooden leg. He is the one wanting the document. What Smut doesn't know is that he was seen pickpocketing by a fourth person.

Smith flees the scene and returns home. Speculating that the paper must be of worth to warrant the old gent's demise at the hands of two men in brown, he wants to find out what it contains. Alas, he, like most, can't read. But when his highwayman friend Lord Tom (all dressed in green robes) suggests taking it to another (and probably untrustworthy acquaintance) to decipher, he won't risk it, keeping it close to his chest, quite literally.

The men in brown track Smut down, and a chase through the streets ensues. But lithe Smut is too sharp and soon runs the men ragged till they give up. But he has ended up in a posher part of London town. Not looking where he's going, knocks a gent to the ground. Mr Mansfield, the gent in question, is blind. He is also a Justice of the Peace, bad news for a thief, no matter the size. Smut offers to guide the man home. A deal is struck, and as Smut dares not return home, he gets to stop the night at the man's home. His daughter, Miss Mansfield, is none too happy at seeing Smut, not least because he is filthy. But she agrees to have him, for she loves her father, and the urchin has helped him.

This is the central turning point in the story. What happens to Smut and his, or rather, the murdered man's, piece of paper starts to play out and have consequences from here on in. There are twists and turns, wheels and stories within each other, that affect everyone we have met thus far and a few we have not, which naturally is why I must stop the review. 

 

What did we think?

We had never heard of the author. This is a crying shame, as the book is incredibly appealing and so very atmospheric that you can feel and smell the world you are very quickly drawn into. We could tell straight away this is a world and period the writer made his own and was most comfortable writing about, which, from what we can see, is where many of his tales are set. 

What we modern readers get isn't Oliver Twist the musical. We see this world from the gutter and on high in the eyes of the law and those that administered it, harsh as it was. 

The ever-present threats of ill health, the hangman's noose or ending in gaol for years on end and sometimes till death for being debtor, is our backdrop. 

It is a fair old and breathless chase, hindered yet emboldened and made urgent by the colourful characters, prize, risks, and the awful weather. The ending comes together quite nicely (though hardly blood, pain, or death-free) with lessons, perceptions, and understandings.

 

So . . . . 

Crunch time. 

It is a wholly satisfying, authentically created middle-grade appropriate tale. More importantly, we believe it is an excellent classic tale for all to enjoy without being over the top. Watch this space for more reviews of adventures from Leon Garfield.

 

Want to buy a copy?

To get a copy, please find a safe route past pickpockets, gaol, and highwaymen to your own Ye Olde Local Book Shoppe. Each is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the excellent Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.

I shall leave you with another Sofa Selfie. Gee, you'd have thought I do nothing but nap the day – and night – away!  Rest assured I have been busy doing other managerial-like things, MOL.

Image ©

 

Till Laters!

ERin

Till laters!

ERin

©Erin the Cat Princess

MERMEDUSA

 by THOMAS TAYLOR;  

Image ©

                                                                                       

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

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

 

This week, we have a real wonder of a book. An adventure that necessitated tons of research: mainly fish and chips, ice cream and candyfloss on a day out to the beach.
 
OK, OK, as we don't actually have a beach nearby, Mrs H set up a paddling pool in the living room and filled it with sand and salted water. She then tied a hanky around her head, and we pretended it was sunny under a 100-watt light bulb bought especially for the day. No expense spared! What we can't work out is where the donkey, high tide and the crabs came from!  

But enough of my seaside ramblings, let's get on with the review. If you here for a selfie, scroll on down at your peril!

 

© Image

Author and interior art by:  Thomas Taylor

 

Cover art by:  George Ermos

 

Published by: Walker Books

 

Publication date of Paperback: 7th September 2023

 

Paperback ISBN:   978 - 1529 502 138

 

Cover price for the Paperback £7.99

 

Pages: 336

 

Age range: Kids of all ages from 9 and UPWARDS.

Any dogs or cats?  Oh YES!  The much-loved talking feline character, Erwin, is all aboard for the rollercoaster of an adventure.

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

Yes. As this is the conclusion of the series, there will be references to characters, plot and direction, both past and present. In fact, the brilliant cover by George Ermos is a huge giveaway, so I'll say no more about that 😉.

 

Thank you to... 

 

We are exceedingly grateful to Thomas Taylor, and Walker Books for giving us an electronic ARC to Read & Review this much-anticipated book before publication. All artwork is reproduced by kind permission of the author himself.

As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review. 

First and foremost, we read for pleasure, and the books we review are those we love and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their children, friends and students will enjoy.

Please follow the links below to get the lowdown on the first four hugely successful and thoroughly entertaining adventures. 

To get the best from Mermedusa, we strongly recommend reading books one to four first. If you do, so much will fall into place, and these five stories' true strength and sheer brilliance will shine through in a way that Harry Potter never really did for us.

 

Book 1: MALAMANDER.  Read the Review HERE. 

 

Book 2: GARGANTIS.  Read the Review HERE.  

BOOK 3: SHADOWGHAST.  Read the Review HERE.  

 

Book 4. FESTERGRIMM.  Read the Review HERE. 

***** Give away! ***** 

 

Hang on a mo! Mrs H has dug five fathoms deep into her mysteriously capacious handbag and, snatching her purse from the jaws of a rather murderous Scottish lobster, agreed to buy from her pension and give away to one lucky commenter on this week's blog a selection of the stories. The comments will be left open for one week after this post appears, and commenters (who can't be anonymous for obvious reasons) must be able to supply their address and be in an area covered by Amazon. 

 

So join Mrs H and me for the final time as we head into the Lost and Founders room in the basement under the Grand Nautilus Hotel in Eerie-on-Sea. It is two days before mid-winter, and the tourists have gone. It is the time of year when the Malamander stalks the foggy beach at night . . . ..

 

 

The plot

Herbie Lemon, the hotel's Lost and Founder, stands lost in thought at the bottom of his stairs. In his hand is a stopped and scuffed watch handed into his desk moments earlier, found by a staff member behind a radiator. The hands point to midnight, or so Violet Parmar says, to the moment when some terrible crime befell it and its owner. But why could it not be midday, Herbie asks. 

In any event, they have an appointment on the beach to accompany three Americans — co-hosts and sound and camera recordist — from the podcasters 'Anomolous Phenomena'. They intend to visit the area and discover more about the Eerie's hitherto little-heard-of monsters, the Malamander being but one, proving or disproving their existence in front of a camera. The trio comprise Professsor Newtiss (the alleged believer), Angela Song (the sceptic) and the sound recordist and video guy (whom Herbie names Fluffy Mike). Of course, it is the time of year when the Malamander's howls can be heard from the wreck out to sea, and it stalks the beach at Eerie, looking for its companion and mate. It is a time when the locals steer clear for fear of what it might do to them in the winter fog that descends. 

The foolhardy podcasters head out across the sands at low tide and towards the wreck, which we, the readers and Herbie, feel will end badly – and it does with a narrow escape for the cameraman. Enter Sebastian Eels, Eerie-on-Sea's villain personified. Yet strangely, he saves the Fluffy Mike from an untimely demise, then stalks back to the town, but before issuing a dire warning to them all. What was he doing out there? These thoughts are forgotten when a howl from the fog drives the party back to shore and a fish and chip supper. And it is there that the professor reveals there is one real monster in Eerie – Sebastian Eels! The Prof wants Violet and Herbie to dig around and get information about his past, precisely what the words on a slip of paper mean. In exchange, he promises to give Herbie details about his past and who he is and give Violet information about her missing parents. They accept the offer.

 

When our two protagonists are safely in Herbie's room, they read the piece of paper, which they think has come from Eels' diary. It says: "When I was only twelve years old, I sold my soul for Kraken gold."

Now, that sets the scene for what happens next. Well almost. Whilst Herbie, Violet and a deathly sickly Erwin are contemplating what these words might mean, they feel the building vibrate. Not only that, they soon feel it in their skulls, and poorly Erwin is writhing in agony. Just as they are about to pass out, the sound stops. When Erwin tries to flee the room through the window, he turns and bolts the other way, wide-eyed and fur-spiked in fear of what is outside. Flicking on their torch, a monstrous shrieking rattles the windows, sending a monster crashing away. 

 

Giving pursuit to the fearsome Malamander is not high on Herbie's to-do list, but Violet is off and running, so he has to go along. It is a chase that follows a trail of destruction and screams around Eerie and back to the hotel.

 

This is where things definitely dial up many notches on the Eerie fear scale. And thus where the story launches into a whole new world, or worlds, of adventure that entails . . . . but let's not ruin things for you. 

 

What I will say is that it tests our main character to the limit. It makes complete sense of all the eerie goings on from the previous books that have happened over the space of not only the year since Violet arrived into Herbie's life but decades, nay centuries, before. Mysteries that culminate in the deepest, darkest of Eerie-on-Sea's secrets. The secret that Eels himself has been seeking for years and robbed, and some say, killed for.

 

There will be tears, that I promise. There will be catastrophe, loss, and revelations of past evil doings, and not just those of Sebastian Eels. However, we get a whole new look at what makes this rogue tick and how he and Mr Mollusc are linked. Both are quite a surprise.

Surrounded by monsters, when things are at their darkest, and everything is lost, can anyone, let alone Herbie, survive the night? That, dear readers, is for you all to enjoy and find out. 

 

So, what did we think?

 

I suspect this series will have been described as weird, off the wall, or similar. We have never seen it that way. It is different yet comfortably familiar, or should I say eerily familiar. We can look at churning waters, at wrecks and ageing barnacled piers with their fish and chips shops, and closed amusement arcades at the end and immediately see and thus enter Herbie's world. How many of us have wondered what monsters, manmade or otherwise, lurk beneath the waves, in the shadows of an abandoned waxworks museum, or stalk through the foggy streets at night in search of unwary folk daft enough to be out late? 

 

That, to us, is literary gold, the magic that radiates from within the best set up books. 

 

Herbie's first-person narration is a delight, funny and really engaging. As a character, he has always been at the brunt of things, the underdog to Violet's brash, sometimes wayward enthusiasm. He is overly cautious and the butt end of others' ire and dislike without knowing why. It was lovely to see how he didn't suddenly change in this last story. But he does learn and, in his own way, step up even when he doesn't want to and, for better or worse, make decisions. 

This final adventure takes us all around Eerie. We venture underground, over, into and under the sea. Chases abound, as do monsters and the perils. This is nicely balanced by emotional revelations from past and present. It is hard to recall a moment when we weren't entirely absorbed. 

 

Mrs H and I are lucky enough to read some of the best-of-the-best books out there for our own pleasure and to share with you and prospective buyers around the globe. This closing adventure is, without a doubt, the highlight of our year. 

 

So . . . Crunch time. 

 

Make no mistake, this is a powerful, no-holds-barred tour de force of a conclusion. Everything comes together flawlessly and spectacularly. Nothing is half-hearted. Thomas really has poured his soul into this; that much is evident. 

 

He told me it was tough to write for various reasons. I can believe it with what has been woven together in this finale and the emotionally touching undercurrents and conclusion. 

So, middle-grade adventure or not, you'll not find a better read out there now. And, if you ever wanted to assemble a cast of characters, monsters, villains and heroes, there are none finer, more entertaining, and more frightening than those in Eerie-on-Sea. 

 

Want to buy a copy?

To get a copy of this book or the series, please head across the shingle down to your local independent bookshop, dodging gulls, Malamanda and creepy guys named Eels. Fish and chips after your purchase are optional, but we think they are an absolute MUST after any visit to Eerie-on-Sea. There are plenty out there, both chip shops and book shops (and likely very few Mermedusa or Malamander unless you happen to be in Eerie on Sea!), and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of fishy fun, adventure, mystery, and delight your hearts' desire.

 

THOMAS TAYLOR's WEB page can be found HERE  or type this: https://www.thomastaylor-author.com/

 

WALKER BOOKS' web page can be found HERE.  or type this: https://www.walker.co.uk/

 

GEORGE ERMOS's page at his agents site can be found HERE or type this: https://thebrightagency.com/uk/childrens-illustration/artists/george-ermos#bio

 

After all that reviewing, and so much ice cream, I shall leave you with a selfie of not-at-all eerie little old me.  🙂 🙂

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kittes Blue and their mum, Janet Blue in America.

 

This is me looking at you. Or, more precisely, at Mrs H, wanting to know why supper is late. And it better not be anything fishy or with more legs (or tentacles) than me!

 

Till laters!

ERin