Alice Éclair Spy Extraordinaire. A Dash of Daring.

Written by Sarah Todd-Taylor.  

                                                                                   

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.

This is the finale of a wonderful series. So, without adding or taking away from this delicious book, let’s jump from the comparative calm of Alice’s kitchen into the frying pan that is the world of secret agents….. 

 

AUTHOR:  Sarah Todd-Taylor

 

Artwork by:  Beatriz Castro

 

Published by:  Nosy Crow

 

Publication date Paperback:  

 

Paperback ISBN:  978 - 1 -781 839 - 887 - 9

UK Cover price for Paperback:  £7.99

 

Pages: 235

 

Age range:  8+

Any dogs or cats? Casper the cat takes to the skies, much like a rather talented pigeon.

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters.

 

 

Thank you to... 

Mrs H is to thank for buying this grand finale of an adventure. We loved the others from the first page, and this was a must-read for us both.

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

First and foremost, the books we review are only 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

Alice Éclair and her mother are found in the opening scene suspended in a cable car over the mountains—breathtaking scenery and a deadly plunge beneath. Thankfully, the villain isn't about to cut the wire! The mother-and-daughter chefs from Vive Comme L'Éclair have been invited to teach the finer points of their now-famous pastry creations to the chefs at the mountain-top Hotel Anise—a pleasant enough break from recent stresses in Paris.

It is a hotel with many strange guests. Alice soon learns from her senior agent, who arrives after sending a coded message, that it isn't a hotel at all. The eclectic collection of people are secret agents who need to be 'kept on ice' away from others until the information they possess becomes out-of-date and worthless. And whilst Madam E'Clair tuts at the chefs using margarine in their pastries, Alice has, unknown to her, been given the task of observing the guests to see if anyone is acting strangely. 

Claude advises Alice that a one-of-a-kind code-making machine, along with its creator and French agent, Jan Rejewski, has gone missing! All could be lost if France goes to war and the enemy has the machine. 

Where Alice fits in is that Jan's daughter, Adele, is a highly talented cyclist who aims to compete for her country in the upcoming Olympics. When Adele started receiving threatening letters using the hotel's notepaper, it seemed there was a link to a double agent somewhere in the hotel.

Very soon after, Alice discovers her treacherous father and former French agent in the same hotel, clearly receiving information from a source. Alice gives chase, but in a breathtaking scene, he escapes capture by the skin of his teeth.

With a connection made between Adele, Jan, the missing cypher machine and Alice's uncle Robert, Alice is now assigned undercover to bake at the training ground of the hopeful French athletes. She can watch over Adele and her highly talented and wheelchair-bound brother, Hugo. All the time, she observes and looks for evidence. 

With the scene now set in Paris but not confined to it, things really take off. More threatening notes arrive demanding Adele retire from training OR ELSE.

Here, Alice discovers many new possible enemy agents amongst the cycling team and trainers and puts Hugo in the frame as a spy. With competition for the limited number of places in the Olympic team running high, there is more at stake than the missing machine. How far would a fellow competitor cyclist go to remove a threat?

Why is Hugo so keen to train his pigeon, Columba, to fly with messages? And why are some competitors and staff seen in the same shop as Uncle Robert?

You will discover everything, the good and the bad, before the end of this adventure, which is why I can't tell you any more. Suffice it to say it is a high-speed, downhill dash to the finishing line worthy of a Transporter movie or The Great Escape, with a delightfully unexpected 'come full-circle' twist. 

So, what did we think?

Straight away I have to say Beatriz Castro has created another lovely cover. Full of life and fun.

Saying goodbye to such a fantastic series is so very difficult. However, Sarah has other recipes for adventure to work on and ideas like freshly kneaded dough gently rising to one side, which we know will be equally as tasty. 

This adventure had so very much to live up to. Would the soufflé rise to the challenge or be a flop? Of course, with all the right ingredients, lavished with care and adventure, the essence of France and historical facts, this would always have to be the chef's most excellent work. 

Which it is. A mouth watering layer cake of adventure with a Mission Impossible, Transporter, and Bond adventure all rolled into one filling. 

Laced with delightful and mouth-watering animated creations that would challenge a 5-star Michelin chef and heaps of aeronautical antics and high-speed escapades, this felt like a Mission Impossible, Transporter, and Bond adventure all rolled into one. Nouvelle cuisine, eat your heart out! This is a full-blown banquet with a take-home bag full of exciting memories.

As to Casper the cat, well, nah, I'll let you discover for yourselves what he gets up to in his own inimitable feline way.

So . . . .

Crunch time. 

This is one to buy for lovers of the series or just lovers of full-flavour kid's action and adventure featuring a strong lead and diverse characters.  

Want to buy a copy?

To get a copy, avoiding mountainsides, perilous ski lifts, spies and high-speed chases, just head down to your local bookshop. Or, order on line. There are plenty out there (book shops, that is, and hopefully NOT spies), and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.

To see our review of book 1, click this LINK.  

To see our review of book 2, click this LINK.  

To see our review of book 3, click this LINK. 

Sarah Todd Taylor's WEB page can be found HERE or type this: https://sarahtoddtaylor.com/ 

Nosy Crow's web page can be found HERE. or type this: https://nosycrow.com/product/alice-eclair-spy-extraordinaire-a-sprinkling-of-danger/

Beatriz Castro's web page can be found HERE. or type this: https://beatrizcastroilustracion.com/ 

That's it for now, I hope you enjoyed the review. I'm off to check out the cakes in our pantry, and to see if Mrs H can get Alice's phone number to order some supplies.....🙂 🙂

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful 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 an early July Selfie. More rain and wind around these parts, with no sign of summer anywhere . . . Ho hum, roll on Christmas!

  

Till laters!

ERin 

SECRETS OF THE SNAKESTONE

by Piu Dasgupta;  

                                                                                       

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's book review really doesn't need any witty preamble from me. It stands tall and proud and captured our hearts from the very first intriguing page of the prologue. Mrs H was taken back (decades/centuries) to her youth and let out a big sigh of satisfaction and appreciation for a work well written when we finished the epilogue. This is one author we will be keeping a close eye on for future releases, for sure.

So, all that said and done, join us now as we head to Paris in the 1890s. . . 

 

AUTHOR:  Piu Dasgupta

 

Cover art by:  Helen Crawford-White

 

Published by: Nosy Crow

 

Publication date Paperback:  14 March 2024

 

Paperback ISBN:   978-183 994 6318  

UK Cover price for Paperback:  £7.99

Kindle UK price:  £6.98

 

Pages:  272

 

Age range:  9-12 and upwards

Any dogs or cats? No, but a sloth and a pigeon play exciting roles. 

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

YES, some as to plot direction and characters.

 

 

Thank you to... 

 

We are exceedingly grateful to Hannah Prutton at Nosy Crow Publishers and NetGalley for the delight 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 have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.

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

The prologue sees a rat run deep under the city of Paris, into the sewers, ending near where a man and boy work clearing a blockage. The rat sees a small gold object winking bright in the mucky water but is driven away by the sense of something "deep and slow and older than the city or the earth upon which it was built." Evil. The boy, Jules, spots the item; it's like two haves of a walnut held together with a clasp. A locket engraved with indecipherable symbols. It twitched in his hand like a living thing and gave off a sickly yellow-green glow. Pocketing it, he notes under which street, and possibly which house, the effluent has come from. There may be a reward for him if he returns it to the owner . . . .

Zélie Dutta has been sent by her father away from their home in the jungle south of Calcutta to live and work in Paris as a maid for Madame Malaise. She lives in an attic room shared with another maid called Blanche. The house was once the home of Doctor Malaise, discoverer of the cure for Blisterpox. The discovery had got the Doctor much fame and wealth, but he died a year later. He had been a member of a dark and decidedly dubious society called the Brotherhood of Blood. Readers will find out more about their dodgy dealings and wicked works later. Needless to say, it is not good. 

Being a foreigner does not help Zélie, and the other staff are weary of her, more so as she has heterochromia – different coloured eyes. They attribute any accident in the grand house they live and work in on Rue Morgue to Zélie and call her a witch. Items being lost and stolen get blamed on her.

Of course, that is all rot, bigotry and covering up their own mistakes and shortcomings. Our protagonist doesn't understand why she had to travel abroad and come to this house to work. It could have something to do with her father having to borrow money and thus using her to repay the debt.

Whatever the reason, she wants to get home. But as the lady of the house reads her letters to her father, she can not write about the dire conditions. When her father does not respond to her letters after a few months, Zélie becomes very worried, heightening her desire to escape the house and France. 

One day, on the way out to get some mercury-based powder for Madame's make-up, she bumps into the same sewer boy, Jules. He is holding the locket and is intent on finding an owner.

Zélie immediately recognises the locket as the one that her father used to wear around his neck. He would never speak of what it was or how he came by it, but he would never have given it up.

What I can and will say is that the locket used to house the Snakestone. The stone is cursed, like so many famous stones are reputed to be. And even though the stone brings long life, health and fortune to the possessor, it demands and exacts a terrible price – the loved ones of whoever holds the stone will die a horrible and unexplainable painful death. So why does Zélie's father have it, or at least have the locket? Could her mother have been killed by the curse?

Persuading Jules to take her to where he found it, she begins a search to understand why it is in Paris and what has happened to her Baba - her father. 

Now, dear reader, the book escalates by many notches. In the search for the truth, Zélie and Jules find new allies, are betrayed, and get entangled with the 'Brotherhood of Blood'. They, too, and their sinister leader, are interested in the stone and, it seems, have a connection to Mr Dutta. What of Madame Malaise? Is she just a grieving widow? Then there are the circus folk Zélie visits. Could they be possible friends? With lives other than their own lives at risk, the story enters one captivating grand finale, which — did you really think I'd give that away? 

Ultimately, everything in this adventure is intertwined, but not everything or everyone is as they seem. You now have the great fun, as we did, of finding out for yourselves. 

What did we think? 

A beautiful literary jewel, filled with adventure and a plot worthy of grander, classical novels. Steeped in the very essence of 1890's Parisian life, above and below ground, that leaps from the pages. Captivating and compelling from the first enigmatic page through until the very last. Sheer genius and not to be missed.

I haven't been hooked on a book so quickly or compelled to read on more than I was with this. That, indeed, is an excellent sign. What I found within was a delightful plot that entertained and provided oodles of character, adventure, suspense, heroines and villains, dark and sinister, spangly and exotic, all sewn deftly together with lyrical expertise and a hint of magic. 

It is very much of the same sort of magic Wilkie Collins infused into the classic, The Moonstone, which was written in the same era and has enthralled children and adults alike ever since. 

Finally, we loved the quote from Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo, about the sewers under Paris. That sets a flavour, a tone, at the beginning of the book that lasts throughout.

Want to buy a copy?

To get a copy, please take the main roads, rather than rooftops or sewers, down to your local independent bookshop. A sloth around the shoulders is definitely not recommended. 

Piu Dasgupta's agent's page can be found HERE or type this:    https://www.theshawagency.co.uk/piu-dasgupta 

Nosy Crow's web page can be found HERE or type this:   https://nosycrow.com/ 

Helen Crawford-White's web page can be found HERE or type this:   https://studiohelen.co.uk/ 

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

 

I shall leave you with a selfie entitled: Black and White on Grey 🙂 🙂

Till laters!

ERin

UNICORN ACADEMY; Sophia's Invitation.

 

From Nosy Crow;  

                                                                   

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.

 

But first, after enquiries from last week's post, a quick trip to Upper Much-Mousing for a news update.... 

 

Mrs Hudson has been studying her credit card bill and is now eyeing Erin suspiciously.

"I can see that you haven't ordered them on my card. That is good news, and I dare say we could have gotten a refund if you had, but the postage would have cost the Earth, and they always want the original cardboard boxes that one has just thrown away. And you're sure you didn't meet anyone strange on the way back from the village Autumn Fete, maybe someone wanting to swap them for something?" Erin had, one Christmas, been caught out by a rogue Beanstalk Trader who'd managed to secure one of Mrs H's bottles of mature Earl Grey tea-flavoured sherry in exchange for a miniature beanstalk. The miniature giants, though they may well have been large, poorly dressed gnomes, that had then invaded the garden the following year had played havoc amongst the fruit trees and taken old Ned, the gardener, weeks to trap and then rehome to a tower block in London. The Tower of London, to be precise!

"Absolutely. No dodgy dealers, I swear. He was from the Council. Had a classic pointy hat, clipboard, a card in a plastic wallet and everything. He even left this receipt," Erin pointed to the rolled-up parchment that, at its mention, unrolled and hovered in the air for inspection.

 

"Well, that does seem to be all in order," Mrs H said a minute later, having inspected the red wax seal of the Magic Council Community Service Officer. "What I'd like to know is who volunteered us?"

 

Erin shrugged and gave her best 'It wasn't me' innocent smile, even though it was her. "Probably got on one of those spam lists after a data leak. I heard Santa left a USB stick down someone's chimney last year. Anyways, now they are here, I thought we could use their droppings to fertilize my catnip patch. 

 

"Hmm. I have my doubts Santa even knows what that is. As to giant catnip plants, that's not going to happen. At the rate they're eating the lawn and weeds, as well as your catnip, even if their dung was magical, it won't be recovering anytime soon!

 

The words 'even if' were not lost on Erin, and she gulped hard and then spluttered. "Not magical. The man from the Council said it would grow ten times the height!"

 

"That, Erin dear, is why you should always read the small print. As these unicorns are on Community Service, they don't have any magical powers. Ergo, their droppings won't be magical either. So, I think the best thing you can do to help them grow is if you go out there and start directing what the non-magical beasts eat. And maybe give old Ned a hand moving the small piles of droppings. Then, you can get them to use those pointy horns to shift the leaves. I don't want to see you until supper time."

With a raised eyebrow, Mrs H left the room, leaving Erin wondering if she hadn't just been done twice and was now doing community service, too? What do you think?

 

With that, let's get on to this week's review of:-

 

 

AUTHOR: Chapter book text by Nosy Crow

 

Script for Television by: Adam Wilson & Melanie Wilson

 

Story adapted by: Mandy Archer

Based on the UNICORN ACADEMY books by Julie Sykes & Linda Chapman

 

Cover art by: Lucy Truman

 

Published by: NOSY CROW

 

Publication date Paperback: 

 

 

Paperback ISBN: 978 1 80513 100 7

UK Cover price for Paperback: £6.99 

Kindle UK price 

 

Pages: 154

 

Age range: Chapter book, 7+

Any dogs or cats? No, but there is a herd of unicorns, and lots of surprising magical creatures!

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters. 

 

 

Thank you to... 

 

We are exceedingly grateful to Nosy Crow Publishers for the fun of getting to Read & Review this delightful book at the time of publication. 

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, 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

 

Unicorn Island sits in the farthest part of the bluest of oceans, shrouded by an enchanted mist. It is the centre of all magic. It is a place of magical creatures and home to dazzlingly beautiful unicorns, who, along with their riders, help protect the world from evil. It is also the home to the Unicorn Academy, where new and upcoming riders are selected. But they must first be chosen by a unicorn, and then bond with it to bring forth the unicorn's special and unique magical talent. Only then can the training begin in earnest. Failure to be selected by or bond with a unicorn means they will be rejected from the Academy. 

 

The unicorns and their riders, and in particular, Miles Mendoza and his unicorn, Wildstar, saved both the island and the Unicorn Academy from destruction by the evil Queen Ravenzella. But it cost Miles his life.

 

But Sophia, his daughter, knows none of his past or true fate. Until one day, she gets an invite to attend the Nuncior Academy. Riding her father's chestnut mare, Mary Lou, Sophia is by far a brilliant rider for her age. The two work as one and tackle the largest of jumps fearlessly. After a ride on what appears to be a pilotless boat, she arrives at the island. She learns the Academy is, in fact, the Unicorn Academy. She is hopeful she can achieve as she rides well. But she is among some outstanding pupils, like Valentina, whose family began the Academy, or others who already knew that the Academy existed and whose brothers and sisters had already graduated from it. 

 

Dressed in tatty jeans and her dad's old but much-loved shirt, Sophia is entirely out of place. With a good mix of kind but firm and fair teachers and headmistress, the pupils from all of society, both girls and boys, are left in no doubt that there are strict rules and breaking them will mean instant dismissal from the Academy. 

 

Breaking the rules or bending them as Sophia might like to think of it as, is not something she can do, and yet she ends up doing it. 

 

When she finally finds a unicorn and is chosen by it, it seems it wants nothing but to slow her down. In fact, it seems the beautiful creature doesn't trust her at all!

What I need to say now is that soon after, the evil Queen Ravenzella makes an appearance, plotting her escape from a crystal prison on a far-off point of the Unicorn Island that the students are forbidden to go near. And to gain her freedom and wreak havoc on both unicorns and the Academy once and for all, she first needs something, Sophia!

 

And that is all I'm prepared to say. The magical adventure deepens and takes off, up and down in more ways than one, reaching its tense, perilous conclusion in the closing pages.

So, what did we think?

 

A high-flying magical adventure that is never short on thrills and spills and a refreshing twist on the magical school stories we have had in the past. 

There is an emphasis on learning to not only communicate with, but also understand their unicorns. The book strongly supports the values of teamwork and problem-solving. Equally as important is inclusivity. So many valuable skills to provide for a better non-magical society and life in our own world. We all hope for these qualities, yet are sometimes forsaken later in life.

 

So . . . .

Crunch time. 

 

Any child who has had or ridden a horse will fall in love with this adventure and understand its charm. Timed to be released before a NETFLIX series coming this November, I am sure it will be thoroughly enjoyed by all girls and boys alike. 

So, if, like Mrs H and I, you have ridden a horse, or indeed aspire to kindle and/or share in a younger reader's passion for same, then this is a MUST READ.

 

Want to buy a copy?

To get a copy, please head for your magical book store, a unicorn is optional. There are plenty out there, and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure your hearts desire.

 

Nosy Crow's web page can be found HERE or type this: https://nosycrow.com/

 

Julie Sykes' web page can be found HERE or type this: https://www.juliesykes.co.uk/

 

Linda Chapman's web page can be found HERE or type this: http://www.lindachapmanauthor.co.uk/

 

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

 

So, I shall leave you with a selfie of me. I'd very kindly offered to help her with the cleaning. I suspect she didn't quite think I meant this . . . . 

Till laters!

ERin