ALICE ÉCLAIR, SPY EXTRAORDINAIRE! in A SPRINKLING OF DANGER.

by SARAH TODD 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. 

If you are here for my selfie, please read on down to the bottom of the page.  

The latest fun gangster-style story hasn't quite got itself finished, so there is no warm-up/B-Movie to go along with this 1930s spy adventure. 

So, without further ado, please open your mind and enter the world of 1930s France, a place where German spies abound. If you are into fine eating, especially gastronomic cakes to make you drool, you'd head to Paris's finest bakery, Vive Comme L'Éclair.

ALICE ÉCLAIR, SPY EXTRAORDINAIRE! in A SPRINKLING OF DANGER.

 

Image ©

 

Author: SARAH TODD TAYLOR

Artist:  BEATRIZ CASTRO

Published by:  NOSY CROW

Publication date:  14 September 2023

Paperback ISBN:  978 - 183 994 88 55

Cover price for Paperback £7.99

Pages:  272 (approx)

Age range: Middle Grade (9 AND upwards)

Any dogs or cats? Yes, a feline called Casper, who gets more than he bargains, AGAIN!

 

To see our review of book 1, click this LINK.  OR type this link https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2022/07/alice-eclair-spy-extraordinaire-recipe.html

To see our review of book 2, click this LINK.  OR type this link https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2022/12/alice-eclair-spy-extraordinaire.html

 

SPOILER ALERT

Yes, some as to wider plot direction and characters.

 

Thank you to... 

We are exceedingly grateful to Sarah Todd Taylor and Hannah Prutton of Nosy Crow Publishers for the fantastic proof copy of this highly-anticipated, delectable 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 like and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their children, friends and students will enjoy. 

 

The plot

Our story opens with Alice and her spy boss, Claude, overhearing the apparent demise of a French agent at the hands of Alice's traitorous uncle Robert. It is the latest in a string of incidents where agents or their locations have been compromised, or worse. Claude believes the theft of a secret map showing the agents' positions, the incidents and the presence of an American director, Glen Carmine, at the Palace Versaille to make a film are linked. Carmine is believed by Claude to be a traitor from the first war, though he could never prove it. 

Somehow Carmine has to be sending snippets of info from the map out to foreign agents. As the current checking of the film production's post and telephone calls has not proven anything, Alice goes undercover on the film set to keep Carmine under close observation. 

When Alice presents some of her delicious macarons to the star of the film, Catrine Belle, she gains favour, a request for daily cakes, and thus access to the set. Unfortunately, Alice has been paired up with an adult agent and new recruit called Pierre, who manages to secure a role on set as Catrine's personal hairstylist. He, however, does not like playing any sort of part with Alice. It is a conflict that only gets worse and threatens the mission. In fact, Pierre seems eager to get Alice off the set and off the case! But why? Has it anything to do with notes he is seen passing to Carmine, who is doing her best to ignore him?

When Alice is sent tumbling to the gutter to avoid being run over by Catrine's car, it seems there is another suspect to be watched. 

During her spying, Alice discovers a fake vase. Clearly, someone has stolen the original. But with the thief of a clock already fired, is there another thief in the cast and crew? Alice has a plan, and surprisingly it involves a dusting of icing sugar and more of her cake-making skills.

Help soon arrives in the form of an adult, Stella Blythe – Alice's reporter friend from book two, but not before another attempt on her life which leaves her cold in more ways than one. It seems that the spy, or spies, are on to Alice. Stella was attending a meeting where the map was stolen from and was, as they say, in the frame. Duly freed, Stella intends to find the culprit, who Claude says is at Versaille. 

Through her investigations, Alice spots the set designer going out in the snowstorm and handing over something to somebody who soon vanishes from the grounds. Could he instead be the spy?

With clues leading this way and that, will Alice bring the real master spy to justice? More to the point, will she be alive to do it. y the time the film is a wrap? 

With only a radio set and a small lipstick-size flare, she sets out on what could be a mission impossible!

 

So, what did we think?

First, I need to caveat the above by saying I have simplified the plot slightly to preserve a lot of action, adventure and mystery. It is, for want of a phrase, just a tasty morsel of a much bigger, cream-filled, strawberry-topped gateau that is just waiting in the patisserie window with your name on it. No calories, just lots of filling.

I love that in this adventure, Alice is developing as an agent. Trusted by her boss, Claude, she isn't just a kid with incredible baking skills. Alice has proved her worth as an asset in the service of France and the post-WW1 free world in the preceding two adventures. But, in a primarily male and adult world, she is also very vulnerable. So she fights on a few fronts, both age and gender. I think this great dynamic will appeal to most young readers. And in an age where to do what Alice and some of the characters do was to risk all, the peril we see here is well placed and informed for the Middle-Grade reader. 

This is Alice's third mission, and my, she really has quite a mountain to climb to expose the villains. 

There are nice twists and turns, especially as we are never quite sure where the main characters' loyalty lies. I do like that guessing game.

The joy of the story has to be Casper, the cat, who, in true feline fashion, willingly or unwillingly, gets himself into far deeper hot and cold water than a cat should. I doubt he'll be going outdoors anytime soon after what he gets goes through. 

We have come to expect mouth-watering cakey creations, and this adventure is no exception. They are used to very clever effect throughout the story. I'll be wary next time I'm confronted with a sizeable multi-tier cake, I can tell you.

If I was to add anything to this story, it would be scratch-and-sniff cards to give the smell of the cakes......

 

So, Crunch time. 

This is an excellent sequel. A super stylish, atmospheric period adventure, beautifully placed inside the Palace of Versailles and its snow and ice-covered grounds, that takes Alice to dizzying, heartstopping new heights and far greater peril. 

 

Want to buy a copy?

To get a copy, please sail or saunter down to your local independent bookshop. Of course, a feline on the shoulders is optional. There are plenty out there (both book shops and cats), and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.

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/

 

After all that reviewing,  I shall leave you with a selfie of little old feline me.  🙂 🙂

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

 

This is me and Logi the mouse settling in for a nap together . . . Mrs H thinks I'm dreaming of cake. Me, I think it may have been cake covered in soft icing with layers of cream, and just a sprinkling of danger(ous marzipan mice) on top.

 

 

 

Till laters!

ERin

 

Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire! A Spoonful of Spying

 by Sarah Todd Taylor;  

An Adventure Book Review & Sunday Selfie by Erin the Cat Princess©

 

 

Today we have a double header for you. First off, having pride of place, is our book review of a FABULOUS new 1930's Adventure. This is folowed by a piece of 1920's style B movie Black and White mischief and fun from us!

So, if you're all now seated comfortably and have got the popcorn and drinks safely tucked away, I'll dim the lights and draw back the curtains on today's main feature: 

 ALICE ÉCLAIR, SPY EXTRAORDINAIRE! A Spoonful of Spying.

 

Author: SARAH TODD TAYLOR

 

Cover art by:  BEATRIZ CASTRO

 

Published by:  NOSY CROW

Publication date:  12 January 2023

Paperback ISBN:  978-1839940972

 

Cover price for Paperback £7.99

 

Pages:  272 (approx)

 

Age range: Middle Grade (9 AND upwards)

Any dogs or cats? Yes, a feline called Casper, who I suspect gets more than he bargains!

 

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to early plot direction and characters.

Thank you to... 

We are exceedingly grateful to Sarah Todd Taylor and Hannah Prutton of Nosy Crow Publishers for the awesome proof copy of this highly-anticipated, delectable book before publication.


As ever, our views in this review are our own. We only share reviews of books we have read, like and feel our readers deserve to know about and that we hope they will enjoy as much as we did, which in this case is a lot.

 
The plot

13-year-old Alice Éclair, cake maker supreme by day, and spy for the French government by night, is off on a mission. And it's not to buy fresh eggs for her mother's famed pâtisserie, Vive Comme L'Éclair. 

We join her in an action-packed scene aboard Le Mistral, Paris' most luxurious event boat, as it sails slowly down the Seine. Alice and senior agent, Claude, are hot on the trail of spies and stolen information valuable to the enemies of France. 

Disguised as a waiter, Alice serves, while elegantly dressed Claude, never short of admiring company, mingles with the well-healed partygoers. Both are on the lookout for their suspect. Suddenly the chase is on, but it goes sour when Alice is faced with a life-or-death choice. And so the villain escapes, but not before she manages to steal a slip of paper from his pocket. Wet and muddy, Alice blames herself. She feels she failed Claude just when she needs to be proving herself. Worse, Claude dismisses the piece of paper.

The paper, however, soon becomes the first clue that indicates the plans for prototype French aircraft, code-named 'Daedalus', are to be stolen and passed to foreign agents. And where better for spies to mingle and plans to be passed than the upcoming World Fair in Paris!

 

Under guise of showing off her cake-making art, Alice and her mother get an invite to take a stand at the fair. Of course, for Alice, it means between helping her mum and working as a spy, she gets little chance to investigate marvels from across the globe on display. 

After a few days with little to go on and even fewer suspects, Alice gets pushed to what she thinks is a lowly position in the Fashion Pavilion. Claude, however, seems to have taken the best, most glamorous assignment for himself! 

OK, from here on in, clues and suspects start to mount. In fact, it seems there are spies everywhere interested in all manner of things. 

 

Alice's decorating skills get to be unleashed too, as she gets embroiled in kidnapping as the adventure quite quickly takes a high speed, high stakes and high octane race to save friends, families and secrets from dastardly deeds and deadly double-dealing . . . . . persons!

 

And if you are wondering about Casper, the cat, well, he gets far more than he bargains for when he steals a ride to the World Fair!

So, what did we think?

 

After Alice's first adventure, A Recipe for Trouble (a LINK to our Review is HERE), I wondered if and how Sarah could pull off another spectacular tale?

I am delighted that she has far exceeded my hopes and expectations. 

This is an adventure packed with unashamed panache, gusto, bravery and adventure worthy of famed Belgians, Tintin and Hergé. 

 

But this is by no means a copy. It stands tall and proud like one of Alice Éclair's own culinary creations, with layers of mystery to unravel and countless textures and flavours. All this amidst a Parisian backdrop of high fashion, aviation, and a world fair. Truly the only thing Sarah hasn't provided is the smells and tastes of Alices cooking. For that, the only solution is to buy your own.

It doesn't shy away from failure and the lessons and costs it brings.

 

The cast is engaging and highlights that women of the era in real life were also at the forefront of engineering and flight. I am so pleased that we see this in writing, as it is often assumed quite wrongly that women were nothing but models, cooks and housewives.

So . . . . 

Crunch time. 

I get a definite sense of an 'upping of the anti' in this second adventure. It is bolder, stronger, and growing with Alice. 

It certainly hits all the right notes in all the right places to make it a firm favourite for adventure-loving kids (and Mrs H.). It also sets another high bar for Sarah to clear for the next book. 

 

So, for me, this is a MUST-READ. Sit back and enjoy a rollercoaster of a ride that takes the reader from the glam of the catwalk, up into the skies and along the crowded streets and waterways of Paris. 

Want to buy a copy?

 

To get a copy, please do choose to support your local independent bookshop. There are plenty out there, and some may well serve up cake and coffee!

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-spoonful-of-spying/

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

We hope you enjoyed the review. Before the second feature, we offer you a selfie.

If you've stayed the course and have some extra time, why not enjoy the second feature. This week Mrs H and I have opted for a touch of the 1920's gangster movie . . . 

London, 1923. 

I'm standing in the fog underneath a lamppost in the seedy part of Soho's China Town. I look at my watch and sigh. My contact with the goods is late, but aren't they always when you're in a rush. The swirling light coalesces around the lamp like a shifting grimy mass of cotton wool. My best Fedora hat is shrinking to my head, and, despite the department store salescat's assurance, water seeps slowly under the raised collar of my Mack. Never buy cheap, I reminded myself for the fifth time that evening and sighed again.

Let me introduce myself. The names Shovel, Erin Shovel. Detecting and 'special deliveries' are the game. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Shouldn't it be Spade, Erin Spade? That one was taken at the Detective Society. The names actually Erin Eyebrowinkwinkski. And who'd have thought it, that mouthful was taken too! So I'm stuck with Erin Shovel. It was that or Trowel. Shovel sounds way tougher anyway, which is handy in this city. Gets you a reputation, and that brings you the meaty jobs. 

So that's why you find me here, damp, miserable, and on a job at the wrong end of town packing a piece. Yeah, this cat's tooled up, just in case.

I take one long suck on my catnip cheroot only to find it's gone soggy. I sigh, longer this time, then shove the damp treat in my pocket. What self-respecting cat would be out on a night like this? Hungry one, that's who.

The sudden sharp jangle of a trolley bus the next street sends a shiver down my back and tail that quickly doubles back and reaches the tips of my whiskers. As if in unison, Big Ben strikes 6pm. Muffled by the London 'pea-souper fog,' it sounds like someone's sat the bells in custard. Don't ask me how I know that; I just do. My tummy rumbles at the thought of food once I finish this special rush job for the Guild. I resist the urge to have a snack as it will dull my appetite and make me less alert. 

I freeze at the skittering of a stone and the rattle of a bottle over the street cobbles somewhere ahead. The silence returns, more intensely this time, and at the edge of the gloom the fog appears to lighten just a bit. Maybe it's nothing. Or perhaps it's a sign the next act is about to begin. 

I wouldn't be the first cat mugged in this neighbourhood. That's why I'm packing heat. I slowly reach into my left pocket for assurance and feel the still-warm, smooth barrel of my loaded .25 pistol. That's a .25 litre water pistol, to you. Enough to frighten the most ardent door-to-door salescats. 

 

Through all the thick, grimy fog seeps a scent; something exotic, spicy . . . . and cheap. Underneath it, I smell something fishy, maybe even dead. It's a smell you don't forget. It can mean only one thing: Frank the Fish is in the vicinity. 

 

Sure enough, the large and fish-smelling tomcat comes rollerblading across the cobbles. I can't say I am surprised or upset that he fails to stop in time and shoots past and back into the fog, leaving an almost visible trace of fish oil in the grey gloom. The sound of a dustbin being toppled by an out-of-control 25lb cat, followed by a GRUNT and swearing, means Frank has stopped. Moments later, he appears, carrying a battered and flatter-than-it-ought-to-be box. My box. 

"You Erin the Shovel?" he asks, smirking. "Digging around for work, are you?" he adds to the insult with a wallop on the shoulder with his huge paw. It's like being hit by a 10lb kipper and sends me into the lamppost, which I swear wobbles. 

"Yeah, yeah. You know I is, numb butt. Now give me the goods and I can be on my way."

Totally ignoring me, Frank pulls out a laminated card from his overalls. And, having looked furtively around, leans in far closer than a cat who eats five-day-old fish and doesn't bother with dental hygiene, should.

"What you acting like that for?" I says. "I mean, it's not like anyone can see us in this . . . soup. Plus, if your breath gets much closer, I might have to charge you for having my whiskers straightened!" 

 

Frank ignores my comment and clears his throat. "It says here I have to check your ID before passing over the 'STUFF'". His lips tremble in delight. "No ID, NO GOODS. I can accept a driving license," he adds, as though this will somehow make life easier. I'm pretty confident he couldn't tell a driving licence from a one-pound note, but as I've not got either, this could turn nasty.

"So, here's the thing," I says. "I need that box. My clients needed it like half an hour ago. "So, we can do this the easy way or . . . ." I pat the bulge in my pocket. 

"Or what?" Frank is suspiciously eyeing my pocket, uncertainty and cogs whirring in his eyes. "What's the easy way," he says finally.

"I can give you this here card of mine," I say, pulling out a curled-edged and damp business card and thrusting it up to the cat's face. "Here, keep it. It's got all my details. As good as a driving licence." 

 

Frank snatches the card and, far too slowly, scans the smudged ink. I tease the box from his grasp and check the goods. "Hey, Frank, where's the tuna! I ordered the Tuna Mayo Surprise with extra cheese and catnip! These look like sardines. You and Giuseppe trying to pull a fast one?!"

"Hey, I just deliver these things. Anyways, the boss says you can't have toona and that's that."

"He does, does he. And why's that? It was a special order, for The Detective Writers Guild, and you knows how that mob gets itchy claws when it comes to book launch party food!" 

Frank understandably backs up a pace as I reach into my other pocket. "Yeah, he does. He also said you'd get all hissy fit, so he told me to tell you that toona wasn't available in Britain until the 1950's! This here is the 1920's!" And with that, he pockets the calling card and blades off into the fog. 

You'd be expecting me to sigh again right about now, and I did. Somehow, I never ended up with the pizza of my dreams, ever. The lamp above me flickers and, with a hiss, goes out. 

"Erin, dear. Are you awake?" Mrs H gently placed a supper plate beside where Erin sat. 

 

"No. No, just had my eyes closed thinking about my book and the food for the book launch," Erin said, with a hint of a yawn.

 

"You've been dreaming again, dear. Besides, you need an idea for a book, then write it." Mrs H smiled and then asked. "Do you have a title?"

 

"Strangely enough, I do. 'Erin Spade, PI, and the Big Toona Rip Off'"

 

"The PI would be for Pizza Investigator, would it?" With a wry smile and glint in her eye, Mrs H pulled off the plate cover to reveal Erin's favourite supper. 

 

"Do you read minds, Mrs H?" 

 

"No dear, but I do read a lot of detective novels!" And with that and a knowing wink, Mrs H left Erin to her Tuna Pizza Surprise with all the toppings. 

 

The End

That's it, folks!

ALICE ÉCLAIR, SPY EXTRAORDINAIRE! A Recipe for Trouble.

  by Sarah Todd Taylor;  

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Cat Princess©

 

Image ©

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

But first some local news: As the temperatures soar in my village of Upper Much-Mousing, Mrs Gauze, proprietor of 'Clips & Snips' the village hairdressers, has advised that she is now offering short back, sides, tummy and legs to all sheep in need. She also offers a variety of rinses, and tells me the pink is proving very popular at the moment with younger ewes. It is waterproof, too, which is rather handy, as the local swimming pool has opened its doors to the beleaguered local flock so they can cool down and get some exercise. The 'Baaathing with Sheep' sessions have proved very popular with the not-so-able and learner swimmers in the village too, who have found the sheep make excellent self-propelled swimming aids!

One major downside of this heatwave is that Mrs H refuses to bake. And no baking means no cream for me. So it was with great relief that she announced a cake delivery. Dashing downstairs I was confronted not with a huge pile of cake boxes, but with a rather ordinary looking package. 

"Is that what I think it is, Mrs H, the proof?" I asked, suddenly noticing the small image of a train on the address label.

"I do believe it is, Erin. And as it's nearly eleven o'clock, just in time for midmorning tea! Shall I do the honors opening? Mrs H asked, knowing full well I'd probably just shred the envelope as well as the contents in my eagerness.

Nodding in agreement, I sat back for the big reveal of proof copy of the most hotly anticipated, mouth-watering new book releases of the year!  

 

The most delicious of covers. Image ©

The telephone was taken off the hook, a pot of tea was made, and a new pack of dunkable digestive biscuits were plated up. Fully prepared, we sat down in the cool shade of an old oak tree, and read..... ALICE ÉCLAIR, SPY EXTRAORDINAIRE! A Recipe for Trouble.

 

Final cover for this wonderful adventure. Image ©

Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire! A Recipe for Trouble. by SARAH TODD TAYLOR

 

Cover art by:  BEATRIZ CASTRO

 

Published by:  NOSY CROW

Publication date:  4 AUGUST 2022

Paperback ISBN:  978 183 994 0958

 

Cover price for Paperback £7.99

 

Pages:  272.

 

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

Any dogs or cats? Yes, a feline called Casper, who I suspect gets more than his fair share of creme!

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters. 

 

 

Thank you to... 

 

We are exceedingly grateful to Hannah Prutton & Nosy Crow books 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

From the setting of London for the much-lauded and entertaining 'Max the Detective Cat' series, Sarah Todd Taylor has sailed across the channel to the wonderful city of Paris for the first book in her brand new adventure series, the first of which is titled 'Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire! A Recipe for Trouble'. 

 

We dive straight into the mix on the opening page and meet Alice Éclair, a gifted 13-year-old cake maker, as she puts the finishing touches to an extraordinary and beautiful cake decorated with a replica of the Eiffel Tower. Made from icing, spun sugar, and paper-thin sheets of caramel, it is a mouth-watering joy to behold. Alice's widowed mother is the owner of Paris's famed pâtisserie, Vive Comme L'Éclair, and it is here during the day that she creates too-good-too-eat masterpieces – cakes for Paris's finest hotels and lucky customers. 

 

However, her mother doesn't know that Alice has led a double life over the last year. It started with an anonymous puzzle in an unsigned birthday card, followed by cyphers, treasure hunts and crosswords. Alice initially thought it was her mother having fun, but she soon realised an anonymous person was training her to be a spy. She even received lock picks and skeleton keys. Who the spymaster is, she isn't sure, but she has an idea.

Her training assignments started in earnest when she had to pass a secret note to a woman on a bridge. Now though, her task is more complex and potentially very dangerous. She has to retrieve a microfilm containing secrets stolen by a foreign spy, secrets that she is told will jeopardise France's security! Why a girl for such an important task? Well, who pays attention to a child? Once she has the film, she will finally meet the person behind it all.

Like her baking, Alice is a skilled agent and soon completes the task. But in so doing, she uncovers more than she could have dreamed possible. One thing leads to another, and her trusted spymaster seeds the idea of another mission. It is one Alice feels she can do and wants to do for France. But to complete the task, she has to join France's most luxurious train, The Sapphire Express. But she can't go as a passenger and enrols as a pastry chef!

From here on in, the chase is on, and in true Christie fashion, the plot, like a cake mix, thickens as the train speeds to its destination in Monte Carlo! 

Like the best cinematic and literary adventures, there are plenty of clues and suspects to test a young spy. What Alice lacks in worldly experience, she makes up for in determination and imagination. All good lead characters have an ally or sidekick, and in this adventure, Alice meets a young, cultured teenage girl called Penelope Fulmington. Well-intentioned and bored of the staid company of her father, Penelope soon becomes a useful sleuthing friend.

 

As to red herrings? Well, I'd be remiss if I didn't say that whilst there are no fish on the menu this time, there is plenty of cake colouring to keep her and her new friend, Penelope, guessing, and the plot steaming along and the mind engaged. I can't say much more than this, except that the sum of the parts I mention is far greater.

 

So, what did we think?

 

The author's style is pleasing, engaging and very easy to read. There is a real sense of person and place. Once I started, I had to carry on.

 

Never once did I feel bogged down in dialogue or description. I can appreciate from my work how challenging it is to achieve this. Great books, like great cakes, require the best ingredients in the right quantities, the best presentation, and above all, a great cook. It is also evident that the author's passion for baking, music, clothes and spy adventures has gone into this story.

If you have read the 'Max the detective Cat' series already, then you will know what I mean here about the author's style. If not, do dip your toe into this younger age group feline adventure series. They are very readable shorter adventures that are thoroughly fun and immersive, like this story.

 

In this latest series, which is geared up for an older MG reader (9-12 upwards), I felt instantly at home in the settings in which we found ourselves. There was always enough magic in the words to paint precisely the right image in the mind. The Sapphire Express, for example, its kitchens, carriages and quarters all resonate as correct as did the cast of passengers/suspects. Even though I have not been to Paris, travelled on luxury trains, or met such people, I felt I had. 

 

The plot is elegant, warming and friendly. And yet, where it had to be, it wasn't afraid to set out consequences and portray betrayal and evil as appropriate to the age range. Pleasingly, Alice is not precocious as so many of the characters in MG books tend to be. As a result, for me, she is more rounded, friendly and thus, more relatable.

 

Scenes of life-threatening daring made us hark back to the best train and thriller movies. It also made us think of authors past, such as Agatha Christie, and to place this unique story alongside the works of contemporary authors such as Robin Stevens, MG Leonard and Sam Sedgman. 

As to cakes, well, as soon as I have finished writing this, I'll be heading off to place an order for meringues and cream, topped with fresh strawberries!

So . . . . 

Crunch time. 

This is a fun, 'toothsome' adventure that is sure to please. The only crunch here would be what cakes to have with your cup of tea as you read this exciting introduction to Alice's world. How Sarah will better this, I do not know. For the readers, I am sure one slice will not be enough. . . 

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.

 

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/

 

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

 

 

If any publishers wish us to review their books, please do get in touch. Details are listed on our book review page.

 

I shall leave you with a picture of me catching a breeze, and admiring Mrs H's new super-comfy zip-up BILLY© High Tops. There'll be no missing those coming in the dark!

 

Till laters!

ERin