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of people are secret agents who need to be 'kept on ice' away from others until the information they possess becomes out-of-date and worthless.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 

THERE'S A BEAST IN THE BASEMENT!

 by Pamela Butchart; Artwork by Thomas Flintham 

                                                                                        

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 want the selfie, please scroll on down!

 

 
Before we start, let's head over to Upper Much-Mousing to see what's been going on since last week's local mishaps and mayhem! . . . .

"Fire. FIRE! All out!" Mrs H stormed into the Drawing Room, decked out in her yellow Reserve Fire Fighters clothing and clutching an extinguisher, and a pail of water, which she duly tossed over the source of the smoke. When the room cleared a bit, her look of concern turned to confusion.

"What on earth is going on, Erin?"

"Erm, " Erin said, peering from behind a now lightly smouldering coal scuttle under the sash window. " I was signalling, Mrs H". 

"What?" 

"You know, smoke signals, like the American tribes used to say the tax man was coming."

"I'm fairly certain they didn't pay tax, at least not in those days. Besides, our local tax office closed after that little incident last year!" Mrs Hudson was alluding to the diplomatic incident that had seen 10 nations vying to create a new enclave and military foothold for their country within the English County of East Lambtonshire. It had all got very tense, seeing military forces from several nations infiltrating surrounding fields, woods and even farmer Clarksin's flock to steal a march in the negotiations. It ended peaceably when the Parish Council declared the village a princelesspality – as there was currently no prince – a neutral zone and tax haven. 

"No, I messaged the butcher." Erin glanced at the piece of paper by her side. "I've also messaged Mrs Singh about cancelling the papers for tomorrow. Plus, the Post Office about some parcels I'm expecting. Is there anyone I can message for you?" Erin looked earnestly at Mrs H, who was rolling her eyes and trying not to choke on the occasional acrid smell that wafted from the scuttle. 

"No, I'm alright, thank you. I think it's safer just to cycle into the village to shop. A brisk walk would do you good too! Too many of Mrs Singh's Jumbo Mini Treats!" Mrs H gave a knowing nod and looked at Erin's expanding midriff. "Out of interest, has anyone replied?" 

Having breathed but failed to reduce the size of her tummy paunch. Erin gave up and gave an embarrassed grin. "Oh yes. Mrs Singh ran up some coded naval flags to say that your order of sherry is ready for collection. And the post office sent a message by longbow—" Erin pointed to the arrow embedded in the window frame – that says you need to renew your MOT and road tax on the Brough Superior motorcycle." 

"Hmm. So no news from the butcher? I sent one of the homing pigeons off this morning. The other bird should have come home by now. Have you seen it?"

"A pale blue grey with a heart shaped white splodge on it's chest, a slight limp and missing a few feathers?" Erin asked whilst discretely sliding a feather from view. 

"The colours are right, though ours didn't have a limp or missing feathers. . . . Erin, you didn't, did you?!"

 

"Me, as though I would. No, no, no. Probably the same fox that took some of our hens. It dropped this note saying the joint will be ready Monday, and then half flew, half wobbled to the pigeon loft." Erin smiled sweetly.

 

"I think, dear, before you have any more bright ideas, or we get some of our own locals demanding your scalp, we should get on with the book review!"

"OK, but before I do, is there any chance you could relight this for me, please; I was half way through ordering some fish and chips?" 

Mrs H rolled her eyes and, after giving Erin a very HARD stare, went to get a mop.

This week's book review makes our fun adventures pale. So without further ado or smoke signals, here it is . . . .

 

 

AUTHOR:  PAMELA BUTCHART

 

Cover art by:  THOMAS FLINTHAM        

 

Published by: NOSY CROW

Publication date, Paperback:  12 JANUARY 2023

 

Paperback ISBN:   978 - 1 - 83994 - 051 - 4

 

Cover price for Paperback is £7.99

 

Pages:  219

 

Age range: 6-9 and up of course anyone else who wants a laugh!

Any dogs or cats? Oh YES, but you'll have to read the book to find out more!

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters. 

 

 

Thank you to... 

 

We are exceedingly grateful to Nosy Crow and Hannah Prutton for the delightful and unexpected uplift to the week and a chance to share this with you 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 and their children will enjoy.

 

A little about the author....

 

Award winning childrens author, Pamela Butchart, lives in Dundee, Scotland. She lives with her son, and two cats, called Bear and Carlos. She says in her bio that if she wasnt working as a teacher cum writer, she'd be running a really posh hotel for stray cats!

 

The plot

First, let's meet our 7 to 8-year-old cast. Izzy is our narrator, and she and her friends, Zach, Jodi and Maisie, sit at the same desk in class. Jodi says she isn't the sort that needs to be in charge, but so actually is, whilst Maisie is scared, faints, and worries far too much. As for Zach, he is ever so helpful but can't tell a good lie if he tries. Together they conduct their secret missions and help save their school from monsters and aliens. 

 

And then there's Gary, Gary Petrie, the one kid in the class that really brings out the worse in Jodi. He is loud and is very sure of himself, worse for Jodi, he wants to be in charge. But he is OK, just like his dad. And as the team soon discovers, has hidden sides and talents!

So, introductions made, let's get to the action. Something strange is happening at school. The Headmaster, Mr Graves, is acting very strangely. Crawling on his hands and knees in the corridor, 'silent crying' during morning assembly whilst talking about vegan sausages, and bursting into the classrooms rummaging through the cupboards. 

 

When Gary's dad is parked at school one morning, blocking the entrance just as Izzy and her pals are heading in, Mr Graves comes out in panic mode. He hauls Mr Petrie off to some urgent task around the back of the school in the 'Out of Bounds' area. It is an opportunity too good to miss, and Jodi gets everyone to follow but can't shake off Gary. When they turn the corner, there is no sign of the adults!

Gary knows precisely where they are, and in exchange for the info Jodi so desperately needs, and much to her chagrin, he gets to join in their investigation of why Mr Graves was acting weird. 

 

When a teacher spots the kids, Gary gets himself locked down below. Later he insists whilst there, he heard scratching sounds.

Now, as one thing leads to another, Izzy and co get invited to Gary's place for a party, possibly with the best-tasting pizzas with the craziest toppings made by Mr Petrie. Here he spills the beans about what Mr Graves wanted and what he thought he saw in the basement. But when he mentioned the thing to Mr Graves, he was bustled out, and no more was done or said.

 

What happens next is a downward spiral of wild guesses, high-tech gadgets made by none other than Gary, and a lot of breaking of school rules and spying on people. 

 

Will the gang discover what monster lurks within the school basement and whether it is guarding some long-buried treasure? Will Gary ever stop being annoying yet incredibly helpful? And will Maisie stop fainting and screaming in terror! And Why is Mr Graves increasingly fraught, scratched up and weepy?

All this and more, including a Ninja-trained cat and lots of nasty smells, will be revealed when the dust finally settles on this adventuresome comedy of errors. 

 

So, what did we think?

 

This is the 13th book in the series featuring Izzy and her pals. Not having come across the others before, I do need to do catch-up. But it clearly is a popular series for the younger reader. I loved this one.

With titles like 'Baby Aliens Got My Teacher', 'Attack Of The Killer Dinner Ladies', and 'A Monster Ate My Packed Lunch', to name but three, I think you can see why.  

 

Mrs H was chuckling, snorting and guffawing all the time. And despite my best efforts to slow her down, we finished in one sitting. We then reread it today!

 

The style of the books is pacy and never without fun. It has an infectious exuberance and vibe that I think kids this age will love. And, being seen from Issy's perspective, we get to see the other, arguably more flamboyant characters, in all their glory. 

 

It is filled with mayhem, mishaps and misunderstandings typical of kids when they get together. It is all brought to life in short chapters, larger fonts and bursts of enlarged, explosive text, with images throughout (in the style of the cover) that really add to the feel of the text and excitement.

So . . . . 

Crunch time. 

A great book that fosters good reading habits and is highly entertaining. Thus, for us, it is of incredible value. 

The perfect antidote to a rainy afternoon, a car journey to that not-so-favourite aunt, or even a boring lesson. Just be sure to share it with the kids!

Want to buy a copy?

 

To get a copy, and avoid detention and beasts unknown definitely head to your local independent bookshop avoiding basements! There are plenty out there and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.

 

Pamela's author page on the Nosy Crow site can be found HERE or type this: https://nosycrow.com/contributor/pamela-butchart/

 

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

 

 

Thomas Flintham's web page can be found HERE or type this: https://www.thomasflintham.com/

 

 

 

And now it's selfie time! We are joining the Sunday Selfies bloghop, hosted by Janet Blue of the Cat on My Head blog.  

 

So I shall leave you with a selfie. 🙂 🙂

 

 

I hope you enjoyed this week's post. Love Cats, read, and be kind to all sentient beings.

 

Till laters!

ERin