by Eloise Williams;
An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.
This week's review comes without a forward. Well, without any substantial forward because Mrs H is still suffering the after-effects of too many chefs spicing up the trifle, mince pies, and Christmas cake with extra sherry!
Suffice to say, tidying up has gone by the wayside, along with more than a few grey-haired cells!
So, without further ado and without raising my voice above a whisper, I bring you another FAB book review. This week we have The Curio Collectors.
AUTHOR: Eloise Williams
Cover art by: Anna Shepeta
Published by: Barrington Stoke
Publication date: Paperback 2 March 2023
Paperback ISBN: 978 - 1800 902 008
Cover price for Paperback £7.99
Pages: 96
Suitable for ages 9+ Reading age 8
SPOILER ALERT
Some as to plot direction and characters.
Thank you to...
We are exceedingly grateful to Barrington Stoke Publishers and NetGalley for sending us the Advance Reader Copy of this adventure.
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
Set in 1896, this short adventure tale opens in a field near the (real) village of Digswell Water, north of London. It is a hot day, and our protagonist, 12-year-old Lily, and her younger brother, Tom, are searching the river and bank for curios. Anything they can clean up and sell. They've made money from all manner of things: an otter's skull, a bedpan, old bottles and broken toys. They take what they find back to Ma Hawker at the horse-drawn caravan they call home. They travel from place to place and put on a show to drum up trade, making up elaborate tales of the curios' new pedigree.
But it is a hard life, and with scant pickings, the trio lives on broth devoid of substance. Lily thinks she's solved the matter when she buys some supposedly valuable trinkets. Alas, she has been duped by the lad that sold them. When the local farmer comes to collect his rent for the field they are in, they have to flee the area. Heading to London, they soon discover that a small piece of carved walrus horn, scrimshaw in the lot Lily bought, is attracting some interest, but not all of it is good.
Ok, from here on in, I can't reveal much more. Suffice it to say the adventure gets very exciting for Lily and has far-reaching consequences for those caught up in it.
So, what did we think?
Eloise's magic shines summerlike in this delightful, easy-to-read tale.
It has the feel of one twice the length, like Eloise's previous book, Honesty and Lies, which was set in Elizabethan times (see my review HERE), and has the same comfortable feeling of place and people.
So . . . .
Crunch time.
A perfect short story that delights and encourages younger and reluctant readers alike. It is something I would have loved to have read to me as a younger child, pre this age group, or love to read to a class.
Want to buy a copy?
To get a copy, please do consider your local independent bookshop. There are plenty out there and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, curio, fun and adventure you desire.
Eloise's web page can be found HERE or type this: https://eloisewilliams.com/
Anna Shepeta's Instagram page can be found HERE or type this:
Barrington Stoke's web page can be found HERE or type this: https://www.barringtonstoke.co.uk/
I shall leave you with a selfie. We are joining the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop, hosted each week by the Janet Blue of the Cat on My Head Blog.
Does my face look too big in this? 🙂 🙂
Till laters!
Love Cats and books
ERin
Till laters!
ERin
