Chicken House, 978191026972
If you are a fan of historical novels, especially authors such as Emma Carroll, then you have hopefully already become a fan of Lindsay Galvin. Her previous novels have mixed history with adventure in a way that both educates and enthralls the reader. As an adult who grew up with authors such as Rosemary Sutcliff, Cynthia Harnett and Leon Garfield, I am so delighted to see such a resurgence in high quality historical novels for MG children.
With this new book, the author has taken us to London in the year 1666, which as most readers will know means that great and terrible things have happened; with the Great Plague of the previous year, and now, just when the population is hoping for a more settled life, things are about to take an even more perilous turn.
The hero, Gil, is visiting his grandparents in Pudding Lane when a fire starts at a business further down the street and rapidly gets out of hand. As the family have to evacuate the house, Gil’s young cousin Roly insists on bringing a mysterious stone, that had fallen from the sky, during a storm two years previously. But something magical happens when the ‘stone’ splits open, showing that it is the egg for a small bird; the problem is that the bird seems to grow at a phenomenal rate and has a very odd diet of cinders, candles and other fire associated things. As Gil’s grandmother and cousin head towards the Tower of London and the eastern part of the city, he and his grandfather (with the bird) decide to make for Gil’s home, close to St Paul’s Cathedral. the river seems to be the safest option, but finding a boat is far from easy. Eventually his grandfather is taken aboard a friend’s boat, but Gil and the boatman’s granddaughter Linnet have to make their way through the panicking city. The two young people face a multitude of dangers, from both nature and the scared inhabitants around them and the fire loving bird is
not really helping them. The story follows the children as they overcome prejudice, fire and a mysterious character who tries to kidnap their bird for King Charles II. the story is told chronologically and we follow the action as the flames spread over the days, always at the mercy of the wind direction.
Lindsay Galvin has once again crafted a brilliant adventure story that weaves historical accuracy and also manages to give us the feel of 17th century London, with its crowded and dirty streets, fear of invasion by the French or Dutch and the underlying mistrust of 
those who might be Catholics or foreigners at least. I love the way that the author has included several well-know characters from the period, so we see the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Thomas Bloodworth, who did not do well and also the diarist Samuel Pepys, who was much more pro-active and involved in trying to save areas of the city. We also get the fact that the many bookshops and printers near to St Paul’s did store their stock in the crypt, only for the fire to find a way inside and destroy almost everything.
This author really does go from strength to strength, not only with her historical accuracy, but also with the emotions that she portrays in her characters. Whilst the majority of young readers will read this because of the action and excitement, the book will also prove a favourite for KS2 teachers who are covering the events of 1665 and 1666. What a fabulous book, this really does deserve five stars and a place on my favourites list for the year.
Lindsay Galvin is a full-time author and scriptwriter fascinated by history, the natural world, myth, and psychology. Her first middle
grade book — word of mouth bestseller Darwin’s Dragons — has been published across the world and is commonly read in British classrooms. She presents lively book events for all ages, calling on 20 years teaching experience. When not working, she enjoys long shore-side dog walks with her family, and the occasional sea swim.
Find out more at lindsaygalvin.com and follow on Twitter: @lindsaygalvin.
Growing up in Canada’s Greater Toronto Area, A.Y. read all the middle grade and young adult books she could get her hands on. To this day, those remain her favorite genres. After achieving her black belt in Taekwondo, she explored a range of other types of martial arts, and she draws upon her experiences in learning new techniques and philosophies to inspire her writing. These days, she continues her martial arts training some mornings, writes in the afternoons, takes long walks to muddle out plot points, and falls asleep reading.
doing kick-butt things, but there really weren’t as many as I had hoped for. The idea for this book has been percolating in my head ever since. I wish to inspire kids not only to be brave and never give up, but also to be proud of who they are.
character…but to get beat up by the main character? That seemed awesome. After achieving my black belt in Taekwondo, I explored other types of martial arts and came away with an appreciation for the similarities and differences in the different forms, and how each has a unique philosophy linking the physical to the mental (and spiritual). Martial arts is about discipline and practice, but it’s also about respect (for oneself and for others) and integrity. And, of course, indomitable spirit, the all-encompassing light within us all that shines with determination and hope and an unshakable optimism for a brighter tomorrow.
Eva, the thirteen year old heroine of this story, has a lot to put up with; her mother died when she was young, she is a type 1 diabetic and she has the dubious distinction of being the first human to be born on Mars. As she faces discrimination by some of the other children, she relies on the support of her father and her AI companion to help her cope. So, when her father and his team go missing she decides she has to go and find them. Linked to this we have the ‘ghosts’ that Eva starts to see, one of who looks remarkably like her late mother, the question is, are they hallucinations or are the real? If they are real, then who are they and why are they trying to make contact with Eva?
Creative Writing and founded, and now runs, WriteMentor. In 2020 and 2022 he was placed on the SCWBI Undiscovered Voices longlist and named as an Honorary Mention for his novels ‘Ghosts of Mars’ and ‘Astra FireStar and the Ripples of Time’. In 2023, he won the WriteBlend award for his middle grade debut, Ghosts of Mars.
Most of us assume that we have a right to self-determination and the idea that we are restricted by a fate that is given to us at birth, is something that we might have real problems with. This is the idea behind the adventures of the feisty Ember Shadows. In the first book she is looking forward to receiving her fate card, which will decide if she can follow her dream of being an inventor; however, things do not happen as she hopes. Firstly, there is no fate written on her card and then her younger sister receives her card, saying that she only has a short while to live. This leads to a fantastic adventure as Ember tries to change the way that the fates work.
safety in the old system and they have problems coping with having choice. Someone is taking this fear to an extreme and they are gathering the strands of fate and cutting them, so that the owners are killed. Ember and her brilliant sidekick Hans (yes, he is a hand from a clock, brought to life by magic) decide that they need to try and stop any further disasters taking place. They meet a wide variety of characters on the way, from giant spiders to mon-keys (who manage the weather patterns), but there is always the lurking menace of the line cutter. The author manages to throw a lot of red herrings in our path and especially in Ember’s way, so that she is often caught out in her thinking about the culprit. The denouement sees an unexpected villain and an upsetting discovery about someone she had thought was a friend.
return. Oh, how I wished that I had taken it with me (the explanation will follow shortly.) I had the great pleasure of reviewing Holly’s previous book about “The Boy in the Post” and so it was delightful that I would be able to enjoy the new adventure featuring the three Shalloo siblings, Orinthia, Seafra and Taber.
Norway, starting at Bergen. The story brought back so many lovely memories, especially of the Funicular and the amazing views that you get from the top, but it also reminded me of the arrival into Bergen and the astounding scenery surrounding it. Thank you Holly for creating such a wonderful story and for giving us an insight into the beauty of another country.
Jones. She spent her childhood in Wales, wishing that she was Pippi Longstocking, and after graduating spent time working as an actor, broadcaster and cheese-seller, until one day she had the idea to pen a story about a tenacious young inventor named Demelza. Holly’s days are now spent penning new stories as well as leading drama, craft and bushcraft classes for children. She lives in Brighton with her girlfriend and still wishes that she was Pippi Longstocking.
writers have a variety of stories they want to tell. I did enjoy being released from detailed factual research and building the world of the highly anthropomorphised Dockland Rats.
Tilbury’s world, following him on his adventures, the twists and turns of the story happening organically as I wrote. I think I needed a change from my usual stories that are based in the real world, and to travel to new unexplored worlds. The infinite realms of the imagination were my portals out of reality. Lockdown also made me feel a little institutionalised, and anxious to venture out when Lockdown was lifted. A trip to London seemed a huge undertaking. I really felt I understood Tilbury’s paradoxical desires for adventure and yet to stay at home and never leave.
turn up before dark or for tea. I think parents are more worried by stranger danger and dangerous traffic on roads these days. But also sadly, a problem of modern life, especially in urban areas is that are fewer places to play outside as many places may be developed for housing. My own children grew up in a rural area, but the small roads were so busy, and used as cut-throughs for local traffic, that cycling and walking were not very safe. Like all mothers, Tilbury’s Ma wants to protect her little son as much as she can, but of course, she cannot protect him forever. She must be brave and let him begin to find his way in the world, letting him test his own boundaries. Even Tilbury’s Pa must remind Ma that they were young rats once in search of adventure. But Ma will always there for Tilbury with a hot dinner and a warm bed if he should need it.
this a very exciting prospect indeed. For those who have not read the first book, it follows the adventures of the four Santander children as they go in search of their explorer father, who has disappeared on his latest expedition. They undertake a gruelling challenge called the “Mapmakers’ Race”, hoping to win enough money to continue their search. Despite dastardly competitors (not quite Whacky Races) they actually win and thanks to some teasing information they start out on a new adventure.
have been possible, but we just didn’t know how to go about it. Once, we persuaded our mother to drive us a long way from home and leave us to get back on our own with just our pocket money. It was exciting to be in an unknown street, miles from anywhere familiar, but then we turned round the first corner and there was the tube station by our mother’s work. We were home in less than an hour. Why did we go on the tube instead of, say, seeing where the first bus that came along would take us? Tragic.
This is the second book about Pirates that I have had the pleasure of reading in the last few months. this one is aimed at a slightly older audience, age 8 years and above and definitely makes it onto the reading list for “Talk like a Pirate” day.
There is something quite fascinating about pirates and even ex-pirates; the stories have been sparking the imagination of readers both young and old for many years. As a child my first encounter with the idea was watching episodes of ‘Captain Pugwash’ on the television and then later on discovering the wonders of ‘Treasure Island’. If I thought really hard about it, I am sure that there were other pirates in books, but I definitely remember those to be found in the swashbuckling adventures of actors such as Errol Flynn and Burt Lancaster; Sunday afternoon was full of old films that kept us happy on a cold winter’s day. Today we have the whole range of films such as ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and ‘The Goonies’, as well as a host of books for all ages. As a librarian for a School Library Service I was constantly being asked for collections of titles about pirates and whilst there are lot of amazing titles about real-life buccaneers, it is also fantastic to be able to create imaginary worlds with a wide range of characters. This would definitely have been part of my collection at work..
the cabin boy aboard the vessel “The Black Hound” , but the crew are not what you might expect. They are all ex-pirates and have become ‘Pirate Investigators’ who help retrieve stolen treasure. This second adventure sees them asked to retrieve a precious gold goblet that has been stolen from Fergus McSwaggers, the chief of one of the clans in the Boglands; the only problem is that he is the brother of the cook on board the ‘Black Hound’ and they have not spoken for quite a while. The plot deepens as they try and discover who has stolen the goblet. The consensus is that it was probably a giant cat-like creature called the Mogdrod, that is feared but rarely seen and is said to love shiny things. When Flyntlock, his friend Red and the rest of the crew are captured by Gretel the Sea Witch, they discover that Mogdrod is her ‘Kitty’ and that she had taken the goblet. To further complicate the story, the treasure is then taken by the Ice Pirates and it is up to the crew to rescue it again.
Derek Keilty lives in Belfast and is the author of over ten books for children. His work has been translated into many different languages, selected for the Richard and Judy Club and shortlisted for the Children’s Books Ireland Book of the Year.
Mark Elvins lives in Yorkshire. When he’s not drawing pirates he’s a print-maker and recently won an English Heritage competition to illustrate the displays at Whitby Abbey.