The Stolen Songbird by Judith Eagle

The Stolen Songbird by Judith Eagle
Buy The Stolen Songbird by Judith Eagle at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Confident Readers
Reviewer: Ruth Ng
Summary: Baddies threatening to kill bunnies, tramps and burglars, mystery paintings and children roaming over the rubble of war-torn London…this is a jam-packed, exciting adventure story!
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 336	Date: August 2023
Publisher: Faber & Faber
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 9780571363148
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Caro's mother, a world-famous whistler, has failed to return home from her recent work trip abroad and is now missing. Her other mother, Ronnie, is having to go up North to take care of her sister who is unwell. So who is going to look after Caro? Sent to stay with Gam, someone Caro has heard her mother despises, she feels frustrated and confused and worried. All her summer holiday plans of building herself some equipment to practise her gymnastics are brought to a halt whilst she is stuck inside this staid old Victorian lady's house, along with an orphan boy, Albie, who is living there too. But she soon finds herself caught up in a mystery, as she discovers a painting of a bird hidden away inside her mum's old suitcase, and all across London a fearsome gang called the Snakes are thieving artworks and terrorising people. Is the painting somehow linked to the gang? And what has happened to Caro's mother? Is she somehow involved in the mystery too?

Set at the end of the 1950's, this is an interesting period for a children's book. You often get stories set during the Second World War, but not so many that look at life in the aftermath. The story happens in London, so there are rubble sites of bombed out buildings, and people finding ways to get on with their lives after suffering great tragedies. Caro gets to roam a lot in London as a very independent, resilient child, and with her two mothers away she has even more freedom to act independently which suits a children's adventure story - fewer interfering grown ups to get in the way! She has two friends to hang out with as well. Horace is her friend from school, and Albie is a little boy she meets at Gam's house. They are interesting sidekicks for Caro, but I felt that they weren't particularly fleshed out. Caro is a strong character though, so you are carried along by her story. I think it's important to mention, though, that Caro has a rabbit called His Nibs who is a great character. I fully bought into the idea that he was happy to be pushed around London in a baby's pram, and would happily be carried on Caro's shoulders when necessary! I love his name too!

I also like the different threads to the story, so we have the mystery of what has happened to Caro's mother, the mystery of why Gam is the way she is and what happened between her and Caro's mother in the past, and then the mystery of the painting as well. There's a lot going on, and things move along quickly in the story with plenty of running away, near misses and baddies who are properly bad, which is just what you want in this sort of a story!

It's a chapter book, so good for confident readers probably over 8 or so. Some chapters are longer than others, so require a bit of experience with a chapter book already. You could also use it as a read aloud book at bedtime though, and I think it would be a fun book to share together.

Without giving any spoilers, it ends on quite an emotional note (I had a bit of a lump in my throat I must confess!) A lovely romp of a story.

You might also enjoy some other adventure stories by the same author: The Pear Affair and The Accidental Stowaway.

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You can read more book reviews or buy The Stolen Songbird by Judith Eagle at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.

You can read more book reviews or buy The Stolen Songbird by Judith Eagle at Amazon.com.

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