Review: The Secret Society of Very Important Post

I absolutely adored WishYouWas:  The Tiny Guardian of Lost Letters (you can read my review here) so I was very excited to learn that there was another WishYouWas Mystery:  The Secret Society of Very Important Post. 

Penny Black and her mum are moving away from London to live in Scotland so that they can spend more time together.  This should make Penny happy, but she is feeling sad about leaving her best friend, Wishyouwas – and she doesn’t know how to break the news that she is leaving to him.  

Just as she is about to leave her flat, Wishyouwas plops into her fireplace with the news that he’s been summoned to a meeting with the Royal Postmistress, none other than Queen Elizabeth herself.  And he wants Penny to attend with him.

When they arrive at the Palace, they are taken to meet the Queen’s Royal Secretary who reveals that the King’s letter to the new Queen – the Monarch’s Seal – has been stolen.  Without this, the coronation, which is due to take part the following day, is in danger of not taking place.  The Sorters are given the task of finding the stolen letter and delivering it to its rightful recipient, the Queen, before her coronation.  But can they solve the mystery of the missing letter, and deliver it to its rightful recipient before time runs out?

And so begins a wonderfully action-packed adventure, brimming with excitement, risk and peril, as Wishyouwas and Penny work together, alongside both old and new Sorter friends, following a series of clues to unravel the mystery, and discover the whereabouts of the missing letter.  Their investigations lead them to suspect that there is a villainous traitor in their midst who will stop at nothing to ensure the Sorters cannot complete their mission.  I loved the unexpected twists and turns, the unveiling of clever clues leading to historical sites around London and the never-being-quite-sure where the letter was which kept me completely captivated and eagerly turning pages. I also loved that mystery was set in 1953 and gives an insight into the Queen’s Coronation which I think is something young readers will really engage with.

Penny and Wishyouwas have the most gorgeous, warm-hearted, trusting friendship.  I can totally understand how hard it must have been for Penny to tell him that she was leaving.  They are daring, courageous and determined, and are not afraid to take risks and break rules, all of which make them a perfect sleuthing team.

The full-and-partial page illustrations are absolutely stunning and really capture both the heart-warming bond between Penny and the adorable WishyouWas and the sense of mystery and peril.

This is a spellbinding, heart-warming mystery with a timeless quality that will make it a story which young children of 8+ will return to again and again. 

Thank you to Bloomsbury Children’s Books for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.