Finders of Silverthorn Forest is the first book in a new series about a secret world hidden within our own – an endearingly charming, magical adventure that completely enchanted me from start to finish.

Young Max is busy in his grandma’s garden at Pickwick Cottage, digging holes, trying to find something precious: his grandma’s memories box which she buried when she was 10 years old during a solar eclipse. She wants to find the time capsule and open it before the next solar eclipse which is only a few days away, something that now seems impossible as she has sold her cottage to move in with Max and his mum who have come to help her with the move.

Max can see his grandma’s disappointment when he hasn’t found her treasure in the garden so, when she tells him that she might have buried the time capsule under an old oak tree in the woods, and gives him a map to its location, he is determined to investigate …

Next morning, Max heads into the woods and finds the ancient oak tree which has a rope ladder leading into a treehouse. Climbing into the treehouse, he is surprised to find shelves of labelled items, and something he’d lost the day before. He is even more shocked when he hears footsteps approaching and someone climbs into the treehouse, and he meets Tuftorious Snook, a Finder who scavenges lost objects using his whiskers.

We Finders have what we call the Golden Rule: Finders Keepers.

Hoping that he can convince the other Finders to let Max go back to his grandma’s cottage, Tuft tells them that Max is a friend who they can trust not to reveal their secret existence in Silverthorn Forest. But when they discover that Max has broken an important Finder rule, they banish him from the forest and Tuft is tasked with taking him home.

The seeds of friendship have been sown between Max and Tuft over a cup of tea so, when Max asks him to help him find his grandma’s memory box, Tuft agrees to help, a decision that leads them into an adventure filled with danger, discoveries and daring deeds. And, when Max discovers that great danger threatens the existence of Silverthorn Forest, can he find the courage to save Tuft and the other Finders before time runs out?

I absolutely loved this adventure and adored the idea of hidden creatures living a secret life amongst humans, scavenging the things that humans have thrown away or lost and keeping them as treasures with a fantastic re-naming system or re-using them as much-loved items such as chipped teacups and mismatched footwear. I loved the environmental messages within the story about the importance of caring for the environment, re-using and re-purposing items and looking after our ancient woodlands. I hope that this is a story that will encourage young readers to get out into nature and explore its wonders … great treasures might just be waiting for them.

Max and Tuft are the most wonderful, adorable characters who quickly form a bond of friendship and mutual trust. I loved how kind-hearted and curious they are and how willing they are to support each other, including by bending the rules, when others are much more set in their ways.

The full-and-partial-page illustrations, including chapter headings and borders, are stunning and really capture the warmth and charm of this adventure perfectly. And there’s a map – always a perfect addition to a story!

This story is a treasure of a find, which will capture the imagination and hearts of young readers of 7+, as they venture into the forest to discover the most magical adventure.

Thank you to Walker Books for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Well April went quickly! This has been a much better reading month for me as I had most of the Easter holidays to catch up on my reading – and it’s a Bank Holiday weekend again!

Books I’ve read:

I’ve read 18 books this month. My highlights were Shrapnel Boys, Inkbound and Dragonborn (middle-grade books) and The Crimson Moth (adult book).

NetGalley:

I have three books on my Netgalley shelf and, despite temptation, have only requested one book in April. My feedback ratio is at 98%.

Books sent by publishers:

I am grateful to have been sent 12 books by publishers this month.

Books Bought:

I’ve bought 6 books this month:

How has your reading month been? Have you read any of these? Have you any of them on your TBR?

The Boy in the Tree is a captivating, heartfelt story of family and connection, of the power of memories, of making a stand and finding the courage to accept the difficult changes that life may bring.

12-year-old Noah has struggled to settle in to secondary school and is constantly getting in to trouble which has resulted in him losing his best friend from primary school. Sitting outside the headmaster’s office during his latest detention, he overhears school prefect, Grace Whitlock, talking to the headmaster about starting a campaign to save the old oak tree on Waterford Avenue which is soon going to be cut down so that a new road can be built to provide access for new houses.

On his way home after detention, Noah goes to see the oak tree and is reminded of visiting it in happier times when his mum and dad were not constantly arguing. Noah makes a decision to become involved in the campaign to help save the oak tree even if it only has two members: himself and Grace – and she is not convinced that he is sincere. Noah proves her wrong when he takes his protest into the branches of the tree, refusing to come down until the tree is saved, but he is secretly hoping that his actions can also save his parents’ marriage.

It is not long before Noah attracts the attention of the media and suddenly the Boy in the Tree has become viral news. Can Noah’s protest protect the oak from determined council planners? Is there any hope that his actions can stop his parents from splitting up?

This is wonderful story of connection with nature as people are brought together through memories of the old tree, reminding them of its importance in the community. It is also a story of the power of activism and taking a stand for something you strongly believe in and Noah strongly believes in the importance of saving the tree and its ecosystem, especially since he has struck up a bond with the pigeon who is nesting there. Sometimes, it only takes one person to make a difference and lead the way so that others can find the confidence to follow their hearts and so an individual making a stand becomes a community coming together to make a difference.

Noah is an incredibly sympathetic young boy whose school life is affected by changes in his home life as he is struggling with the breakdown of his parents’ marriage, something that he keeps to himself, perhaps because he hopes that they will never actually split up. He certainly hopes that his protest will bring them together, but what if change is sometimes for the better?

The illustrations throughout are absolutely stunning, and so expressive, from their depiction of a changing family life to the impact of environmental action on a community.

A beautifully told, empathetic story of family, environmental activism, and change for the better.

Thank you to Barrington Stoke for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Shrapnel Boys is a blisteringly brilliant Second World War adventure that completely and utterly captured me from start to finish, a story that evoked so much emotion and now has a place in my heart forever. This is a definite book of the year for me and is one that I cannot recommend highly enough.

Two days before Britain’s Declaration of War, 12-year-old Ronnie, his younger brother Micky and best friend Lugs are happy to say goodbye to a rival gang in a way that sees them get a caning by headmaster, Mr Etherington. Whilst other children are being evacuated to the countryside for their safety, Ronnie’s mum cannot bring herself to send her boys – and neither would they have left her! Ronnie is the man of the house and is determined to take care of his mum and younger brother ever since his mum kicked her husband out two years before.

When war is declared on 3^rd September, Ronnie feels a sense of excitement and the anticipation of change. After spending time in the cupboard under the stairs after the first air raid warning, their neighbour, Vera, recommends a friend of her son’s to build them an Anderson shelter. And so Johnny Simmons enters the family’s lives …

Whilst Ronnie takes an instant dislike to Johnny, Micky and his mother seem happy to welcome him into their home. Micky is beyond excited when Johnny buys him a bike but, before long, he is doing jobs for his new friends and a divide is opening up between the brothers, with Micky becoming increasingly secretive and spending more and more time apart from his brother …

As war rages relentlessly on London with the Blitz raining nightly terror and destruction, Ronnie is facing his own battle at home, desperate to save his younger brother from the insidious influence of those intent on leading him into trouble, trouble that could have grave consequences for the war. The only time Micky freely gives Ronnie is when they, with friend Lugs, race to collect shrapnel as part of a competition with a rival gang. The shared experience of collecting shrapnel, with both the excitement and danger involved, works to bring both gangs together, but could they be facing greater danger from elsewhere?

This is a story that really hits hard and quite rightly so, but it is also absolutely appropriate for readers at the upper end of primary school and beyond and would open up so much powerful and much-needed discussion in classrooms and at home. It is a story that perfectly encapsulates both the terrifying nightly destruction of the Blitz but also the indomitable human spirit shown by many as they adjusted to a new way of life with resilience and a sense of togetherness despite the fear that must have hung over their daily lives.

But I think it is also so important to show the other side of human nature – the side that will exploit others for their own ends, those who will charm, manipulate and control and, if that doesn’t work, threaten and hurt. At times, this is not an easy story to read: it is one that has had a real impact on me, one that has shown me things I didn’t know, that has made me both tearful and angry but, my goodness, I think this is a powerful story for our time and shows the importance of learning lessons from history.

This is also a story of the strength of family and friendship and the enduring love between brothers and friends. Relationships are such an important part of this story from the protective bond Ronnie feels towards his mother to the sibling bond he has with Micky, who he is determined, and desperate, not to allow anyone to hurt and who he is prepared to take great risks for, and make sacrifices, to save. There is a reciprocal bond of sibling protection from Micky, even if Ronnie doesn’t always see it.

I absolutely adored the friendship between Ronnie and his best friend, Lugs, two young boys who clearly enjoy each others’ company, get up to mischief together and enjoy plenty of banter, but who always have each others’ back even when this involves great risk. They have an almost innate ability to sense when the other is struggling and are there for each other as their world implodes to hold each other together – such a positive counterpart to the more toxic relationship in this adventure. Two other relationships really stood out for me: Ronnie’s relationship with his headmaster, Mr Etherington and Lugs’ relationship with his feral cat, Tiger.

An astonishing story challenging the strength of the bonds of family and friendship when the world is raining down horror, hardship and harm … a profound, powerful and courageous story that deserves to sit with other classic war stories.

Thank you to Fritha Lindqvist and Usborne Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest opionion.

The universe makes no mistakes …

A Sequence of Cosmic Accidents is a debut sci-fi fantasy that fizzes brightly with excitement, humour and darkness, an adventure that completely gripped me and took me on an incredible journey to a parallel world I didn’t want to leave …

Twelve-year-old Arian Wight lives in an old Edwardian house in Hertfordshire with his dad. His mum has been dead for a year following a tragic accident and Arian deals with this loss by putting up a Wall of Nothing, not speaking about her and not crying since her death. Just before his mother died, his parents had been approved as fosterers so, when his father receives a call from the Head of Fostering, with an emergency placement, his dad agrees to accept the fosterling. Arian does not want a foster brother – and that is not what he gets as, shortly after the phone call, a girl is left at the door with a rather disturbing letter for his dad.

Madlock has a penchant for red, a strange tattoo and her unusual use of language does nothing to hide her rude behaviour towards her foster family. When Arian’s dad goes to answer the door, she tells her foster brother that she’s from another world, a world of magick and she needs him to help her on a mission. In his desperation to get away from this strange girl, Arian strikes an impossible deal, but a deal that will change his life forever.

When Madlock opens a wormhole, Arian and best friend Pete find themselves in Madlock’s world, Aerth, a world where she is a wanted fugitive, determined to prove her innocence, but could there be any truth in the accusations being made against her? Or could an ancient enemy be twisting the truth for their own goals? Can this trio work together to solve the mystery that has brought them together or will their destinies take different directions?

This is an action-packed, edge-of-your-seat adventure that kept me eagerly turning pages as I was gripped by the danger, intrigue and darker edge as secrets are revealed and unexpected occurrences made me gasp out loud. There is also plenty of humour in this story, especially Madlock’s use of Victorian insults, which works brilliantly to counter the tension and darker moments.

I really enjoyed learning about Madlock’s world, a world which has allowed Magick to flourish, thereby not having the need of technology that our world relies on. The magical system is brilliant and utterly fascinating with children being more powerful than adults and with those immune to magic also playing an important role. There are also some scary creatures and some wonderful companion creatures, something I always enjoy in fantasy adventures. This really is a brilliantly realised, fascinating and complex world that I loved travelling to.

I really liked both Madlock and Arian who are dealing with loss and grief in their own way and who need each other more than each realises. They are both strong characters who make their own decisions based on what they think is the right thing to do even if these decisions may lead to more danger and tension between them. I really liked following the development of the friendship between Madlock and Arian which is certainly fractious at times but is also one that feels authentic.

An exhilarating, magical adventure brimming with danger, darkness and humour that is guaranteed to captivate readers of 9+.

Thank you to Rock the Boat for providing me with a proof copy. It was my decision to read and review this book and my review is my honest opinion.