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feglet98's review against another edition
5.0
Trains and mysteries, two of my favourite things! Brilliant book recommended by my niece, thoroughly enjoyable.
lmn9812's review
4.0
As a devoted fan of Maya's BEETLE BOY series, I knew I had to read her latest offering as soon as possible. I adore mysteries, and this one had everything I needed: it was tightly plotted, well researched and TOOK PLACE ON A TRAIN!! The research and innate train knowledge that had gone into the writing of this book was clear to see--and from reading the acknowledgments I am confident in attributing a lot of this knowledge to Sam Sedgman, Maya's talented co-writer and a really exciting talent in KidLit. Despite this, the train facts didn't dominate the narrative, but were woven in in a really subtle way. I also really enjoyed the illustrations, and the fact that Hal, our protagonist, was also an artist--a skill that comes into use in his subsequent mystery solving. This was a fabulous mystery middle grade, and I am really excited to read the sequel when it's released!
vickylovesreading's review
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. What a classic twisting and turning mystery. I particularly enjoyed trying to work out the thief was and picking up on the little clues as I went along.
sallie82's review
5.0
Thank you to Edelweiss+ for an ARC of this book for an honest review.
I started reading The Highland Falcon Thief with really no idea about what I was starting. I read the synopsis and thought it sounded like something my girls for Mother/Daughter book club. This story didn't disappoint. It starts with Harrison "Hal" Beck, having to go on a train ride with his journalist/book writer Uncle, while his mother is having his baby sister.
It starts with Hal finding a stowaway in the form of, Lenny. The engineers daughter, who wanted to ride the Highland Falcon for its last ride. Liberties were definitely taken when it came to things that happen on the train (water troughs!), and there were some points where I thought it was very dry, but the detail that went into explaining the inner happenings of a steam engine were phenomenal.
Hal and Lenny, soon discover that there was a jewel thief on the train and they decided that they were going to find out whodunit. With everyone a suspect (even Hal and Lenny), who stole the diamonds? I highly recommend this book, and I believe it's going to be a great read for my book club!
I started reading The Highland Falcon Thief with really no idea about what I was starting. I read the synopsis and thought it sounded like something my girls for Mother/Daughter book club. This story didn't disappoint. It starts with Harrison "Hal" Beck, having to go on a train ride with his journalist/book writer Uncle, while his mother is having his baby sister.
It starts with Hal finding a stowaway in the form of, Lenny. The engineers daughter, who wanted to ride the Highland Falcon for its last ride. Liberties were definitely taken when it came to things that happen on the train (water troughs!), and there were some points where I thought it was very dry, but the detail that went into explaining the inner happenings of a steam engine were phenomenal.
Hal and Lenny, soon discover that there was a jewel thief on the train and they decided that they were going to find out whodunit. With everyone a suspect (even Hal and Lenny), who stole the diamonds? I highly recommend this book, and I believe it's going to be a great read for my book club!
lizevans's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
booksandlemonsquash's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! Where to begin!
I am sad I can’t go for a ride on the highland falcon, I have to say. This book is really infused with a love of trains that makes it wonderfully nerdy but not in a overt way.
Our main character Hal, is fantastic. He’s so observant, and I really see that being something that gets him more credit as the series goes on. He’s a pretty cool kid too. His uncle Nat is wonderfully eccentric - a perfect blend of distracted, caring and nerdy. Lenny is a great addition as well - I love that she encourages Hal’s burgeoning love of trains, and also is a little bit more daring!
The mystery is fantastic - the way it’s laid out makes it hard to guess too far ahead, but you always feel like there are enough clues to play along. I did figure out about half, but the rest I was stumped by! Honestly, it’s very well plotted.
This is a book that makes you smile as you read, and is the perfect middle grade mystery. 5 stars.
I am sad I can’t go for a ride on the highland falcon, I have to say. This book is really infused with a love of trains that makes it wonderfully nerdy but not in a overt way.
Our main character Hal, is fantastic. He’s so observant, and I really see that being something that gets him more credit as the series goes on. He’s a pretty cool kid too. His uncle Nat is wonderfully eccentric - a perfect blend of distracted, caring and nerdy. Lenny is a great addition as well - I love that she encourages Hal’s burgeoning love of trains, and also is a little bit more daring!
The mystery is fantastic - the way it’s laid out makes it hard to guess too far ahead, but you always feel like there are enough clues to play along. I did figure out about half, but the rest I was stumped by! Honestly, it’s very well plotted.
This is a book that makes you smile as you read, and is the perfect middle grade mystery. 5 stars.
music_teacher's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
nele_vds's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5