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A review by aelynreads
The Secret Starling by Judith Eagle
3.0
Clara lives with her strict Uncle in their crumbling family manor. But when her Uncle abandons her with nothing more than a little bit of money, Clara is suddenly left all alone. When a young boy called Peter turns up at the house, him and Clara find some suspicious mysteries in the old manor that change everything. Clara starts to search for the truth about her mother’s death and uncovers more sinister secrets on the journey.
Strengths
The mystery presented in this story is very engaging and children will be kept hooked to find out how it unfolds. The resolution of the mystery is satisfying in a dramatic and extravagant style suited to children’s fiction. The characters are well written and I think middle grade readers will enjoy rooting for Clara and Peter.
Weaknesses
The first half of the book is quite slow going. The mystery did not unfold as quickly as expected for a children’s mystery novel and I expect that some children will not be engaged because of this.
The writing style is very classical, which will put some readers off. I personally ended up skim-reading from about 40% to the end.
Summary
Although the mystery element is amusing and intriguing, I don’t think my readers will pick this book up. I will not be purchasing a copy since there are other mystery books I would rather stock in my library.
Strengths
The mystery presented in this story is very engaging and children will be kept hooked to find out how it unfolds. The resolution of the mystery is satisfying in a dramatic and extravagant style suited to children’s fiction. The characters are well written and I think middle grade readers will enjoy rooting for Clara and Peter.
Weaknesses
The first half of the book is quite slow going. The mystery did not unfold as quickly as expected for a children’s mystery novel and I expect that some children will not be engaged because of this.
The writing style is very classical, which will put some readers off. I personally ended up skim-reading from about 40% to the end.
Summary
Although the mystery element is amusing and intriguing, I don’t think my readers will pick this book up. I will not be purchasing a copy since there are other mystery books I would rather stock in my library.