Bloomsbury

ISBN:	9781526608130
Imprint:	Bloomsbury Children’s Books

RRP $14.99

I have quickly become a fan of Katherine Rundell’s writing. After The Wolf Wilder and especially The Explorer (still the most visited blog post I’ve put up!) it would be hard to ignore such magical and adventurous narratives.

Once again Katherine has put a group of children, all quite dissimilar, into a position where they forge bonds and achieve significant outcomes despite all odds.

The New York of the 1920s – speakeasies, brilliantine hair, the rise of gangsters – is not the best place for children but to Vita it is a challenge rising up to meet her. She and her mother have travelled from England to ‘rescue’ her grandfather. Jack has lost his beloved wife and also his grand family home which has been swindled from him by an unscrupulous character with certain Mafia connections.

Where her mother is more concerned with the mundane such as sorting Jack’s bank accounts and passports, Vita determines to pursue justice and restore her grandfather’s property.

Her early attempt is fraught with danger and difficulty but in the course of it she runs across Silk, a girl about her own age, who has ‘skills’ which are useful in the course of recovering property. Next she encounters two boys from a circus performing at Carnegie Hall who also have amazing attributes and so the plan begins to take shape.

It’s a narrative that is packed with tension and excitement, bravery and daring and it will completely entrance readers from around the age of around ten upwards.

Vita is not your average heroine. With a crooked foot from an early bout of polio she is not physically strong, but her mental attitude along with her unerring accuracy with throwing (marbles, stones, knives), not to mention her perfect planning skills make her a formidable team member of the ‘good thieves’ gang.

Don’t miss this one! It’s a ripping read and your kids will love it!