PUBLISHED BY: Linda Jones Bavoom Publishing
Deadwood
Hall
It’s Midwinter’s Eve, the shortest day of
the year and Dylan and Emily and their parents are staying at Dylan’s
grandfather’s house. Odd things start
happening whilst the gown-ups are enjoying a party downstairs and know nothing
of what’s happening upstairs to brother and sister, Dylan and Emily.
Fun and adventure feature strongly in
this enchanting story told through the eyes of both siblings. The real excitement
starts when Dylan catapults a toy soldier from the bedroom window and he comes
to life to take control of things; he knows about slimy Whivicks and a helpful
centipede that has a penchant for biscuits. The children magically shrink in
size to three inches and are plunged into an exciting fairy-tale adventure
where Emily is abducted and taken to Deadwood Hall. Dylan and Archie (the toy
soldier), enlist the help of an owl to rescue her from the clutches of the
Whivick queen.
Deadwood Hall is about friendships,
magic, strange creatures and looking out for each other when things don’t go to
plan. This adventure is the beginning of further fairy-tale exploits where Dylan
and Emily become involved in more magic and discover family secrets. There's
never a dull moment; I’m sure children will be captivated by their adventures.
Deep Waters
This is an underwater tale full of
adventure and magical creatures which I found so enjoyable to read. The story includes more typical bantering
between brother and sister, Dylan and Emily who really love each other deep
down and will do anything for each other if they are in danger. After magically
being shrunk to three inches again, they race to the rescue of one of Dylan’s
least favourite people, the school bully, Justin who also happens to be the
twin brother of Emily’s best friend, Rachel.
I thoroughly enjoyed the new characters
which readers were introduced to; Maldamia who smelt of fish and had seaweed
plaited hair and shark-like teeth; Belfroad with his blue, toad-like head; Amina, with her magic staff; Snifflebit, a talking hamster-like creature, and
the Aquelsis, human-eating sea monsters who can entrance humans into doing
their bidding.
The action is fast-paced and the author
introduces children to a story set in an imaginary underwater fantasy world
which is adventure-based with a hint of acceptable mild horror suitable for
children aged 7-10 years.
The illustration on the front cover
depicts the children in the magic head bubbles they are given by Amina which
enable them to breathe and speak whilst underwater searching for Justin.
Adding to the excitement, the children
discover that their grandfather has magical powers but he is keeping all he
knows to himself for the time being.
This tale takes place on Hallowe'en,
usually Dylan and Emily’s favourite time of year, but this time there’s going
to be a full moon, and the smell of bad, stinky magic is in the air.
The children receive surprise packages
and deduce from their nasty smell, they’re from their Aunt Greta; there’s a beaded
cap for Dylan and a cloak for Emily. It
doesn’t take long for them to recognise both have magical powers which will help
them in their search for their grandfather.
Snifflebit makes a return appearance
along with Quintus, Archie the toy soldiers’ camouflaged soldier-friend and new
creatures, the Begrobs, bee-like creatures with snappy purple teeth and very
sharp claws who work for the Flinyor. The children learn that once upon a time,
a long time ago, before humans, there were three races, Whivicks, Aquelsis and
Flinyor, whose leader is Magnus.
Once again they are reduced to three
inches in size and fly with Quintus and go deep underground with Middlecup, a
creature similar to Snifflebit, on a quest to rescue their grandfather who they
learn is in the clutches of the mysterious Flinyor deep inside a mountain.
This is another breathtaking adventure for our intrepid two, Dylan and Emily. They must succeed or the evil sorcerer Magnus could change the whole world forever. They battle Begrogs and Flinyor guards to find their grandfather and along the way make some extraordinary discoveries and finally learn the secrets he’s been keeping from them.
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Fun and adventure are the main focus of
this enchanting 3 book collection. All books are a short, easy read, perfect
for early readers who are ready to be introduced to adventure fiction. They are enjoyable books for parents and
children to read together or for a more competent older child to read alone;
each book is steeped in make-believe and will definitely ignite the imaginations
of young readers.
I found the interaction between the
siblings so true to life and very down to earth; I enjoyed their squabbles and
differences of opinion which feature faultless vocabulary and dialogue for the
targeted age group. The hint of acceptable mild horror is sure to keep young
readers transfixed to the story. Additionally, the tension level was kept high
and the three books didn’t fall into the trap of being long-winded or boring.
All three books are a fast-paced read
from start to finish, keeping the interest level high and as such all will
easily maintain a young reader’s concentration throughout; all are a fun read
which children are sure to enjoy.
Delightful illustrations in the three
books which really bring the stories to life are provided by David Hailwood.
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