The Hounds of Penhallow Hall: The Moonlight Statue by Holly Webb illustrated by Jason Cockcroft

Blurb: For Polly, moving to Penhallow Hall is the fresh start she’s been longing for since the death of her father. Her mum has got a job managing the stately home and once the last of the visitors leave for the day the place is all theirs! One night, Polly sleepwalks into the garden and wakes to find her hand on the head of one of the stone dogs that guard the steps down to the lawn. Then she feels him lick her cheek! The dog introduces himself as Rex, an Irish Wolfhound who lived at Penhallow many hundreds of years earlier. And he is not the only resident ghost – Polly has also glimpsed a strange boy around the place. With Rex’s help she finds herself unravelling the story of his beloved master, William Penhallow, who was killed in the First World War aged only 17.

I picked this book up at a recent charity book sale. It was published in 2017 and so it is now out of print but you might find this series in your local or school library. 

This is a simple story but it did hold my interest. It is easy to read with plenty of illustrations and so would be enjoyed by readers aged 9+. It is a ghost story but it is not scary at all. Readers who enjoy books that feature very special (huge) dogs are sure to enjoy meeting Rex. 

My only comment is I was a little confused towards the end as to why William returned a young boy and not the age as a young soldier when he died. I have now discovered this book is part of a series so perhaps my questions will be resolved in further installments. 

• Book 1: The Moonlight Statue (2017)
• Book 2: The Lost Treasure (2017)
• Book 3: The Hidden Staircase (2018)
• Book 4: The Secrets Tree (2018)

Holly Webb is the author of over 100 books. She almost needs a whole section of the library just to hold all her books. She writes such a variety of stories for a wide range of ages. I highly recommend you look for her books next time you visit a library. 

Here are some I have read:

The Princess and the Suffragette

Return to the Secret Garden

The Girl of Glass

The Missing Bunny by Holly Webb illustrated by Antonia Woodward

Bookseller blurb: Annie is really excited about her new pet rabbits and can’ t wait to welcome them into the amazing new home her dad has built for them. But when Annie is in a rush to get to school the next morning, she doesn’t check that the door to the hutch is shut properly, and one of the rabbits, Humbug, escapes. Can Annie find Humbug in time to save her from the neighbourhood fox … ?

There is just the right amount of tension and emotion in this story. Annie loves her two bunnies but it isn't really a surprise when one escapes after the hutch is not quite shut properly. Luckily little Humbug does not go to far and luckily Annie is brave enough to check her garden late that night so we can all enjoy the happy ending. 

This book is from the Little Gems series by Barrington Stoke. I love these little books for these reasons:

• The paper is the very best quality - so these books will last a long time in a library
• They have colour illustrations which will appeal to beginning readers
• Barrington Stoke ask top UK authors (and illustrators) to write these simple little stories
• The stories are easy to understand and so well written they are sure to be enjoyed by young readers and by parents too
• Every book contains a bonus puzzle or two - I do enjoy doing these
• The size is perfect - slightly smaller than a regular paperback novel
• There are so many titles in this series you are sure to find one you will enjoy
• These books are perfect for readers aged 6-8
• Here in Australia these books are priced between AUS$11 and AUS$20.

Holly Webb is the author of over 150 books for all ages not just these Little Gems. I am sure you will find some of her books in your school or public library. 

Here are two more titles she has written for the Little Gems series:

You might also look for The Beach Puppy

Luna by Holly Webb illustrated by Jo Anne Davies

Hannah and her family visit a Christmas market in Dresden. Hannah sees a small bear puppet toy and the seller shows her how the bear can dance. Hannah finds this quite upsetting, but she convinces her father to buy her the little bear. In the middle of that night Hannah finds herself in a different place and time - a barn with two bears - one huge and one cub. She meets a young boy who is trying to rescue the cub. He has witnessed the hunters capturing the wild creature to use in their dreadful dancing act. Hannah is a stranger, but she is able to help Matthias. Even though the mother bear has been killed the new friends find another bear in the forest who immediately bonds with the little cub - giving readers the promise of that all-important happy ending.

This book was a generous gift from my friend at Kinderbookswitheverything and it reminded me of an Australian picture book from many years ago. 

Here is the Kirkus review

Luna has a junior looking cover and only 176 pages with illustrations but the topic of cruelty to animals which is explored in this book and the timeslip format mean this book is better suited to readers aged 10+.

Holly Webb needs more than one shelf in a library - she says: "Quite often people ask how many books I’ve written. At the moment, it’s 156!"

The Princess and the Suffragette by Holly Webb

Historic events and fictional characters are carefully interwoven to introduce a new generation of girls and boys to the struggle against inequality fought by women decades ago ... 

Library Girl and Book Boy

I picked this book - The Princess and the Suffragette -  in a bookshop recently for two reasons.  Firstly the title - I am fascinated by the suffragette movement in England prior to WWI and secondly I liked the cover but when I sat down to read it a couple of days ago I made an odd discovery.  On the cover it says "A sequel to the much loved classic A little Princess."  I had no idea about the book A Little Princess and wrongly assumed it was also by Holly Webb.  I searched all over this new book for a clue.  I looked at some bookseller sites and eventually I discovered A Little Princess is a book written by Frances Hodgson Burnett in 1905.  I wonder why the publisher didn't put this detail somewhere on the book.

This is the second 'sequel' book I have read by Holly Webb.  About a year ago I read Return to the Secret Garden - a sequel to another book by Frances Hodgson Burnett - The Secret Garden.  Holly Webb is not the first person to pen a sequel to A little Princess - I have also found a book by Hilary McKay called Wishing for Tomorrow.

Knowing this was a sequel I needed to find A little Princess.  Luckily it is available through Project Gutenberg.  I will say I do think it is essential to read this classic first or as a short cut you could read this plot outline from Wikipedia..  I found the early chapters of The Princess and the Suffragette very confusing before I realised this was a special kind of sequel.

At the end of A little Princess, Sara is rescued by her father's business partner and moves in to the house next to Miss Minchin's school and it seems her life will now be perfect.  The Princess and the Suffragette picks up the story nine years later.  In this story the main character is Lottie who was left at the school aged 4.  Now aged eleven Lottie has begun to question her situation.  Why won't her father come to visit?  Would he have abandoned her if she was a born a boy? What does her future hold?  Then she sees the school's scullery maid wearing a mysterious badge.  She demands to know the truth.  Living a sheltered life in the school Lottie knows nothing of the Suffragettes but Sally has newspapers and pamphlets and over the coming year Lottie learns about the struggle, the suffering of Suffragettes who have been imprisoned and the movement of 'deeds not words'.  She is invited to the races by Sara. It is the Derby where Emily Davison runs onto the track and is killed.  In the final fast-paced scenes Lottie discovers the truth about her mother, who she had been told was dead, and she is able to confront her absent father.

Older Primary students who enjoy historical fiction should look for this book.  I really appreciate the research done by Holly Webb.  For example she mentions this slogan.  From Prison to Citizenship.

Sally has this poster in her attic room but Lottie has no idea what it means.  Factory Acts Regulations for Women - They have a cheek. I've never been asked.

One more connection.  I have long had a memory of a Shirley Temple film where two little children are sleeping in an attic.  Someone comes in the night and transforms the space providing floor rugs, furniture and a soft beautiful bedding.  I now discover this scene is from is the movie of A little Princess. Actually there have been many movie and television adaptions of this famous book.

Holly Webb is such a prolific author.  She has written over 90 books.  Here is a review with more story details.  You can listen to an audio sample which begins from page 4.

Here are some covers for A little Princess.  It is fascinating to see the different ways illustrators and publishers have presented this book. 

The girl of glass by Holly Webb

The Girl of Glass is such a difficult book to categorize.  It is a story about the use of magic. Mariana's father is able to add magic to the glass pieces he makes.  This is also a story about family relationships and deep grief.  Some reviews I have seen say age 9+ but I think this book would suit a more mature senior primary student who is ready to cope with the final scenes which I won't spoil here.  It is also a story about loyalty, gifts and talents and family expectations.

Mariana lives with her father, step mother and little sister  Eliza. Sadly Eliza is gravely ill and no remedy, and they have tried so many, seems able to cure her.  Mariana loves her tiny fragile sister but one day she dies :

"Eliza smiled again, and then the awareness faded out of her eyes, leaving them lifeless, emptier than the shards of blue glass in the spoils bin downstairs.  Marina's father leaned over, and held the bubble of molten glass to Eliza's mouth, in time to catch her last faint sighing breath."

This breath is then used to give life to a glass doll made to look exactly like Eliza.  This doll, however, is not Eliza and so she is rejected by Mariana's mother.  There are several violent scenes where Bianca, in her grief, lashes out at this strange glass creature.  Mariana, however, loves her glass sister.  She is not really a copy of Eliza.  She is a creature with her own needs and opinions. Their father finally realizes he has been cruel when he made this creature and so he sells the glass doll to a wealthy neighbour.  Now it is up to Mariana to rescue her new sister.

I did enjoy The girl of glass but I also found it oddly disturbing.  It seemed difficult to imagine how this book might end.  Being made of glass means Eliza is surely destined to break.  Again I don't want to spoil the ending.  I do find books about dolls are often quite disturbing.  I am thinking of books like Doll Bones, The Doll (After Dark series) and Coraline.  The Girl of Glass reminded me of Tilt which is a book I read quite recently.  Mariana has huge artistic abilities but her father will not accept this.  In his view only boys can work with glass.  This issue of sex-role stereotypes was also a theme of Tilt but with a more positive outcome for Netta.

This book is one of four set in Magical Venice and I am now keen to read the other titles : The maskmaker's Daughter, The water horse and The mermaids sister.

Return to the secret garden by Holly Webb

"Emmie stopped, rubbing her fingers over the smooth metal.  would it open?  Would she be able to get inside without the key? She stood hesitating, trails of ivy draped over and around her, not quite daring to turn the handle in case she was still shut out."

I read a few reviews of Return to the secret garden and some admitted they had not read the original book.  I guess Return to the secret garden can stand alone but really the reading of this 'sequel' is so much richer with a good knowledge of the original book by Frances Hodgson Burnett published in 1911.

Holly Webb sets up all sort of parallels in her book that match with the original story not the least is Misselthwaite Manor itself.

Mary is an orphan so is Emmie.  While we do know what happened to Mary in India Holly Webb never reveals why Emmie is an orphan or how she came to be living in a London children's home.

Mary is lonely and bad tempered and confused.  Emmie is evacuated from London to Misselthwaite Manor.  She is one of the older children from the home but the two boys who are of a similar age are not her 'friends.' They tease her and call her names.  Emmie is always getting into trouble and it seems grown ups will never answer her questions.  Her only friend is a little black cat but he has been left behind in London. Emmie is so worried he will be killed either by gas or bombs or even the adults who are putting animals down.

Mary makes friends with a little robin and he shows her the key and the way into the secret garden. Another robin (perhaps the great grandfather of the first) also shows Emmie how to find the door to the garden.

Mary hears a boy crying in the night and discovers Colin - they boy who will become her friend. Emmie also hears crying.  It is a boy called Jack, he is the son of Mrs Craven who owns Misselthwaite Manor.

Mary is helped in the garden by a local boy called Dickon.  Emmie is helped by one of the garden staff - a man called Mr Sowerby.  He has been wounded in WWI and his face and legs are damaged but in spite of his gruff manner he understands little Emmie is in need of love and gentle care.

Holly Webb does capture the moment of discovery in the same magical way of the original :

"She wandered breathlessly under the arches, reaching up every so often to touch a rose, laughing as they shed their petals on her face and shoulders. The summer had been long and hot and many of the roses had finished flowering already, with just the odd late blossom left here and there, but Emmie found it hard to believe there could be more flowers ... a great mass of lilies, so strongly scented that she could almost see the perfume in the air."

Emmie knows about Mary, Colin and Dickon because she finds three diaries in her room.  Over the course of the next months she reads these diaries and gradually discovers the true identity of Mrs Craven, her husband Lieutenant Craven and old Mr Sowerby and just like in the original she comes to a better understanding of herself, her place in the world and the important ways to show you are a true friend.

At the back of my copy of Return to the Secret garden there is an interview with Holly Webb  and she mentions The Painted garden by Noel Streatfeild - this is long out of print but I think I will try to find a copy.

I also recommend you read The Humming Room as another way to explore the themes and plot of the classic book The Secret Garden.  You might also enjoy Carrie's War by Nina Bawden, Vinnie's war, and  Children of the King.