RIP Nanny Tobbins by Lucie Stevens

I don't often read 'ghost' stories because it is one of a very few genres that I do not really enjoy but the author of this book Lucie Stevens spoke at a recent conference held here in Sydney at our State Library and her brief author talk intrigued me (which I am sure was her intention).

Since I am not an expert on middle grade ghost stories I may be generalising but I thought that usually a ghost had a reason for their return. Coming back to right a wrong or assist a person from when they were alive. The young girl in this story Albertine Waldblumen had no concept of death (she is very young and naive). Adults have protected her from this.  We learn her father first off won't take her to Nanny Tobbins funeral and then we also discover she is not allowed to go near the churchyard cemetery. I suspected, correctly, that she had never seen her mother's grave. Poor child believes her mother is flying in the sky with the angels and so she spends a lot of time looking up hoping to see her. So why did Nanny Tobbins return? I guess she may have returned to help Albertine discover the truth about death or to help her in some way to cope with her new Stepmother and changing relationship with her father but that all feels a bit too vague.

Back to Nanny Tobbins (real name Nanette) who was indeed a nanny to Albertine (nick name Bert) we never actually find out about the Great Exhibition of 1851 but alas as Albertine and her new stepmother set off to attend this amazing event the story quite suddenly ends. I was very disappointed not to read about the sights and wonders through Albertine's eyes. Here is some information about The Great Exhibition aimed at youger readers. How did Nanny Tobbins die? It was a horse-riding accident but we are given no further details. I kept wondering if Albertine perhaps saw the accident or worse if she was in some way involved.  One of the gruesome aspects about this ghost is the way her head is not quite attached to her body. She also seems to attract lots of moths but just why this happens is never explained. At night Albertine is locked inside her room - I did find that quite distressing and I desperately hoped the would not be a fire in their house.  

Only Albertine can see the ghost of Nanny Tobbins, but her precious dog named Quiver seems to sense when she is here. There are a number of stereotypes in this story - the evil stepmother; the absent father; the fearful and bumbling servant; and the warm-hearted cook who makes fabulous foods for little Albertine. Of course, the spooky moments happen at midnight. The author Lucie Stevens did say she was thinking of the classic book Mary Poppins when she wrote the short piece as part of an assignment that then led to this longer novel. 

Was there really elephant at The Great Exhibition? Yes and No.  Not a living one but there was a taxidermy one. 

Image source: Victoria and Albert Museum

You can hear Lucie Stevens talk about her book here on the Podcast Your Kids Next Read (start at 15.60). RIP Nanny Tobbins is her debut Middle Grade Novel. RIP Nanny Tobbins will be published tomorrow! And she mentioned there will be a sequel next year and one of the books she lists as recent enjoyable reads was Little Bones. 

Bookseller blurb: When Nanny Tobbins fell off a horse and broke her neck, the grown-ups told nine-year-old Albertine she'd never see her beloved governess again. But it simply isn't true. For every night, when the clock strikes twelve, Nanny returns to the nursery. Yet in her new ghostly state, Nanny Tobbins quickly causes chaos in the household -- and the timing couldn't be more inconvenient. Albertine's stepmother is struggling to settle in, and Papa is much occupied working with Prince Albert on the Great Exhibition. To make matters worse, the grown-ups don't believe in ghosts at all, leaving Albertine to take the blame for Nanny's unruly antics. How will Albertine restore peace to her home before the unthinkable occurs?

RIP Nanny Tobbins is an easy book to read - I think it will appeal to readers aged 10+ but it may not be scary enough for the readers who love to find ghost stories that can tingle your spine. 

About the author: Lucie Stevens is a children’s writer who grew up in a semi-rural area of Dharug Country, north-west of Sydney. After working in Australian publishing houses for many years, she moved to Berlin, where she helped make education outreach programs for the UK and European Space Agencies. Now, having resettled in Gadigal Country, Sydney, Lucie works as a freelance editor for NGOs and not-for-profit organisations. She has authored and co-authored several books for the education market, on topics ranging from mudlarks to Mars. R.I.P. Nanny Tobbins is Lucie’s first novel for children.

I know I said at the start of this post that I don't seek out ghost stories but here are a few I have read and enjoyed (aimed at a similar audience to RIP Nanny Tobbins).

Out of the Wild Night

The Haunting of Charity Delafield

The Ghost of Grosswater

Her Perilous Mansion

Elizabeth and Zenobia

Not a ghost story but this wonderful book has a similar feel or setting

Withering by Sea

A Clock of Stars: The shadow moth by Francesca Gibbons

There are so many delicious words in this book.  Are you curious to know what a zpevnakrava might be?  You need to read A Clock of Stars: The shadow moth to discover the answer.

Imogen and her younger sister Marie have a contented life with their mum. From time to time mum has had boyfriends but she has assured Imogen "it will always be the three of them. No matter what."

Mum goes on a date with Mark. Imogen dislikes him immediately especially when a beautiful moth flutters into the house and Mark offers to get rid of it. Imogen rescues the moth but she is rude to Mark and now she and Marie are in trouble with mum. The two girls are sent to spend the afternoon with their grandmother who takes them to a local cafe. Imogen wanders outside and she sees 'her' moth again. She follows it across a wild garden (no tresspassing). The moth leads Imogen to a tree and in the bark of the tree she sees a door. It is locked but the moth enters the lock and the door opens. Marie has been following her sister and now the pair find themselves in a very strange and extremely dangerous place. All of this happens in the first six chapters. There are 104 chapters in this book plus a prologue and an epilogue. My advance copy has 540 pages and chapter six ends on page 37. This means most the action in this story takes place in the "other world" the place the girls have entered on the other side of that door.

The title might be a way I can talk about what happens next.  The shadow moth is a rare moth called a mezi můra.  It has been sent on an errand by leader of the skretch. King Drakomor, uncle to Miro, has stolen a precious stone, from the skretch, called the Sertz Horta. This has thrown the lands into turmoil. The skretch need this stone to be restored and so they are attacking the City of Yaroslav. They come every night and the people are terrified.

Imogen and Marie arrive as evening is falling and they are pursued by these terrifying creatures. Luckily Miro (Prince Miroslav Yaromeer Drahomeer Krishnov, Lord of the City of Yaroslav, Overseer of the Mountain Realms and Guardian of the Kolsaney Forests) hears them pounding on his castle door and he rescues the sisters. Miro is a lonely boy and he is happy to have new friends. Imogen and Marie are confused about this strange place but they have one driving motivation - to find that door and return their mother. Imogen tries searching alone late one day. She witnesses the capture of a lensi called Lofkinye Lolo. Lofkinye has been put in the castle dungeon called Hladomora Pits.

The three children need to rescue Lofkinye because they are sure she can help them meet Maudree Král but why should she help this pair of human children? Is it safe to head into the icy Klenot Mountain? How will they travel to this distant place?

Now onto the clock - The Clock of Stars.  This is a special object but for years it has been broken. When the girls and Miro pledge to help each other the clock comes back to life. When it chimes different objects emerge via a mechanism rather like a cuckoo clock. These seem to be warnings of things to come. I wanted Miro and the girls to take more notice of the clock but all three are simply puzzled by what they see - two little girls; a wooden skeleton dancing; a woman in a pouffy dress who throws them a kiss; and a tiny boy wearing a crown who seems to be fighting an invisible force.

I love this invented world and all the invented language. You have already read some of the interesting names, strange objects and place names. There are also flying animals called velecours which cannot be tamed and another animal the great bear Medveditze. King Drakomor is not an especially evil character rather he is very greedy which is why he has stolen the Sertz Horta. The King does, however, have plans to marry Anneshka Mazana and she is utterly evil. She orders the murder of Miro and has his loyal companion Yeedarsh killed.

Delicious fairy tale style details - Anneshka orders the guards to kill Prince Miro but when they say should they bring back his heart she says no - they could easily bring her an animal heart and she wouldn't know the difference. Anneshka herself is somewhat like the Snow Queen with her plans for power.

Can you imagine reading a novel with 540 pages in just two sittings?  Surely that shows you THIS book is a page turner! The Shadow Moth will be released in hardcover and paperback editions in early October, 2020.  Often words from a publisher can be slightly exaggerated but not in this case. I heartily agree with these words from Harper Collins:

Thrilling, sharply funny, and with characters you will fall in love with, A Clock of Stars is a timeless fantasy from an astonishing new voice. Harper Collins

This is the first book in a planned series of three but I am happy to say the final scenes in The Shadow moth are resolved and so I won't mind waiting for the next instalment - Francesca Gibbons (thank you) does not leave her readers hanging. The writing in this book is so taut and the imagined world so detailed and interesting I was amazed to discover this is a debut novel for Francesca. Isn't she lucky to have the hugely talented Chris Riddell as the illustrator. Huge thanks to Beachside Books for my Advance Reader copy.