The Night Raven by Johan Rundberg translated by Annie Prime

"Everyone in the city has heard of the Night Raven. The murderer was on the loose for four years. The first victim was a girl a couple of years older than Mika, then two men murdered in the same way. The nickname came from the way the criminal seemed to flutter aimlessly through the night, swooping down on innocent unfortunates ... In the end the killer was caught red-handed, a vagrant named John Almgren."

Mika has lived in the orphanage her whole life. It is not unusual for babies to be deposited on the doorstep but the arrival of this baby after midnight seems very strange - almost sinister. Mika can have no idea that the arrival of this baby girl will set off an amazing chain of events that will see her working with a local, rather eccentric police detective, to solve an infamous series of murders in Stockholm. 

The terrified boy who hands Mika the baby stays long enough to say "The Dark Angel knows I am the one who took her." 

Mika has amazing powers of observation. She sees a figure lingering in the shadows. She notices the baby has a braided leather band decorated with tiny red flowers tied around her ankle. Neither of these mysteries, however, are solved in this first installment. And this mystery deepens when the band disappears and Amelia, who is in charge at the orphanage, seems to be holding an even deeper secret.

Mika works in a bar pouring beer for men who can become violent as they become more inebriated. She overhears some men talking about the city murders and the criminal named The Night Raven. He is supposed to now be dead - having been captured and executed - but note my word 'supposed'. Mika is interviewed by a police man and then a detective arrives with more questions before he takes her away in his carriage to a graveyard where he shows her a dead body in a crypt. Is this the man who gave her the newly born baby? No. Then the detective comes again and this time he takes her to visit the gaol.

Here are a few text quotes:

"And sometimes you have to laugh at the thing that scares you most. Life will be what it will be, regardless,"

"I thought you said he was alive when you arrived? ... Barely. We came just in time to hear his last words. He said ... that the Night Raven had come for him."

"I have to pay attention to detail all the time because my life depends on it."

Here is a great description of Detective Valdemar Hoff:

"The first thing she sees is a scarred face half hidden behind a scruffy beard. Bush eyebrows and a nose as bumpy and brown as a seed potato. His body is thickset and reminds Mika of the unfortunate bears she saw once at Norrbro Bazaar. Hands stick out of his coat sleeves are as big as toilet lids. His knuckles are dented with poorly healed cuts and scabs. The ring finger and pinky on his left hand appear to have been severed at the knuckle."

Bookseller blurb: Mika is not your average twelve-year-old-and she's about to prove it. It's 1880, and in the frigid city of Stockholm, death lurks around every corner. Twelve-year-old Mika knows that everyone in her orphanage will struggle to survive this winter. But at least the notorious serial killer the Night Raven is finally off the streets...or is he? Mika is shocked when a newborn baby is left at the orphanage in the middle of the night, by a boy with a cryptic message. Who is he? And who is this "Dark Angel" he speaks of? When a detective shows up, Mika senses something even more sinister is going on. Drawn in by Mika's unique ability to notice small details-a skill Mika has always used to survive-the gruff Detective Hoff unwittingly recruits her to help him with his investigation into a gruesome murder. Mika knows she should stay far, far away, and yet...with such little hope for her future, could this be an opportunity? Maybe, just maybe, this is Mika's chance to be someone who matters.

A thrilling and thoughtful period murder mystery. Kirkus Star review

Over the past decades, dark Scandinavian mysteries, both historical and contemporary, have become popular, and The Night Raven brings the genre to a younger readership. Despite the gruesome deaths, the violence and threats, and the Dickensian urban setting, the descriptions and events are age appropriate, (keeping) most of the violence off the page. Historical Novel Society

The Night Raven is a smart page-turner that’s a bit dark and full of mystery. Rundberg’s pacing is spot-on, and translator A.A. Prime has done a fantastic job making the book accessible to and English-speaking audience. It’s a smooth translation that doesn’t read like one. Cracking the Cover

Johan Rundberg is an award-winning author of children’s books who lives in Stockholm. He has written picture books, early readers, and middle grade, including Kärlekspizzan, Knockad Romeo, and the series Häxknuten. In 2021, he was awarded Sweden’s most prestigious literary prize, the August Prize, in the children’s and YA category for Nattkorpen, the original edition of The Night Raven, which was first written in Swedish. Nattkorpen was also the winner of a Swedish Crimetime Award in the children’s and YA category. There are now four books in this series published in Sweden.

All the books have a stand-alone mystery that is solved in the end. But there is also a storyline that runs throughout the series, so reading the books in order really gives the reader a bigger experience. For example, Mika’s journey to find out about her past is one such storyline, that is revealed bit by bit. Also, both Mika’s character as well as her relationship with Constable Hoff develops during the series, and that is another reason to read the books in order, I think. But it’s all up to the reader. The Night Raven works really well as a stand-alone, but I hope it will make the reader curious to continue.

A. A. Prime (Annie Prime) is an award-winning translator of Swedish literature. She was born in London and traveled the world studying a number of languages before settling in the English coastal town of Hastings. She now works full-time as a translator, specializing in the weird, witty, and wonderful world of children’s and young adult fiction. She holds an MA in translation from University College London and has published more than twenty books in the UK and US. 

I loved this book from the Moonwind Mysteries series so now I plan to read all of them! There are three in the series in English but there are or will be two more in Swedish (Book 4 is published but Book 5 is still underway) - the most recent one was published this year in 2025. In Swedish the series is called Månvind & Hoff. Book one has the title Nattkorpen (2020).

I highly recommend this book for readers aged 11+ and even adults too. When my adult friends discuss the books they have been reading and enjoying I am often left out of the conversation. I dream of the day that an adult asks me to recommend a middle grade or young adult book that they also might like to read - this book The Night Raven is one I would most certainly rave about. I read this book on a Kindle in one sitting on a short flight to a nearby city. 

Here is an interview with Johan Rundberg where he talks about the first book The Night Raven.

I also found this site which expands the map of Stockholm which appears in this book. This could be a great starting point if you visit the city and want to follow Mika's journey across her city.  And here are some discussion questions. 

Here are the Swedish and Danish covers:

Hiding Edith by Kathy Kacer

Book seller blurb: In 1938, Edith and her family joined the many Jewish people forced to leave their homes to escape the Nazis. In a desperate bid for survival, Edith was entrusted to the care of a children's home in Moissac, France, where other Jewish children were hiding. All the people of the town promised to keep the children's identity a secret. Could they possibly succeed? Would Edith ever see her family again? A dramatic and moving account of one girl's experience during World War II.

By coincidence my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything penned a blog post this week about Anne Frank and Samantha Read Smith (more about this young girl in a moment).  I often had students in Grade Five or Six who wanted to read The Diary of Anne Frank but I did not purchase this for my library because I think it is better suited to an older reader aged 13+.  I did have Hiding Edith in my library, but I will confess I had not read it until this week. I picked up my copy at a recent charity book sale. Hiding Edith was published in Canada in 2006 and the Australian edition arrived in 2011. Younger students aged 10+ who are interested in Anne Frank are sure to find the story of Edith Schwalb engrossing. Kathy Kacer interviewed Edith and other children who were saved when they went into hiding in the French village of Moissac so this is a non-fiction biography of a young Jewish girl. She had to cope with leaving her family, living with strangers, and changing her identity.

As unimaginable as it may seem for today’s youngsters to comprehend the experience Edith endured, Kacer has succeeded in allowing the young reader into the apprehensive and troubled mind of this child survivor. Kirkus

Hiding Edith details not only the amazing courage and struggles of one young girl, but the inspiring spirit of the people she met. Second Story Press

Here is a very detailed set of teaching notes from the publisher. You can listen to a five-minute audio sample here from the Introduction to Hiding Edith. 

Here is an alternate cover for Hiding Edith:

Companion books:

Beyond Belief

This is a picture book version based on the famous diary of Anne Frank

Girl 38 Finding a Friend

Let me Whisper you my Story

Now to briefly mention Samantha Reed Smith. Take a minute to read the post above from Kinderbookswitheverything.  I had no idea about this courageous young girl. Samantha was born in 1972 in Maine, USA. She was worried about the Cold War (1947-1991) and so she took some action and wrote a letter to:

"Yuri Andropov, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, expressing her concerns about the possibility of nuclear war. Her sincerity, genuine curiosity, and unshakable belief in the goodness of humanity shone through her words. To everyone’s amazement, Andropov responded to Samantha’s letter with an invitation to visit the Soviet Union." History Captain

She travelled to the USSR in 1983

"Samantha’s message was simple but profound: Peace is not an abstract concept; it’s a shared aspiration of all humanity. Her youthful innocence allowed her to see beyond political rhetoric and to touch the hearts of people who had been taught to see the West as an enemy." History Captain

Read more here:

• The letter sent by Samantha and the reply.
• Kids Britannica
• Kids encyclopedia

I previously talked about another book by Kathy Kacer - To Hope and Back. 

My parents were both survivors of the Holocaust. My mother survived the war by hiding. My father was a survivor of the concentration camps. Their stories of survival were an inspiration to me as I was growing up. As an adult, I was determined to write their stories and pass them on to young readers. In that way, future generations would never forget that time in history. Kathy Kacer

Half a World Away by Cynthia Kadohata

"He was worried about this Dimash. He was way too skinny. What would become of these toddlers? There was no life if you didn't have a family. Jaden knew this because he didn't have a family, 

not really. That was why is life was worthless."

Jaden now lives in America. He was adopted from an orphanage in Romania. Jaden is confused and angry. He has no idea where he belongs and he cannot accept the love offered by his new 'parents'. He has done some dreadful things to their home and he treats their kindness with contempt. Penni and Steve are amazing - they have not given up on Jaden and now they have decided their family needs to adopt another child. Jaden was eight when he was adopted. This new child, from Kazakhstan, is a baby. Jaden worries this means the parents don't like him, that they will send him somewhere else. Then Jaden meets another toddler (Dimash) at the orphanage and he begins to form a bond with this tiny but sadly disabled boy. 

This book was published in 2014 so the print edition is out of print but the ebook is still easily available. 

This book is an interesting account of the processes of adoption and the desperate need to belong. It is also a book about communication or actually lack of communication. At times I found the tone of this story hard to cope with but I am glad I met Jaden. I understand and appreciate that in the end he still has a huge journey ahead of him. This is not a book with a sweet, unrealistic happy ending and so it is more suitable for older readers aged 11+.

I kept relating this story to a friend of mine who adopted her precious daughter from Bolivia. It would be good to hear her view of this book especially now that she is a young adult. I picked my copy up at a charity book sale because I previously really enjoyed two other books by Cynthia Kadohata - Kira-Kira and Wildflower. 

Click on these review quotes to read more about Half a World Away:

Jaden's candor about his past and his inability to adjust to life with his adoptive family makes him, if not exactly likable, an intriguing character whom readers will want to get to know better, and his emotional growth is believable and moving. Commonsense Media

Kadohata excels at turning complicated realities into compelling middle-grade fiction, but this is difficult narrative terrain. Children traumatized by abandonment, abuse and neglect; well-intentioned but naïve affluent parents adopting children in impoverished countries where corruption is rife: These subjects challenge adult comprehension. Kirkus

The point of view of an adopted child is not new, but one this troubled and angry in a children’s novel is a powerful new voice.  As a character Jaden is a study in complexity and contradictions.  His emotions are constantly high, but he mainly feels rage. ... Waking Brain Cells

You might like to listen to an interview (56 minutes) with Cynthia. 

Tilda by Sue Whiting

This book has all the ingredients you would expect to find in an orphan/orphanage story.

• A young girl who is sure she is NOT an orphan (Matilda known as Tilda)
• Small objects which have great significance in sorting out the destiny of the main character (a photograph and a locket)
• A good friend who supports the main character especially against the evil matron (Annie Smith)
• A matron of the orphanage who is a bully in the most despicable ways to the main character (Sister Agatha)
• Locking the "naughty" orphan in a dark small space with rats and spiders (the boot room)
• One kind staff member at the orphanage (Sister Geraldine)
• Stolen letters (from Papa who is now fighting in the Boer War)
• An escape (with help from a new friend)
• A glorious happy ending where the evil matron gets her "comeuppance"

Author site blurb: Tilda Moss refuses to believe her papa has abandoned her and left her, alone and orphaned, in Brushwood Convent and Orphanage for Girls, no matter what Sister Agatha says. A promise is a promise and Papa promised he would be back for her as soon as he returns from the war. But Tilda is convinced the dreadful Sister Agatha is out to get her. Why is she so hateful all the time? She insists that Matilda declare to all at the convent that she is an orphan. She is not an orphan and she will never say it! Something is amiss and Tilda and her best friend Annie need to find out what before it is too late.

There are delightful little interludes in this book presented as extracts from Tilda's diary. These added a tension for me because I was sure the matron would find her book and then later I hoped the rich benefactor would find the diary and realise the orphanage was a wretched place. Here is a sample:

"Facts of Brushwood by Matilda Moss Opinions by Annie Smith

Sister Agatha is the head nun at Brushwood. There is not a lot I can write about Sister Agatha that isn't coloured with my disdain, so I will stick with the facts of her physical appearance.  ... Her nose is sharp and her eyes dark and squinty, and she uses them to fix me with looks that could turn fresh milk sour. (This may sound like hyperbole but for me it is is a fact.) It is also a face I have no affection for Sister Agatha and I have evidence that the feeling is mutual.

Annie says that Sister Agatha is strict but fair with everyone except me and she doesn't understand why Sister singles me out. It makes her furious that Sister Agatha makes my life utterly miserable."

This book will be published on 6th September, 2022.  I almost read the whole book in one sitting. Do you like the cover (by Martina Heideczek)? I hope it will appeal to the target audience (girls aged 10+). If I still worked in my library I would be very happy to recommend this to individual readers who enjoy books about orphans, orphanages and historical fiction.  The blurb likens this book to A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I talked about this classic book in a previous post. 

I think these could be better companion reads:

The Runaways of Haddington Hall

Eloise and the Bucket of Stars

Sweet Adversity

Thursday's Child

Take a look at my post about another book by Sue Whiting - The Book of Chance.

The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

"I know that being Touched comes from tiny specks that travel in your body. That is why Nanay and I must be careful not to drink from the same water or eat from the same spoon, 

in case these tiny specks go from her to me. "

Publisher blurb: Amihan lives on Culion Island, where some of the inhabitants – including her mother – have leprosy. Ami loves her home – with its blue seas and lush forests, Culion is all she has ever known. But the arrival of malicious government official Mr Zamora changes her world forever: islanders untouched by sickness are forced to leave. Banished across the sea, she's desperate to return, and finds a strange and fragile hope in a colony of butterflies. Can they lead her home before it's too late?

Opening sentence: "Even if I told you that we have oceans clear and blue as summer skies, filled with sea turtles and dolphins, or forest-covered hills lush with birds that call through air thick with warmth. Even if you knew how beautiful and quiet it is here, clean and fresh as a glass bell ringing. But nobody comes here because they want to."

"Nanay says that in the places outside, they have many names for our home. The Island of the living dead, The Island of no return, The Island at the end of Everything."

Ami is born on this island - it is the place where the lepers have been sent. Ami does not have leprosy but her precious mother is very badly affected.  One day a government official arrives with the news that the untouched children will be taken away to another island to live in an orphanage. 

If you need to share a written portrait of a truly evil person you could explore this man - Mr Zamora.

"His gaze is fixed on the dying butterfly, and all my fear of him returns. He is enjoying watching it die."

Over the next few days all of the children are checked then they are loaded into a boat and taken to a nearby island. Mr Zamora collects and kills butterflies which is a perfect metaphor for the way he treats the precious children from Culion. Ami will be gone for six years but she and her mother promise to write to each other every day. I imagine you have guessed Mr Zamora forbids this but somehow Ami does discover her mother is seriously ill and so with her new friend Mari and a small silent boy from home the three children set off in a leaky boat to make the very dangerous journey home.

Read an extract here. 

I have COVID - I am going to say this is perhaps not an appropriate book to read when you feel ill but on the other hand it was such an engrossing story that I was able to read the whole book in one day. Here is some background reading (for adults) about the history of Culion Island, 

A heartbreaking and heartwarming must-read about love, loss, friendship, and determination in times of desperation. Kirkus Star review

This story was simply stunning. I don't know how I can describe it in many more words. I was swept up in Ami's narrative from the first page and I stayed engrossed until the very last page. ... Yet what I loved most about the story above all else was the themes that flowed throughout. Children's fiction doesn't have to be simple and one-dimensional, and the author proves this by exploring how damaging prejudice can be and how wrong it is to judge others by their appearance. The Book Bag

Poetic, bittersweet and full of heart, this has the feel and quality of an instant classic. BookTrust

You could follow The Island at the end of everything with this book and also Maria's Island:

Beyond the Bright Sea

I added The Island at the end of Everything to my Kindle because I previously loved The Girl of Ink and Stars.

The Raven's Children by Yulia Yakovleva translated by Ruth Ahmedzoi Kemp

Maybe this was all the work of ordinary people. They allowed these horrid things to happen because they didn't speak out to stop it. People didn't dare to help their neighbours, they rushed to turn away and ignore them when they were in need ... and that hung over the people like a poisonous cloud, a permanently dull grey sky. 

Publisher blurb: Russia in 1938 is a place of great terror. Joseph Stalin is in charge. His Secret Police are everywhere, searching for anyone who might be his enemy. People have no idea who they can trust. Seven-year-old Shura doesn't know about any of this. He's happy in his little home in Leningrad going to school in the mornings, playing with his best friend in the afternoon, fighting with his big sister, spending time with his Mama, Papa and baby brother Bobka. Until one day everything changes. Mama and Papa and Bobka disappear without a trace. The whispers of their neighbours are that Mama and Papa were spies, enemies of Stalin and so they have now been taken by something mysterious called The Raven. Desperate to reunite his family, Shura decides to hunt down The Raven, finding help in the most unexpected places but facing more danger than he has ever known . . .

Here are some text quotes to give you a flavour of this writing:

"Shura sighed bitterly. What a waste of seven years! There was so much he hadn't done; he'd never even owned a dog. And now this pointless end. All because he wanted to try the new Eskimo (icecream) before the rest of the kids in their year. How stupid."

"And where's Papa? ' 'He's gone away ... Not for long. He had to go on an urgent business trip. They sent a telegram and asked him to come. So he had to go away for a bit. But he'll be back soon. Definitely. They'll sort it all out and he'll be back soon."

"He knew it wasn't good to be petit bourgeois. Shura had heard Mama and Papa say so, although he wasn't really sure what it meant."

"The floor was scattered with photograph albums, the one's Mama had been tearing pictures out of and feeding to the fire yesterday. They lay open with empty pages sticking up in the air helplessly. Things were strewn about as if someone had picked the whole room up, turned it upside down, shaken everything out and then dropped it back down."

"Now, like the building where Tanya and Shura lived, it was inhabited by new tenants who had never experienced luxury, who lived with one family in each room. Because in the Soviet Union everyone was equal."

"Soon after the first frosts, the shop windows were decorated with portraits of Stalin. Mostly, the portraits showed a large beaky nose and a black moustache; some had something distinctly raven-like about them."

"How could Shura make him understand that everyone who arrived at the Grey House ended up broken? That everyone fell under their control. It made not difference whether you were brave, kind, cheeky, strong-willed, shy, smart or quick witted. Everyone was reduced to identical grey shadows. They walked in formation, They obeyed every command and worked their fingers to the bone."

This book is very different - perhaps because it comes from Russia. It is based around a period of history that is sure to be unfamiliar to Australian readers (aged 11+). This book will appeal to readers who are curious about history especially Russian history, readers who enjoy books with a political layer and readers who enjoy books with touches of magical realism (talking birds). 

Here are some reviews with more plot details:

Eurolit Network

ReadPlus

Here are some other books which explore history through the eyes of a young child:

When Hitler stole Pink Rabbit

What about me?

Vinnie's War

The Blackbird Girls (for mature readers)

Rules for Vampires by Alex Foulkes illustrated by Sara Ogilvie

Lady Eleonore von Motteberg is a young vampire. She is better known as Leo. This story opens on the night of her one hundred and eleventh birthday. It is the night of the Waxing Moon. On this night Leo must complete her first Hunt, killing a human in order to drink fresh blood. Sorry I know this sounds horrible. There is a huge amount of pressure on Leo from her fearsome mother Sieglinde von Motteberg. Leo must complete her first Hunt tonight. A failed Hunt will not be tolerated. 

Leo has been preparing for this night. She does not want to disappoint her powerful mother. From the castle up on Mount Moth, Leo has made regular night visits to the town of Otto's End. Leo has decided the local orphanage will be the perfect place to complete her task. For travel, vampires use the GRIMWALK, but sadly Leo had the most terrible accident many years ago. She lost her leg on her first grimwalk and she now relies on a prosthetic one fashioned by her father. 

As the title suggests, there are important rules all Vampires must follow. Most are things you might expect involving garlic, silver, reflections and the consumption of blood.  There is a also a rule that a vampire cannot enter a house uninvited. 

On arrival at the orphanage, Leo finds a young girl sorting papers in a darkened room. Minna short for Wilhelmina, has her own plans. The owner of the orphanage is an evil and cruel man. Minna knows he about to sell of the orphans for a tidy profit. Leo hypnotises Minna in order to be invited into the room. Minna is not alone in this room. A scuffle ensues, a lamp is knocked over, there is a fire, Leo does not succeed in the Hunt and now she is responsible for two ghosts. Minna, now a ghost, will need to team up with Leo to thwart the Orphanmaster who in a short time will rise as a ghost with terrifying power and the girls must be complete this task in just seven days. The girls need to gather some special supplies, track down the Orphanmaster and prepare for the battle.

I picked up an advance reader copy of this book from Beachside Bookshop a couple of weeks ago. I am working my way through the books in my bag and this is one I put towards the end of the pile. Vampires are not really my thing. Today was a rainy day so I pick up Rules for Vampires and I read all 342 in almost one sitting. YES it is good! My copy says this book will be out in September but I just checked with a bookseller and the Australian release date is 17th November, 2021. If you are reading this post from the UK it has already been released into your shops. 

There are vampires in this book and ghosts and gruesome battle scenes but there are also light touches of humour and completely splendid descriptions. This book feels like you are watching a film unfold - the writing is so cinematic. Alex Foulkes creates an amazing world in her story. I also loved all the small details in this story which are left to your imagination. Leo is not really the daughter of Sieglinde and Dietmar, she was once a human child with human parents. Minna's own father lived in the same orphanage and he has a connection with the Orphanmaster's wife which goes part of the way to explain why the Orphanmaster is out for revenge. Most of all I need to know more about the butler/nanny called Marged who wears a full suit of knights armour and is devoted to Leo. Oh and the birthday party foods which feature so many things made from blood would surely make an excellent book talk extract to read to a group of students aged 10+.

In this video Alex talks about her book and she reads an extract. She also shares some of the art from this book which was not included in my Advance copy. 

As I mentioned there are wonderful descriptions in this book. I've marked up some excellent ones in my copy only to discover this book is not due to be published (even though my copy says September) but I can't resist letting you 'see' Leo.

"Leo was rake-thin and six feet tall. Her claw-tipped fingers reached past her knees, her skin was luminous grey. Her eyes were dark caverns that turned into catlike slits in lamplight ... Her smile was full of needles; her teeth, sharp as any blade."

And here is a description of her mum:

"In stepped an arresting figure, pale as marble, and equally as stony. She seemed to glide, graceful as she was gaunt. Her voluminous grey cape was adorned with furs. Her silvery hair was swept back from her pinched face, sloping-nosed and pointy eared, and her black, bottomless eyes ... "

Love Reading4Kids include some reviews by young readers on their page. The publisher likens this book to Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy and I agree. You can read a few pages here.

The writing is slick as blood, with smart turns of phrase that Lemony Snicket aficionados will adore, and cracking whip-smart dialogue that drives the story at bat-out-of-hell pace. Oh, and it’s divinely packed with a cast of top quality, quirky characters Love Reading4Kids

Here is the cover of the US edition due out in late November, 2021.

Companion reads:

A very Unusual Pursuit - City of Orphans

Barnaby Grimes - Curse of the Night Wolf

A most magical girl

Thursday's Child by Noel Streatfeild

 

"One Thursday you found me on the steps of the church when I was a teeny-weeny baby. And with me in my basket were three of everything, all of the very best quality. (There was a also a note) 'This is Margaret whom I entrust to your care. Each year fifty-two pounds will be sent for her care and schooling."

When Margaret turns ten no money arrives. The kindly village rector and the two elderly ladies who have taken care of her are forced to send Margaret to an orphanage. They are sure she will be well cared for and treated with kindness but, as is the way with most children's books about orphanages, St Luke's is a dreadful place run by a corrupt and cruel matron. 

Of course Margaret escapes along with two young boys - Peter and Horatio who are the brothers of her new friend Lavinia who now works as a scullery maid for Lady Corkberry. The orphanage is terrible but the adventures are splendid as the children are taken on board a canal boat where they walk beside the canal guiding the horse that pulls the heavy boat and at one point Margaret has to assist as a 'legger'.

As the nursery rhyme states - Thursday's child does indeed have far to go.

Monday’s child is fair of face,

Tuesday’s child is full of grace,

Wednesday’s child is full of woe,

Thursdays child has far to go,

Fridays child is loving and giving,

Saturday’s child works hard for his living,

And the child that is born on the Sabbath day

Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay

I have a memory of reading this book when I was in Grade 6 - and now I see it was published in 1970 so this is entirely possible.  When I saw this new edition in a book store last week I decided to revisit this classic story. I loved every minute inside this book and I am now looking forward to reading the sequel - thank goodness there is a sequel because at the end of the first instalment Margaret is poised to become a stage actress and, more importantly, we have not yet discovered the mystery of her heritage. Who is her mother? Why was she placed in a basket on the steps of the church? And why did the money stop coming? The first book has stood the test of time. I think Thursday's Child will be enjoyed by readers aged 10+. 

Here are some past covers of Thursday's Child by Noel Streatfeild. 

I was intrigued to discover there are so many books called Thursday's child including one by Rumer Godden, and an adult book by Sonya Hartnett.

Eloise and the Bucket of Stars by Janeen Brian

Eloise Pail is the oldest child living at the Children of Paradise Orphanage. If you have read other books about orphans and orphanages you will recognise at once that this place is not a paradise. The children are cold, starving and afraid and Eloise herself is treated like a servant. In the opening scene Eloise has taken advantage of an opportunity to enter Sister Hortense's office. Inside this office is the book of official records. Eloise is desperate to discover anything she can about her identity. She has estimated she was born in about 1807 but all she knows is that she was found outside "a newborn baby left in a bucket with only a scrap of a blanket." Unfortunately she cannot find any entries in the book that mention her name but her search is interrupted by the dreadful and cruel Sister Hortense who nearly catches her during this search.

The orphanage has no running water so each day Eloise is sent to the village of Whittering with two wooden buckets. While this is a hard task, especially in her too small shoes, it is also a happy one because it gives Eloise a chance, even briefly, to be free. Oddly her town is surrounded by high walls with just one pair of gates which are only open during the day. Eloise has asked her friend Mr Jackson, the blacksmith, about the gates and his answer hints at a mystery:

"Keep out robbers. And ... maybe other mysterious beings."

The mystery has a connection to Whittering Pond which is the only water source for the town. It is located outside the town wall. After her visit to the town square Eloise climbs a wall at the back of the orphanage she is able, for the first time in her life, to see outside. It is very significant, but Eloise herself does not know this, that she can see the pond.

Apart from Mr Jackson, Eloise does have one "friend" in the orphanage - Sister Genevieve - but the young sister is terrified of Sister Hortsense and so her kindness to Eloise is very limited but she does manage to show Eloise a book of stories - myths and legends about magical creatures and this is how Eloise discovers a story about a unicorn. So now we have some puzzle pieces which need to be connected. The pond, a legend about a unicorn, an ancient note to decipher which Mr Jackson has found, strange bumps on her own head and a bump on the forehead of the horse she visits each day, and the odd behaviour of two mysterious men who have arrived in the town. Eloise is sure they are up to mischief.

Perhaps, though, Eloise cannot solve this mystery alone. A new girl arrives at the orphanage - Janie Pritchard. Eloise does not trust Janie and now she is told she has to share everything - her sleeping space, her visits to Mr Jackson, her horse Dancy and perhaps her secret knowledge of the unicorn and its connection with the pond.

Take a look at this Reading Time post which explains the evolution of the cover by Tracie Grimwood.

Janeen Brian is the author of one of my favourite picture books - Where does Thursday go?  I should also mention Our Village in the Sky which sadly was overlooked by the CBCA judges back in 2014. She is also the author of two out of print titles from the Aussie Nibbles series - Pop up Fox and Party Time.

I am going to predict this book will be included in the 2021 CBCA Notables - yes it is THAT good! This book is due for publication in June 2020. Thank you to Beachside Bookshop and Walker Books for my advance reader copy. There were moments in this book when I gasped out loud and the graphic descriptions of the disgusting food will linger with me for a long time.

I seem to be reading a series of books about girls living in orphanages. In a few days I will talk about The Unadoptables by Hana Tooke (published July 2020) which is perhaps the best book I have read this month.  Here are some other books about orphans which I enjoyed:

The Wonderling

Beyond the Bright Sea

 Sweet Adversity

The Truth about Verity Sparks

Wakestone Hall by Judith Rossell

The aunts have sent Stella to boarding school. As you might expect the rules are cruel, the food is disgusting and Stella is suffering. Luckily she makes friends with two girls who are also new and together they set out to solve several mysteries one of which is linked to Stella's own heritage. The final scenes will make you smile.

I loved Stella in the first two books - Withering-by-sea and Wormwood Mire - and this third volume did not let me down. You will swept away by the story. You will hold your breath during the chase scenes and marvel at the determination and bravery of our young hero - Stella and the wonderful loyalty she shows to her new friends - Ottilie and Agapanthus.  Read this detailed plot summary from Kids Book Review.

Judith Rossell is a master of description. Stella needs to find her friends Ottilie and Agapanthus who have been abducted. Stella and Joe, a young scrapper, follow some clues to a mysterious shop:

"The walls were lined with shelves of scientific instruments. Behind the counter was a workbench. Tools were arranged in rows. There were jars of screws and wheels and cogs. A microscope lay in pieces. A globe of the world was turning slowly, ticking and whirring, a tiny moon the size of a marble circled around it. A cage of delicate, twisted wire held a little bird with real feathers and eyes made of black beads. A small mechanical crocodile, of brass and ivory, stood nearby."

I should also mention the illustrations in this series are simply fabulous.