Clara is living under a dreadful regime controlled by her uncle. There is no happiness in her life. She is educated by a succession of awful governesses and must remain quiet at all times. She is forced to visit her uncle in his study each evening where he asks the same questions and clearly does not listen to her replies. Clara's only friends are Cook and James the butler/handyman. As the story begins Clara has noticed things are going missing from Braithwaite Manor - paintings and ornaments. Then one day her uncle tells Clara to pack a case of "indispensables". Her uncle then bundles her into the car and drives into the town. When they arrive he stops the car and tells her to go and visit Cook. He takes her suitcase out of the car and drives away. Clara realises he is never coming back when she discovers two hundred pounds in her pocket.
After years of sadness Clara now sees an opportunity for fun. She heads back to Braithwaite Manor with plans to live there alone but when she arrives she finds a boy called Peter waiting on the door step. Who is the boy? Why has he come to her home? How does he know her uncle? These two will need to team up to solve so many mysteries including the puzzle of Clara's parents.
The Secret Starling is the best of mysteries. The evil characters are brilliant and the twists and turns of plot keep you on your toes. I read this book in one sitting and I didn't guess the ending until Chapter 25!
My favourite part of this story was near the beginning. Clara does not know how to cook. Before she left the house Cook has told her very briefly how to boil an egg and how to prepare potatoes. When Peter is standing on the doorstep deciding to come into the manor I had my fingers crossed that he would know how to cook - and YES he does. Their first meal together is a delight even though they only have eggs and potatoes.
I also loved the mayhem caused by Clara, Peter and their new village friends as they romp around the house. They slide down the banisters, play sardines, make forts from furniture and draw on the walls inside the spaces that once held paintings of long dead ancestors.
Who are these children?
Clara has been told her mother died when Clara was born and that her father does not know about her existence. Her Uncle, Edward Starling, has been put in charge of her care. Among her keepsakes Clara has a red ribbon that once belonged to her mother. Her birthday is in January. Nearly all of this is untrue.
Peter has been told he was found at Charing Cross railway station and that a kind lady called Mrs Trimble, who had been cleaning the station that day, adopted him. Mrs Trimble's neighbour, Stella is a friend of Edward Starling, and because Mrs Trimble is unwell, Stella has asked Mr Starling to look after Peter for a few weeks. Clara sees Peter with a red ribbon and she is sure he must have taken it from her shell box. His birthday is in April. Most of this is true but not all.
I saw this book in London a couple of months ago. The cover looked interesting and the endorsement by Emma Carroll said "an absolute joy of a read." I am so glad I bought myself a copy of this book last week.
Here is an interview with Judith Eagle - she mentions Pippi Longstocking and when you read this book I'm sure you will agree Clara and Pippi have a lot in common. Judith also mentions The Umbrella Mouse, The Garden of Lost Secrets (I have read this one but haven't talked about it here yet) and The Good Thieves. My copy of The Secret Starling also has an interview with Judith and she lists her all time favourite children's books as Emil and the Detectives (I am about to re-read this because I will see a theatre production later in the year), From the Mixed up files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler, Thursdays Child by Noel Streatfeild and The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.
This is a great adventure mystery that manages to have an old fashioned air about it but will also appeal to contemporary readers. Book Bag
In Eagle’s fictional world, nothing and nobody is as they seem to Clara, and she has to learn whom to trust, and delve into her own knowledge and past to discover who she really is. In the end though, no matter what era the children are living through, the same attributes hold inherent value: truth, love and loyalty. Minerva Reads
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