The Highland Falcon Thief (Adventures on Trains, 1)

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Author Luke Palmer introduces his new book, Play (Firefly Press) about four boys growing up together, the challenges, the friendships, and what hap... The Highland Falcon Thief can be read as a stand-alone novel, or enjoyed as part of the Adventures on Trains series. Join Hal and Uncle Nat on the next stops in this thrilling series, Kidnap on the California Comet and Murder on the Safari Star. I also liked that it was a robbery rather than a murder, allowing children (or parents!) who aren’t keen on that aspect of the genre can still enjoy solving a crime. I also really liked the use of Hal’s sketchbooks, which served not only to illustrate the book beautifully (with a little help from Elisa Paganelli!) but also as an aid to the solving of the crime itself – so many of the leads and clues they end up following come thanks to Hal’s documentation of the journey.

Additionally, I loved how Hal and his Uncle Nat's relationship grew over the course of the story. While Hal was always respectful and a bit in awe of his Uncle, you could see as the story progressed how they learned to really trust and love one another. After what seemed like forever, a copy arrived and jumped straight to the top of my reading queue! And deservedly so, it was great. A super-fun middle-grade mystery with steam-trains and samoyeds. I loved it! -- Peter Bunzl, author of Cogheart The Highland Falcon Thiefwritten by M.G.Leonard andSam Sedgeman, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli(Macmillan) Hear whispers in the dining car, find notes in the library and unknown passengers among the luggage, as you help Harrison solve the mystery aboard one of the world's grandest trains.Er waren zoveel verdachten, al kon ik er al een paar van mijn lijstje halen. Ik vond het leuk om met Alex en Lenny door de trein te lopen op zoek naar hints en mijn lijstje zo aan te passen. Uiteindelijk moet ik zeggen dat ik dader niet had geraden, of in ieder geval… nee dat zou een spoiler zijn en dat wil ik niet. 😛 Harrison is a lovely young man, courteous and reluctantly boards The Highland Falcon, the only child on the journey from Crewe to Scotland until Harrison discovers a young stowaway. Marlene Singh is a railroad enthusiast and befriends Harrison as they begin their adventure across Britain. Also, this is a modern book written to feel like it's written in that older style but we know it's modern times in the story. And we're going to have the police unreasonably jump to suspect the brown people on the train and we aren't going to at ALL mention that race is CLEARLY a factor in a police detective easily jumping to this unsupported, unsupportable, conclusion???? Because, I was SO waiting for Uncle Nat to comment on the obvious racism... In the third mysterious tale of Eerie-on-Sea, it's almost Ghastly Night, and the Shadowghast—an ancient spirit in a lantern—lurks in wait for the power to enslave the town.

M. G. Leonard is a writer of books, poems and screenplays. She has a first-class honours degree in English literature and an MA in Shakespeare Studies from Kings College London. She works as a freelance Digital Media Producer for clients such as the National Theatre, and Harry Potter West End, and previously worked as a Senior Digital Producer at the National Theatre, the Royal Opera House and Shakespeare’s Globe. She spent her early career in the music industry running Setanta Records, an independent record label, and managing bands, most notably The Divine Comedy. After leaving the music industry, she trained as an actor, dabbling in directing and producing as well as performing, before deciding to write her stories down. Maya lives in Brighton with her husband and two sons. Way out in the furthest part of the known world, a tiny stronghold exists all on its own, cut off from the rest of human-kin by monsters that lurk beneath the Snow Sea. Hal is a fantastic character. He has all of the characteristics one would look for in a young hero. He's smart, loyal, kind, inquisitive, honest and super smart. Published 30 January 2020, The Highland Falcon Thief is a breathless train journey full of deceptions, puzzles and clues to solve. Daniel and Kerry - the night shift. Lenny, with her enthusiasm and tool belt, was always going to be my favourite character, especially when she was described (with a smile) as “the most disobedient girl ever to be born”. The surprise stand out for me was Uncle Nat, who turned out to be a lot more fun than I expected him to be. From his six watches, because “It’s good to remember that there are other places on the planet, filled with wonderful people”, to his love for trains, Nat is the person I’m most looking forward to spending more time with as the series progresses. ‘This will be a journey you’ll remember for the rest of your life.’ With a mystery unfolding and a group of mostly rich people with various agendas on board, this was a fun adventure. Train enthusiasts will enjoy the information about how steam trains operate and detectives in training will have their work cut out for them separating the red herrings from the clues, which are found in the text and in Elisa Paganelli’s illustrations. The details in the illustrations matched the text most of the time.The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yateswritten by JennyPearson, illustrated by Rob Biddulph (Usborne) We follow Hal who joins his uncle on the last journey the Highland Falcon is ever going to make. Not only that, but he is the only child allowed on board due to the journey also being part of the royal tour. Jewellery begins to go missing and Hal is the prime suspect due to him being the only child on board - but Hal swears he has seen a young girl on the train! Thus begins an adventure and a rather exciting mystery.

It was another fiction book and the character I liked the most was Lenny girl on the left Friend of Hal has been sent to stay with his uncle Nat while his mum has a baby. Uncle Nat is a travel journalist who specialises in train journeys, and he's taking Hal on an extra special trip - the final royal tour of the beautiful Highland Falcon steam train. Onboard are all of high society, and a jewelry thief. Can Hal and his new stowaway friend catch the thief? Hear the secrets shared in the dining car, read the notes hidden in the library, and discover the stow-away passenger as you race alongside Harrison to solve the mystery aboard one of the world's grandest trains. Shortlisted for the Books for Younger Readers category, Children's Book Awards 2022 | Shortlisted for the UKLA Book Awards 2021

I have a station announcement: their collaboration is a chuffing triumph. Fans of Agatha Christie, or, more recently, Robin Stevens and Katherine Woodfine, should adore this mystery which makes a steam trail all of its own. - - Alex O'Connell - The Times Children's Book of the Week Author Guy Bass introduces SCRAP, about one robot who tried to protect the humans on his planet against an army of robots. Now the humans need his...

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Unique features and services help parents and anyone who likes to buy books for children choose the best books for boys and girls of all ages … and best of all, it is free to use.You can The first book in the Adventures on Trains series - The Highland Falcon Thief - was published in 2020 and went on to win multiple awards including Book of the Year at the British Book Awards. This had distinct Orient Express vibes, which made me love it all the more. It feels very different for a children's book in that we get a lot of details about the working of steam trains and the journey itself, mixed in with this really interesting mystery. It all unfolds in a really satisfying way. I also really enjoyed exploring the Scottish countryside and getting a glimpse of Balmoral - even if it's very fleeting.