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CM . . .
. Volume XXIII Number . . . .March 17, 2017
excerpt:
Reddington�s three novels introduce readers to Mabel Hartley, a 14 year-old with an affinity for mystery and adventure, just like her father, a Lymington police inspector. In Saphhire Moon, Mabel enrolls at Hollingsworth Preparatory, a British boarding school where she makes friends with Tabby and Hugh, endures bullying by rich girl Edwina, and helps to solve her father�s police case when she finds some missing Chagall paintings hidden at the school. In Mummy�s Cape, the three sleuths, now 15, travel to Inverness, Scotland, to spend the summer. They become involved in a search for Bronze Age treasures in a peat bog behind the mansion where they are staying. In addition, Mabel gets her first kiss (from Hugh) and discovers some secrets about her own birth. The Crusader�s Hoard finds the trio off to an archaeological dig in Petra, Jordan, the following summer. There they participate in an archaeological dig, work at translating some scrolls written by a female knight who participated in the Crusades, and worry that Mabel�s birth parents (who are international thieves) will try to abduct her. While it�s clear that Reddington has invested much time in historical research for these books, her prose is not strong. The stories are filled with many extraneous details, including that Mabel�s mom has a younger, heavier sister who is mentioned but never appears in the stories. Much of the narrative features long sections of background information that tell, rather than show, resulting in a somewhat didactic feel to the story. And many sections are awkwardly phrased: �The next day we drove to Tabby�s house in the heart of the New Forest. It�s one of my favourite places on earth. Wild horses run free there and you feel like Robin Hood himself might pop out from behind the trees and hand you a bag of gold.� Additionally, the dialog too often feels stilted (the use of shan�t) or anachronistic (�My life sucks� was not common usage in the 1980s when these stories are set), and some of the phrasing suggests adult rather than teen speak (�Are you all right, Hugh? You�re awfully quiet.� �I�m just taking all this in. Thanks for being a good sport.�). Those looking for action and adventure featuring British teens would be better served by Alan Bradley�s �Flavia de Luce� series, beginning with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Not Recommended. Kay Weisman works as a youth services librarian at West Vancouver Memorial Library and chairs the Children�s Literature Roundtables of Canada�s Information Book Award.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca. Copyright � the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
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