The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering Wars

Reviewed By  Ian Banks       January 8, 2019

 

Author  Jaclyn Moriarty

Distributor:      A&U Children's
ISBN:                 9781760297183
Publisher:         A&U Children's
Release Date:   November 2018  

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A wonderful, mysterious and massive tale has once again been delivered into the world of young literature from the pen of Jaclyn Moriarty, as she returns to the world of the intriguing Bronte Mettlesome and her friends, in the curious and whimsical world of Spindrift, a town that somehow seems to attract a very strange set of events and people in the The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering Wars.

As the story opens with the mysterious lines,’ I was taken by the Whisperers at 2pm, so I never pulled the lever for the laundry shoot’, things can only get better, or can they?

Told by Honey Bee, a posh girl from Brathelthwaite Boarding School and Finlay, from the Orphanage School, a chapter at a time each of course, the story develops courtesy of the laundry shoot, as they both tell their version of just exactly what happened on that fateful night and the fallout from the soon to be held Spindrift Tournament; a tournament where the two school compete to win at all cost, but this time all-out war commences. The war was to be know forever after as the Whispering Wars!

Added to that there are some mysterious people watching the small town, children are being stolen and the Witches and Sirens are beginning to cause some challenging problems for the friends who have, despite their very different backgrounds, banded together to fight this latest terrible catastrophe to descend upon the township.

Add a dragon and there you have it, another engrossing charge through the portals of make-believe into a world filled with dangerous, brave and exciting people and adventures. The children who, once they became famous for their heroic deeds, where known as the Remarkable Children of Spindrift, had statues erected to their honour, and films made about their bravery. Which just show that being brave is the right thing to do!

But as with all children from very different backgrounds the question is raised, can they agree to disagree or will they keep on fighting until they have to once again band together to fight evil.

Actually, you can write your own ending to this story, but don’t forget to make sure Honey Bee and Findlay, or should that be Finlay and Honey Bee, and their wonderful friends do return with another lively adventure.

Written to appeal to the tweenage group, as it, amongst many other aspects, presents young people from differing backgrounds beginning to take and understand a very different view of the opposite sex and forming interesting friendships.  Kelly Canby has added another level of interest with her fantastic illustrations making this a fantasy that transports into another world. It also has great older fantasy reader appeal.