We listened to this as a family and it was wonderful. The reader was super and I would absolutely listen to another book read by her. The story was terrific, too. I thought it was just going to be some light magic and humor, but it ended up being such a bigger story with a beautiful ending that, as usual, left me teary. My hard hearted children, for once, also agreed that it was sad but happy and just right. I especially enjoyed every scene with the evil uncle, who turned out to be a not very adept kidnapper and delighted by getting to know his nephew and peek into the modern world. An all around charmer-definitely recommend-especially if your family is driving anywhere for vacation this summer! This was a really enjoyable read, and I hope it is the beginning of a series. The twins are both attractive pleasant youngsters and so is their new friend, Caydon. All three kids are age 11. The twins, Oz and Lilly, are anxiously awaiting the birth of their new baby sibling. M16, well, the magical unit of M16, recruits them to help them deal with their evil great uncle who is immortal. There are also two immortal, talking animals, a rat named Spike and an elegant vain cat named Demerara. There is a bit of a mystery as well as a bit of an age appropriate thriller, with the good and bad sides clearly delineated. While this isn't a remarkable book, it is a very very good book. It is fantasy, not at all like Harry Potter, but British, although you only pick it up on a few things all of which an American kid will have no trouble figuring out. Lilly is Dyslexic and Oz is a violinist. It is nice having the girl be the dyslexic one. It is true that there are more boys who are dyslexic than girls but there are girls with Dyslexia. This will be nice to hand to one of those girls. It is hard to say much more without giving away some stuff. All the characters are clearly individuals and there is no way you'd mix up the twins or any of the additional supporting characters. The two animals plus the invisible elephant, Edwin, add a lot of humor to the story. I found the beginning slightly slow but I got involved in the story very quickly. As I started this review, I really hope this is the beginning of a series!
Do You like book The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop (2012)?
This book was just the book I was looking for. I wouldn't change any of it. it's worth 10 stars
—kfsembrano
Another solid and delightful read by Kate Saunders.
—Gie
