A rollick tale of an unexpected hero.
This is the first in a new series of books by Petra James and is an adventure/mystery story for children aged 8 and above. The wealth of illustrations, quips and quizzes from illustrator A Yi dotted throughout the text, in a terrific range of fonts and styles, will definitely appeal to young readers. I especially enjoyed the frequent ‘Note to you’ sections such as ‘Horses can sleep with their eyes open’ on page 79.
Our hapless hero, Henrie, is more formally known as Henrietta Madeline Melchior and her gender is the root cause of her problems – resulting in her being snatched away by her aunt at birth for her own safety; seemingly abandoned by her parents and unable to take her place in the family business of investigations and heroic deeds. For over two centuries, all Melchior offspring have been boys and tradition was of paramount importance.
The adventure begins when she receives a letter offering her information about her family but telling Henrie to keep the meeting secret. Knowing nothing of her family and disregarding all her aunt has told her about not going off alone, Henrie decides it’s time to find out and ventures out with her friend, Alex.
The language is engaging and sophisticated as Henrie addresses the reader directly in this first person narrative full of surprising twists and changes of direction – a character kids will definitely identify with. For good measure there is also a secretive man who seems to know all Henrie’s family secrets; a quirky friend and helper, who mysteriously disappears; and two obnoxious male cousins and their sinister father, Caspian, who is already plotting against Henrie.
The fast paced narrative is amusing, suspenseful and dramatic in turns and carried very well by the sharp, clever prose. This is a book that can be read on a couple of levels: firstly as a rollicking good adventure with, for a welcome change, a strong girl protagonist; and secondly, as the timeless story of a teenage girl trying to work out her place in her family, and the wider world.
Reviewed by Jan Kershaw
Distributed by: Walker Books
Released: April 2019
RRP: $16.99
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