LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
In a Nutshell - Uncommonly good magical mystery
With wild imagination the second book in The Uncommoners trilogy launches straight into adventure as Ivy, her brother Seb and their unusual friend Valian, find themselves aboard the MV Outlander with some unsavoury fellow passengers. Using liquid shadow they get close enough to the evil ghoul Selena Grimes to overhear her wicked scheme to find the Jar of Shadows and use it to gain control over the people of Lundinor. The group know they must get back to Lundinor to foil this plan but when they do they find the mysterious city much changed.
The Smoking Hourglass is an enchanting mix of ancient and modern. The children are quick to pull out their phones and check maps and websites in their pursuit of the evil organisation, The Dirge, but throughout the book are references to traditional tales, spells and fantasy. Ivy is feisty and smart and Seb resourceful and clever. The action is non-stop, the writing humourous and exciting. I recommend you read the first in the series, The Crooked Sixpence, first for a full introduction to this magical world.
LoveReading4Kids
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About
The Smoking Hourglass Synopsis
Following Ivy Sparrow's discoveries in The Crooked Sixpence, the adventures continue in the second instalment of The Uncommoners trilogy, The Smoking Hourglass. As soon as Ivy and her brother Seb set foot back in the mysterious underground city of Lundinor, they know that something has changed ...Where before there were cobbled streets, now the squares and lanes between the city's enchanted shops are lush with spring blooms - but something dark is stirring just below the surface, and uncommon traders are uneasy. Ivy and Seb have stumbled into a plot that could condemn every uncommoner to a disastrous fate...
With the help of Valian, their extraordinary friend - and some exceptional uncommon objects - can Ivy and Seb put a stop to the sinister Dirge's plans?
About This Edition
ISBN: |
9780552572903 |
Publication date: |
15th June 2017 |
Author: |
Jennifer Bell |
Publisher: |
Corgi Childrens an imprint of Random House Children's Publishers UK |
Format: |
Paperback |
Pagination: |
376 pages |
Series: |
The Uncommoners Series |
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Press Reviews
Jennifer Bell Press Reviews
Praise for The Crooked Sixpence:
A fast-paced and quirky magical tale ... Bell writes with great verve and imagination -- Fiona Noble The Bookseller
A wonderfully intriguing mystery ... Uncommonly good! -- Chris Bradford
The Crooked Sixpence moves at the speed of magic ... peeling away the mundane surface of the world to reveal something richer and deeper. Bell's world is part Tim Burton, part J.K. Rowling ... This is a terrific debut -- Soman Chainani, author of The School for Good and Evil
Weird, whacky and utterly wonderful. Go to Lundinor. You won't ever want to come back -- Joshua Khan, author of Shadow Magic
Author
About Jennifer Bell
Jennifer Bell worked as a children’s bookseller at a world-famous bookshop before becoming an author. She began working in children's books as a specialist bookseller at Foyles, Charing Cross Road - one of the world's most famous bookstores. Here, she looked after the shop's five not-so-deadly piranha fish as well as recommending children's books to celebrities, royalty and even astronauts. After having the privilege of listening to children talk about their favourite books for many years, she started writing one of her own
Her debut novel, The Uncommoners: The Crooked Sixpence, was an international bestseller. Jennifer came up for the idea of The Crooked Sixpence while packing for a holiday and wishing she could just disappear inside her suitcase and be there already. The world of Lundinor is inspired by sayings from traditional English nursery rhymes as well as the stories Jennifer grew up with about the Cockney markets her grandparents used to visit.
She is also the author of Agents of the Wild, an adventure series for younger readers; Wonderscape, which was selected as a Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month and is inspired by some of her favourite heroes from history and her love of gaming; and Legendarium, which celebrates incredible legends from around the world. Magicalia: Race of Wonders is the first in an exciting new fantasy series.
More About Jennifer Bell