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Blog Tour Review - Bad Grains by Susanne Schmidt

 Blog Tour Review - Bad Grains by Susanne Schmidt In the quaint German town of Fels, Halloween takes a dark turn for eleven-year-old Jo when her annoying older brother, Hektor, goes missing. Jo suspects he's playing a prank, but then both her father and grandma forget Hektor's name, and his stuff mysteriously disappears from his room. With the adults of no help whatsoever, Jo starts her own investigation and uncovers a gruesome legend: A monster lives in the rye fields and it has been preying on the children of Fels for centuries, ensnaring them into its world under the roots. Now Jo will have two days until the gates between worlds closes on Halloween night. Armed with a trusty turnip lantern, and her brother's obnoxious best friend as her only ally, can Jo outsmart the ancient monster, or will the rye fields claim even more innocent victims? Join Jo an experience a spine-chilling adventure that combines the darkness of German folklore with the magic of spooky season. I ne...
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Review - The Umbrella Mouse by Anna Fargher


The Umbrella Mouse by Anna Fargher







1944. London is under attack. 

Young mouse, Pip Hanway's safe and quiet world is turned upside down when her home, James Smith & Sons umbrella shop, is destroyed by a bomb.

Orphaned and alone, she must begin a perilous quest to find a new home. But the only way to get there is by joining Noah's Ark, a secret gang of animals fighting the resistance in France, operating beneath the feet of the human soldiers.

Danger is everywhere and as the enemy closes in, Pip must risk everything to save her new friends.









The Umbrella Mouse an exciting espionage thriller set towards the end of the Second World War, after D Day and during the Blitz. It is a story about a young girl who is orphaned and left homeless and alone after her home and family are destroyed by a German bomb. But she has one destination in mind, somewhere her parents told her about where she has family and could find a new home. Trying to get there across war-torn Europe, she joins a resistance cell working in occupied France and helps them to fight back against the Nazis behind enemy lines, sabotaging supply lines and planning daring escapes. It is packed full of exciting wartime drama, serious peril and a fantastic crew of resistance fighters both in occupied France and back in London. There are creepy villains, sneaky spies and brave heroes. It's everything you would want from a children's book based in this period.

The fact that the girl is a mouse and the resistance is led by a hedgehog, with an array of different birds and beasts just adds another magical layer to a brilliant MG novel, with so much heart and emotion in it.

The animal characters work well though, and each has a unique set of talents and abilities that are used very effectively in the story telling. It also lightens what would otherwise be quite a heavy story.

The illustrations by Sam Usher are quite charming and really fit the feel of the story.

I really enjoyed Pip's adventures, and I'm giving The Umbrella Mouse four and a quarter moons.

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘


The Umbrella Mouse is published by MacMillan and is available now. I was given an e-proof from Netgalley in return for an honest review.




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