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mehsi's review
5.0
An orphaned girl with a big love for detectives finds herself thrown into mystery when she moves in to live with her uncle.
I bought this one during my vacation in 2018, so almost 6 months ago, but never was in the mood to read this one. Oh boy, past me, why why? Because as soon as I started this one I was totally in the story. I wanted to read on and on and on.
Meet Laura, an orphaned girl with a bit of a case of pickiness. She has had so many chances with new families and none of them worked. And while I understand a new family is scary, she has to be a bit less picky about things. And then when she is with her uncle she has all the freedom, and I was just kind of eh about that. Because she kept reminding us, the reader, HOW MUCH SHE loved the freedom and how the other families didn't trust her that much. Um, um, sorry, but it is quite normal that a 11/12 year old doesn't have the full free rein of anything they want. I am sorry, but it is normal to have bedtimes. To have to eat healthy. To get up at a normal time. To listen to their caretakers. To not just go outside without letting people know.
But aside that I did love Laura and how smart she was, and that she had a dream, to become a detective. And that she didn't let anything stand between her and that dream. Plus, I just love a girl who loves books and reading.
What was up with her uncle? I knew it very fast, and then it was fun reading to see how long it took Laura to figure it all out. I did think it took her quite some time, and it was mostly due to her stalking her uncle in the night and overhearing a conversation. :P
Tariq? I loved that guy, though I did feel sorry for what was happening to him. As for what was going on with him? It took me a bit longer to find out all the details, sure, I had some suspicions but I hadn't expected the story to take that turn.
The town of Cornwall? It was quite a lovely place, going by the descriptions. Quiet, small, it has a beach (I would love to live near the beach), there are all kind of fun shops and foodplaces. And then there are the mysterious things that are going on in the town. I was highly curious about Deadman's Cove.
At first I was wondering if Laura went to school, but then it was mentioned. I do have to say that I wasn't a fan of the people there. The teacher who apparently had his dreams shattered (at least that is how it felt to me) and so was enormously discouraging these young kids. The way he talked when Laura told her dreamjob? Man, that is just too much. Way to throw a dream out of the window. I get that you have to stay realistic, but let a kid dream, so much is possible these days that dreams can be fulfilled. I am glad that Laura stood her ground though. *cheers*
The ending, oh boy, the story was already fast-paced, but with this we totally sped up. The last part of the book was one that had me totally immersed in the book, I just had to know if Tariq and Laura would be all right.
Oh, oh, and thank you author for writing a girl character with short hair. It doesn't happen that often that girls have short hair. And I know that as a kid I would have loved this book. Because when I was a kid (and quite some time afterwards again) I had supershort hair. However so many girl characters have long/semi-long hair. :(
I loved that each new chapter had an illustration to accompany it. The style was very nicely done.
All in all, a fantastic book, and yes, I agree with the review on my cover. I am a fan of Enid Blyton and I was delighted by this book, as it did remind me quite a bit of Enid Blyton's stories. I would recommend this one, and I will be looking around to see if I can buy the next book in this series. Let's see what Laura's next adventures will be.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I bought this one during my vacation in 2018, so almost 6 months ago, but never was in the mood to read this one. Oh boy, past me, why why? Because as soon as I started this one I was totally in the story. I wanted to read on and on and on.
Meet Laura, an orphaned girl with a bit of a case of pickiness. She has had so many chances with new families and none of them worked. And while I understand a new family is scary, she has to be a bit less picky about things. And then when she is with her uncle she has all the freedom, and I was just kind of eh about that. Because she kept reminding us, the reader, HOW MUCH SHE loved the freedom and how the other families didn't trust her that much. Um, um, sorry, but it is quite normal that a 11/12 year old doesn't have the full free rein of anything they want. I am sorry, but it is normal to have bedtimes. To have to eat healthy. To get up at a normal time. To listen to their caretakers. To not just go outside without letting people know.
But aside that I did love Laura and how smart she was, and that she had a dream, to become a detective. And that she didn't let anything stand between her and that dream. Plus, I just love a girl who loves books and reading.
What was up with her uncle? I knew it very fast, and then it was fun reading to see how long it took Laura to figure it all out. I did think it took her quite some time, and it was mostly due to her stalking her uncle in the night and overhearing a conversation. :P
Tariq? I loved that guy, though I did feel sorry for what was happening to him. As for what was going on with him? It took me a bit longer to find out all the details, sure, I had some suspicions but I hadn't expected the story to take that turn.
The town of Cornwall? It was quite a lovely place, going by the descriptions. Quiet, small, it has a beach (I would love to live near the beach), there are all kind of fun shops and foodplaces. And then there are the mysterious things that are going on in the town. I was highly curious about Deadman's Cove.
At first I was wondering if Laura went to school, but then it was mentioned. I do have to say that I wasn't a fan of the people there. The teacher who apparently had his dreams shattered (at least that is how it felt to me) and so was enormously discouraging these young kids. The way he talked when Laura told her dreamjob? Man, that is just too much. Way to throw a dream out of the window. I get that you have to stay realistic, but let a kid dream, so much is possible these days that dreams can be fulfilled. I am glad that Laura stood her ground though. *cheers*
The ending, oh boy, the story was already fast-paced, but with this we totally sped up. The last part of the book was one that had me totally immersed in the book, I just had to know if Tariq and Laura would be all right.
Oh, oh, and thank you author for writing a girl character with short hair. It doesn't happen that often that girls have short hair. And I know that as a kid I would have loved this book. Because when I was a kid (and quite some time afterwards again) I had supershort hair. However so many girl characters have long/semi-long hair. :(
I loved that each new chapter had an illustration to accompany it. The style was very nicely done.
All in all, a fantastic book, and yes, I agree with the review on my cover. I am a fan of Enid Blyton and I was delighted by this book, as it did remind me quite a bit of Enid Blyton's stories. I would recommend this one, and I will be looking around to see if I can buy the next book in this series. Let's see what Laura's next adventures will be.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
lizbybz's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
pippad's review against another edition
4.0
Okay, so four out of five because it was a tiny bit predictable, however a really good read for someone who wants something like Enid Blyton Famous Five/Secret Seven but a bit more up to date.
Dan Jon (10, nearly 11) loved the book but again finds that he is at least five steps ahead of Laura.
Dan Jon (10, nearly 11) loved the book but again finds that he is at least five steps ahead of Laura.
andreaximena's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
xan_48's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyable adventure for kids. Reminds me of famous five but for this generation. Lots of mystery and well written. Bringsthe issue of slavery to attention. I will be reading the next one in the series.
mat_tobin's review against another edition
4.0
I'm definitely going to read more of St. John's books, especially more of the Laura Marlin mysteries. This book would be an absolute corker of a read for LKS2 as a whole class. Even a seasoned reader could be forgiven for not seeing all the plot twists before they take place. St. John also reveals the darker elements of society (factory sweatshops from India/slavery/child labour) which I think could open up some interesting debate among the class.
I liked the opening of the story, the chapter size (just the right length for a newly-fluent reader), the characters and the setting of St. Ives which I must now visit but what holds the whole thing together is Laura who is a well-crafted and relatable character in that she is a flawed as she is adventurous. I'm all for scarred and flawed heroes and St. John has done a great job with Laura. It seems that orphaned children finding out they have flawed yet deeply interesting relations who step up to look after them is a slice of narrative planning that works well.
Written in 3rd person from behind Laura's shoulder, St. John doesn't go overboard with descriptive sentences (and she could have with it being based in St. Ives). Instead, I think she gets the balance just right between description, mystery and pace. The first half of the book goes along quite slowly as Laura adjusts to her new life and settings but when the mystery behind her uncle and new friend begin to unravel I found that I couldn't put the book down and was disappointed when it all ended with quite a sudden jolt.
I liked the opening of the story, the chapter size (just the right length for a newly-fluent reader), the characters and the setting of St. Ives which I must now visit but what holds the whole thing together is Laura who is a well-crafted and relatable character in that she is a flawed as she is adventurous. I'm all for scarred and flawed heroes and St. John has done a great job with Laura. It seems that orphaned children finding out they have flawed yet deeply interesting relations who step up to look after them is a slice of narrative planning that works well.
Written in 3rd person from behind Laura's shoulder, St. John doesn't go overboard with descriptive sentences (and she could have with it being based in St. Ives). Instead, I think she gets the balance just right between description, mystery and pace. The first half of the book goes along quite slowly as Laura adjusts to her new life and settings but when the mystery behind her uncle and new friend begin to unravel I found that I couldn't put the book down and was disappointed when it all ended with quite a sudden jolt.
singerji's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
teknohippycat's review
5.0
A brilliant, gripping children's adventure story. Feels like a better version of the Famous Five. My only gripe is the use of home education as a cover for child slavery, but it does make a useful plot device.
eliiim's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
emmagray13's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25