Three cheers for Stella Montgomery! Stella lives with her three horrible aunts in a draughty damp hotel by the sea. Stella is an orphan, and her parentage is a mystery that haunts her. So, yes, this is an adventure/mystery which sets a cracking pace – it really is a page turner. But it’s more than that…at its heart is Stella’s yearning for a loving family. Stella’s prized possession is an old atlas, which she knows off by heart. I love how she uses quotes from her atlas to help her escape many a sticky situation. For example:
A page from the Atlas came into her mind: a map of Mexico and California. In the margin, the tiny figure of a man wearing antlers on his head crept trough a herd of deer in a thick forest. The native hunter dons a cunning disguise and arms himself with arrows tipped with rattlesnake venom. [Stella] needed a cunning disguise.
Withering-by-Sea has all the ingredients to make this a children’s classic. Stella is a perfect heroine, who is believable and lovable. She makes several firm friends in this adventure, and I hope we shall see more of Ben, Mr Capelli and Gert, who help Stella escape the evil Professor and his henchmen.
The physical book is beautiful: hardcover, with a bookmark and exquisite illustrations by the author, Judith Rossell.
This is a perfect book for a gift for a keen reader from Year 5+.