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Book Review: Britfield and the Lost Crown

BRITFIELD AND THE LOST CROWN by C.R. Stewart
4 Stars
Verdict: A thrilling adventure across England of all places!


Our story begins in Weatherly Orphanage, Yorkshire, a dingy place with strict rule and cruel staff. It quickly turns into an adventure to Oxford, London, Southampton - all across England in a hot air balloon as orphan Tom tries to discover the dangerous truth behind his real name. 

The story doesn't waste time getting started, with Tom and his friend Sarah getting into all sort of trouble, discovering secrets and initiating plans within the first couple of chapters. It has a old classic feel without that old classic pace, and I think I would have enjoyed this story a lot as a child.

It often reminded me of books read aloud by teachers on a Friday afternoon, so I wasn't surprised to find that's exactly what it is. It's has a good paced too, sneaking in snippets of history, literature, and architecture in a ways that's engaging. It's full of famous landmarks and classic descriptions from across the country, which makes it the perfect story to recommend to teachers.

I need to critique a couple of small things. The use of awkward phrases like 'whispered loudly' probably should have been edited out. I could also tell it was written by an American from the use of 'sophomore', 'soda', 'pants', and the descriptions of culture e.g. the whimsy of tea drinking! How quaint, indeed. It's a strange editorial choice for a book set in Britain with British characters who essentially talk and think like Americans, and it took me out of the story. Perhaps what gave it away the most was beautiful and striking descriptions of each location. It's tempting to say a Brit would never describe England with the same passion, given our humour. 

Joking aside, I think the book starts strong but has a predictable resolution, so by the end I was waiting for it to round off, which is why I've knocked a star off. That could well be that I'm a little too old for this middle grade tale...

All in all, this is a great novel that I would recommend for children. It offers a fun adventure and the opportunity to fall in love with Britain. Who wouldn't want that?

Source: With thanks to the publisher via Netgalley. I received the audio version of this one, and I can say the reading was excellent!

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