Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
Categories
Children’s, Teenage & Educational

THE ADVENTURERS AND THE CURSED CASTLE

Jemma Hatt

The Adventurers and The Cursed Castle is the first book in The Adventurers Series: exciting adventure stories for children aged 8-12.

Young Lara's mum, an Egyptologist, has to travel to Egypt over the Summer holidays while Lara's grandparents are on a cruise, so Lara, her dog Barney and her cousin Rufus are sent to Cornwall, where their great-uncle Herb, who they've never met before, lives in a castle partly fallen into disrepair and said to have a curse haunting the family for generations after their ancestor, 19th-century explorer Captain Jack Kexley, brought Egyptian artefacts home with him that he shouldn't have taken...

Lara and Rufus soon discover Herb's eccentric ways and make a new friend, local boy Tom, whose parents work for their great-uncle. As soon as they learn that there might be a treasure hidden somewhere in the castle, that Herb has been long searching for, Laura, Rufus and Tom (accompanied by the faithful Barney) decide to investigate the clues left by Jack Kexley but they are not alone. Two suspicious characters, who introduce themselves as historians from the British Museum, suddenly show up at Herb's castle, and it soon becomes apparent that they're after the treasure and will stop at nothing to get their hands on it.

Can the four young adventurers reveal the secrets that have been hidden for over a hundred years and find the hidden treasure before the unwelcome visitors?

Jemma Hatt is an award-winning children's author whose books include The Adventurers Series. Growing up near Sevenoaks in Kent, Jemma developed with a passion for reading and writing short stories, which ultimately led to a degree in English Literature from the University of Exeter. The Adventurers Series was inspired by many family holidays to Devon and Cornwall as well as the mysteries of Ancient Egypt. After having lived and worked in London, New York and Delaware, Jemma is living in Kent and working on the next Adventurers stories as well as other writing projects.

Available products
Book Published 2018-12-29 by Elmside Publishing

Comments

THE ADVENTURERS AND THE CURSED CASTLE is an action-packed, fun adventure. The three characters all had their own personalities which bounced off one another and worked well together making the three of them very likeable. The setting was intriguing and the plot fascinating. Overall, it is a great adventure story which was exciting as I waited for the mystery to be solved and kept me turning the pages.

This is a well-crafted, exciting adventure story that's written very much in the Blytonesque style: picnics, secret passages and cunning villains galore. Indeed, it transported me back to my childhood, reading after lights-out under the covers with my torch. The race to discover and decipher cryptic clues makes it a fast-paced read and there are little twists and turns along the way that will compel readers to keep turning the pages. I particularly liked the warm, authentic friendship that develops between the children and many readers will be able to relate to the cousins' sibling-style bickering! I also enjoyed the link to Egyptology, a subject I find fascinating.

I'm so glad I gave in to my inner child and accepted this book. It was SO MUCH FUN. I loved the characters Lara, Rufus and Tom are close enough in age to share interests and have fun together, but each have very distinct personalities. There is just enough mystery and adventure to keep the story moving along at the perfect pace. This is the type of book I would have devoured as a child characters that I would want to be friends with, a cool setting, a mystery, adventure and lots fun. Even though it was a story for children, adults reading along with their little ones will not be bored.

Chosen by young readers as the Gold Award winner of the 2019 Wishing Shelf Book Awards for ages 9-12

Winner of the 2020 Children's Selfies Award