The Uncommoners: The Crooked Sixpence by Jennifer Bell

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Well, March is about to get its marching orders as we bid farewell to it's tumultuous weather and welcome...well, the month of showers, but they are said to bring the flowers so I'm still approaching it with a positive attitude .  ^-^  Anywho...

Today, we're diving between the pages of a recently released title via Random House Children's Books.  It's a work of Fiction that takes us below the streets of London to a place like you've never seen with people most uncommon and things that have purposes way outside the norm...at least how we know them in the common world. Ladies and gents, put on your best Hobsmatch and get ready to travel by suitcase (yes BY not WITH) as we greet today's book of choice...

The Crooked Sixpence

The Uncommoners, Book 1

by

Jennifer Bell

9780553498431

Crown Books for Young Readers

About the book...

Welcome to a world where nothing is quite as it seems…

When their grandmother Sylvie is rushed to the hospital, Ivy Sparrow and her annoying big brother Seb cannot imagine what adventure lies in store. Soon their house is ransacked by unknown intruders, and a very strange policeman turns up on the scene, determined to apprehend them . . . with a toilet brush. 

Ivy and Seb make their escape only to find themselves in a completely uncommon world, a secret underground city called Lundinor where ordinary objects have amazing powers. There are belts that enable the wearer to fly, yo-yos that turn into weapons, buttons with healing properties, and other enchanted objects capable of very unusual feats.

But the forces of evil are closing in fast, and when Ivy and Seb learn that their family is connected to one of the greatest uncommon treasures of all time, they must race to unearth the treasure and get to the bottom of a family secret . . . before it’s too late.

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What begins as an accident, soon becomes a mystery most uncommon...

First, we make the acquaintance of the Sparrow children, Ivy and Seb, as they are forced into more grown up roles while parent-less-ly dealing with their grandma Sylvie's uncommon accident.  No, please don't shed any tears, she's still with us but only just...and there's much more danger ahead, so put on your big girl/boy pants, you're gonna need them. You see, though injured and bruised, it's the lack of "self" that concerns everyone most...not to mention the lurking man in gray, the mysterious feather pen gouging messages in walls, and ...wait, why do I smell wet dog?  *-* There's much to discover, uncover, and remember, as Ivy, Seb, and their growing cast of friends and not-so-friends, try to stop Twelfth Night 1969 from happening all over again and this time with even more dastardly results.  

It's exciting, it's curious, it's downright Lundinor at its finest and this is just the first book in the series!  Ivy was a sweet girl with a stubborn streak and a kind heart, and her brother seems to have a good head on his shoulders, but the tasks ahead could prove too mountainous even for them.   Good thing they have new friends they can depend on, right?  Umm, yes and no.  These are trying times and everyone's allegiance is called under fire.  Just when you think someone is on the side of good, BAM...something happens to throw them back under the doubt bus.  One things for certain though, if they can't stop the Dirge (uber bad and creepy group from long time past that wants to rule both common and uncommon worlds) despite being new to this whole uncommon under world, BOTH their worlds are at risk for meeting their expiration date.



In the end, I was gobsmacked by the murder, mystery, and creative fun within!  I mean, come on!  A suitcase that really cuts down on travel time, a toilet brush that can incapacitate people, a yo-yo that creates vortexes, not to mention the vast range of "different people" that call Lundinor home, how can you NOT want to be a part of it all?!  My favorite uncommon item, Scratch.  LOVE that little bell!  Don't laugh, you'll see when you read it.  ^-^  It's an adventure and a half that ties our world and theirs together just right, blurring the line between reality and fiction enough to make current Londoners think twice when they hear a whisper there one shouldn't be. Recommended for Middle Grade readers and beyond.  The adventure does get dark in some places so wee readers below the target audience may want to consider bringing an adult with them for the ride.

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About the author...

Londoner Jennifer Bell began working in children’s books as a specialist bookseller at Foyles, Charing Cross Road, one of the world’s most famous bookstores. After having the privilege of listening to children talk about their favorite books for many years, she started writing a book of her own on her lunch breaks. You can follow Jennifer on Twitter at @jenrosebell.

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Special thanks to Josh at Random House Children's Books for the ARC for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now via Crown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!