Available March 17, 2020

If you have a younger reader who is comfortable with longer chapter books, loves adventure, flying ships and books about animals, this book is for them. Brightstorm introduces us to the Brightstorm twins, Arthur and Maudie. After their father mysteriously dies on an expedition to the South Polaris, Arthur and Maudie’s world is turned upside down. They lose the only home they’ve ever known and forced to live and work for a greedy, elderly couple. When the chance to join an expedition team arises, the twins know it’s their only chance to clear their father’s name, find out the truth behind his death, and create a new future for themselves.

This story does contain the death of both parents and the children being forced into an abusive home. While it is all handled carefully, it may be upsetting for some younger readers.

This book is an absolute delight! Arthur was born missing an arm and his amazingly brilliant sister Maudie engineers an iron mechanical arm for him. I really enjoyed how Maudie is the engineer and Arthur is the cook-it’s nice to see the gender norms flipped in children’s literature. The twins are incredibly brave and their adventures to the South Polaris, similar to our South Pole, will keep your younger reader on the edge of their seat. There are even mind-reading wolves! The twins find themselves in precarious situations numerous times and it’s their wits and intelligence that save the day. The descriptions of the airships and the explorer’s society were really fun and I loved how the twins used books (BOOKS!) to get them out of tricky situations. There is also a great group of adults who come into the kids’ lives which will appeal to those that love a found family dynamic.

This will be a great book for your young explorer and if you’d like to get a copy, and help support the site, you can do so here:

Recent Reads

Recent Reads…

Brightstorm by Vashti Hardy

Seven Acre Books