The Stolen Songbird

Gr 4-8–Caro Monday does not want to stay with her miserable great-aunt Mary, called Gam, in Hampstead while one mother is on her whistling tour and her other mother needs to take care of her sick sister. Gam believes children should be closely supervised with strict rules, and won’t allow Caro to bring her rabbit, His Nibs, with her. Despite pleading to stay in Waterloo, Caro is sent to Gam’s, with a hidden His Nibs in tow, to stay with her, her ward Albie, and caretaker Marks. After discovering a small painting of a bird hidden in her suitcase, Caro learns that it’s a stolen painting tied to a dangerous gang known as the Snakes. Along with Albie and her best friend Horace, they set out to return the painting, but find themselves in more trouble than they could have ever imagined. Set in 1959 England, this adventure mystery is a bit slow to start, but once the real adventure begins, the pace picks up. Despite not being set in the present, readers won’t feel like they are reading something historical, just a story lacking technology and devices. The characters are well developed, and readers may find themselves relating in some way. Select chapters include beautiful illustrations from Rioux. All main characters are indicated as white except Horace, who is from Barbados.