The Twitchers are back with a new crime against nature to solve.
When Jack rescues an injured cat, he learns that it has been shot and therefore that humans are responsible. He promises the cat’s elderly owner that he will solve the mystery of who is behind the shooting. However, Jack’s friend Twitch isn’t so keen on getting drawn into another mystery. A rare bird, the bearded vulture, is heading towards the skies over Briddvale and Twitch is determined to catch a sighting.
Jack isn’t so enthusiastic – he’s never been so good at the birdwatching stuff and he only got involved when he made friends with Twitch. Jack begins to solve the shooting mystery with the help of some of the other Twitchers and their friends. However, he soon finds details of a second sinister plot, one which he is certain Twitch would like to know about – if only he would listen.
M.G. Leonard has hit on the perfect formula with the Twitchers series. Recently, lots of children’s mystery stories have centred on children who are enthusiastic about detective work. However, what I love about this series is that not all the children take the detective work seriously. They are kids, after all, with their own interests. For Twitch, that is birdwatching. This makes mystery stories believable to children whose gut reaction is ‘but children couldn’t solve crimes’ or ‘but the police would be ahead with all of today’s technology’. It also works nicely for children who want to become detectives. This series introduces a hobby that children really can take up and thrive in … but it introduces characters like Jack, too, who believe mysteries are just around the corner.
The focus on wildlife crime teaches readers about a specific and underreported area of criminal activity that too often goes without real penalty. The characters who commit these crimes in the story are slightly grotesque, and very clearly baddies, but also hold a ring of truth that makes them believable. For example, among the suspects is an aristocrat who wants to own nature and shooting parties on private lands have been reported in the news as a problem for birds because the landowners often go unreported and uncharged.
Finally, Halloween plays a fun and spooky part in the story, with preparations for trick or treating underway. There may be less going on in rural areas in terms of trick or treating, but the darkness and the shrieks of owls in the skies make Halloween feel ten times more real out in the countryside than it ever feels in the city. The book’s rural setting lends itself wonderfully to an autumnal, halloween-time story.
M.G. Leonard is a true powerhouse of stories and I look forward to seeing her next books. A true powerhouse of fiction for middle grade readers.
- Spark by M.G. Leonard is available now from Walker Books LTD. RRP. £7.99 (Provided for review)
