Sophie Kirtley writes the most gripping Irish middle grade adventures celebrating the power of sibling relationships, stories of the past and children’s ability to grow as they learn more about themselves. After loving The Wild Way Home & The Way to Impossible Island, I was thrilled to receive The Haunting of Fortune Farm. It overtook everything else on my reading pile.
The Haunting of Fortune Farm is a chilling and, at times, absolutely terrifying historical mystery. Themes of family, secrets and dealing with grief takes readers on an emapthy-filled journey across the beautiful mountains, forests and valleys of Ireland. This story has such a strong historical-fantasy element complete with the ghost of a legendary Viking warrior but it’s much more about the real grief of the loss of a loved one and the complexities of family relationships.
Twelve-year old Edie has trained herself not to think about her dad. Whenever memories catch her by surprise, she tries to paint over the thoughts in her mind. This becomes much harder when she and her charming little brother Pip are sent to stay with their grandmother at their dad’s childhood home. Silent Valley is beautiful but leaves Edie with an uneasy feeling – like she’s being watched. Whispers on the wind and Viking runes encourage her to look for answers. There are secrets, puzzles and the unknown everywhere she turns. The discovery of her dad’s diary from 30 years earlier shows Edie that he felt the same – he was chasing the same mystery… the ancient Viking Story Sword of the warrior Ivarr the Restless.
Secret messages in the starlings, a strange girl in the woods and mysterious Kenning poetry reveal more and more of the mystery as Edie dares to push further. Just how much danger will she face before the truth is revealed?
This is the perfect story for fans of The Haunting of Aveline Jones by Phil Hickes, The Bird Singers by Eve Wersocki Morris and The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor: A Christmas Mystery by Eva Frantz.
A huge thank you to Bloomsbury Children’s Books for an early copy of this fantastic story!
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