The Grinning Throat by Kate Wiseman

 The Grinning Throat

 by Kate Wiseman

The Grinning Throat is the first in the trilogy of The Mudlark Mysteries

The Grinning Throat by Kate Wiseman was published on the 3rd July by ZunTold. My thanks to Kate for sending me a copy to review and to Random Book Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.

Synopsis

'My first thought is that it’s a pig that someone has lost to the river. Perhaps it fell off one of the barges that choke up the Thames. They’re a constant feature, toiling up and down, day and night, giving off black smoke that clings to the water.'

Joe (15) and Edie (13) are orphans living in Victorian London. Forever worried that they will be sent to the dreaded workhouse, they scratch out a living the best way they can by mudlarking on the foreshore of the River Thames and selling their finds to the notorious Hempson. One day they discover something macabre, and it will change their lives forever. 

My Review

I may be well past being a nine year old plus reader, which is the intended starting age for this book but gosh is it gripping. As the first in The Mudlark Trilogy this is a story that should encourage even the most reluctant reader to dive in and find out what Joe, Edie and the friends they make along the way uncover and solve. 

A friend's ten year old grandson, who was visiting, picked up the book and was engrossed in the story for the next few hours, finishing with "That was the best book i've read for a long time. When will you get the next one? . From a ten year old that is praise enough for to make any parent, grandparent etc go out and buy this book.

The writing and the language is absolutely perfect for this age group and also for young adults who have English as a second language as the storyline is appealing for readers of any age. The characters are teenagers eeking out a living in a dangerous setting on the banks of the river Thames that will have the reader intrigued and hungry for more. Whilst touching on the issues of poverty , violence, and trafficking this is a story that grabs the reader's imagination and leaves them hungry for more and should be on every junior and lower secondary school reading list.

My friend's grandson and I cannot wait for the remaining two books in the series to find out what Joe and Edie, and their friends, encounter next.

A huge 5🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 read from both of us. 

About the Author

 

Kate Wiseman writes middle grade and YA fiction and has a specific interest in writing historical fiction.

She has won the Eyelands price twice, and holds a BA and an MA in literature and creative writing.

The Mudlark Mysteries are a series of novels set in Victorian London.