The Clockwork Crow

Product Information

Stellas neues Zuhause ist ein dunkler, kalter Landsitz, der inmitten einer winterlichen Landschaft abgeschieden liegt. Es ist unheimlich und die Haushälterin ist eine wenig zugängliche strenge Frau. Immer wieder wirft Catherine Fisher neue Rätsel auf. Was für Geräusche sind das, die nur Stella zu hören scheint? Was hat es mit dem geheimnisvollen Spielzeug auf sich und wo ist die Familie hin, die Stella eigentlich hier hätte erwarten sollen? Catherine Fisher has woven her magic once more, twisting fairy tales, folklore and fantasy into a spellbinding tale.’ Seren is an orphan and in the first book, on her way to a new life in a remote house, she is given a newspaper parcel by a stranger, late at night in a deserted railway station. When she arrives at her new home, she finds that there is a lot of mystery and sadness concerning the absence of Tomos who has been missing for a year and a day. Seren sets off on a magical quest to try and find Tomos. Then it looked at her with its shiny eye and opened its twisted beak. “Oil” it croaked. “I need oil.”

This is a kind book that is not terribly dark, reminiscent of The Little Princess. The message of individual responsibility to keep trying to be and do better shines through the book. It teaches lessons about being inquiring and not judging others at a glance, no matter the age. Catherine Fisher writes a story of a young girl, an orphan, who is being adopted by her godparents. She arrives at their home in Wales to find everyone in the family missing and no logical explanation given to her. Looked after by two house servants, the girl is left to wonder about the mysteries surrounding the house. So too, the readers. While I can tell that Fisher is trying to unfold her story slowly, it seemed instead to go in fits and starts, largely as a result of bad editing. I found myself more than a tad irritated at jarring sentences such as, "Their hands were numbing cold." If you told me I had to think about it for awhile to find that sentence to be a clever one, I'd respond by telling you I had to think for far too long.

Marble Goblet Planters

A pitch-perfect middle-grade novel that insightfully explores timely topics with authenticity and warmth. When Captain Arthur Jones, her dead father’s best friend, calls on her to come and live with his family in his grand mansion Plas-y Fran in Wales, she dreams of finally having a family because Captain Jones has a wife little boy, Tomos. However, Seren’s daydreams of a magical Christmas with her new family are shattered almost at once: Tomos is missing, the Captain and his grieving wife have fled to London, and no one wants to tell Seren about the mysterious nursery in the attic or the unearthly bell that rings in the middle of the night. In fact, her only friend now is a motheaten mechanical crow, dumped on her by a mysterious stranger at the train station. Seren has never been loved and cherished; first as an orphan in an institutional orphanage and then when living with a bedridden relative, she has always been neglected and mostly ignored. Her first novel, The Conjuror's Game, was shortlisted for the Smarties Books prize and The Snow-Walker's Son for the W.H.Smith Award. Equally acclaimed is her quartet The Book of the Crow, a classic of fantasy fiction.

There is humour as well as excitement in this excellent story of a brave and resourceful heroine who surprises even her mentor, the Crow, and we can look forward to finding out what happens next.’ Seren was utterly brave in this one, each book she is brave and has things to overcome but this one she is even more fiercely brave and determined, this time to help break the crows curse once and for all but with it may come a huge sacrifice and a test of her hearts dearest desire.

Als der Zug in den Bahnhof einfährt, steht Stella immer noch mit dem Paket in den Händen da. Der Mann scheint, wie vom Erdboden verschwunden. Published this year is The Miracle on Ebenezer Streetby Catherine Doyle, who has breathed new life into the timeless tale through her charming reimagining and delightfully quirky cast of characters and modern, magical adventure storyline. This is a book that everyone should wish to find wrapped up under their tree this Christmas.

Update 3/6/2022 - I have had a request to include the screens in Powerpoint format, so I have added a Powerpoint file that has all of the SMART screens.) In an unkind world full of unequally and , our hero is a dreamer who loves to read. She tries to be good, but at times her curiosity and her temper get the best of her. Faced with equally imperfect adults that often treat her in a dismissive way, she struggles to find balance. Her sharp mind is constantly questioning the world around her and is not satisfied with half truths. On another note, the covers of all three of the books in this series are enchantingly beautiful. I especially loved the cover of The Velvet Fox. Young Seren Rhys stands on the cusp of a new life. Unfortunately for her, the train to her new life is late.

LoveReading4Kids Says

Mit dem Mondscheinvogel hat die Autorin ebenfalls eine einzigartige Figur erschaffen. Mich hat dieses witzig-schräge Kerlchen mit seiner faszinierenden Wunderlichkeit sofort in helle Begeisterung versetzen können. Once all the metal bits are in place, Seren winds up the mechanical bird, and to her utter surprise, the crow comes alive, starts to flap about, and cries out for oil.