30-01-2020 Synopsis Harrison Beck is reluctantly joining his travel-writer Uncle Nat for the last journey of the royal train, The Highland Falcon. I recommend this to others definitely. Journeying into the never-ending night of the arctic winter, our railway detectives must outsmart an assassin in their most chilling adventure yet, in which nothing is as it seems. Please note: This post contains affiliate links. A very impressive woman.Do you think shell bring her dogs on the train?I hope she doesnt, said a reedy voice. If youre teaching a KS2 topic on North America, Kidnap on the California Comet provides lots of great jumping-off points. Legend has it the Kratzensteins, a family of rich and powerful railway tycoons, are cursed, but there is no such thing as a curse, is there . Time to start enjoying yourself. M.G. A mysterious letter from an old friend asks Hal and Uncle Nat to help investigate a spooky supernatural mystery. He wasnt wearing the right clothes for walking on a red carpet.Tickets, please, a uniformed guard said. I first thought this book will be good and incredible which is the same thing I thought when I read the book! Hal and Nat take the night train to Berlin and go undercover. Sophie Brown, Patricia Vollmer, Matt Blum, Z, Jonathan H. Liu, Rebecca Angel, Judy Berna, Nivi Engineer, Evil Genius Mum, Marziah Karch, M.J. 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In The Highland Falcon Thief: Adventures on Trains #1, a middle-grade series starter from MG Leonard and Sam Sedgman, a young boy is swept up in an investigation to uncover the perpetrator of a. Illustrations Ryan Hammond 2022. Were in the caf your brother specified; its five oclock. He looked out at the people crisscrossing the station. Drawing Africa's amazing wild animals from on board a spectacular steam train described as a luxury hotel on wheels, should be enough excitement for anyone. Im trying to convince my reluctant eleven-year-old reader to give it a try in order to see how quickly he can solve the case! Can Hal find the saboteur and stop the runaway train before disaster strikes? Exquisite ironwork. but without children! The Highland Falcon Thief was a fun adventure of a novel with an interesting mystery, unusual setting, and a great cast of characters. Adventures on Trains is a major mystery series from bestselling authors M.G. I cant wait to get the next one. The locomotive sighed out a puff of steam, as if it were alivea dragon, ancient, powerful, and ready to fly.CHAPTER THREEDIAMOND DOGSGentlemen. The train guard appeared. I found this a real delight to read. I would definitely recommend this book to young people who age from 8 to 12! ), a stowaway - and a jewel thief! This book is about action and adventure. You currently have JavaScript disabled in your web browser, please enable JavaScript to view our website as intended. Weve time, dont we?If youre quick, sir.Well be back in two winks of a moles eye. Uncle Nat put a hand on Hals back and steered him away from the dining car. Hal supposed she must be his wife. There are more coming out. I met her recently at the Duchess of Kents gala. In The Highland Falcon Thief: Adventures on Trains #1, a middle-grade series starter from M. G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman, a young boy is swept up in an investigation to uncover the perpetrator of a jewel theft. Hal glimpsed the headline JEWEL THIEF STRIKES AGAIN as a woman in a suit snatched one from the vendor, flipping it under her armpit to read on the train. Inside he could see lush green tropical plants.What kind of train has a greenhouse?Thats an observation car, Uncle Nat said with a grin. So when his Uncle Nat invites him aboard the California Comet, the iconic three-day train journey from Chicago to San Francisco, he leaps at the chance to travel. It's up to Hal, his keen observation, and his skill as a budding sketch artist to uncover the real jewel thief, clear his friend's name, and return the diamond necklace before The Highland Falcon makes its last stop. The dense red felt rich with power and the blood of history.This carriage, his uncle continued, is the King Edward Saloon. I really liked this book, It was a very interesting story about a mistry jewel 5thief. This is a gentle book with fabulous insights into both the history of the railway in the UK and the trains that rode the tracks, as well as being a genuine whodunnit! Get away. He grunted. Moms metal chair scraped against the concrete floor as she got up.Nat! she cried, waddling around the table and throwing her arms around her older brother.Careful, Bevyoull knock me over. Uncle Nat put down his battered leather suitcase and umbrella, hugging her. Im grateful to be given the opportunity to say a proper goodbye to this train. Piers Torday, author of The Lost Magician"A fabulous fast-paced ride, packed with clues, illustrations and intrigue." Lets go to the observation car and wave Kings Cross goodbye.Text copyright 2020 by M. G. Leonard and Sam SedgmanIllustrations copyright 2020 by Elisa Paganelli, The Highland Falcon Thief: Adventures on Trains #1. The patron saint of travelers will keep you safe on your journey.Hal gripped the silver medallion between his thumb and forefinger. Two bulging-breasted pigeons strutted toward him, pecking at the floor.Colin Beck kicked out his leg. Well then, when it gets dark, you can lie on one of the sofas and look up at the stars.A cry went up. Shes quite mysterious at the start but then at the end shes an inspirational problem solver, when the Hal rescues her from the luggage cage. As the train wends its way from London to Scotland, some priceless jewellery goes missing. Harrison Beck and his Uncle Nat are enjoying the final journey of the Highland Falcon, Britain's most famous steam train. I was also thrilled to see that two more as yet untitled books are in the pipeline for 2022, set in Australia and Norway respectively. When theyd told him he was going to have a little sister, hed asked how they could afford another human but not a dog, especially since children were an even bigger responsibility than a dog. Im ready.A crowd of people were gathered by the platform entrance, jostling for position.Lets not dawdle on the red carpet, Uncle Nat said, striding toward them. This is combined with a very interesting, well-paced story so that, even if you aren't a massive train nerd, I guarantee that you'll still enjoy the book. Ive memorized all the historic routes. They knew Id want to say goodbye to her. Eleven-year-old Harrison (Hal) Beck is being sent away for a few days with his Uncle Nathaniel, a well-respected travel writer, and steam train enthusiast. Bradshaw, sir. The man dipped his peaked cap. Son of my youngest daughtershe drives freight trains up in Scotland.I didnt realize youd be joining the royal tour, Ernest. Leonard and Sam Sedgman. Eh?With coal?Precisely. No. It was built before the war, for King George V. It has a wonderful library, as well as card tables and a dartboard.Dartboard? Illustrator: Elisa Paganelli. Last summer, I thoroughly enjoyed The Highland Falcon Thief.This was book one in a new middle-grade series titled Adventures on Trains and written by M.G. This book is always very popular in our library so I decided to give it a try. There are also two other books carried on from this story, they are called The Californian Comet (which is about a kidnapping) and the Safari star (which is about a murder, although it isnt too gruesome and the pictures in these books are only drawn so they dont have any real life pictures in them) and these stories are based in North and South America (although this book is based in the UK). My favourite character would have to be Hal. GeekDad: Geek Daily Deals April 14 2021: Big Sale on Best Learning Electronic Teaching Toys Up To 49% Off Today! You can read a chapter of Murder on the Safari Star at the end of Kidnap on the California Comet. You concentrate on bringing this baby out into the world safely. I love these marvelous machines. He tapped a finger to his temple. After the excitement of his adventures aboard the Highland Falcon Thief, Harrison Beck can't wait for the opportunity to go on another amazing train journey. He pulled it from his pocket and shouted into the phone. Overall, this is an excellent start to a series, and a must-read for train enthusiasts and mystery lovers. Suspicion gradually moves from person to person with everyone becoming a suspect. 95 Ditchling Road, Brighton, England, BN1 4ST, United Kingdom. Is this your boy?My nephew, Harrison.Hal smiled politely.I have a grandson called Harrison. Ernest shook his hand. It's so gripping - I read it in one day!!! However, picking up this book brought all these memories back. Also aboard the train are a varied cast of characters including Mr. and Mrs. Pickle (owners of a major train company), movie star Sierra Knight, Baron Wolfgang Essenbach, and Lady Elizabeth Lansbury and her man-servant Rowan Buck. He herded them through the carriage, following Lady Lansbury.I wonder what their names are, Hal said.Thats Baron Wolfgang Essenbach, Uncle Nat said, and his youngest son, Milo.Hal thought his uncle had meant the dogs, until an imposing man with dark, gray-streaked hair wearing a midnight-blue waistcoat stepped onto the train. Can Hal find the saboteur and stop the runaway train before disaster strikes? The Highland Falcon Thief reads very much like a middle-grade Agatha Christie with all our suspects cooped up together within the confines of the train. I loved steam trains when I was younger. Overall, this is an excellent start to a series, and a must-read for train enthusiasts and mystery lovers. Here, take Grandads Saint Christopher for good luck. Published 30 January 2020, The Highland Falcon Thief is a breathless train journey full of deceptions, puzzles and clues to solve. . Unfortunately, the plot was very predictable and I had figured out who was behind the kidnapping by chapter two (impressively, my husband instantly and correctly guessed who was behind the crime from just my vague description of the plot, without even reading the book) but this assumes an adult perspective and I doubt that many readers from the books middle-grade target audience would figure it out nearly as quickly, if at all. Buy The Highland Falcon Thief by M G Leonard and Sam Sedgman at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com. WINNER of the 2020 Books Are My Bag readers awards for Childrens Fiction. Maybe for a high-speed train, but especially for a maglev. The recently married Prince and Princess (heavily implied to be Harry Windsor and Meghan Markle, particularly ironic given recent events) also join the train about halfway through the book. You can read more book reviews or buy The Highland Falcon Thief by M G Leonard and Sam Sedgman at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges 2.99 for standard delivery for orders under 20, over which delivery is free. Leonard did an absolutely incredible job depicting the Highland Falcon both as a whole and down to its individually wonderful train cars like the library, the game room and the observatory to name a . The bottom half of the carriage was varnished wood, the top half, sparkling rectangles of glass held in place by gold rods that arched up and over the train. Look at that veranda. His uncle pointed the tip of his umbrella at a platform extending from the observation car. This rip-roaring time-slip novel has a fast-paced plot and entertaining characters. Leonard and Sam Sedgman. I was recommend this book to 8-13-year-olds but I think anyone who will read this book will really enjoy it especially if they like mysteries. Each of these characters (with the possible exception of uncle Nat and Ernest White), has something to hide, which really adds to the almost Agatha Christie-like feel of the book. WINNER of the 2020 Childrens Fiction Book of the Year in the British Book Awards. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this and look forward to the next of the series. It is also meant to be the first book in a series, and I look forward to seeing where else Hal and Uncle Nat go. That being said, they still look fantastic, and are as lively and delightful as the story itself. 1 Aire Street, Leeds, LS1 4PR, Here are the instructions of how to enable JavaScript in your browser. However, Crosby is soon discovered dead in his own locked compartment, shot with a bullet from his own rifle. I was so intrigued by some of the terminology and train information that I researched water troughs and watched videos of the action! There are so many more amazing railways journeys in other parts of the world yet to be explored in these stories (Japan, India, the famous Trans-Siberian railway in Russia) that I hope this series can continue for many more books yet to come, but for now, I encourage you to pick up the first three Adventures on Trains books, beginning with The Highland Falcon Thief, for your own middle-grade readers, especially if they also happen to be train enthusiasts. Harrison Beck reluctantly joins his travel-writer Uncle Nat for the last journey of the royal steam train, The Highland Falcon. Quite the commotion out there, isnt it? He looked over his spectacles at Hal. Shes a lovely-looking locomotive.Im going to miss you. Hals mom hugged him. The two new friends have great fun exploring the train and observing the passengers, including an eccentric Countess with her five boisterous dogs, a glamorous film star and guests of honour, the royal prince and his wife.