- Written by J.T. Williams
This book is the second in this amazing groundbreaking series. And having loved the first one I couldn’t wait to see what adventures awaited the friends this time.
Sisters in solving crime. Twelve-year-olds Lizzie Sancho and Dido Belle are from different worlds – Lizzie lives in Westminster in her dad’s tea shop, while Belle is an heiress being brought up by her aunt and uncle at grand Kenwood House – but they both share a love of solving mysteries. And after saving Lizzie’s father from attempted murder surely there is no threat too challenging for this detective duo? It’s the summer of 1777, the night of the grand unveiling of the Sancho-Mansfields family portrait – and a celebration of friendship, family, and freedom! But all too soon things take a dark turn – the painting has been stolen! Now it is time for Lizzie and Belle to put their sleuthing skills to the ultimate test, following a trail of thefts, kidnappings and even poisonings that haunts the twisting London streets.
With a grand conspiracy afoot, and a mysterious organisation threatening their closest friends and family, who can Lizzie and Belle trust? Once again it is up to the two girls to unveil the truth and put an end to the villainy that plagues the city.
What a gem of a series this is. The initial appeal is that it is historical fiction for children set in London in 1777 when King George III reigned. I can’t think of many books for and about children in this era. I love how the children are learning about history and famous people without knowing it.
Of course the most interesting feature is the two central characters, Lizzie and Belle, who were both historical figures that were brought up together, the real Lizzie and Belle were second cousins. Belle was the daughter of a white naval officer and an enslaved African Black woman, and after her mother’s death she was brought to England to be raised by an aristocratic family in a stately home. This was quite remarkable for the times and would make a great story in itself.
However, the fictionalised tale has the two girls solving crime in an exciting mystery. I love how the two main characters are completely different, Lizzie is very much a tom boy and Belle loves the dresses. The main theme of the story is family, friendship and freedom. The writing is excellent and the language and description is age appropriate but it is also quite a gripping story, written from Belle’s point of view.I love how some of the story is in form of letters.The series considers issues such as slavery, the Abolitionists movement, illegitimacy and social class. And this is all explained in a way that makes the reader understand.And as the story goes on you get a real sense of what it was like for black people during that time. It is a great way for us to learn about black history, there were times I felt bad being white, and at times I felt a little uncomfortable.
With Belle being illegit and living with her white family you get to see how different her life was and how different she was treated when her family wasn’t around. You can also see how she wished for a family like Lizzie’s .
There are a lot of references to the first book so I think the first book needs to be read first.
The front cover is extremely colourful and eye-catching and throughout the book the illustrations play an important part.
I am really looking forward to the girls next adventure.
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