I’m going to preface this by saying that trains really aren’t my thing.
I’ve tried. I really have. I’ve even been to a train museum, and while the miniature village and train set was exciting, it didn’t do a thing for me other than that. So am I the target audience for this book, age aside? No. So the fact that I still enjoyed it and learned some things says so much more about this series.
The Adventures on Trains series features a series of mysteries on trains. Readers following along with Hal as he solves crime, learns interesting facts about trains, and meets interesting new partners.
This book tour by TBR and Beyond is really for the second book, but I wanted to introduce all of you to the first book, too, because this series is just too charming! I think it’ll be a big win for middle grade mystery readers, especially those interested in trains!
The Highland Falcon Thief
by M.G. Leonard, Sam SedgmanPublished by: Feiwel & Friends on July 28, 2020
Genres: Middle Grade, Mystery, Adventure
Pages: 256
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Rating:
When eleven-year-old Harrison Hal Beck is forced to accompany his travel-writer uncle on the last journey of a royal train, he expects a boring trip spent away from video games and children his age.
But then Hal spots a girl who should not be on board, and he quickly makes friends with the stowaway, Lenny. Things get even more interesting when the royal prince and princess board for the last leg of the journey--because the princess's diamond necklace is soon stolen and replaced with a fake! Suspicion falls on the one person who isn't supposed to be there: Lenny.
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.
Content Tags:
Perfect for readers who want:
- Fun facts about trains.
- To travel across England with the characters.
- An interesting crime that needs to be solved!
- Two young kids teaming up to crack the case.
Many thanks to Feiwel & Friends and Turn the Page Tours for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
If you’re a fan of trains, rejoice! This book is filled with tidbits about them, and if you’ve never ridden on one, you’ll feel like you have by the time you’re done!
I’ve already said that trains aren’t my favorite thing, but there’s no denying they have a certain charm! I was really interested in the history of trains and some of the descriptions about how they work. The authors admit they took a little liberty with this book, so if you’re a die-hard train fanatic, that might bother you, but I liked that it allowed them to add even more to the story.
The authors do such a great job of capturing the thrill and atmosphere of being on a train that I felt like I was riding one as I read!
It’s a delicate balance, being able to describe just enough to create a scene without bogging down the action, but it works well here. There’s a definite train feel, and while there are times when the technical aspects of trains bogged me down a little (only because trains, again, aren’t something I’m particularly interested in), the story never really lost momentum.
“What’s a girl’s game?”
Harrison shrugged. “Princesses?”
Lenny thumped him on the arm.
“Ow!”
“My sister Priya and I play princesses all the time. She makes me dress as a prince and fight her. Guess who wins?”
“You?” Hal’s eyes flickered down to Lenny’s tool belt.
“Priya, because she takes dance classes, so her legs are super-strong. She can take you down witha blow to the backs of your knees before you’ve swung a fist. She calls it combat ballet.”
“Right.” Hal nodded. “I’ll remember to stay away from her, then.”
Hal makes for a really interesting protagonist as he does his best to catch the jewel thief aboard the train.
Hal is an adorable kid, so it’s hard not to root for him in general. More than that, he’s very into artwork, which is all the more impressive, so he’s got a fine eye for details that others might overlook. I loved this explanation about how he’s able to pick up on things that others might not! He’s used to looking at the world from a slightly different lens.
Even as an adult, I could relate to Hal, especially being shipped off to spend time with his uncle on a boring old train, only to discover that maybe travel is more fun than he thought. I’ve definitely been tricked into that realization more than once! Plus, Hal faces the very real struggles of being a kid and not being taken seriously, along with all the frustration that comes with it.
“I’m not an idiot.”
“You are if you think I’m a thief.”
Hal isn’t alone in his quest to solve the crime, and along the way, he meets Lenny, who is a bundle of fun and a nice counterpoint to Hal.
Lenny is much more of a go-getter and into taking action, whereas Hal is more quiet and reserved. Everything about Lenny screams adventure, and she reluctantly drags Hal into one. The pair make a wonderful team, with Hal making quiet deductions and Lenny being more proactive at finding clues. Lenny is definitely the sort of person I’d want as a friend if I were still a kid. Heck, she’s still the type of person I want as a friend! Now accepting applications from Lenny-like folks to be friends!
“No, you didn’t.” Lenny crossed her arms. “You promised him you’d lock the door when he left and not open it to anyone but him. And I’m not suggesting we go out the door. I’m saying we should go out the window.”
“What?”
The thing I appreciated most about this book is that Hal’s Uncle Nat actually gets to help solve the crime! Hal is always the leader, and Uncle Nat makes that clear, but he does provide some needed assistance from time to time when Hal asks for it.
I love that kids get to save the day in middle grade books, and they should. Kids should get to see themselves as being able to solve problems and be heroes. However, I always hate when it comes at the price of the adults around them, like the adults are the villains or they’re unable to trust the adults in their lives. That makes me sad and isn’t a message I particularly want to send to kids.
Worry not, though! In this book, Hal confides in his uncle, and Uncle Nat responds by offering him whatever help he requests. The caveat here, of course, is that Hal is the lead on this. He needs to ask for the help, and even then, Uncle Nat often acts as a sounding board, offering suggestions rather than outright solving anything. In other words, he’s the adult that most of us adulty folks strive to be when it comes to empowering kids.
“Yes, full of tablecloths and napkins—stuff for the dining car.”
“Great—then that’s what you’ll use.”
“Dress her as a ghost?”
“Ha! It’s not Halloween yet, Hal. No—but I do have an idea.”
Kidnap on the California Comet (Adventures on Trains #2)
by M.G. Leonard, Sam Sedgmanon February 23, 2021
Genres: Middle Grade, Mystery, Adventure
Pages: 256
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Rating:
In this second book of the middle-grade Adventures on Trains series, amateur sleuth Hal Beck travels to the U.S. with his uncle to ride a famous train—the California Comet—and stumbles on a new mystery to solve, in M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman's Kidnap on the California Comet...
After his adventure on the Highland Falcon, amateur sleuth Hal Beck is excited to embark on another journey with his journalist uncle. This time, they're set to ride the historic California Comet from Chicago to San Francisco.
Hal mostly keeps to himself on the trip, feeling homesick and out of place in America. But he soon finds himself drawn into another mystery when the young daughter of a billionaire tech entrepreneur goes missing!
Along with new friends—spunky 13-year-old Mason and his younger sister, Hadley—Hal races against the clock to find the missing girl before the California Comet reaches its final destination.
Content Tags:
Perfect for readers who want:
- Travel across America by rail, with descriptions of lovely scenery!
- Fun comparisons of British culture vs. American culture.
- Lots of interesting train tidbits.
- Magic twists with explanations on how to do the trick.
- A mystery where kids and adults team up to solve it together.
Many thanks to Feiwel & Friends and Turn the Page Tours for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
For train lovers, this sequel follows a familiar narrative of train atmosphere and details, but in a slightly different setting.
This time, Hal and Uncle Nat travel to America, which is a little bit of culture shock for poor Hal, as you can imagine. He runs into all the normal stumbling blocks, like chips vs. fries and pizza vs. pie. While this isn’t particularly shocking to me at this point, it’s a cute way to introduce the idea of cultural differences to younger kids!
“I had lice once,” Mason replied.
Hal laughed. “Not that kind of itch.”
The side characters in this are even more fun than the first book, and the way they interact is quirky and entertaining.
This really lends itself to the railroad experience. There are all sorts of characters in this book, and I really felt them and their personalities more in this book than in the first one. Maybe it’s because Hadley, Mason, and their father, Frank, all have such large personalities. I’m not sure. All I know is that I absolutely loved these characters!
“It’s called a speeding ticket,” Mason said.
“Four speeding tickets,” Hadley clarified.
“They were emergencies!” Frank protested.
Fans of magic will also be thrilled to know that there’s a character who wants to be a magician, and she not only talks about magic but explains how to perform a few basic tricks!
I used to be big into magic as a kid, and I would’ve absolutely loved this fact. Plus, how neat is it to have a girl being a magician? Take that, gender stereotypes! This book gives a nice jumping off point to learn more about magic while also teaching a few basic techniques.
What I particularly loved about this, though, was that Hadley had an even different way of viewing things than Hal, as an artist, or her brother, Mason, as neither artist nor magician.
It’s a solid reminder that there are many factors into how people see the world! For example, Hadley specializes in sleight of hand and trickery, so she can spot things Hal can’t, which makes them an awesome team.
“I tried that with my homework,” said Mason. “My math teacher was not impressed.”
Uncle Nat gets his own little partner in crime, and Hal and his accomplices find themselves confiding in two adults, and I just love it!
If I’m perfectly honest, I might have a teensy bit of a crush on Uncle Nat in general. The connection he’s growing with Hal is just adorable, and he’s quite patient and understanding. I would absolutely not object to traveling around with him on trains, I’ll just say that.
As I said before, I love middle grade books that show that kids can both be the heroes and trust adults at the same time. This book follows that theme, with a few stumbling blocks, because Uncle Nat accidentally acts a little too much like an adult, and Hal’s faith in him waivers. I really enjoyed this, because adults make mistakes and miscommunication happens! So the fact that Hal had to overcome that was just beautiful.
About M.G. Leonard
M. G. Leonard is the award-winning, bestselling author of the Beetle Boy books. She works as a freelance digital media producer for clients such as the National Theatre and Harry Potter West End. She lives in Brighton with her husband and two sons, all of whom are crazy about trains. She is the co-author of the Adventures on Trains series.
About Sam Sedgman
Sam Sedgman is a novelist, playwright, and award-winning digital producer. He works as a digital project manager for the National Theatre, where he also hosts and co-produces their podcast. He grew up with a railway line at the bottom of his garden and has been fascinated by trains ever since. He is the co-author of the Adventures on Trains series.
Enter to win one (1) set of finished copies of The Highland Falcon Thief and Kidnap on the California Comet by M. G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman! Open USA only. There will be 1 winner.
Giveaway starts: Monday, February 22, 2021
Giveaway ends: Monday, March 1, 2021 at 12:00 a.m. CST
February 22
Turn the Page Tours – Welcome Post/Author Interview
Jypsylynn – Book Review
February 23
The Book View – Book Review
TheReadingRoom444 – Book Review
February 24
Ruby Reads and Reviews – Book Review
The Bookwyrm’s Den – Book Review, Favorite Quotes
February 25
Leann Reads Books – Author Interview
Pop Read’s Reviews – Spotlight
The Momma Spot – Book Review
February 26
Kait Plus Books – Guest Post
Belle’s Archive – Book Review
February 27
DJ Reads Books – Book Review, Favorite Quotes
Whimsical Blessings – Author Interview
February 28
Ya Its Lit – Book Review
Magicallykatie – Book Review, Favorite Quotes
Trapped Inside Stories – Author Interview
Similar Books You Might Also Enjoy:
[…] The Highland Falcon Thief and Kidnap on the California Comet has already passed (read my review here). I absolutely had fun with the series and will probably pick up the third book, which is set in […]
[…] The Bookwyrm’s Den – Book Review, Favorite Quotes […]