Friends Clem, Ash and Zara are excited about another adventure down on the banks of the river Thames. They are members of The Thames and Tide Club and
joining others along the way, they are keen to begin their mudlarking.
Mudlarking was treasure-hunting. It was story finding. It was magic.
All three children have different mudlarking wishes as they set off. Clem is eagle-eyed, often spotting things others missed. More than anything Ash wants to find a laser shark. Even better would be if it had money tied to its fin! Science loving Zara is always on the lookout for fossils to study.
The river is acting strange when they arrive. It seems higher than it should be, and angry too – swirling and rushing, and by the darkening sky above, Clem knew they wouldn’t have long to treasure hunt.
Soon, as the rain begins to fall, Clem is happy with a bucketful of bits and pieces she’s found and they head to the local museum. The museum curator Oswald, is always interested in what they bring him.
The river continues to race and rage, and before long other strange things happen. Water seems to be rising through the floors. The ground begins to rumble and buildings begin to shake. Cracks begin to appear in the roads! What is happening?!
Clem doesn’t realise that something she found while mudlarking is a treasured possession. When it too begins to behave strangely, she and her friends rush to see Oswald. Does he know what it is?
They always knew he was a little different, but what he tells them next sends them on an adventure of a lifetime. All thoughts of fossils, laser sharks and piles of money are forgotten as they discover something a million times spectacular and launches them into the first of many escapades within the Thames and Tide Club.
By multi award winning author Katya Balen, this first adventure of keen, young mudlarkers is full of suspense, laughs, mystery, action and fantasy.
With quirky and engaging characters, intricate black and white illustrations by Rachael Dean and a fast moving plot, I am instantly keen to read more in this series. Although based on the River Thames in the UK, young readers everywhere in the world will be fascinated in this foray into a whole new world.
Fantastic junior fiction.
Author – Katya Balen
Age – 7+
More books for older readers by Katya Balen HERE
(2023, Bloomsbury, Animals, Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Action, Mystery, Series, Museum, Iguana, Quirky, River Thames, Mudlarking, Club, Multi Award Winner, Funny, Friends, Another World, Royalty, Underwater)