LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
Shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023
A vividly written, page-turning mystery adventure set in a world full of jeopardy, The Chestnut Roaster is an exceptional story told with great panache by Eve McDonnell and atmospherically illustrated by Ewa Beniak- Haremska.
Twelve-year-old Piaf is in danger. Her twin brother has been taken away to a secret hospital and a strange man tries to abduct her from her chestnut roasting stall on a street corner. No one except her seems to remember things that happened in the past or to know what year it is. What is going on? Piaf has an unnaturally good memory: she can riffle through the boxes in her mind and find almost any detail she is thinking of. Can she use this skill to solve all the mysteries? Teaming up with her twin and a friend who has also lost all memory, her search for answers takes her through the streets of 19th century Paris and down into the alternative Paris that lies below the pavements. The children stay just ahead of their adversaries as they explore the mysterious underworld of Paris – and especially the sinister, bone-filled Catacombs.
Julia Eccleshare M.B.E
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About
The Chestnut Roaster Synopsis
From the acclaimed author of Elsetime, shortlisted for the Awesome Book Award, a magical and thrilling adventure.
Starting on All Fools Day, twelve years ago, I remember everything. EVERYTHING. That was a wet Saturday, and that was the day I was born.
12-year-old Piaf has the ability to (and burden of) remembering everything that has happened since the day she was born. When she discovers everyone in Paris has forgotten the entire last year, 1887, including the disappearance of several gifted children, Piaf and her twin brother Luc embark on a dangerous journey that brings them to the depths of Paris's underground twin, the Catacombs, to capture the memory thief and find the lost children.
For fans of Sophie Anderson, a rich, historical fantasy thriller with a dazzling, but tiny heroine who will stop at nothing to catch the memory thief. Themes of friendship, loyalty and remaining true to yourself.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781911427292 |
| Publication date: |
27th October 2022 |
| Author: |
Eve McDonnell |
| Illustrator: |
Ewa Beniak Haremska |
| Publisher: |
Everything With Words |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
324 pages |
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Press Reviews
Eve McDonnell Press Reviews
'An unforgettable Paris adventure. Captivating. Fatastique!' - Times book of the week
'One of the best children's book of the year 2022' - The Guardian
'Beautiful, mysterious and captivating. The writing is sublime.' -Kieran Larwood, author of The Five Realms Series.
'Just phenomenal' - Zillah Bethell, author of The Shark Caller
'An immersive, sensory, exciting journey through Paris in the year 1888, and the city comes to vivid fictional life in its pages. An exciting, fast-paced, whirlwind of a story. Fans of McDonnell’s earlier novel Elsetime will appreciate a similar sense of history melding with fiction, as well as strong, inventive, resourceful, intelligent child protagonists who are brave and driven by love for their dear ones, as well as a principled sense of justice.' - Sinéad O’Hart, author of The Eye of the North
Author
About Eve McDonnell
Eve is a children's author and artist, living half way up a hill in Wexford, Ireland. With her hands already full with paintbrushes, twins, a stray cat and a dog, a mysterious fortune-teller once told her to pick up a pen and Write! Write! Write! She listened, and now, on the rare occasion where she's not scribbling a story, Eve enjoys painting everything from rather grown up pieces to children's murals.
More About Eve McDonnell
