Description
An exciting new adventure series for young readers from Carnegie Medal winner Katya Balen, author of October, October and The Light in Everything Clem and her friends Ash and Zara are members of the Thames and Tide Club! Every weekend they go mudlarking by the river, searching for treasures that have washed up on the shore. Clem has found old things, new things and a whole heap of rubbish. But one day, she finds something really special. Something magical that belongs in the river and must be returned to its rightful owner ... or else. Before they know it, the Thames and Tide Club are on the weirdest, wildest, underwater-iest adventure they could possibly have imagined on a mission to save Underwater London!
A brand-new young-reader adventure series from Katya Balen, winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal and Shadowers' Choice Award 2022
About the Author
Katya Balen is an award-winning author of books for children. Katya's debut novel, The Space We're In, was published in 2019 and was highly commended for the Branford Boase Award. Her second, October, October, won the Yoto Carnegie Medal. Her third novel, The Light in Everything, was published in 2022. When she's not writing books, Katya likes to scroll through dog-rescue websites, bake, and attempt to keep all her house plants alive. She lives in London with her partner and their dogs Raffi and Mouse. Rachael Dean is a UK-based children's book illustrator, who lives on the coast near Liverpool. She has created illustrations for middle-grade fiction as well as picture books, and was recently selected to illustrate Dame Jacqueline Wilson's new titles. Rachael works traditionally and digitally, painting images that are vividly rich and bold, and she enjoys gathering inspiration from beautiful scenes of nature. In her spare time, she loves to play the piano, cook, and spend time at her local National Trust.
Reviews
Bursting with quirky characters and imaginative world-building elements, this is the start of a delightful young fiction series. Clem and her friends live in a friendly community, and the warmth of that group infuses the whole story. Short chapters and fun illustrations bring huge appeal for readers who are keen to dive in to engaging but accessible stories - BookTrust on THE THAMES AND TIDE CLUB: SECRET CITY
Clem and the sparring twins Ash and Zara are part of a diverse group of mudlarkers who search the shores of the Thames for artefacts and rubbish, and frequent the mudlarking museum, a place of hot chocolate and mystery. Finding a strange object endangers both London and the river, and the three have to enter a fishily named underwater London (Codvent Garden but still Finsbury Park), and meet a self-important snail, menacing eels and a petulant porpoise to put things right. This is the first of a series by the Carnegie medal-winner Balen. The fun is in the sometimes satirical tone, the lively detail in both text and illustrations, and unexpected phrases: "A frankly terrifying china object, shaped like an evil kitten"; "Tower Bridge swayed like a dandelion in the wind" - The Sunday Times Children's Book of the Week on THE THAMES AND TIDE CLUB: SECRET CITY
Who doesn't love a good fish pun? Or even a bad one, for that matter. In this brilliantly briny adventure story, Clem and her mudlarking pals are plunged into the secret world of underwater London . . . This is Katya Balen's first series for younger readers, following the success of her novels for older children, such as October, October, which won the Yoto Carnegie Medal last year. She is clearly delighting in the daftness of gangster eels and stroppy porpoises, but retains the sensitive style that is her trademark. The action bobs along with the help of black and white illustrations and maps of this secret underwater city by Rachael Dean. Although there is an environmental message, it is never pushed too hard, less a dreary lecture and more a gentle undercurrent that bubbles beneath all the magic and mudlarking. There is much for young readers to enjoy. Dive in - The Times Children's Book of the Week on THAMES AND TIDE CLUB: SECRET CITY
Balen doesn't shy away from difficult subjects and her books all embrace weighty themes within gently suspenseful plots. In The Thames and Tide Club, however, she's writing for younger readers (the recommended age is seven-plus), and the pace is notably brisker as the story plunges us straight into a highly imagined fantasy, much of which takes place underwater. Balen's writing also contains a simple poeticism: "Everything looked very familiar. The shapes of the buildings were exactly like the ones above water?... but the more she looked, the more she could see signs that the city was falling apart." There is a gentle, but never overbearing, moral about protecting the environment; and the combination of short, suspenseful chapters and engaging illustrations by Rachael Dean make this a book that even less confident readers are likely to enjoy * The Daily Telegraph Children's Book of the Week on THAMES AND TIDE CLUB: SECRET CITY *
Balen launches a new series for slightly younger readers with this wildly imaginative romp set on the banks of the River Thames. . . . Packed with piscine puns and lovely descriptions, this is a watery wonder. * The Daily Mail on THAMES AND TIDE CLUB: SECRET CITY *
A delightful illustrated quest story * The Guardian *
Book Information
ISBN 9781526640482
Author Katya Balen
Format Paperback
Page Count 160
Imprint Bloomsbury Childrens Books
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
A brand-new young-reader adventure series from Katya Balen, winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal and Shadowers' Choice Award 2022
About the Author
Katya Balen is an award-winning author of books for children. Katya's debut novel, The Space We're In, was published in 2019 and was highly commended for the Branford Boase Award. Her second, October, October, won the Yoto Carnegie Medal. Her third novel, The Light in Everything, was published in 2022. When she's not writing books, Katya likes to scroll through dog-rescue websites, bake, and attempt to keep all her house plants alive. She lives in London with her partner and their dogs Raffi and Mouse. Rachael Dean is a UK-based children's book illustrator, who lives on the coast near Liverpool. She has created illustrations for middle-grade fiction as well as picture books, and was recently selected to illustrate Dame Jacqueline Wilson's new titles. Rachael works traditionally and digitally, painting images that are vividly rich and bold, and she enjoys gathering inspiration from beautiful scenes of nature. In her spare time, she loves to play the piano, cook, and spend time at her local National Trust.
Reviews
Bursting with quirky characters and imaginative world-building elements, this is the start of a delightful young fiction series. Clem and her friends live in a friendly community, and the warmth of that group infuses the whole story. Short chapters and fun illustrations bring huge appeal for readers who are keen to dive in to engaging but accessible stories - BookTrust on THE THAMES AND TIDE CLUB: SECRET CITY
Clem and the sparring twins Ash and Zara are part of a diverse group of mudlarkers who search the shores of the Thames for artefacts and rubbish, and frequent the mudlarking museum, a place of hot chocolate and mystery. Finding a strange object endangers both London and the river, and the three have to enter a fishily named underwater London (Codvent Garden but still Finsbury Park), and meet a self-important snail, menacing eels and a petulant porpoise to put things right. This is the first of a series by the Carnegie medal-winner Balen. The fun is in the sometimes satirical tone, the lively detail in both text and illustrations, and unexpected phrases: "A frankly terrifying china object, shaped like an evil kitten"; "Tower Bridge swayed like a dandelion in the wind" - The Sunday Times Children's Book of the Week on THE THAMES AND TIDE CLUB: SECRET CITY
Who doesn't love a good fish pun? Or even a bad one, for that matter. In this brilliantly briny adventure story, Clem and her mudlarking pals are plunged into the secret world of underwater London . . . This is Katya Balen's first series for younger readers, following the success of her novels for older children, such as October, October, which won the Yoto Carnegie Medal last year. She is clearly delighting in the daftness of gangster eels and stroppy porpoises, but retains the sensitive style that is her trademark. The action bobs along with the help of black and white illustrations and maps of this secret underwater city by Rachael Dean. Although there is an environmental message, it is never pushed too hard, less a dreary lecture and more a gentle undercurrent that bubbles beneath all the magic and mudlarking. There is much for young readers to enjoy. Dive in - The Times Children's Book of the Week on THAMES AND TIDE CLUB: SECRET CITY
Balen doesn't shy away from difficult subjects and her books all embrace weighty themes within gently suspenseful plots. In The Thames and Tide Club, however, she's writing for younger readers (the recommended age is seven-plus), and the pace is notably brisker as the story plunges us straight into a highly imagined fantasy, much of which takes place underwater. Balen's writing also contains a simple poeticism: "Everything looked very familiar. The shapes of the buildings were exactly like the ones above water?... but the more she looked, the more she could see signs that the city was falling apart." There is a gentle, but never overbearing, moral about protecting the environment; and the combination of short, suspenseful chapters and engaging illustrations by Rachael Dean make this a book that even less confident readers are likely to enjoy * The Daily Telegraph Children's Book of the Week on THAMES AND TIDE CLUB: SECRET CITY *
Balen launches a new series for slightly younger readers with this wildly imaginative romp set on the banks of the River Thames. . . . Packed with piscine puns and lovely descriptions, this is a watery wonder. * The Daily Mail on THAMES AND TIDE CLUB: SECRET CITY *
A delightful illustrated quest story * The Guardian *
Book Information
ISBN 9781526640482
Author Katya Balen
Format Paperback
Page Count 160
Imprint Bloomsbury Childrens Books
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
