To read more about the site or if you want a graphic to link to us, see the about page for more details. After investigation, the Lontown Geographical Society has found Ernest Brightstorm guilty of destroying the expedition of Eudora Vane, his competitor. When the twins are separated for the first time, the author shows Maudie’s vulnerabilities and Arthur’s desperation as he tries to live up to his brilliant sister. Discovering Ernest Shackleton's original advert for the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition was the spark that started the idea for my novel Brightstorm, so I just had to start with this wonderful book.

The twins Arthur and Maudie Brightstorm receive the news that their father has just passed on while attempting to reach the southernmost corner of the world. Shortlisted for the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize 2019 A fast-paced fantasy adventure that will set your imagination soaring! But if pressed, I think I’d actually pick the second book in the series, Darkwhispers, because it holds an even bigger secret behind the endless bank of fog to the east of Vornatania.This is an unputdownable Victoriana adventure with characters that are vivid and most refreshing in their portrayal of gender roles. Stories include 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke, who survived a two-mile fall in an airplane which crashed in the Peruvian rainforest, and a sailor who survived for 133 days on a raft in the Atlantic using shark's blood in place of fresh water. The book is structured by taking the stages of a typical expedition from planning to setting out, then finding your goal and surviving, to eventually (and hopefully!

With inventive touches to the story such as pygmy dinosaurs and frost fairies, the story landscape is easy to imagine and get lost in. When the twins reach their destination, the ‘victory’ they claim is not necessarily the one they were expecting (I can’t say too much more without giving spoilers! You cannot fault Vashti's writing style, it's so engrossing and I always get this warm fuzz whenever I start one of her books because I know I'm in great hands.What gorgeous writing which perfectly conjures up in vivid detail this other world where Ironhold exists! To succeed, Orin will need to dig deep for courage, trust in new friends, and, ultimately, have faith in himself.