The Clockwork Sparrow

Sophie, in straitened circumstances following the death of her father, is trying to make a life for herself and obtains a job in Sinclair's Department Store, the newest and most glamorous department store in all of London. Her enthusiasm for the excitement surrounding the grand opening is somewhat overshadowed by the attitude of some of her colleagues who seem to dislike her but she finds friendship with Lil, Billy and Joe, unaware of the adventure that is about to engulf them all. The Clockwork Sparrow of the title is stolen from the department store and somehow, Sophie finds herself accused of involvement and dismissed from her post. With her friends, she sets out to prove her innocence and find the real culprit and there is much sleuthing and cracking of codes until the adventure culminates in a race against time to stop something dreadful happening. Sophie and Lil are spirited, resourceful heroines, undeterred by danger and determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. They bring out the best in Billy and Joe, who also play their part but it is clearly the two girls who take the lead and save the day. The plot moves on at a cracking pace but the reader is also given a sense of the difficulties of Sophie's life and her determination to overcome them. There is a hint in the final chapter that this will not be the only mystery that Sophie and Rose are called upon to solve and indeed the second book in the series will be published next year. Those children who read and enjoy this book will be keen to read on. 314 Pages / ages 10+

Suggested Reading Age 3+