"a ghostly story of intrigue, suspense, double-dealing and danger"
Thunderpaws and the Tower of London by Ben Housden @thunderpaws.london was perfect to read leading up to Halloween with its spooky atmosphere, ghostly characters and sinister plots.
This book is a delightful adventure involving cheeky cats, well-known ghosts, ravens and legends of London. Teufel also known as Thunderpaws is a lovable black cat whose owners move to live in the Tower of London from Devon. He is thrown into a ghostly story of intrigue, suspense, double-dealing and danger. We meet famous characters from the Tower’s dark history such as Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey and Sir Walter Raleigh but they are not as you have seen them before. For example, Lady Jane Grey has a penchant for wearing a hoodie and just wants to go to raves!
Teufel’s character is very well written to capture the contrary and independent nature of cats but also their adorable and loving side too. His attitude to vets and their diet food is so typical of felines all over the world!
The Tower itself is almost a character in its own right with superb descriptions of its architecture and foreboding atmosphere. Not wanting to give any spoilers away, I also adored the character of Elvis, a charismatic leader and all-round cheeky chappie.
The book is set out in a very unusual way with the words printed on the page on either side as if it is a conversation. During times of action the words are printed to reflect what is happening in the narrative which is a brilliant visual tool (see example in the photographs). The layout adds so much to the pace and flow of the story.
The illustrations throughout the book are beautiful and the chapter ornamentations are lovely, both adding so much to the tale (or should that be tail?).
As a cat lover and fan of anything historic this was a real treat for me. It was exciting and thrilling whilst at the same time being charming and heart-warming. It really is suitable for ages 9-90! I loved it and cannot wait for the next instalment!
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