Whodunnits – NEVER JUDGE TEEN BOOKS BY THEIR COVERS

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge

Blurb: Faith’s father has been found dead under mysterious circumstances, and as she is searching through his belongings for clues she discovers a strange tree. The tree only grows healthy and bears fruit if you whisper a lie to it. The fruit of the tree, when eaten, will deliver a hidden truth to the person who consumes it. The bigger the lie, the more people who believe it, the bigger the truth that is uncovered.

The girl realizes that she is good at lying and that the tree might hold the key to her father’s murder, so she begins to spread untruths far and wide across her small island community. But as her tales spiral out of control, she discovers that where lies seduce, truths shatter . . .

Age: 12+

Price: £6.99

As you may know, this is a well recognised book, having won the Costa Award which is a very big book award, and was nominated for the Bookseller YA shortlist award 2016. I read this book and I really enjoyed it. I have read another Frances Hardinge book called ‘Cuckoo Song’ click this link to read the review of it….http://larawhitfield.co.uk/?p=162 but personally I preferred ‘The Lie Tree’. Unlike her other books, this one includes a murder and I know all of them are mystery books, but this one is an actual murder story! I liked that you have no idea who the murderer is right up until just before it is revealed. This book is set in the 1860s as Frances said at Hay Festival and I found it really sad that the main character Faith, was turned down by her Father and his scientist colleges because she was female. This book is full of secrets and lies and it is very superstitious which I could relate to. However, the thing that made love the book the most and that probbly pushed it from a 9 to a 10 was simply the way that it was written, I just love the way that Frances Hardinge writes her books. The way a book is written tends to change things, maybe it’s just me (oh well). I had my copy of this book signed by Frances Hardinge at the Hay Festival as well which is an extra bonus. This book is for both genders and I give this book a 10 out of 10 stars and hope you enjoy it too.

P.S. I am finally on Instagram, username is NJTBBTC

P.P.S. NJTBBTC unless you haven’t worked it out stands for Never Judge Teen Books By Their Covers….

First Class Murder by Robin Stevens

Blurb: Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are taking a holiday on the world-famous Orient Express – and it’s clear that each of their fellow first-class passengers has something to hide. Even more intriguing: there is rumour of a spy in their midst. Then, during dinner, there is a scream from inside one of the cabins. When the door is broken down, a passenger is found murdered, her stunning ruby necklace gone. But the killer has vanished – as if into thin air. Daisy and Hazel are faced with their first ever locked-room mystery – and with competition from several other sleuths, who are just as determined to crack the case.

Price: £6.99 (probably cheaper on amazon)

Age: 10+

As you may know already, this book is part of a growing series, at the moment there are 4 books but I am sure that there are more on the way. I think that this book is the best book so far but I haven’t read the 4th book yet so I can’t say much. Anyway, this book is slightly different to the others as the murder happens not as close to the start of the book as the others do, also there are more characters with interesting personalities. This book is very cleverly written and I really enjoyed reading it. Alex, Mrs Vitellius and as usual Hazel and Daisy were my favourite characters and i thought that the book was even more intriguing because of the double mystery in the novel (you have to read it to find out). I would recommend this to girls more than boys but that doesn’t mean you can’t read it and I give it 10 out of 10 stars, enjoy!!!

A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan – Doyle

Blurb: There’s the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it.

After a harrowing tour in Afghanistan, Dr Watson returns to London to convalesce at 221B Baker Street, home to the enigmatic Sherlock Holmes. Their lives are irrevocably thrown together by news that a man has been found dead in a grimy ‘ill-omened’ house, with the word ‘rache’ – German for revenge – written in blood on the wall. This grisly discovery is complicated further by the look of utter horror on the victim’s face, and the complete absence of any wounds on the body or sign of a struggle.

Age: 11+

Price: The complete Sherlock Holmes is available on the kindle for free, and so is this book. However, if you do not have a kindle and wish to by this book, then it is £2.50.

I really enjoyed this book. It is quite long and hard going because it was written a while ago, but I thought it was amazing. I am a huge fan of the TV series so I was super excited to finally read one of the books. This book is very similar to the first Sherlock Holmes episode, “A Study in Pink” where Sherlock and John meet each other for the first time. This is ever so slightly different from the program, but not the same. Murders are always scary, but I didn’t think this one was too bad. There is a part after they solve the murder, where i thought the book was going off on a tangent. Turns out, if you keep reading, it makes perfect sense, so don’t give up on it. This is an amazing book and I highly suggest that you read this book about a double murder, a weird heart disease and a young girl. This book is definitely for both genders and I really hope you read it.