Published By: Bloomsbury Children’s Book
Pages: 320
Released On: 13/03/2025
Reading Age: 9+
For the people who live on the banks of the Thames, the river is a living, breathing thing. It can take your treasures. It can hide your treasures. And, sometimes, it can give them back.
Bo and Billy are two children who have never met. Billy is an orphan. Bo’s dad died when she was small and now her brother is off to war. Both children are poor, but they have each found half of a priceless treasure, given up by the river. A treasure which – when the pieces are reunited – holds the power to give back to one of them the most precious thing they have ever lost.
But should the treasure be put back together again? And why has the river given it up now?
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I’ve been looking forward to this one ever since it was announced, it sounded really good, and that cover is gorgeous!
It’s an adventure story, historical, fantasy, and magical – it’s got a bit of everything. And even though it’s set in the 1900s, it definitely has a Dickensian feel about it.
It does touch on some difficult topics, including war, loss, grief, violence, distrust, and relationship (romantic and platonic) struggles. It also looks at the social divides between rich and poor; the importance of being truthful and the harm that lies and deceit can cause; and also looks at the struggles with young friendships.
The main characters of Bo and Billy are delightful and are great protagonists for young readers to identify with. There are a number of adult characters, and some of them I found interesting, some were goodies and some baddies. But for me, this is a book for children and its stars are the children.
Whilst it is a magical tale, it doesn’t hide away from what is happening at the time. WW1 is afoot and Bo’s brother, amongst others, are fighting in France. And whilst Jessie hasn’t used it for gratification, she also hasn’t hidden away from the effect it has on those left behind.
It was a bit odd; good and I enjoyed it, reading it in a couple of hours. I read a lot of children’s books and they usually have a way of speaking to me as an adult, too. This one did in parts, but I think it’s definitely more turned in to younger readers (which is fine as it is aimed at children). I didn’t find I had much to clutch on to but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
I suppose, now I’ve finished it, my main concern is there’s a lot going on. There’s the war, there’s these magical coins, death and grief, there’s deception, ghosts, violence, fortunes being made and lost – I wonder if it is just a wee too much.
Books By Your Bedside 