The Tresaure House

When Nina’s mum runs away and her dad sets off to find her, Nina is left in the care of Aunt Nell and Aunt Rose who run a charity shop called ‘Second-Hand Rose’ which is full of unusual clothes and objects. As Nina and her best friend Max try to hunt down clues about where her Mum might have gone, Nina also has to contend with starting a new school and all the trials and tribulations that involves. This new book from Costa Award winner Linda Newbery has the feel of a classic timeless children’s novel with an array of interesting characters, a mystery that needs to be solved, and a well-crafted story that explores themes of friendship, family, self-confidence and coping with difficult situations.

At points the book seems overly long with more clues and ideas being thrown in to the plot which may, or may not, have relevance to the solving of the mystery, but the author does manage to provide a satisfactory conclusion to the mother’s disappearance and the book climaxes with a fun second-hand clothes fashion show. Overall, this is an enjoyable and well-written story which will appeal to readers wanting something different from the fantasy-based novels which dominate reading choice for this age-group.