The Highland Falcon Thief

Adventures on Trains is a shiny new mystery series for budding detectives by Beetle Boy author M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli. First stop, The Highland Falcon Thief, a breathless train journey full of deceptions, puzzles and clues to solve.

Brilliant for those who enjoyed Mr Penguin, it is gloriously tense and filled with dramatic moments, hold-your-breath action and mild peril. We loved the rich details of the train, it's operation and route, as well as the wonderful cast of characters on board. With twists and turns, dead ends and red herrings, this is detective fiction at its very best. It never talks down to its reader or swerves into melodrama, remaining authentic in detail and plot. An absolute stunner.

About the book:

Harrison Beck is reluctantly joining his travel-writer Uncle Nat for the last journey of the royal train, The Highland Falcon. But as the train makes its way to Scotland, a priceless brooch goes missing, and things are suddenly a lot more interesting. As suspicions and accusations run high among the passengers, Harrison begins to investigate and uncovers a few surprises along the way. Can he solve the mystery of the jewel thief and catch the culprit before they reach the end of the line?

Hear whispers in the dining car, find notes in the library, and unknown passengers among the luggage as you help Harrison to solve the mystery aboard one of the world's grandest trains. Fast-paced and packed with illustrations and clues, Adventures on Trains is a stop you won't want to miss!

Due in at the platform January 30th. You can order your copy here.

How to draw… Sophie Johnson: Detective Genius

Meet Sophie Johnson: outgoing, optimistic and oblivious!

Sophie Johnson studied very hard to become a detective and it’s a good thing she did – there has been a terrible crime! Someone has stolen Lion’s tail. Unfortunately, this means that Sophie doesn’t have time to train her new (and not very good) assistant, Bella. However, is it possible that, while Sophie is busy rounding up suspects, she doesn’t see that Bella may be better than she thinks?

The Sophie Johnson series by Morag Hood and Ella Okstad is perfect for bright young minds and great fun to read aloud as children spot what’s really happening in the story right under Sophie’s nose!

Illustrator Ella Okstad has kindly created this fab ‘How to draw Sophie Johnson’ tutorial for all our budding illustrators.

We’d love to see your detective drawings! Send them to us via our twitter, instagram or facebook and we’ll create a detective gallery and show them to Ella herself! There may even be a prize for our favourite!

Thank you Ella for sharing the tutorial and inspiring future artists.

Ella Okstad loves to draw ghosts, vampires, humans, cats, and all sorts of creatures. She lives and works as an illustrator in Trondheim, Norway. When she’s not in her office creating scary, cute, or peculiar creatures for books, she enjoys spending time with her husband, three boys, and a cat. Visit her at Okstad.com or twitter/instagram – @EllaOkstad