Scottish Book of the Week: The Highland Falcon Thief
Since it’s World Book Day today, I thought I’d write this week’s Scottish Book of the Week review a day early (also I missed last week’s review, so there is that…) Anyway, today I have a great adventure story to share with you. The Highland Falcon Thief by M.G. Leonard and Sam Segman is the first book in the Adventures on Trains series, and the train journey in question takes you through parts of Scotland! M.G. Leonard is I think my favourite new (to me) author that I discovered last year – initially through her Twitch series about a mystery solving gang of teenage birdwatchers, which we devoured every one of. My son even dressed up as her character Twitch for World Book Day last year! So when I got my hands on The Highland Falcon Thief I knew we were in for a treat, and I was not disappointed.
Book Details
Title: The Highland Falcon Thief
Author: M.G. Leonard & Sam Sedgman, with illustrations by Elisa Paganelli
Genre: Adventure
Recommended reading age: 8+
Scottish Setting
‘The Scottish Highlands are truly magnificent,’ the baron declared to Lady Lansbury, audibly filling his lungs with fresh air. (Chapter 14)
The story is set aboard a train, which travels a route that passes through Scotland. Starting at King’s Cross and ending at Paddington Station in London, the train’s route goes up the east coast to Balmoral before looping round Scotland and back down the west. The Forth Bridge gets a mention, as the train crosses it, as do the Tay, Dundee and Aberdeen. At Ballater the train makes a stop, and the guests make a detour by car to nearby Balmoral Castle. Scottish places mentioned in the second half of the journey include Banffshire, Elgin, Forres, the Cullen Viaduct, Dunblane, and the Cairngorms National Park.
Plot Summary
‘The Forth Bridge!’ Uncle Nat whooped. ‘One of the greatest railway bridges in the world!’ The Highland Falcon blew here whistle, and Hal felt a thrill as the train rocketed across the high bridge, the water shimmering far below. In the distance, the river became the sea, rolling out to meet a bright blue sky. The rhythmic clatter of the train on the rails made the ironwork of the bridge vibrate and ring. ‘Over two and a half kilometres long,’ Uncle Nat shouted, ‘and four thousand men to build it. Blooming marvellous.’ (Chapter 7)
Harrison Beck – aka Hal – is spending the end of his summer holidays on a train ride with his uncle Nat, whilst his dad accompanies his mum to the hospital to have his baby sister. But it’s not just any train ride, it’s the final journey of the Highland Falcon, Britain’s most famous steam train. His uncle is on the guest list due to his job as a travel writer, and he has managed to get Hal a ticket as his plus one. Other illustrious guests include a famous movie star, a baron and his adult son, a rich entrepreneur and his wife, and a countess with her five fluffy white dogs. Along the way, a royal couple also joins the train’s final journey from Balmoral onwards. Despite all the glamour, Hal feels a bit out of sorts as the only child on board, until a mysterious stowaway and a daring jewel theft turn Hal’s journey in to a steam train adventure every little boy (or girl!) dreams of. Since it’s a mystery, I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, but there are plenty of twists and red herrings to keep you gripped, some excellent sleuthing, and you also learn quite a bit about steam trains along the way.
Bonus Info
Some author notes at the back of the book give extra context to the story. The Highland Falcon itself is a fictional locomotive, but inspired by real life trains and named after the peregrine falcon which can be found in the Scottish Highlands. And while the Scottish places mentioned in the story really do exist, some creative liberties have been taken as you can no longer take the train from Aberdeen to Balmoral, and the Deeside Line was closed to passengers in 1966.
The former Ballater station sadly burned down in 2015, but was rebuilt and now houses a visitor information centre, public library, restaurant and tearoom. You can see pictures of it on the Visit Ballater website.
Conclusion
As with every other M.G. Leonard book we have read to date, this was one we couldn’t put down. My 10 yr old and I both raced through it and really enjoyed it. I love a good mystery, and the steam train setting just adds to the adventure. I loved all the descriptions of the steam train too, and following the journey on the map at the front of the book. Another lovely feature were the drawings that were included in the illustrations, which Hal makes in his notebook during the investigation. It really helped you picture his thought process as he was sleuthing. If you love adventure stories, then I promise you will love this book! It’s part of the ‘Adventures on Trains’ series, but it’s the first in the series and can also be read as a stand-alone.
The Highland Falcon Thief is available from BookShop.uk (Affiliate Link) or you can order it from your favourite indie bookshop.
