Yours hieroglyphically

I always love to hear from schools who are reading one of my books as a class, and so I was super-excited to receive a huge envelope from Y5 at Shakespeare Primary School in Leeds, who have been reading The Phoenix Code to tie in with their topic on Pharaohs.

The letters are all beautifully written, full of thoughtful comments about the story and interesting questions. The children have also taken the time to add stunning illustrations and themed sign-offs, like Yours in code and Yours hieroglyphically. What a talented bunch they are!


I really appreciate the effort that has gone into all the letters. Thank you also to the Y5 teachers who shared the book with their classes  - and especially Ms Fox, who sent the letters to me. Your enthusiasm for history and reading (and mysteries!) definitely shines through in the children's letters - they are an absolute credit to you!

You can see more of the children's letters in this blog post on my main author website.

Calling Young Mystery Lovers!

Visiting the ancient Maya city of Calakmul when I was researching for The Serpent King was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Climbing to the top of the pyramid temple and looking out over the sea of treetops was simply breathtaking.

So I jumped at the chance to set another book in the same area. This time, it's for a rather younger readership. The Mystery of the Lost Hunter is an early reader for the brilliant Rising Stars reading scheme. It's set in a different ancient Maya city - Tikal this time - and features young twins, Itzel and Little Turtle who make a remarkable dicovery while lost in the forest.

Illustrated by Alan Brown.