The Shell Secret
Sue Palmer
A beach holiday in Cornwall, a WWII mystery and two 12 year old children each dealing with different sorts of grief. There is a lot going on in this novel.
Budding detective Alice used to spend her summers in Cornwall with her sister, Poppy. A year after Poppy’s death, Alice returns to Cornwall alone and determined to build a shell memorial so that Poppy isn’t forgotten.
Jasper is Alice’s neighbour. He too is suffering from the loss of his mother. Together the children are drawn to a World War II mystery which unearths a shocking family secret.
I enjoyed this. Although I felt that the dialogue sounded too old for 12 year old children I revelled in the descriptions of the beach and the plot has much for the confident reader to engage with. I would suggest that this is best for readers at the upper end of KS2 .
Published by Candy Jar Books
