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Mysteries at Sea #2
Mysteries at Sea: The Royal Jewel Plot
Alice and Sonny investigate a stolen jewel, in this installment of the bestselling Mysteries at Sea series, from award-winning author A.M. Howell.
Alice and Sonny are excited for their summer trip, sailing on the luxurious yacht the Lady Rose. They're even more excited when they find out the King of England is going to be onboard too!
There's also a precious jewel on the boat - a rare opal, kept in a tank protected by a poisonous octopus.
Until one morning, Alice discovers that the opal and octopus are both missing. The search is on to retrieve the priceless gem, before the ship reaches its destination, and everyone on board finds themselves in serious trouble.
Alice and Sonny are excited for their summer trip, sailing on the luxurious yacht the Lady Rose. They're even more excited when they find out the King of England is going to be onboard too!
There's also a precious jewel on the boat - a rare opal, kept in a tank protected by a poisonous octopus.
Until one morning, Alice discovers that the opal and octopus are both missing. The search is on to retrieve the priceless gem, before the ship reaches its destination, and everyone on board finds themselves in serious trouble.
- GenresMiddle Grade
320 pages, Paperback
First published April 11, 2024
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79 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 11, 2024
I received an AD PR copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Kaleidoscopic book tours.
Mysteries at Sea: The Royal Jewel Plot is a swashbuckling childrens adventure story full of mystery and intrigue.
The book is set in 1936 (ancient times for kids lol) and follows Sonny and Alice as they sail the seas on their yacht called the Lady Rose along with their father and governess, Dorothy. The children have recently found out that they're siblings and that their grandfather left them the yacht they're to spend their summer sailing on. The children are in for an even more exciting surprise when they find out that the King of England - Edward VIII is going to be sailing onboard too.
Onboard, there is a very precious, rare opal that is kept in a tank and guarded by a poisonous octopus until one day when it is discovered that both the opal and the octopus are missing. As the crew and passengers on board scrabble to find both before they reach their destination, the children embark on solving the mystery, and an investigation takes flight.
This was such a fun and interesting read as some of the story (parts about the king) were based on true facts.
Mysteries at Sea: The Royal Jewel Plot is a swashbuckling childrens adventure story full of mystery and intrigue.
The book is set in 1936 (ancient times for kids lol) and follows Sonny and Alice as they sail the seas on their yacht called the Lady Rose along with their father and governess, Dorothy. The children have recently found out that they're siblings and that their grandfather left them the yacht they're to spend their summer sailing on. The children are in for an even more exciting surprise when they find out that the King of England - Edward VIII is going to be sailing onboard too.
Onboard, there is a very precious, rare opal that is kept in a tank and guarded by a poisonous octopus until one day when it is discovered that both the opal and the octopus are missing. As the crew and passengers on board scrabble to find both before they reach their destination, the children embark on solving the mystery, and an investigation takes flight.
This was such a fun and interesting read as some of the story (parts about the king) were based on true facts.
Read
February 17, 2024I have recently read the first book in the Mysteries at Sea series and so to read this second one was great as it picks up exactly where the last one left off. Sonny, Alice and their father, along with Sonny's governess Dorothy are about to spend the summer on the yacht Lady Rose. This is the yacht Alice and Sonny have just learned they are siblings and that their grandfather had left them this yacht. The King of England, Edward VIII has also just chartered it to spend the summer navigating the seas near Dubrovnik along with his companion Mrs Simpson. What I love about this book is that some of the story is based on fact about the King and Mrs Simpson. I felt really invested in it. Sonny and Alice make a great team investigating a disappearing deadly octopus and a priceless opal this time. They both make friends easily and are soon part of a little group including maids and workers on board the ship. Alice notes down what she can in her book of adventures and they investigate what has happened, against the clock before the opal's owners want it back.
This will appeal to those children who like adventure and mystery stories, but also it is not overly long and action moves so quickly to keep the interest. I oved how the end of the story sets up for the next adventure too.
A really enjoyable mystery adventure with wonderful main characters. A great series.
This will appeal to those children who like adventure and mystery stories, but also it is not overly long and action moves so quickly to keep the interest. I oved how the end of the story sets up for the next adventure too.
A really enjoyable mystery adventure with wonderful main characters. A great series.
April 7, 2024
The second in the Adventures at Sea series and I think I actually enjoyed this one more than the first.
It again follows Alice and Sonny as they take to the seas, this time on their own yacht.
Set in 1936, the King is on board and a priceless opal goes missing. Can the children solve the mystery of where it went before it's too late.
This was really fun and it blooming well kept me guessing throughout, I couldn't figure out who did it! The kids do go off on their own, which felt a little crazy to me, but I liked how their dad encouraged them to solve the mystery.
It again follows Alice and Sonny as they take to the seas, this time on their own yacht.
Set in 1936, the King is on board and a priceless opal goes missing. Can the children solve the mystery of where it went before it's too late.
This was really fun and it blooming well kept me guessing throughout, I couldn't figure out who did it! The kids do go off on their own, which felt a little crazy to me, but I liked how their dad encouraged them to solve the mystery.
April 8, 2024
I have become a big AM Howell fan as she is an East Anglian author and I have been to many of the areas described in other books. I enjoyed Peril on the Atlantic, it was an amazing start to a new series and I had been looking forward to this.
The Royal Jewel Plot is set just a month after Peril on the Atlantic on the yacht, The Lady Rose, that Sonny and Alice who met on board the Queen Mary as they cruised across the Atlantic, only to find out that they were brother and sister and that their Grandfather had left them this Yacht in his will. The grandfather that Alice didn't know, and who had kept Sonny from her father, the second in command on the Queen Mary, and her for his whole life.
On this trip, their first on the yacht, which was used to for cruises around the Mediterranean for paying customers (rich ones) was to be joined by the King of England and his friend Mrs Simpson! She, Alice from Suffolk, was going to be onboard with the King! It was all supposed to be very hush-hush because the King did not want to be followed by the press who wanted to photograph him and Mrs Simpson and her new jewels. But it's a bit suspicious being followed around by a British naval ship, HMS Glowworm!
However, there is another jewel on board, a rare black opal in an aquarium guarded by Olive a Blue-ringed octopus from the Pacific and she's deadly poisonous! The opal was loaned to their grandfather on the basis it was guarded. It is to be collected by the jewellery store at the end of this voyage. The aquarium was moved by the Aquarist, Zoran, to a different area in the room in order to get the required amount of furniture in, it is now nearer the door with a view of the ocean.
All doesn't go well - first Olive and the opal go missing, next Mrs Simpson is photographed getting on to The Lady Rose from the launch, then Alice is hit on the head by a golf ball while swimming.
This is a fabulous story, it twists throughout to keep us guessing over who is the jewel thief. And indeed who engineered a photograph of Mrs Simpson and her jewelled flamingo! The characters are really well written and give us insight into this period of history, where women should do certain work only and when children should be seen and not heard! Well, Alice and Sonny are not good at being seen and not heard. They are however good at investigating, even if at times it gets them into trouble! Also there is the backdrop of the story behind the King and Mrs Simpson, a story which a lot of children may well not know.
On the press release this book is seen by 'The Bookseller' as appealing "to fans of the Adventures on Trains series" well I thoroughly agree Hal and Uncle Nat would be proud of Alice and Sonny! If you enjoy a mystery and rather a lot of adventure you definitely will want to get this. The next title is due in September and I can't wait! A preview is at the end of this book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Usborne Books for the chance to read this in advance and for the actual copy of the book.
TA, Escp
The Royal Jewel Plot is set just a month after Peril on the Atlantic on the yacht, The Lady Rose, that Sonny and Alice who met on board the Queen Mary as they cruised across the Atlantic, only to find out that they were brother and sister and that their Grandfather had left them this Yacht in his will. The grandfather that Alice didn't know, and who had kept Sonny from her father, the second in command on the Queen Mary, and her for his whole life.
On this trip, their first on the yacht, which was used to for cruises around the Mediterranean for paying customers (rich ones) was to be joined by the King of England and his friend Mrs Simpson! She, Alice from Suffolk, was going to be onboard with the King! It was all supposed to be very hush-hush because the King did not want to be followed by the press who wanted to photograph him and Mrs Simpson and her new jewels. But it's a bit suspicious being followed around by a British naval ship, HMS Glowworm!
However, there is another jewel on board, a rare black opal in an aquarium guarded by Olive a Blue-ringed octopus from the Pacific and she's deadly poisonous! The opal was loaned to their grandfather on the basis it was guarded. It is to be collected by the jewellery store at the end of this voyage. The aquarium was moved by the Aquarist, Zoran, to a different area in the room in order to get the required amount of furniture in, it is now nearer the door with a view of the ocean.
All doesn't go well - first Olive and the opal go missing, next Mrs Simpson is photographed getting on to The Lady Rose from the launch, then Alice is hit on the head by a golf ball while swimming.
This is a fabulous story, it twists throughout to keep us guessing over who is the jewel thief. And indeed who engineered a photograph of Mrs Simpson and her jewelled flamingo! The characters are really well written and give us insight into this period of history, where women should do certain work only and when children should be seen and not heard! Well, Alice and Sonny are not good at being seen and not heard. They are however good at investigating, even if at times it gets them into trouble! Also there is the backdrop of the story behind the King and Mrs Simpson, a story which a lot of children may well not know.
On the press release this book is seen by 'The Bookseller' as appealing "to fans of the Adventures on Trains series" well I thoroughly agree Hal and Uncle Nat would be proud of Alice and Sonny! If you enjoy a mystery and rather a lot of adventure you definitely will want to get this. The next title is due in September and I can't wait! A preview is at the end of this book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Usborne Books for the chance to read this in advance and for the actual copy of the book.
TA, Escp
May 12, 2024
Last time round (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) we saw the launch of a series of crime thrillers for the under-elevens that had no pause in the contrivances – no mind to the realism of the expository characters, or of how clues fell in our heroine's lap. It was still engaging enough to pass an evening. This time round we're on similarly shaky ground, for the heroine can now present herself on board a rather posh Adriatic sailing cruiser, one to be taking Edward and Wallis-Simpson no less around the Yugoslav coast. The King's "friend" is toting a massive jewel that the press are making a thing of; the ship has possession of something even bigger and rarer. Which promptly goes missing. It has to be Alice and Sonny's job then to finger everyone on board as a suspect – even royalty.
(As an aside for the Royalists reading this – both of you – Edward comes across as a bit of a gruff pillock; his serial divorcer seems at an early stage in their affair, calling him Sir in public, but generally barely features.) (And that only stands out against a complete lack of deference, nautical or otherwise, in just about every character here.)
So once again here too much is turned up to eleven – I haven't even mentioned the potential result of the disappearance, for that contrivance triples the threat to the heroes, and thrusts a timeline upon them. People are still allowed to do stupid things, regarding mice, golf balls and anything else to double down on the jeopardy, or show someone in an iffy light to keep them a suspect still. It turns the whole thing into a shaggy dog story.
And the better shaggy dog stories are still enjoyable for all their implausibility. While this doesn't gain anything from the heap of unlikely situations, characters' connections, events, language skills, and so on and so forth, it doesn't really get hindered by them. It means that these pages, while dropping the over-long sentences and plummy language of the first book, are still very much an old-fashioned, Saturday Morning cinema club adventure kind of thing – a lively, kinetic historical lark. And in me thinking this navy lark is closer to four stars than three, it's proof these things can be rather good fun.
(As an aside for the Royalists reading this – both of you – Edward comes across as a bit of a gruff pillock; his serial divorcer seems at an early stage in their affair, calling him Sir in public, but generally barely features.) (And that only stands out against a complete lack of deference, nautical or otherwise, in just about every character here.)
So once again here too much is turned up to eleven – I haven't even mentioned the potential result of the disappearance, for that contrivance triples the threat to the heroes, and thrusts a timeline upon them. People are still allowed to do stupid things, regarding mice, golf balls and anything else to double down on the jeopardy, or show someone in an iffy light to keep them a suspect still. It turns the whole thing into a shaggy dog story.
And the better shaggy dog stories are still enjoyable for all their implausibility. While this doesn't gain anything from the heap of unlikely situations, characters' connections, events, language skills, and so on and so forth, it doesn't really get hindered by them. It means that these pages, while dropping the over-long sentences and plummy language of the first book, are still very much an old-fashioned, Saturday Morning cinema club adventure kind of thing – a lively, kinetic historical lark. And in me thinking this navy lark is closer to four stars than three, it's proof these things can be rather good fun.
April 16, 2024
It’s August 1936. Alice and Sonny are excited to explore the Lady Rose, the steam yacht that they have recently inherited from their grandfather. They will be spending the summer cruising up the Yugoslav coast, with a rare opal, a poisonous octopus, and even more excitingly, the king of England for company! But when both the opal and the octopus disappear, everyone falls under suspicion. With the disappearance of the opal endangering their family’s ownership of the Lady Rose, Alice and Sonny team up once again to investigate.
I absolutely LOVED this one. Packed full of historical details, it’s a fast paced, intricately plotted read. It was great to catch up with Alice and Sonny again, and to see them navigate their newly discovered sibling relationship. I really liked the change of setting; having Alice’s family fortunes invested in the fate of the ship adds another dimension to the story, and a sense of urgency to the characters’ actions. The addition of interesting supporting characters (all with secrets of their own) allows unexpected twists and red herrings! I love it when real life historical figures appear in fiction; the addition of King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson – whilst not main characters – is a fun touch, adding a little drama and historical significance.
I absolutely LOVED this one. Packed full of historical details, it’s a fast paced, intricately plotted read. It was great to catch up with Alice and Sonny again, and to see them navigate their newly discovered sibling relationship. I really liked the change of setting; having Alice’s family fortunes invested in the fate of the ship adds another dimension to the story, and a sense of urgency to the characters’ actions. The addition of interesting supporting characters (all with secrets of their own) allows unexpected twists and red herrings! I love it when real life historical figures appear in fiction; the addition of King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson – whilst not main characters – is a fun touch, adding a little drama and historical significance.
April 9, 2024
Mysteries at Sea: The Royal Jewel Plot is my first read by this author, and let me tell you, I was very much impressed.
Sonny, Alice, their Father and Sonny's governess, Dorothy are planning to spend the summer on the yacht, Lady Rose.
Alice and Sonny learn that they are siblings and that their Grandfather left them the yacht.
Interestingly, Edward VIII has also chartered the yacht for himself and his lady friend, Mrs Simpson.
It's a read that's inspired by some true events and has lots of adventure and mystery.
The author’s writing style fit very well with this type of novel and the characters were well developed and had decent depth.
The storyline flowed well and the pace was just right.
We read this in two sittings.
5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from us.
Sonny, Alice, their Father and Sonny's governess, Dorothy are planning to spend the summer on the yacht, Lady Rose.
Alice and Sonny learn that they are siblings and that their Grandfather left them the yacht.
Interestingly, Edward VIII has also chartered the yacht for himself and his lady friend, Mrs Simpson.
It's a read that's inspired by some true events and has lots of adventure and mystery.
The author’s writing style fit very well with this type of novel and the characters were well developed and had decent depth.
The storyline flowed well and the pace was just right.
We read this in two sittings.
5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from us.
April 25, 2024
It’s August 1936 and Alice and Sonny are very excited to discover their new home - a luxurious yacht called The Lady Rose.
The King is about to board on a luxury cruise with Mrs Simpson. Furthermore, there is an octopus and rare Opal also on the yacht. Alice and Sonny can’t believe what an exciting summer it wi be.
However, when the octopus and the Opal disappear, Alice and Sonny do everything they can to try and find out who the thief is. Otherwise, their new home will be seized.
This is a book full of secrets, adventures and royalty. Both myself and my nine year daughter read this book and loved it. The third book in the Mysteries at Sea series, this also reads well as a stand-alone. We can’t wait to read the next adventure for Alice and Sonny.
The King is about to board on a luxury cruise with Mrs Simpson. Furthermore, there is an octopus and rare Opal also on the yacht. Alice and Sonny can’t believe what an exciting summer it wi be.
However, when the octopus and the Opal disappear, Alice and Sonny do everything they can to try and find out who the thief is. Otherwise, their new home will be seized.
This is a book full of secrets, adventures and royalty. Both myself and my nine year daughter read this book and loved it. The third book in the Mysteries at Sea series, this also reads well as a stand-alone. We can’t wait to read the next adventure for Alice and Sonny.
April 14, 2024
What an amazing addition to the series!! Yet again from the very beginning I was just drawn in. It was lovely for all of the characters to develop while meeting some new ones. Yet again action packed and full of mystery. Also over joyed for the mystery to go right to the end and I genuinely didn’t pick the right person. Can’t wait for the third book!
July 17, 2024
I think I liked this one better than the first instalment, Peril on the Atlantic. This one was more realistic and fun. 5 stars for Alice and Sonny!
The book follows Alice and Sonny-long-lost siblings-as they journey on the Lady Rose, with the King on board! An opal and a poisonous octopus, what could go wrong?
The book follows Alice and Sonny-long-lost siblings-as they journey on the Lady Rose, with the King on board! An opal and a poisonous octopus, what could go wrong?
November 28, 2024
Nice little follow up to the mysteries at sea series, found this one a bit less interesting and struggled a bit more to get through it but would still happily read book number three, need more mystery and this time Egypt 🤩
April 5, 2024
Another fab book!
August 31, 2024
3.5 stars rounded up
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December 3, 2024Really lovely book, definitely recommend!
April 14, 2024
Love it. When does the next one come out?
June 14, 2024
another amazing story in the “mysteries at sea” collection! this was just as good as the previous book! i couldnt put the book down & i cant wait to read the 3rd book when it is released
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews