Salt

by Helen Laycock

This is an alternate cover edition for ISBN 1499276257 (ISBN13: 9781499276251)

For Toby, a holiday at Pirates' Cove is nothing like he expected it to be…
With the help of Hattie, a strange local girl, her dog Scamp and Rufus, the intelligent rat, the secrets of Salt Guesthouse are unravelled. Why are there mysterious beach fires and eerie singing at night? What is Hattie hiding? Why has a dead man been spotted in the town and why are the children in such grave danger?

For readers aged 7-12

TRAILER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQeCm...

Genres: Middle Grade, Adventure, Childrens

192 pages, Paperback

First published December 21, 2011

About the author

SHORT STORIES
Helen Laycock's short stories appear in a variety of anthologies, such as the Cabinet of Heed and An Earthless Melting Pot, in magazines, and in her own collections, and have been successful in many writing competitions. Her first attempt at play-writing secured her a shortlisting in Pint-Sized Plays in 2016.

FLASH FICTION
In 2018, she was commissioned as a lead writer at Visual Verse and her flash fiction has featured in several editions of The Best of CafeLit. Pieces have been showcased in Reflex Fiction, the Ekphrastic Review, Paragraph Planet, Serious Flash Fiction, the Beach Hut, and Lucent Dreaming – whose inaugural flash competition she won. She was longlisted in Mslexia’s 2019 flash fiction competition and her work has appeared in several Flash Floods as part of National Flash Fiction Day.

CHILDREN'S FICTION (MG)
She has penned nine children's books for 8-12-year-olds. She has been employed as a writer by an educational publisher and as a teacher.

POETRY
Pushcart nominee, winner of Black Bough Poetry's Chapbook Contest, former recipient of the David St. John Thomas Award, and nominee for the Dai Fry Award, Helen Laycock’s poetry collection Frame has featured as Book of the Month at the East Ridge Review.

Her poetry has been published by Black Bough, Broken Spine Arts, Folkheart Press, Prattlefog and Gravelrap, The Wombwell Rainbow, Poetry Roundabout, Spilling Cocoa Over Martin Amis, Onslaught, The Storms Journal, Popshot, Lucent Dreaming, Literary Revelations, Kobayaashi, Three Drops Press, The Caterpillar, The Dirigible Balloon,Fevers of the Mind & Visual Verse. Many of her poems can be purchased at https://www.facebook.com/pillarboxpoe....

She also writes humorous verse.

She has four websites:
Fiction in a Flash
https://helenlaycock.wixsite.com/fict...

Children's Author
https://helenlaycock.wixsite.com/hele...

Poetry
https://helenlaycock.wixsite.com/marb...

Tiny Tales
https://helenlaycock.wixsite.com/tiny...

All her books are available on Amazon:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Helen-Laycoc...

US: https://www.amazon.com/Helen-Laycock/...

She can be followed on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/helenlaycock...
Twitter:
@helen_laycock

Reviews

[Jemima Pett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salt starts slowly, with Toby receiving an invitation from his Great-Aunt Winifred to go on holiday to the seaside with her. Do people still say ‘to the seaside’, even in England? I must check with my niece!

The journey conjures up memories of going on holiday in steam trains. We squabbled about window seats, and were grateful for a corridor train. Then, you could wobble along the narrow passage to the loo and watch the sleepers rushing underneath the train. Sorry, got carried away there. But this is very much a book of reminiscences, and I wonder whether readers will get as much enjoyment from it as those of a certain age (over fifty)!

Right from the start, Toby gets to go out on his own to explore, since Aunt Win (“drop the formality, Toby, dear”) sprains her ankle on the first morning. It’s a life I’m familiar with, but I wonder what current 8 to 12 year olds make of it? I really do. Do you have a child in the right age group? Do they enjoy this type of adventure, or does it just seem unrealistic to them?

The adventure has a great plot, with plenty of mystery, tension, baddies and maybe-baddies all mixed up together. Helen Laycock has picked up the times perfectly. The genre of the 30s adventure (even though life went on like that well into the 50s ) seems firmly fixed in English literature.

Does it translate for the US reader? Miss Marple does, so maybe this is an enticement for young people to get into Agatha Christie as they grow up!

Altogether, a delightful adventure mystery in an old-fashioned setting, but it is none the worse for that. Boys of today will enjoy reading it and girls will enjoy the independent and clever friend he makes, too. Recommended.

[P.A. Kernan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strange happenings after dark, secret tunnels, a new friendship with a mysterious girl, what else would any kid want from a summer vacation in a seaside village. How about getting the chance to solve a baffling mystery? The main character, Toby, gets it all, and so will the reader.

Salt is one of those stories that pulls the reader into the action. Just the right amount of detail combines with realistic dialogue allowing you to get lost in the village of Pirate’s Cove. And how can you not like Toby?

But don’t think you’ll be safely spying through the telescope from the attic of Salt Guesthouse for long. Your heart will be beating as you go along with Toby and his new friend Hattie as they piece together clues and encounter dangerous obstacles. Neither Pirate’s Cove nor Toby will ever be the same.

Both girls and boys will be attracted to this high-adventure story that moves quickly but still manages to paint a vivid picture of a place that everyone would love to visit.

I’m reluctant to give five stars to anything, but Salt really nails my number one criteria, keep me interested and engaged. There was no doubt about it, and I think kids in the middle grade sweet spot of 9 years old to 12 years old will agree.

[Helen Laycock · Rating 5 out of 5]

EDITORIAL REVIEW 5*
Salt by Helen Laycock is an intriguing and mysterious story which begins with Toby receiving a pink envelope addressed to him. His brother starts making fun of him, saying he has a girlfriend. The letter is from Great-Aunt Winifred and she invites Toby to join her on her travels as she thinks an injection of youth is a tonic for someone old like her. A holiday at Pirates' Cove is the last thing Toby had expected and Toby, Great-Aunt Winifred, and Rufus, her rat, take a train and go to Pirates' Cove. They stay at the Salt guesthouse, which stands on the sea front of Pirates' Cove. Toby realizes that not everything is right at the guesthouse. He runs into Hattie in the town as he is searching for a present for his Aunt Win. Together with her dog, Scamp, and Rufus, Toby and Hattie must unravel the secrets of the Salt guesthouse.

The story is filled with adventure, mystery, suspense, and intrigue, and the author builds up all these elements with an urgency that will have young readers curious and gasping for more. The story has all the ingredients that make it adventurous, exciting, and mysterious, with villains, secret tunnels, whimsy, and realistic characters which will keep young readers glued to it till the very end. All the happenings, coupled with the fluidity in expression, give the story a good pace and movement. With her detailed narration, the author paints a vivid image of the characters and the scenes, and will take you back to the era of Enid Blyton and her children's mystery books.
-Readers Favorite

If you'd like to know a little more about , please do visit its dedicated page on my children's website: http://helenlaycock.wixsite.com/helen...

The following are from readers' review quotes (not from me!):

'I'm reluctant to give five stars to anything, but Salt really nails my number one criteria, keep me interested and engaged.'

'Gripping read, highly recommended for middle grade'

'Salt is one of those stories that pulls the reader into the action.'

'many twists and turns'

'an enchanting read'

'Vivid imagery and nicely flowing prose add to the strengths of the narrative'

'Having recently read and reviewed another of Helen Laycock's books, "Mandrake's Plot," I can once again assert that this is another gem amidst the many children's books'

'Your heart will be beating as you go along with Toby and his new friend Hattie as they piece together clues and encounter dangerous obstacles.'

'Helen Laycock has woven a whimsical tale'

'Salt is not what I expected, but it was so wonderfully well written that the characters truly came alive.'

'The characters are very believable and realistic'

'The narrative flows well and the focus on the main characters keeps the storyline easy to follow.'

'The author is very precise in setting the scene and providing rich descriptions of places and people'

'Strange happenings after dark, secret tunnels, a new friendship with a mysterious girl, what else would any kid want from a summer vacation in a seaside village. How about getting the chance to solve a baffling mystery? The main character, Toby, gets it all, and so will the reader.'

'What could be better than reclaiming a man from the dead, cursed booty and outwitting many a menacing foe?'

'The plot is well thought out and as the adventure begins, the story unfolds, coming to a swift resolution by the end'

'It is exciting and once again I am reminded of the work of Enid Blyton.'

'Both girls and boys will be attracted to this high-adventure story'

'Helen Laycock's books are most definitely recommended'

[Victoria Zigler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half was a bit slow, but it picked up after that and became quite an exciting read.

[Suzy Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having recently read and reviewed another of Helen Laycock's books, "Mandrake's Plot," I can once again assert that this is another gem amidst the many children's books. Children up to the age of 12 or perhaps slightly older will indeed enjoy this adventurous tale.

Salt guesthouse was situated in Pirates' Cove. Even the name of the place is suggestive of an adventure about to unfold. The author is very precise in setting the scene and providing rich descriptions of places and people - not overdone at all -just enough to enable the reader to visualise. The characters are very believable and realistic as is the dialogue. Vivid imagery and nicely flowing prose add to the strengths of the narrative.

The plot is well thought out and as the adventure begins, the story unfolds, coming to a swift resolution by the end. It is exciting and once again I am reminded of the work of Enid Blyton. Helen Laycock's books are most definitely recommended for the younger readers who I am certain will find them most enjoyable.

[Maggie Lyons · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quiet vacation turns chaotic when Toby goes to the seaside with his aging great-aunt. Helen Laycock has woven a whimsical tale of young heroes, old villains, secret tunnels, not-so-secret smugglers, pet rats, and a younger brother who makes "kissing noises" as Toby reads a letter from a girl. The narrative flows well and the focus on the main characters keeps the storyline easy to follow. Younger readers may enjoy the challenges the vocabulary sometimes presents.