Kinmer’s Lea
Twelve-year-old Edwin goes to stay with his Gran at Kinmers Lea, her old house near Hastings. Somehow he and Gran travel through time and end up back in the aftermath of 1066, where kidnappers are hatching their devious plans.
This is an imaginative tale, well-told, packed with fun. It brings to mind those old “Mr. Ben” cartoons, where he goes into a changing room in his own time and emerges into a world of dinosaurs or cowboys or mermaids. The book feels as if it might have series appeal, with Edwin and Gran visiting other time periods important to history (and to the National Curriculum which would allow Callie Co Books to market to schools and do author visits).
As with so many self-published books, the jacket design, typesetting, and general presentation fall a little short of where they need to be in order to compete on a level playing field with those published by the mainstream presses. In particular, the type is far too small and could prove off-putting to children and young teens who are used to reading larger type books from authors such as Jeremy Strong and Helen Moss. That would be a shame, as this is a charming story that deserves success.
