The Stolen Songbird
London, 1950s. This is the fourth children’s novel by Judith Eagle, which should be as successful as her other three. The story rolls along at a quick pace, and its hero is Caro (short for Caroline) Monday, agile and fearless, who hopes to be an acrobat. Her mother is a well-known whistling artiste of global fame, who is late home from a world tour.
The story involves Caro’s Great Aunt Mary (GAM) in Hampstead, where Caro is sent after her second mother, Ronnie, is called away from the pub where they live. It also involves Caro’s friend Horace, and her new friend Albie, and we also learn about Great Aunt Mary’s past and her phobia of rabbits. Horace lives in the same part of South London as Caro and is a stylish dresser and follower of fashion who is given to collecting clippings from society and fashion pages. Albie is a small and timid young boy living alone with Great Aunt Mary and one maid. He is GAM’s grandson’s orphan son, having no living relatives.
The story’s title refers to an oil painting of a thrush which Caro finds in an old suitcase of her mother’s. The Snakes are a criminal gang looking for the painting which provides the jeopardy for the story. The gang operates all over London and will stop at nothing to get what it wants.
Some of the plot lines can be guessed at, but there are one or two surprising twists. The 1950s London setting is brought convincingly to life, as are the events seen through the eyes of the children. Recommended for readers aged 9 to 12.
