Kingdoms and empires
I was ten years old when my parents were killed by pirates. This did not bother me as much as you might think – I hardly knew my parents.
Bronte Mettlestone’s parents ran away to have adventures when she was a baby, leaving her to be raised by her Aunt Isabelle and the Butler. She’s had a perfectly pleasant childhood of afternoon teas and riding lessons – and no adventures, thank you very much.
But Bronte’s parents have left extremely detailed (and bossy) instructions for Bronte in their will. The instructions must be followed to the letter, or disaster will befall Bronte’s home. She is to travel the kingdoms and empires, perfectly alone, delivering special gifts to her ten other aunts. There is a farmer aunt who owns an orange orchard and a veterinarian aunt who specialises in dragon care, a pair of aunts who captain a cruise ship together and a former rockstar aunt who is now the reigning monarch of a small kingdom.
Now, armed with only her parents’ instructions, a chest full of strange gifts and her own strong will, Bronte must journey forth to face dragons, Chief Detectives and pirates – and the gathering suspicion that there might be something more to her extremely inconvenient quest than meets the eye…
From the award-winning Jaclyn Moriarty comes a fantastic tale of high intrigue, grand adventure and an abundance of aunts.
- Shortlisted for the Readings Children’s Prize,
- Shortlisted for the Aurealis Award,
- Longlisted for the ABIA Awards
- Selected as 2018 Children’s Book Council Notable Book.
What others said about Bronte Mettlestone
``Humorous, whimsical and beguiling...intricately and ingeniously plotted tale.``
THE AUSTRALIAN``A substantial, well-written, highly original and hearteningly upbeat fantasy.``
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH``A winning tale.``
THE AGE``...highly entertaining and brilliantly plotted fantasy … With its storytelling aplomb, humor, imagination, and many twists and turns, this novel places Moriarty ... firmly in Diana Wynne Jones territory.``
THE HORN BOOK, STARRED REVIEW``An absolute sparkling delight of a story! Whisperers, water sprites, spellbinders and faery- cross stitch; this book is brimming with bright new magic ... just perfect.``
KAREN FOXLEE - Author of Lenny’s Book of Everything and A Most Magical Girl``Jaclyn Moriarty charms, thrills and delights in this delightfully unpredictable, unique and modern novel, while also brilliantly evoking echoes of classic children's authors like Diana Wynne Jones and Joan Aiken.``
GARTH NIX - Author of Frogkisser and The Keys to the Kingdom series``The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone ... is an ABSOLUTE KNOCKOUT JOY FOR THE AGES…. Bronte Mettlestone is hilarious. Sometimes the humour is dark, but it’s carried off with a kind of twinkle in its eye; you are always in safe hands. The story has a huge cast of predominantly female characters who are all richly and complexly brought to life. Bronte herself is a highly excellent heroine. She is a noticer, and she has a lot of very astute observations to make about the people she meets. She is wonderfully frank and brave and I love her. You will too.
If you happen to know children who love Trenton Lee Stewart (The Mysterious Benedict Society), Diana Wynne Jones (Howl’s Moving Castle), Zizou Corder (Lion Boy), or who enjoy aunts, dragons, adventure, making friends, questioning norms, being a person… please put this book in their hands immediately. I also think it would be an excellent one to read aloud together, in which case you could extend the age range a bit younger – say to a curious seven.``
``It's my favourite book ever. I want to make it a velvet cushion and put it in a glass case to look at always``
Daisy, age 7, 5 star review``Best book you’ll probably ever read. I couldn’t put it down. Fantastic page turner. Action right from the start. Signed The Book Doctor age 11.``
Amazon 5 Star Review``The final quarter where all the clues fall together into the intricately woven climax keeps readers madly turning pages to watch Bronte stay one step ahead of the evil threatening her family and her identity. She needs all her skills and friends to triumph, and it’s an astonishing and wholly satisfying defeat. …This ambitious and clever novel seems geared towards younger readers, but I believe anyone will love it. I think everyone should read it, actually.``
TRISH TALKS TEXT. WORDPRESS.COM``Cheerfully and playfully written but with a certain wry humour that never fails to delight, this fabulous new work by award-winner Jaclyn Moriarty is a definite page-turner for young and young-at-heart alike….Moriarty weaves a rich tale of adventure set amidst vivid and spellbinding array of backdrops and settings. Filled with magic, chases, escapes, creatures, faeries, pirates, queens and kings… it’s an utterly delightful story, the kind I dearly wish there were more of in books today. Canby’s illustrations perfectly complement Moriarty’s writing, giving life to her character creations and setting a perfect mood for the storytelling….Children as young as 8 would enjoy this book, and I think anywhere up to 14 would also get a kick out of it. It’s pure fun, and all kids who love magical adventures will definitely dig it.``
READING TIME``The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone is a whimsical romp full of extraordinary aunts, dragons, water sprites, kidnappings, spell-casters and delicious food. And while the story seems at first to be mostly froth, as it goes along it develops surprising depth. Even as she has daring adventures, the story doesn’t forget that Bronte is only 10 years old. Her relationships with her aunts, the other children she makes friends with and the parents she never knew have a lightly sketched but very human complexity. And the plot pulls together its many threads into a neat and satisfying climax. It will appeal to middle and upper primary readers who are happy to tackle long books as long as they have some pictures. Many fans of Jaclyn Moriarty’s YA novels will also be delighted by the sympathetic and quirky characters of Bronte’s extended family.``
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