BooksforTopics Reading for Pleasure Recommendations
This week marks the publication of The Pear Affair by Judith Eagle and Kim Geyer and today is our stop on the blog tour.
This story is set in the underground tunnels of Paris. Read on for a review of The Pear Affair and then head over to author Judith’s guest booklist featuring 5 favourite books set in cities!
Book Title: The Pair Affair (available here)
Author: Judith Eagle
Illustrator: Kim Geyer
Publisher: Faber
Publication Date: March 2020
Reviewer: Anna Sterling, Class Teacher
Review
With The Pear Affair comes a detective story set in the sixties, complete with a search for a missing person, hidden tunnels, and a plot to ruin lives for the gain of a few. All of this is unimaginable at first, when the main character, Nell, senses the opportunity to find a much-loved nanny, named Pear, who disappeared to France when Nell was seven, and whose letters to her had mysteriously stopped. Her parents, who are rich but also very neglectful, announce that they are all off to Paris to do business; this is the moment that Nell knows she can try and find the only person that really loved her.
As soon as Nell decides to leave her parents’ side, she meets a boy who introduces her to the world of tunnels and those who use them, under the streets of Paris. Similar to the setting of Katherine Rundell’s Rooftoppers, this hidden world proves challenging but also essential during Nell’s quest to find Pear. But at every turn, there is a challenge or a discovery that keeps Nell, and the reader, on their toes: the mystery of the Thing that destroys the boulangaries, the two figures following Nell, and her parents’ disappearance. The main question remains however – what has happened to Pear? Nell is relentless in her pursuit of the truth, and whilst gaining the trust and help of other children, she finds herself being kidnapped, threatened and blackmailed.
The gripping pace of this story makes this a hard story to put down and the many threads and questions form a very satisfying ending that the reader is not expecting. All of this is set against the beautiful backdrop of Paris, complete with its beautiful hotels, shops and landmarks, its smells and colours, and its exciting hidden depths. A very satisfying read.
Guest Post
Click here to read Judith Eagle’s guest booklist featuring 5 favourite children’s books set in cities.
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You can order The Pear Affair onlineor from your local bookshop or library.
Many thanks to the publishers at Faber for sending us a review copy and to Judith for providing the guest post. Check out the other stops on the blog tour, too.
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Where next?
> Visit our Reading for Pleasure Hub
> Browse our Topic Booklists
> View our printable year group booklists.
> See our Books of the Month.
