Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ‘The Whistlers in the Dark’, an eerie but sweet historical middle-grade novel. Thanks to The Write Reads for inviting me onto the tour and for my copy of the book for review – opinions are my own.
It’s 158AD and times are tough in Scotland. The invading Roman army is up against the native Damnonii tribe, kept apart only by the Antonine wall. On the Damnonii side, twelve-year old Jinny is coming to terms with an accident that has affected her family, for which she blames the ‘metal men’, the Romans. On the other side of the wall, teenager Felix wants to be a Roman soldier like his father. A hostile encounter between Jinny and Felix leads to the chance awakening of the mythical standing stones, an event that brings terror and danger to Jinny and her people. Can Felix and Jinny work together to save the day?
This book is narrated by the two children, Jinny and Felix, in alternating chapters; this kept the narrative moving along well, especially allowing readers an insight into the reactions of both characters to the same events. Jinny’s voice had elements of dialect, something I found a bit odd to read at first but soon got used to.
I really liked the character of Jinny. She was fiery and feisty – out for revenge at any cost and fiercely protective of her brother, Bram. The relationship between the siblings was beautifully written, with Bram often acting maturely and way beyond his years while his sister was more impulsive. Indeed, it is Jinny’s error – and failure to be accepted by her tribe as an adult – that leads her into trouble and to the fateful meeting with Felix.
I loved that Williamson included lots of ancient Scottish myths, beliefs and customs; the very human story of invaders/invaded plays out well against a backdrop of the tribe’s fear of waking the standing stones, Samhain celebrations and the sacred tree at the heart of Damnonii land. I felt like I learned a lot about this period of history also; there’s lots of interesting details about everyday life, tribe medicine, housing, clothing, customs…it’s fair to say that some serious research has gone into this book.
It’s quite a dark middle-grade book so I’d probably suggest it would be more appropriate for older children, perhaps 10+. It does have some creepy elements, especially around the standing stones who are thought to sneak up and steal people – perhaps a little scary for children with very active imaginations. There’s also some violence and injuries involved in the story.
I enjoyed this as a little insight into a historical period and place that I really knew very little about before. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys entertaining, high-quality and lively middle-grade fiction.
About the Author
Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author who grew up in Scotland surrounded by hills, books, and an historical farm estate which inspired many of her early adventure stories and spooky tales. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK. Victoria currently works part time writing KS2 books for the education company Twinkl and spends the rest of her time writing novels, and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops.
Victoria’s previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, and War of the Wind. She has won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, The YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023, and has been shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023, The Leeds Book Awards 2023, the Red Book Award 2023, the James Reckitt Hull Book Awards 2021, The Trinity School Book Awards 2021, and longlisted for the ABA South Coast Book Awards 2023, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020, and the Branford Boase Award 2019.
Her latest novel, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, is a middle grade fantasy inspired by classic folklore. Twenty percent of the author royalties for this book are donated to CharChar Literacy, an organisation working to improve children’s literacy levels in Malawi.
You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com
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