Category: Alice-Miranda series

Alice-Miranda in Scotland

On By LisaIn Alice-Miranda series, Jacqueline Harvey, Junior FictionLeave a comment

Alice-Miranda in Scotland is written by Jacqueline Harvey and illustrated by J. Yi.

It is book  number 17 from the ALICE-MIRANDA Series.

Alice-Miranda and friends are visiting Scotland to attend the Queen’s Colours Youth Leadership Program, and they will be joined by some old friends from earlier books. But, as you would expect, things don’t always go as planned. Alice-Miranda’s invitation gets misplaced and she isn’t sure she can attend, until her friend, Millie, saves the day and sorts things out.

However, as Alice-Miranda is making  new friends, enjoying her sight-seeing and participating in fun activities, she has a funny feeling nagging at her, and she is determined to find out what is going on. She is ready to learn new skills and conquer the challenges that they face, as well as settle a few fiery feuds between friends!

The youth program is being run by some interesting characters including, Miss Cranna, who has a mysterious and dark secret, Miss Stuart who is very bad tempered, and Mr Ferguson, who speaks a little funny sometimes. The tournament reaches its climax and tempers start to fray when the friends go on a scavenger hunt that turns out to be an escape situation!

While we read this book, we become even more curious to discover what Miss Cranna’s secret is and why/where she is going in the middle of the night. Is there maybe another reason that these particular children were chosen for the youth program? If you want to find out more, then pick up a copy of this amazing, glamorous story and read this exciting adventure today.

Jacqueline Harvey has gotten her readers used to Alice-Miranda’s resourcefulness by now. As the beloved character is easily making friends with her kindness, openness, generosity and bubbly personality, we also came to expect that Alice-Miranda is saving the day and setting things right. Will this be true for Alice-Miranda’s adventure in Scotland?

I very much enjoyed Alice-Miranda in Scotland as it is a captivating, action-packed and well written story, with a very satisfying plot and unexpected conclusion. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone between 8 and 14 (but my mum also sneak-peaked and read it when I wasn’t looking). Now I’m looking forward to Alice-Miranda’s next adventure in book number 18.

If you would like to see Jacqueline Harvey read a fragment of Alice-Miranda in Scotland during the book launch at Dymocks on June 2, you can watch it below:

News: Alice-Miranda Books to be Adapted Into a TV Series

On By LisaIn Alice-Miranda series, Jacqueline Harvey, News1 Comment

On the 20th of June Mediaweek announced that SLR Productions in partnership with ZDF Enterprises have started developing the ALICE-MIRANDA books into 26 animated mini-episodes for 6-9 year-olds. It will be broadcast by the local Nine Network.

I am so very excited about this news and I can’t wait until the first episode is out! I’m sure that all ALICE-MIRANDA readers are looking forward to the TV adaptation of this successful book series.

I can’t help but wonder if CLEMENTINE ROSE book series will have the same fate and be adapted to screen as well. I’m sure all CLEMENTINE ROSE readers would be more then happy if it happened!

Jacqueline Harvey is a very witty, bright and talented writer and I love her stories and characters. I read them with pleasure. Then re-read them some more.

To see Jacqueline Harvey’s blog post announcing this news, please click here.

Press Releases:

Alice-Miranda in New York

On By LisaIn Alice-Miranda series, Jacqueline HarveyLeave a comment

Alice-Miranda in New York is written by Jacqueline Harvey and illustrated by J. Yi.

It is book  number 5 from the ALICE-MIRANDA Series.

The book focuses on Alice-Miranda from Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale Academy for Proper Younger Ladies visiting the  New York City. She is very excited and looking forward to seeing the amazing skyscrapers, the beautiful Central Park and to be attending Mrs Kimmel’s School for Girls. Alice-Miranda is thrilled that her parents are re-opening their elegant store after the latest  renovations.

But things don’t go as planned. The renovations are slow to be completed: stock going missing, deliveries not being made on time, and the vain and selfish Morrie, the store competition, being even more annoying than usual. As always there is drama, but this time it is between the grown-ups. The official re-opening of Alice-Miranda’s family’s department store, Highton’s on Fifth, is scheduled on the same day as the official opening of The Grand Salon hosted by Finkelstein’s, the department store owned by Lucinda’s parents.

However, Alice-Miranda is making  new friends and enjoying  her sight seeing. At  Mrs Kimmel’s School she becomes great friends with the girl called Lucinda, who is very shy and reluctant to have Alice-Miranda come and visit her parents. As we read this book, we become even more curious to discover Lucinda’s secret.

Jacqueline Harvey got her readers used to Alice-Miranda’s resourcefulness: she is easily making friends with her kindness, openness, generosity and bubbly personality. And Alice-Miranda is saving the day and setting things right. Will these be true for Alice-Miranda’s adventure in New York?

If you want to find out more, then pick up a copy of this amazing, glamorous story and read this exciting adventure.

I very much enjoyed Alice-Miranda in New York as it is a captivating and a well written story. Now I’m looking forward to  Alice-Miranda’s adventure in China.

 

 

 

Alice-Miranda to the Rescue

On By LisaIn Alice-Miranda series, Jacqueline HarveyLeave a comment

alice-miranda to the rescue

Alice-Miranda to the Rescue is written Jacqueline Harvey and illustrated by J.Yi.

It is book number 13 from the ALICE-MIRANDA Series.

The book focuses on Alice-Miranda and her friends from Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale Academy for Proper Younger Ladies. The girls are delighted to be back at school from their holiday in the Alps and are excited about the engagement of Miss Ready and Mr. Plumpton and their upcoming wedding.

The teachers and students have their challenge when  the Chudleight’s, the most awarding dog show in the country, arrive in town. Due to a flood in the village, the dog show is going to be hosted in the gymnasium of Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale Academy  Prop for Younger Ladies.

As always there is drama and things don’t go as expected. Sloane and Caprice’s bickering is reaching new heights and things are going down a slippery slope. Dogs are disappearing all over the village and certain dubious characters seem to have popped into the village. On top of everything, the girls are in danger of attending Miss Ready and Mr. Plumpton’s wedding in their muddy school tracksuits and followed by the whole dog show.

Can Alice-Miranda and her trusted friends save the day again?

I’ll tell you a secret that is not so secret. In the good tradition that  Jacqueline Harvey got us used to, Alice-Miranda is very resourceful and she will go to great lengths to make sure that things will turn out alright. You will have to read the book to find out the creative ways in which the wonderful  Jacqueline Harvey makes Alice-Miranda’s life interesting, fun and exciting.

I found Alice-Miranda to the Rescue a very enjoyable, captivating and hard to put down story. Now I’m waiting for an  Alice-Miranda adventure with Clementine Rose.

 

Alice-Miranda in the Alps

On By LisaIn Alice-Miranda series, Jacqueline HarveyLeave a comment

Alice-Miranda in the Alps is written Jacqueline Harvey and illustrated by J.Yi.

It is book number 12 from the ALICE-MIRANDA Series.

The book focuses on Alice-Miranda and her friends having new experiences, learning, having fun, and facing challenges to be sorted out along the way.

Alice-Miranda, her friends and family members are staying in the Swiss Alps at the Fanger’s Palace to ski, snowboard, sightsee and experience the unique mountain pony racing event which her parents are sponsoring. The owners of the Fanger’s Palace Hotel of St Moritz are Delphine Doerflinger and Otto Fanger, an interesting pair with some intriguing dealings.

Alice-Miranda catches a glimpse of Baron von Zwicky, a close family friend and the owner of the Grand Hotel von Zwicky from the lovely Zermatt village. Her parents had been trying to contact him for a few months so they could stay at his picturesque hotel. But they find out that things are not going well at his hotel and they are willing to help him to put things right.

As expected, there are some accidents along the way, some mysterious and unexplained happenings, some shady characters upsetting the smooth run of life and even some people being kidnapped. Alice-Miranda deals with everything in a bright and optimistic manner with the help of her friends.

As usually with the books from Alice-Miranda series, I learned some new things and got to read more about some topics I didn’t know much about. For example, while reading Alice-Miranda in the Alps, I went and read more about the ice tobogganing on Cresta Run here and here.

I also found out more about the Glacier Express and saw some interesting pictures here.

Alice-Miranda’s adventures also reminded me of my own ski and snowboarding adventures in the Snowy Mountains in the Australian Alps earlier this year.

Jaqueline Harvey’s writing in captivating, interesting, witty, bright and fun. It keeps you with the book open until you’ve finished it and found out the solution to the crisis. Then you will come back for more: you can either read the book again or you can choose another one from the series. I can tell you I’m looking forward to Alice-Miranda to the Rescue being published soon.

I thoroughly recommend Alice-Miranda in the Alps because it is a great adventure and an interesting chapter in the ALICE-MIRANDA Series.

The ALICE-MIRANDA series

On By LisaIn Alice-Miranda series, Jacqueline Harvey, Junior Fiction4 Comments

The Alice-Miranda series is written by Australian writer Jacqueline Harvey and illustrated by J.Yi.

The books in this series present the exciting adventures of the sweet Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones after she goes to the boarding school at Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale Academy for Proper Young Ladies. Alice-Miranda, her family and friends have great experiences, make new friends, learn and have fun.

Alice-Miranda’s adventures have the following titles:

  • Alice-Miranda at School
  • Alice-Miranda on Holiday
  • Alice-Miranda Takes the Lead
  • Alice-Miranda at Sea
  • Alice-Miranda in New York
  • Alice-Miranda Shows the Way
  • Alice-Miranda in Paris
  • Alice-Miranda Shines Bright
  • Alice-Miranda in Japan
  • Alice-Miranda at Camp
  • Alice-Miranda at the Alps
  • Alice-Miranda to the Rescue
  • Alice-Miranda in China
  • Alice-Miranda Holds the Key
  • Alice-Miranda in Hollywood
  • Alice-Miranda in Scotland

 

Each of these books present one of Alice-Miranda’s exciting adventures and we get to know more about her friends, her school life and her family.

It all starts with a 7 year-old Alice-Miranda starting at the big school and the challenges she needs to conquer along the way, the amazing places she visits, the people she meets and the friends she makes.

We as readers are introduced to Alice-Miranda’s new world, with various characters, different troubles and exciting adventures. Alice-Miranda is a very bright and resourceful girl, with lots of ideas and a taste for fixing broken situations. She manages to save the day no matter where in the world she goes!

The characters are complex, interesting and inspiring. We get to feel with them, live their troubles and joys, and will look forward to their adventures and how they change along the way.

Jacqueline Harvey’s writing is crisp, captivating, interesting, witty, and fun. It is refreshing and inviting you to pick up the next book in the series and see what happens next.

I thoroughly recommend this series because it is a great big adventure and follows the life of Alice-Miranda in various situations and places. You can start reading her adventures from book 1. Or you can pick any book in the series and you will still understand its action, the characters and the story. Jacqueline Harvey is careful to make it possible no matter where you join Alice-Miranda’s adventures.

If you like the ALICE-MIRANDA series, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the CLEMENTINE ROSE series – you can read the review here.

Other amazing adventures to check out are the ones in the LULU BELL series, by Australian writer Belinda Murrell – you can read the review here. Also have a look at the UNICORN RIDERS by Aleesha Darlison, another talented Australian writer.

I also enjoyed reading the SECRET SEVEN by the late English writer Enid Blyton. If you like magical stories, you’ll love Blyton’s THE ENCHANTED WOOD, THE MAGICAL FARAWAY TREE, THE FOLK OF THE FARAWAY TREE, THE ADVENTURES OF THE WISHING CHAIR and her collection of BEDTIME STORIES FOR CHILDREN.