Karen Allanson
Raven's Hoard is the second instalment in the Out of Time series written by Gill Jepson. After reading the first book, The Secret of the Swan, aloud as a family we were very much looking forward to continuing the story with Raven's Hoard. We were not disappointed! Told from the point of view of an older child gave this book a slightly different feel which kept the story fresh. We are introduced to new characters and new places while remaining in the original setting in and around the town of Barrow-in-Furness. There is plenty of history wound throughout the story and I even learnt some new things about the area in which I live! I particularly like the way that Gill Jepson writes her characters and in particular the children, these are characters which children can relate to, allowing them to place themselves within the story and experience all the more vividly. As a child I was a big fan of the Famous Five by Enid Blyton and reading these books takes me back to the way I felt reading those, full of mystery and adventure, albeit with less ginger beer and jam sandwiches! As well as being thoroughly entertaining these books give children a glimpse of the way things were in different periods in history, making them come alive in a way that a text book doesn't. We very much enjoyed Raven's Hoard and we can't wait to see where the story goes next!
