Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool, by Odo Hirsch, ISBN 9781741757163, Allen & Unwin.
Reviewed by Year 5 students at Duncraig Primary School.*
Darius is worried. Time is running out. Will he and his family ever decide upon this generation’s Bell Gift from the family to the town so they can retain the family house and name? When he and his friends find a mysterious glittering pool in the grounds of the house they wonder if it might provide an answer.
This imaginative book will appeal to some tween readers but does not work as a read aloud book as the detail slows the plot. Quirky, well-developed characters carry the story. Our class thinks it would help retain interest if the author moved between locations and plot lines more frequently. We enjoyed the unexpected plot turns and the overall quest structure.
This acclaimed author has written the much-loved Hazel Green series and others such as Amelia Dee and the Peacock Lamp.
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*Duncraig Primary School is a member of our Undercover Readers Club. A review copy of Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool was provided by the publisher.
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