Review – The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone

The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jacqueline Moriarty, Kelly Canby (illustrator)
Published by Allen & Unwin on 25/10/2017
Genres: Adventure, Middle Fiction
Format: Hardcover
Source: Personal book collection

Pirates, magical powers, a seemingly impossible quest, royalty, secrets, kidnapping, elves, watersprites, music, mysteries, and dragons. The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jacquelyn Moriarty (Allen & Unwin, 2017) has all the elements of an amazing adventure story woven together with clever text and enough twists to keep the pages turning.

10-year-old Bronte Mettlestone’s parents have been killed by pirates, and she must fulfil their final wishes by visiting each of her aunts to deliver a gift from her parents. She must travel alone and follow a strict, at times quirky schedule. If she fails, then her home town will be destroyed.

Bronte is an engaging narrator, drawing readers into her story as she tries to make sense of the different situations she finds herself in. She is brave, curious, intelligent and at times quite insightful as she tries to make sense of her unexpected adventure. The illustrations by Kelly Canby bring Bronte and her family and friends to life perfectly.

Ideal for readers aged 8-12 looking for an old-fashioned adventure story, I loved this book for its unexpected twists, thrilling challenges, and interesting moments of thoughtful insight.