Publisher Description

An exciting subterranean London adventure, the first in a middle-grade trilogy. Hyacinth Hayward has recently arrived from America and is having difficulty adjusting to her new surroundings, especially being in the sole company of her eccentric mother. Everything feels strange. Very strange. And it gets stranger the day she accidentally unleashes the power of a secret river running through London. To prevent a second Great Fire, Hyacinth needs to retrieve a single, magically charged drop of water from somewhere in the city sewer system. Along the way she encounters an eclectic cast of characters – the shambling, monstrous Saltpetre Men who kidnap her mother, the Toshers who battle for control of magical artefacts and a giant pig with whom she has a tea party. The clock is ticking – will she figure out who to trust?

Notes

This fantasy adventure set in modern day London is a particularly appropriate read for Key Stage 2 and 3 children learning their London history. Hyacinth must prevent a second Great Fire by retrieving a magical drop of water from the city sewer system, encountering the shambling Saltpetre Men, the battling Toshers and a giant pig along the way.

Author Biography

Jacob Sager Weinstein is the author of four non-fiction books for adults and has written for The New Yorker, HBO and the BBC. He is also a former contributor to The Onion and has won a Writers' Guild of America Award. The idea for The City of Secret Rivers came to Jacob while walking along the Thames Embankment, as he started thinking about London's secret underground rivers and "discovered that London's history is so magical that it only takes the slightest of tweaks to make it into a fantasy story." Follow Jacob on Twitter @jacobsw. He lives in London with his wife and two children.

Review

"Readers must willingly suspend belief to follow Weinstein's engaging, fast-paced fantasy,but he makes it worth their while. It's a wild ride that's fun, freaky, outlandish, and suspenseful. Readerswill beg for another installment." * Booklist * "This setup can't help leading to a rollicking adventure with a lulu of an ending that comes with the promise of a sequel. Middle graders will adore clever Hyacinth and enjoy the other humorous characters, the puns (Oaroboarus, indeed), and the suspenseful narrative." * Kirkus Reviews * With plot twists and potty humor galore, this is an entertaining read-aloud that should keep even reluctant readers engaged. VERDICT Fans of Suzanne Collins's "The Underland Chronicles" and Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams's "Tunnels" series will enjoy this fantastic, funny adventure. * School Library Journal * "[...] a stonking, rollicking delight [...] the prose sings with effervescence." * The Literary Review * "I'd also thoroughly recommend Jacob Sager Weinstein's brilliantly funny The City of Secret Rivers" * Books for Keeps *

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