Mystery of the Midnight Cartographers by Barry Nugent

I would like to thank the author for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Batten Press

Published – Out Now

Price – £16.99 hardback via https://barrynugent.com/product/mystery-of-the-midnight-cartographers-hardback-edition/

A Fading Power... Unbreakable Friendship... No Destiny Required

Three months ago, a group of twelve-year-olds saved the world.

Now the St Icilda's gang are stuck investigating a talking hamster.

After everything they've been through, they expected grander mysteries, higher stakes, something legendary. Instead, they're bored, restless and growing apart... until someone breaks into the British Museum. An ancient artefact is stolen and they're framed for the crime.

With the police closing in, their only way out is to uncover the truth themselves. But the more they dig, the stranger it gets. They learn that the heist, the hamster and an old comic about a vanished group of adventurers are all connected. And the deeper they go, the more they realise this may be all their fault.

Their case started with a talking hamster and a museum break-in. Now they must stop the past from destroying their future.

NB this story follows the events of the equally great Trail of the Cursed Cobras by Barry Nugent but no spoilers here

I think there are adventure stories for children but the one with the most lasting appeal work for us grow ups too. For me part of that is the obvious attraction of when life was not complicated by bills, commutes and offices but I also think there is some reflection on what learning to grow up really meant which we never had the time to think about too much when you’re in the process of working the world and who you are at the same time. We may spot in the stories the deeper messages that you need a few extra miles on the clock to notice and perhaps that may also remind us that the younger readers of today also still face the same challenges. All of which struck me reading Barry Nugent’s deliciously entertaining middle-grade novel that I think will appeal to many other age groups too Mystery of the Midnight Cartographers combining adventure, the supernatural and growing up in a North London school in the 1980s.

Its 1982 and at the London comprehensive St Icilda’s five children have just learn that saving the world will both open your eyes to how the world is both far more magical and dangerous than they knew but also it doesn’t get you out of maths lessons and homework.  Led by the Holmes-like AdaC the very bright but grieving Bobby, DJ the kind of kid who always finds (makes) trouble, map reader Tony and would-be-knight Nikki aka the toughest girl in school all stopped the world ending but now have begun training under the watchful eye of the enigmatic Mr Carnaby who knows a lot more about magic, secret societies and the groups monitoring them than your average shopkeeper. However, a strange school trip to the British Museum is timed to the theft of an ancient relic. The gang also get their firs case but as this appears to involve a talking hamster, they may just be getting a practical joke on them plus saving the world the first time has left all the children with some internal battles to face too.

If you enjoyed the gang’s first adventure, then let me make this review clear you’ll love this sequel. If you’ve not yet read it trust me you’re missing out!

Ahem.. for those needing a bit more there is a deliciously great mix of plotting and character combined with the 1980s setting which together gave the story pace and emotional depth that made it a highly entertaining read. The five main characters all have sharply different traits from Ada’s no nonsense, super-observant and logical mindto DJ’s ability to tell a bad joke or release a truly bad fart. The chats they have are the kind young teenagers have moving from the deep to the sarcastic to the devastatingly emotional in just a few sentences. I love the way they interact, clash and bond. They’re not Blytonesque kids of perfection either as these are much more inner-city London kids far more likely to be give cheek to a police officer than help them followed by lashings of ginger beer. A really effective part of the story for me is Nugent considers if you nearly died saving the world and discovered reality is not quite what you thought it was then you’re going to be changed by the experience and not always positively. There are several arcs for the characters here that really made the character’s three dimensional as they subtly tackle more adult topics of grief, PTSD and over-confidence yet here all delivered to service the story rather than having a clunky ‘special episode’ feel to the way the issues are being handled. I appreciated the way these all helped both the storylines and characters develop while at the same time Nugent is showing how several issues children face now even without the supernatural rearing their head, but they can still be tackled face on.

But this isn’t quite a Grange Hill setting. Nugent throws in magical artefacts, mysterious strangers, museum theft and an apparent talking hamster. It would be so easy to simply play this for laughs and yet this novel plays it pleasingly straight. It’s a strange world and strange things exist in it but we just roll with the various smart reveals. In fact, the hamster turns into a critical character for the story and to my surprise an incredibly poignant on. Nugent makes me believe which is something I don’t always see in quite a few books allegedly just for adults. The story weaves in a lost group of adventurers from the 1930s, a clandestine group studying the supernatural and suspicious police offer alongside the school’s upper class rival school that is arriving on the scene and causing conflict. All the elements though are skilfully joining up at a fairly brisk pace that never feels either over engineered or too predictable. It culminates in a beautiful set piece inside Battersea Power Station that brings revelations and extreme danger for the gang. The 1980s setting allows for a world without phone or the internet to allow easy answers to be found but it is also a  reminder of a time when children were often felt second class citizens by those in authority from teachers to police and for those of who were there the strange ways schools worked for groups of pupils will ring true.

I was also pleased that adventures continue to have consequences and rather than simple end adventure and a quick finale we have very neat set of final scenes satisfyingly wrapping up various plot points and hinting strongly that further adventures may be around the corner. I am making it clear I need more adventures with this gang. If you’re looking for a gloriously fun adventure to purchase for younger readers (hey did you know its World Book Day this week?) or perhaps you want an adventure story just for yourself to give you a sense of joy then this books is strongly recommended!