Overall, I felt the story was ok, but it doesn’t really bring anything new to the genre. The story has a Victorian era setting, which gives it a classic feel especially since the location is a very large house surrounded by mystery. The only aspect that gave me pause when reading was the big reveal of who/what the crow is. Since this is a book for children, I was a little surprised by the author's choice and I wonder how kids will respond. The start of a series featuring the intelligent, questioning heroine Seren in a world that's a mixture of Victorian England (well, Wales), magic and folk tales, this book reminded me strongly of the books I read over and over as a child, particularly A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Nach zwölf Jahren im Waisenhaus wurde Stella von ihrer Großtante Grace aufgenommen. Als diese verstirbt, muss Stella sich ihren Zukunftssorgen stellen. Doch auf der Beerdigung der Großtante sucht ein Rechtsanwalt den Kontakt zu dem Mädchen. Er überreicht ihr einen Brief von Stellas Taufpaten, Captain Arthur Jones und seine Frau Lady Mair. Das Paar hat sich in diesem bereiterklärt, nach Graces Versterben Stella bei sich aufzunehmen. Young Seren Rhys stands on the cusp of a new life. Unfortunately for her, the train to her new life is late. Immer wieder wirft Catherine Fisher neue Rätsel auf. Was für Geräusche sind das, die nur Stella zu hören scheint? Was hat es mit dem geheimnisvollen Spielzeug auf sich und wo ist die Familie hin, die Stella eigentlich hier hätte erwarten sollen? For something a little different and that has just been published this year, Sibéal Pounder’s Tinsel: The Girls Who Invented Christmasre-evaluates how we think of the Santa story and how, for all this time, we might have been getting it just a bit wrong... So prepare for a truly funny, fresh, fizzing and feminist celebration of the true story of Mrs Claus and how its two formidable female protagonists bring this sparkling story to life.Catherine Fisher has a way of writing children’s/teen books that is just engrossing. I never want to put them down! I wish more of her works were released in North America. Stellas neues Zuhause ist ein dunkler, kalter Landsitz, der inmitten einer winterlichen Landschaft abgeschieden liegt. Es ist unheimlich und die Haushälterin ist eine wenig zugängliche strenge Frau. Seren was utterly brave in this one, each book she is brave and has things to overcome but this one she is even more fiercely brave and determined, this time to help break the crows curse once and for all but with it may come a huge sacrifice and a test of her hearts dearest desire. January 2019 Book of the Month | Shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards 2019, Best Story category Es ist eine eher düstere Stimmung, die über dem Landhaus liegt und Stella benötigt viel Mut sich den Geheimnissen zu stellen. Dunkle Flure, verschlossene Dachbodenzimmer und knarrende Treppen führen Stella und den Mondscheinvogel in ein magisches Abenteuer.

Catherine Fisher has woven her magic once more, twisting fairy tales, folklore and fantasy into a spellbinding tale.’ Catherine Fisher writes a story of a young girl, an orphan, who is being adopted by her godparents. She arrives at their home in Wales to find everyone in the family missing and no logical explanation given to her. Looked after by two house servants, the girl is left to wonder about the mysteries surrounding the house. So too, the readers. While I can tell that Fisher is trying to unfold her story slowly, it seemed instead to go in fits and starts, largely as a result of bad editing. I found myself more than a tad irritated at jarring sentences such as, "Their hands were numbing cold." If you told me I had to think about it for awhile to find that sentence to be a clever one, I'd respond by telling you I had to think for far too long. Then it looked at her with its shiny eye and opened its twisted beak. “Oil” it croaked. “I need oil.”In meinen Augen hat die britische Autorin Catherine Fisher mit „Stella und der Mondscheinvogel“ ein bezauberndes Wintermärchen aufs Papier gebracht, in welchem sie uns Leser*innen in eine fantasievolle Welt voller frostiger Winterkälte, Mysterien und Magie mitnimmt. Für die dunkle Jahreszeit ist dieses Buch wahrlich ideal geeignet. Schön gemütlich eingekuschelt auf dem Sofa, mit einem warmen Getränk und einem prasselnden Feuerchen im Kamin – so lässt sich diese stimmungsvolle Erzählung definitiv am besten genießen. a world of magic,mystery and adventure. Go to Plas-y-Fran! I promise you will not be disappointed.’

Seren has never been loved and cherished; first as an orphan in an institutional orphanage and then when living with a bedridden relative, she has always been neglected and mostly ignored. Once all the metal bits are in place, Seren winds up the mechanical bird, and to her utter surprise, the crow comes alive, starts to flap about, and cries out for oil. Seren remains feisty and courageous, as in the previous novels and ready to stand up to The Fair Family. She is a fantastic protagonist and I love how she dotes upon the crow, despite his constant cantankerous nature. There are a total of 100 SMART Notebook screens (in one file) and each lesson is clearly marked, along with details about which lesson chapters should be read, to aid and link to the learning.Lots of magic and mystery in here. Danger and close calls too. This is also historical fiction as it's set in the days of trains, horse drawn carriages and candles. The first half of the book serves up the creepy elements – the forbidden room that Seren is told never to enter, a past tragedy, shadowy corridors and sinister servants – that are essential elements of any good Gothic novel.

What follows is a chilly Victorian Gothic mystery. All we need next is a dark and gloomy mansion, a sinister housekeeper and a mystery that will plunge our central character into deadly danger. The tone changes when Seren and her crow companion turn detective to solve the mystery of Tomos’ disappearance, and now Fisher throws in a supernatural twist that takes the plot in a different direction. In an unkind world full of unequally and , our hero is a dreamer who loves to read. She tries to be good, but at times her curiosity and her temper get the best of her. Faced with equally imperfect adults that often treat her in a dismissive way, she struggles to find balance. Her sharp mind is constantly questioning the world around her and is not satisfied with half truths. Various little things just annoyed me (at one point she guesses someone was once a schoolteacher, and they were, and there's pretty much zero clues having pointed to that), and while I liked the snowglobe idea re weather, I doubt I'll be remembering this one in a year's time. The opening is good and compelling, and it gets less and less interesting as it goes along. Update 3/6/2022 - I have had a request to include the screens in Powerpoint format, so I have added a Powerpoint file that has all of the SMART screens.)

Short but perfectly formed, this is a magical and atmospheric pair of books, with elements of classic children’s stories, traditional oral tale telling, and a dose of humour too. Wonderful – and a perfect December read!