Book Review – The Uncommoners: The Crooked Sixpence

Jennifer Bell began her career in in children’s books as a specialist bookseller at Foyles in London, one of the world’s most famous bookshops. The Crooked Sixpence is the first book in The Uncommoners Series.

Ivy and her brother Seb are at the hospital because their granma Sylvie has taken a fall. Ivy spots a strange man lurking in the ward, with deformed hands. That’s when things take a turn for the weird. Upon returning to their grandmother’s house, they find it has been broken into and ransacked. A large floating glossy black feather has scratched “We can see you now” into the wallpaper.

They evade the two men in black uniforms that appear on the doorstep by jumping into a magical suitcase. It takes them to the world of Lundinor, a giant market beneath London where uncommon, magical objects are traded.

Ivy and Seb have to race against the clock to save their parents, who have been kidnapped by a dark guild within Lundinor. As they venture on, they learn more about their family heritage and make some interesting friends along the way.

Exhilarating and enchanting, my children of nine and eleven were hooked from the first page. 

Ewa Fabris
4/5