DISCLAIMER: I received a review copy of The Curio Collectors from the publisher via NetGalley UK in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author Eloise Williams and to the publisher Barrington Stoke for the opportunity to review this title.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers; please read on only if comfortable with this.

The Curio Collectors is a short children’s novel by renowned Welsh author Eloise Williams. Set in 1896 during the Victorian era, it tells the story of two children – Lily and Tom – as they unravel the shocking mystery of one of their “curios”.

Having no parents of their own, siblings Lily and Tom were adopted by an elderly traveller named Ma Hawker at a young age. They have travelled with her in her horse-drawn caravan ever since, and for years it has been their job to find and clean curios to be displayed as part of their travelling show. During the show, they drum up an audience and collect donations from onlookers while Ma Hawker shows off their collection. Money is tight for the Hawkers, and it is through these donations and the sale of unique and interesting curios to rich buyers that they are able to afford food to eat and places to camp.

When Lily is tricked into using the last of their money to buy a briefcase of seemingly worthless junk, the trio fear that they will struggle to make ends meet. However, one of the items within – a scrimshaw shell – soon attracts an unusual amount of attention in London from two interested individuals: Flora Meriweather, a young maid, and Horatio Pinch, a renowned botanist. Lily and Tom befriend Flora after she approaches the caravan to purchase the scrimshaw, and the three work together to uncover its secrets. After it leads them to Flora’s mother’s lost diary, they discover that it was in fact Flora’s mother who made the botanical discoveries that Pinch has claimed as his own, and is soon to receive an award for. Thus begins a race against time to reach the award ceremony before it is too late, and ensure that Pinch doesn’t take credit for Flora’s mother’s work.

I enjoyed the story of The Curio Collectors. It engaged me throughout, and was full of many twists and turns despite its short length. There was never a stagnant moment, and I felt connected with Lily and Tom as they worked with Flora to unravel the mystery of the scrimshaw. I was eager for them to thwart the villainous Horatio Pinch, and ensure that Flora’s mother was rightfully recognised as the botanical expert she was. This said, as a consequence of the swift pacing, the events of the novel feel somewhat rushed and are not explored to the depth that they perhaps could (or should) have been. I would have loved to spend longer with Lily, Tom and Ma Hawker in the countryside before reaching London, or to see them experience more of the city prior to the mystery of the scrimshaw taking hold. There were also a couple of small plotholes that stood out to me, which hampered my immersion in the story slightly. However, I recognise that younger readers of the target age may not notice these things, as I suspect they’ll be fully caught up in the whirlwind adventure at hand.

Lily and Tom as the two main protagonists of The Curio Collectors are superbly written and well-characterised. They are shown to be caring, grateful and respectful of Ma Hawker, while also fiercely independent and self-assured when the occasion calls for it. You can’t help but admire Lily’s determination to help Flora and ensure that the scrimshaw doesn’t fall in the wrong hands, as well as her intelligence and wit. Tom, as her younger brother, is slightly more naive and innocent, but maintains a solid level of charm. I feel that a lot of children with younger siblings will see themselves in this dynamic duo, and relate to their experiences together. The other characters in the novel – including Ma Hawker, Flora Meriweather and Horatio Pinch – are also extremely likeable (or hateable, in the case of the latter). You really get a sense of their struggles, ideals and morals even though they are not the characters you follow closely.

To comment on Williams’ writing, this was delightful in The Curio Collectors, with a simple yet refined vocabulary used throughout. Her style is perfectly suited to Barrington Stoke’s goal of publishing accessible, hi-lo (high interest, low ability) children’s fiction, and I found the novel to be extremely readable. Though I did not read it in one sitting, I easily could have done, and expect that younger readers may feel the urge to do so. Those who may be dyslexic, reluctant or intimidated by longer novels will certainly find a story that is both easy to consume and enjoy here. I also think that the message she conveys about giving credit where it is due is also incredibly important for children to hear, particularly when there are many historical examples of – for example – womens’ scientific achievements being attributed to their male colleagues (known as the “Matilda Effect”).

I cannot end this review without making mention of Anna Shepeta’s excellent illustrations, which are sprinkled throughout The Curio Collectors. Printed in black and white, these illustrations are both intricate and enchanting, with a unique style that draws the reader to peer closer and take in all of the tiny details. They complimented the key events of the book and also emphasised the unique personalities of each of the named characters, especially Lily, Tom and Horatio Pinch. Pinch in particular has a dark, semi-evil look about him with his lanky frame and black clothes, which I loved. I think that younger readers in particular will enjoy these illustrations as a means to visualise parts of the story as they play out.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed reading The Curio Collectors and would recommend it for readers aged 9+. Though short, it is a book filled with plenty of adventure, mystery, intrigue and excitement, and has likeable characters that are easy to connect with and relate to. Its accessible and simple language is also perfect for struggling or hesitant readers, engaging them and allowing them to follow along with the story without difficulty. Though the story may be over, I will continue to wonder about the Hawkers, and whether they ever made it to France to show off their spectacular collection of curios there.

A great easier read book. The story is interesting enough to keep the reader hooked but the text is an easier read. That said it still has a great story, interesting vocabulary and keeps he reader willing along the children. Will recommend this throughly good read.

Fascinating historical mystery. Lil, Tom and Ma Hawker are travellers always off on an adventure, finding curios and selling them to anyone that will buy. When stopped in London a young maid wants a shell that they have and it unlocks a bigger mystery that they thought.

This was such a great book, I loved the characters and their life style it was so fascinating. I really loved meeting Flora, I loved that she was so fascinated with the shells and finding out why was so fun and going with them on the mystery adventure.

This was a really unique and fun read, made all the better by being transported to a completely different era.

It feels like I have just discovered one of my most favourite middle grade authors!

Thank you, Barrington Stoke, for the copy. It took me a while to get into this book and I really do not know why!

I find the writing incredible. The characters, both the young and adult characters, are well etched out.

The story is about a family of two kids who are taken in by a kind woman. They struggle everyday with whatever work they can find (curios collecting is what they do the best!) but we know they are so loved and taken care of. One day they are forced to leave and they happen to reach a place where they come across a girl whose mother’s lifetime work is on the verge of being credited wrongly to a man. However, justice do prevail and all thanks to the kids, the story ends with an amazing lesson for us all.

Love it so much! I love the cover so much!

This is a lovely historical story. It’s a hot day in 1896 and Lily and Tom are searching in a river for curios to add to their collection. The brother and sister are travelling with Ma Hawker on their way to earn money by entertaining passersby with their curios and hoping to sell them too. But when Lily and Tom meet a young boy while their Ma is sleeping they end up buying what they hope is a bag of interesting curios, but the pair get tricked and what they end up with seems to be a bag of junk instead. Lily is desperate to make up for her mistake, but could something in the junk pile they received hold something more valuable after all?

This is an interesting story set in Victorian times following Lily and Tom who live with Ma Hawker in their caravan. I love the way this story begins, giving us an insight into the kids lives as travellers and the descriptions of things like the outdoors and their horse. While the family travel from place to place they make money by performing for passersby, showing off their curios and trying to sell some to wealthy people watching too.

When the family arrive in London there are many people to entertain, but soon Lily is approached by a young maid desperate to buy something specific from them, a scrimshaw, something that’s more important than either of the siblings realise. I love what happens in this story, especially after the family arrive in London and the adventure the kids go on to discover what exactly is so special about the item the maid wants and why others seem interested in it too.

The story is interesting, exciting and I love the mystery that is later revealed and eventually solved. It’s a great story with a brilliant ending for all of the characters involved. The book has some lovely illustrations in black, white and grey which accompany the text every few pages. I love these pictures as they really add to the story making you feel the atmosphere and you can see the fun way the characters and their caravan looks. I like the almost folkart sort of style of the pictures and each image is good with characters’ expressions easy to see. I especially love the way the horse looks with its hat on!

This book is just under 100 pages long and is filled with dyslexia friendly features such as a specific font used to make reading easier, separated paragraphs, larger text size and the physical book is printed on thick more creamy/yellow paper, making it a great book for both dyslexics and also reluctant readers to enjoy.

Overall I have really enjoyed this story. The life of historical travellers like Lily, Tom and Ma Hawker are interesting, and I love how they get involved with the maid who later reveals something interesting and exciting that takes the kids on an adventure in London. The ending is so good too and I love how the text of the story also evokes the atmosphere well. A brilliant and exciting story with a great ending for all too.

Yet another fascinating story from Barrington Stoke. There is a mixture of intrigue, mystery and adventure as the two heroes try and solve the mystery of a piece of scrimshaw that they found, and which some people seem willing to do anything to get their hands on. A really haunting look at the way some people lived in the past and the dangers that they had to overcome.

The Curio Collectors is another fantastic short book from Barrington Stoke, the publishing industry specialists in making books interesting, exciting and incredibly accessible. They're targeted at reluctant readers and people with reading difficulties, but personally I just find them a really great, short read.

The Curio Collectors is a historic novel, set in 1896. And for such a short read it really does pack an awful lot in! Lily and Tom are travelling the country with Ma Hawker, scraping a living by showing off their collection of curios to paying crowds, and selling some of their pieces to distinguished collectors. From the very start we can see that it's not a very secure life, as they get chased off of a piece of land by a farmer demanding rent for the small patch of field their caravan takes up.

It's when they head for London that the mystery element of the story really kicks in, and I thought it was excellent! There's a young maid after one of their curios, and a gentleman who also seems very interested in purchasing it. There follow secret messages, hidden treasure maps, and an exciting treasure hunt. As well as the fascinating portrayal of the main characters' travelling lifestyle, there are some strong feminist themes that come out of the writing, challenging perspectives of the 1890s in a way that is still all too relevant today. It raises important questions about who took credit for the advances of the past, and was it always the person responsible for the actual discoveries?

A thrilling mystery, intertwined with some important themes. A delightful curio!

My 9 year old co-reviewer flew through this captivating historical fiction. We loved the illustrations which really added to the story. The curios collected sparked a great interest in my daughter!

This is a fun, short book. I do not know if any of it is based on fact, although I do know people in the 19th century did collect curiosities. In this book, a couple of children work together to help another girl. There is just a little bit of a mystery, and a beautiful example of people being kind to each other. This short, interesting story will encourage reluctant readers. It is written in the first person, present tense, which adds variety to reading, since not many books are written that way.
I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

A real gem of a historical fiction mystery. Two young traveling collectors of curiosities uncover a conspiracy surrounding one particular treasure. Determinedly they set out to right a wrong and save a new friend.

Awesome, dyslexia-friendly stuff and another school library essential

The Curio Collectors opens on a warm summers day in 1896, where we meet 12-year-old Lily and her younger brother Tom, who are searching though the waters of a small stream, looking for interesting pieces and junk. The two of them live with Ma Hawker, an elderly woman who took the two children in years ago, and has been raising them to help her with her curio collection. The three of them find interesting objects and travel around the country, telling made up stories about their pieces, raising money from interested locals; and hopefully selling the odd piece or two to rich folk looking for interesting objects to brag about owning.

The three of them have a fairly simple, but meagre life, and are usually always struggling to make money. Because of this they've had to learn to become resourceful, fixing up broken items, scavenging for supplies, and moving on before the locals turn on them. As the three of them head towards London, the kids meet a boy trying to sell a case filled with what he calls curios, claiming to own a part of a mummy amongst other rare objects. Lily and Tom trade the last of the money for the case, but learn that all they've bought is some old junk. The only piece that Ma Hawker picks out is an old shell with some carvings made into it.

When they arrive in London and start to wow the crowds with their collection they're approached by not one, but two people to buy the shell. One is a young maid who can barely afford the asking price, whilst the other is a sinister gentleman who's very rich. When the man tries to break into their caravan one night the kids know that he's up to no good, and so set out to get to the bottom of the mystery of why the shell is so important.

The Curio Collectors is an interesting historical mystery story that I think a lot of kids are going to enjoy. One of the best things about the book is that its lead characters are very different people than you'd usually get in this kind of story. Lily and Tom are travellers, and they, along with Ma Hawker, face issues like having to find places to stay, of having locals turn on them and demand money from them with the threat of violence, and having to struggle to get by in a system that's designed to hurt people like them. There's no real evidence in the book to say outright that they're gypsy or Roma people, but the artwork of their caravan, and their lifestyle do hint that they may be; and if they're not the book is still touching on issues faced by the GRT community to this day. With so little focus given over to GRT communities, and with almost no stories with them as the protagonists and heroes, it's absolutely wonderful to see this book going in that direction.

The mystery of the book itself is also a pretty interesting one, and it went in some places that I wasn't expecting. Eloise Williams has put a lot of twists and turns into the story, and keeps the reader guessing as to what might come next. I had a wonderful time with the story, and wish that the book had been longer so that more time could have been given over to the mystery and adventure elements, which were introduced towards the latter part of the book.

Despite the short length, the book was still very engaging and engrossing, and a large part of this was down to the lead characters. Lily and Tom were both great protagonists, and it was lovely to see Lily getting to break expectations of how girls are normally portrayed in a historical setting such as this. She's very proactive, she rushes into danger, she climbs trees and gets into things. She's given a lot of agency; which is something that I've noticed with a lot of Barrington Stoke's younger female protagonists, and is delightful to see.

The book also features illustrations by Anna Shepeta, who provides the art for the cover of the book. The interior art is, unlike the cover, presented in black and white, yet still manage to be vibrant and engaging. The artwork is lovely to see, and helps to make it clearer for younger readers who might not be fully aware of the kinds of clothing people wore in this time period, or what places looked like. The illustrations means that the text doesn't have to spend its limited time describing all of the tiny details.

The Curio Collectors was a fun read, and one that I was sad to see come to an end. Lily and Tom were great protagonists, and I'd love to see them come back again in the future. The good thing about the way they travel around, discovering interesting things, is that I can easily see them coming back for more adventures. Hopefully this will be something that Williams will be able to bring us in the future.

4.2 Stars
One Liner: Such a cute adventurous book

Digswell Water, 1896
Lily and Tom travel with Ma Hawker, collecting interesting items, displaying, and selling them to people for money. When Lily gets duped into buying a bag of useless items, she finds scrimshaw in it. Flora Meriweathe is desperate to find the missing scrimshaw to know more about her mother. However, someone else also wants this mysterious item and will go to any lengths to grab it. Can Lily and Tom help Flora in her quest?
The story comes in Lily’s first-person POV.

My Thoughts:
This is an adorable little story about 12-year-old Lily and her 10-year-old little brother Tom. Their characteristics are reversed. Lily is practical and handy with the tools, and Tom is a dreamer. I love Lily’s arc.
The story has adventure, mystery, danger, and intrigue but for the kiddos. This makes a cozy mystery for adults. Some may find it too mild and easily solved, but it should work well for the target audience (well, I think I can include myself in that category).
The book breaks stereotypes about women at varying levels. Be it Ma Hawker traveling alone with two kids or the other characters we meet towards the end, it puts women in assertive roles without making it preachy. At the same time, they aren’t flawless.
The illustrations are in black and white but very atmospheric. My favorite is the one in the graveyard. And, of course, I’m totally in love with Lily’s flowing tresses.
Being a short book, it packs quite a bit in less than 100 pages. While the beginning takes the time to set the stage and let readers meet the characters, the second half speeds by like a superfast train. This makes the climax a little rushed. The ending is perfect and can work as a lead for a sequel. I sure would love to read more adventures by the trio.

To summarize, The Curio Collectors is a lovely little book about the adventures of young nomadic travelers from the Victorian period. The theme is less common in fiction writing and makes a good choice for kids to learn more about a different era.
Thank you, NetGalley and Barrington Stoke, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

An adventurous and imaginative tale that I enjoyed! The story kept me engaged and the illustrations are a nice touch. Lil's voice felt very authentic and I loved the small but vibrant cast. The Curio Collectors is a perfect blend of magic, mystery and mayhem that will appeal to young readers!

In a Nutshell: An interesting children’s story set in the Victorian era. Has an adventurous mystery with three kids at the centre of it. Easy to read in terms of flow and language.

Story Synopsis:
1896. Digswell Water, UK. Lily (12) and Tom (10) work with Ma Hawker, travelling the country and displaying their amazing collection of curios, not all of which might be authentic. A part of Lily’s duties is to be on the lookout for new curios. On one such occasion, she is tricked into buying a useless bag of junk. But unknown to her, the bag contains a special scrimshaw, and someone dangerous is looking for it.
The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Lily.

The two little protagonists – Lily and Tom – have very distinct personalities and yet they are caring towards each other. The book doesn’t include their backstory except to indicate that Ma Hawker took them in. The focus thus remains firmly on the curios and the incident connected to the scrimshaw.

You would assume Ma Hawker to be a cruel stepmother kind of figure, but she is written as a practical character, not gushing in her demonstrations of love but also not evil. Lily is the handy one, the climber of trees and the fixer of broken things. Plus points to the author for shattering the gender stereotype of girls/women in historical children’s fiction.

The only negative for me was that the story felt a bit rushed, especially in the second half. There is too much happening with a few pages, so there’s no depth to the proceedings. Children might not notice this.

For a book containing an evil man and a thrilling adventure, the writing is quite easy-going. The pace and the vocabulary are perfectly suited for the target age range of tweens.

I must add that Barrington Stoke books are always hi-lo (high interest, low ability), so the content is age appropriate but the vocabulary aims at a lower age group, thus making the book more inclusive to diverse reading abilities. (I guess the word ‘scrimshaw’ should be counted as an exception to this, but a book that can teach one new word to its little readers is always welcome.) Moreover, the books by this publishing house don’t shy away from difficult topics or scary themes. I love this dual approach of theirs – they clearly publish for children, but they don’t exclude any topic that might be considered kid-unfriendly as per popular opinion.

There are some cute B&W illustrations peppered throughout the book. These add well to the story. I liked how the illustrations had a rich look despite not being in colour. They were wonderfully detailed as well.

All in all, this is a quick, interesting and fun story that would appeal to young readers who love tales of adventure and mystery. Its 1890s setting and the nomadic lifestyle of its protagonists makes it an unusual book in contemporary children’s fiction.

4 stars.

My thanks to Barrington Stoke and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Curio Collectors”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Hunting for treasure, or in this case curios, is always fun and there is nothing quite like the thrill of finding something unexpected. My mum has recently began hunting for treasures from the ocean, scouring the Cornish coastline for hidden gems; she took much pleasure in sending me pics of her first sea glass finds last summer.

Lil and Tom live with Ma Hawker in their cosy horse-drawn caravan. The Hawkers make a living by selling their marvellous collection of curios (items that they have gathered along the way). Never staying in one place for long, they travel from town to town telling made-up stories about their breathtaking finds.

Always on the hunt for hidden treasure, Lil thinks she has struck gold after buying a battered leather case full of remarkable curios from around the world. Ma thinks most of it is worthless rubbish but a special piece of engraved scrimshaw is hotly sought. Flora Meriweather is convinced that it will solve a family mystery. Fine dressed gentleman, Horatio Pinch, has much darker motives, needing to keep secrets hidden in the past. Can the children uncover what is so special about the scrimshaw? Will it find its way to the rightful owner…

A sprinkling of adventure, a dash of mystery, a dastardly crime and the magic of collecting and trading curios combine in a story that is as spectacular as Ma Hawker’s cabinet of curiosities.

Set in 1896 and taking readers from the quiet countryside to the hustle and bustle of Victorian London, The Curio Collectors is a beautifully written historical tale from the fabulous Eloise Williams. In a fast-paced hunt for the truth, exciting escapades, a cabinet full of curiosity, an important mystery and the blossoming of friendship will entertain and captivate readers.

Plucky children Lil, Tom and Flora are the stars, and as secrets and lies are revealed they find courage and use all of their resourcefulness, displaying bags of heart to get the better of a devilish villain who has no shame in taking advantage of others. Suspense, mystery and shady goings-on enthral, whilst messages of doing the right thing and helping those who need it most are welcomed.

Finding wondrous things, travelling from town to town and then selling them for a pretty penny or two sounds like such a unique and interesting life and it is a pleasure to have a little glimpse into another era and see how a different community lived. Children will be fascinated by the caravan lifestyle and having the freedom to move whenever the family felt like it - oh to live so simply.

Another piece of brilliance from Williams. Loved it!

Recommended for 8+.

This is the second Eloise Williams book I've read and I think there's just something I don't click with. The books are fine, they're enjoyable enough and I'm sure the target audience will like them just fine, but for me they just seem to fall a little flat. I'm not sure if it's just I want them to dive deeper (they're not the longest of books) or maybe I just really love the premise and want to see them explored for older readers or something.

The writing is fine, the plot is fine, it just doesn't grab me and make me want to yell from the rooftops to pick it up over other middle grades.

I am always on the look out for new books which will appeal to my reluctant readers and The Curio Collectors definitely ticks this box. Who is the rightful owner of the scrimshaw and the secrets contained within? We have recently been learning about Mary Anning so my children are familiar with the idea of curios being found and sold to others. I can't wait to share this with them as it will make a super whole class read out loud story.

'The Curio Collectors' is a well pitched read for 7-9 year olds, about Lily and Tom and their adopted 'mother', Ma Hawkins. The language is easy and the chapters are short - perfect for readers relatively new to chapter books and independent reading.

The three collect curios and travel the country trying to scrape enough money to live on by telling stories about the treasures they have found. I really liked the concept of a story exploring the lives of the travelling community and would love to see more fiction for children written in that setting, and exploring the values and lifestyle of children who lived in it. I was initially drawn to the book by its cover - what child would not love the idea of living in a caravan and living a life of freedom?!

I felt, on reading the book, though, that the story was lacking in depth and a little rushed in many places. I also felt that, had the relationship between the children and their guardian been fleshed out more, it could have been a lovely picture of what adopted family can look like. However, I didn't feel she had much affection for the children she sets to work, and that felt a little uncomfortable. The story picks up pace as Lily and Tom meet Flora, daughter of a little know and underrated female botanist, whose lifework is about to be stolen by a malevolent male competitor. Again, I really liked the choice of theme, but feel that the story might feel less rushed if these characters had been introduced in a different book as they merit a whole story of their own!

In summary, as a book for younger readers it rates well, but I feel that children over 9 might find it too simplistic and lacking in depth.

This is another fantastic story by Eloise Williams, author of many incredible historical mystery books, such as Gaslight and Wilde. This has been written for Barrington Stoke and so while it retains the same amount of excitement and adventure as the rest of her stories, this is suitable for children who are still building up their reading stamina, reluctant readers and/or dyslexic readers.

Lily and Tom live with Ma Hawker, who together travel with their collection of curios, wowing audiences with the wondrous although not always entirely true stories behind their curios. When both a maid and a sinister gentleman both take an interest to a piece of scrimshaw (decorated ivory), a race to discover the mystery behind it begins.

I was amazed by how much excitement can be built and contained in such a short story. It takes exceptional skill to produce such a large world and story in a seemingly simple way but Eloise has managed it here. I loved this story and will be using it in my classroom, as well as recommending it to other educators and parents.

This book was promoted as high-interest, low reading level. I think the story itself—plot, characters—is appropriate to ages 9 and up, but the reading level is definitely lower. Sentences have simple structure, and vocabulary is not too elevated. This allows the reader to follow the story without difficulty.

Lily and Tom are poor and orphaned, and travel with a sort of adopted mother. They make ends meet by selling odds and ends that they find. In P.T. Barnum fashion, they call them “curious”, and display them, charging crowds for admission.

One particular item—a piece of scrimshaw—draws the attention of disparate visitors. One is a young servant girl, the other, a wealthy man who claims to be a scientist. The girl cannot afford it; the man offers a healthy sum of money.

Lily and Tom befriend the girl, and find that she has been collecting scrimshaw pieces, looking for the one that will prove her late mother’s scientific research. They give her the piece, putting a different one from her collection into their display.

In they end, they must race the so-called scientist in hopes of proving just who is the real scientist.

Interestingly, the conclusion leaves Lily, Tom, and Ma as they are, rather than changing their situation in life. They are content with what they do, and enjoy the adventurous life they lead. I appreciate that the author resisted “fixing” them.

Possible Objectionable Material:
A little bit of sneaking and lying. Poverty. A tense scene in a cemetery.

Who Might Like This Book:
Those who like stories set in the past, who like adventurous children and a bit of a mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my opinion.

This book is also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2023/01/adventures-for-young-readers.html