Where would you go if you could breathe underwater?

The Thames and Tide Club

Written by: Katya Balen @katyabalen

Illustrated by: Rachel Dean @RachaelADean

Published by: Bloomsbury Children’s Books @KidsBloomsbury

Published: May 2023

Price: £6.99

First line: It was midnight and everything was exactly as you’d expect it to be in London on a chilly April night.

Genre: Mystery, Adventure, London

Age: 7+

Thanks to my local library for the review copy.

What’s it all about? The local River Thames mudlarkers club, called: ‘The Thames and Tide Club’ love nothing better than searching the mud banks at the side of the River Thames and then making their way to the museum for warming hot chocolate and to display their finds to Oswald, the keeper. However, the weather is playing a strange tune today, and everyone’s affected: there are huge cracks appearing in buildings; the bakery has been flooded; the Thames is churning; and royal loos are exploding! Can Clem, Ash and Zara save the day by seeking help in the river itself?

Why should I read it? Written by the Carnegie medal winning author, Katya Balen, you know this will be really good! This book is a  great read for 7+ children, with short chapters, inventive characters and a clear, intriguing plot. For those readers used to Katya’s other books, this one involves a lot more fantasy elements compared to usual. I like the creativeness of the world under the water, and the on-trend theme of saving the environment combined with team work and working out friendships. There is clearly space for another adventure with the team (the sequel- ‘Squid Invasion’ is already out and there is another story coming out next year), but I’ll say no more! It would be easy to make connections between this book and a school’s curriculum; especially if you are a school in London. The best thing about this book is that you can get involved – go and have a go at mud larking yourself. Katya says that one of her aims when writing the book was to show that mud-larking can be enjoyed by anyone whatever their background.  However, for other schools there are still links to learning about rivers, animal life, geology and creative arts.