What’s it all about?:
Life is an adventure. Anything in the world is possible – by will and by luck, with a moist carrot, a wet nose and a slice of mad courage!
Shylo has always been the runt of the litter, the weakest and quietest of all of his family, his siblings spend their days making fun of him for not being like the rest of them. But when Shylo stumbles across a band of ratzis and overhears their evil plan to take a photo of the Queen in her nightie, it’s up to this unlikely hero to travel to London and inform the Royal Rabbits of London about the diabolical plot! The Royal Rabbits of London have a proud history of protecting the royal family and now the secret society need to leap into action to stop the ratzis… But can a rabbit as feeble and shy as Shylo convince them that Queen is in danger?
The Hobbit meets Fantastic Mr Fox meets Watership Down in this charming novel from bestselling authors Santa and Sebag Montefiore, which proves even the smallest rabbit can be the biggest hero.
What did I think?:
Chrissi and I have being doing our Kid-Lit challenge for quite a few years now and one of my favourite things about taking part each month is the little gems that come our ways that we weren’t expecting. I wasn’t anticipating very much if I’m completely honest from The Royal Rabbits Of London, although I had heard of Santa Montefiore previously from her adult fiction and her husband, Simon Sebag Montefiore from his historical non-fiction. I was delighted to be completely and utterly charmed by their story, the characters and the artwork and if we weren’t wrapping up our Kid-Lit challenge at the end of this year, I’d be begging Chrissi to continue the series next year.
Santa Montefiore, author of The Royal Rabbits Of London.
The Royal Rabbits of London, as the title may suggest is primarily an adventure story following one plucky little rabbit called Shylo as he overhears a dastardly plot to embarrass the Queen. Shylo is a wonderful little character – the underdog (or should that be under-rabbit?) of the tale who is often mocked by his stronger, more brash siblings for his timid and tentative nature. Uncovering the plot leads to him undertaking an incredible journey from the country to the streets of London and Green Park, to find the elusive Royal Rabbits Of London, who are tasked with protecting the Queen, at any cost. Along the way, we meet a host of fantastic personalities, including the disgusting ratzi’s with their evil plan, an old reclusive rabbit with a huge secret to impart on just the right rabbit for the job (i.e. Shylo) and the Royal Rabbits themselves.
Simon Sebag Montefiore, the second author of The Royal Rabbits Of London.
The Royal Rabbits of London has a fabulous mixture of everything that middle grade fiction should encapsulate. We have an unlikely hero to cheer on and worry about, action, tension and an exciting narrative to enjoy and a satisfying ending that gives you that lovely warm feeling, as if everything is finally settled in the world. Everyone needs a bit of escapism sometimes and Royal Rabbits gives that in spades. You can easily lock yourself away for a short time, enjoy the adventure and the nail-biting moments and lose yourself completely in the fantasy of a group of courageous rabbits fighting for their own form of justice. If you have children, if you adore rabbits or if you like your middle-grade fiction with a dash of good old British familiarity, this is the book for you!
For Chrissi’s fantastic review, please see her blog HERE.
Would I recommend it?:
But of course!
Star rating (out of 5):
NEXT UP IN SEPTEMBER ON BETH AND CHRISSI DO KID-LIT: I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith
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