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Product Description
Book Description
Gripping escapades, thrilling action and astounding surprises, from the author of The 7 Professors of the Far North.
Product Description
Sam is back in Edinburgh with his brilliant uncle, inventor Professor Ampersand, and cousins Zara, Ben and friend Marcia. Their efforts to build an experimental flying boat leads to a dramatic discovery - a long-lost secret invention that holds the key to anti-gravity. But a ruthless and sinister organisation will do anything to own the machine and Sam and his friends must stop them at all costs . . .
So begins an adventure of nocturnal museum thefts, encrypted clues, murder cover-ups, mysterious airships and sky-chases over the rooftops of Edinburgh.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you liked Seven Professors, chances are you'll love this one. This is a masterful follow up, avoiding the usual problems of repeating the same story. The characters are developed further, with a collection of new goodies and baddies introduced. The book touches on serious issues of racism and war with a light touch, not getting in the way of the rollocking action.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
By Alex aged 10
Zara, Ben, Sam and Marcia are back for another hair-raising adventure of the inventing kind; when they offer to help a lady build a flying boat, who thinks the plane is the best invention since sliced bread. The children find an old photograph in the hangar where they are working; there is a coded message on the back which ultimately leads them to uncover the mystery of the silver turtle. A secret agency called Noctarma decide to keep watch on the hangar because they think that the children and their friends are carrying on the work of a man called Masil Stribnik. During the war the man Stribnik, created an anti-gravity machine which could be used to make anything weightless. Noctarma want it because they want to take over the world with their stealth planes. So on the day of the test flight Noctarma appear and try to take the plane away, but just in time an old woman appears through the crowd and jumps into the plane and takes off. As the plane soars into the sky we are carried away into John Fardell's imagination.
The story is brilliantly written with many witty twists. It takes you from the bottom of lake Geneva, to a doughnut shaped airship captained by a man that makes radar Jammers from sardine tins and to the top of a Swiss castle. This book is a book with something extra.
Zara, Ben, Sam and Marcia are back for another hair-raising adventure of the inventing kind; when they offer to help a lady build a flying boat, who thinks the plane is the best invention since sliced bread. The children find an old photograph in the hangar where they are working; there is a coded message on the back which ultimately leads them to uncover the mystery of the silver turtle. A secret agency called Noctarma decide to keep watch on the hangar because they think that the children and their friends are carrying on the work of a man called Masil Stribnik. During the war the man Stribnik, created an anti-gravity machine which could be used to make anything weightless. Noctarma want it because they want to take over the world with their stealth planes. So on the day of the test flight Noctarma appear and try to take the plane away, but just in time an old woman appears through the crowd and jumps into the plane and takes off. As the plane soars into the sky we are carried away into John Fardell's imagination.
The story is brilliantly written with many witty twists. It takes you from the bottom of lake Geneva, to a doughnut shaped airship captained by a man that makes radar Jammers from sardine tins and to the top of a Swiss castle. This book is a book with something extra.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Another good one!
13 Oct 2006
Format:Hardcover
Note: For what it's worth in regard to how you take my review, I should point out that this book is aimed at kids but I'm an adult (theoretically).
This follow-up to "The 7 Professors of the Far North" is every bit as good as the original. In some ways it's even better, since the main characters have already been introduced, allowing Fardell to get right to the story. The word to describe the book is "relentless." Once it gets going, it moves at lightning speed and could be a little too intense for readers under 12. There are real bad guys in this story-- folks who think nothing of shooting the young heroes (there's a bit more gunplay than I expected). Of course, there's danger in the Potter books too, but those are fantasy-oriented so it takes some of the fear away, whereas this book is much more realistic (guns instead of spells).
But overall it's a fun, fast read. It never gets dull, and it's as clever and imaginative as the first book. In addition, the kids are all very positive role models and always try to do the right thing. Furthermore, they don't, as in other stories (books, movies, TV, etc.) aimed at kids, treat adults like idiots or set out to disobey them. Likewise, the adults (well, the good guys) are presented as kind, helpful, intelligent, and supportive. John Fardell, the author, doesn't have to resort to the "adults are stupid so we're on our own" mentality in order to tell a good story.
Since this book is a sequel, it helps to have read first one, but it's worth it, and the combined length of these two books is less than one Potter book. If you're looking for a book, or series, that DOESN'T deal with wizards and dragons etc., which it seems everyone is writing lately because of Potter's success, this is definitely worth your time.
One last note: The "Reading Level" listed above says 9-12 but remember, those numbers represent a suggested range of the lowest age that this book is appropriate for in terms of both difficulty, and content; it's not saying that only people within that range will enjoy it. As mentioned in my review it's a bit intense, so parents (or kids) might want to decide whether it is appropriate reading material. I know some 9 year-olds who could handle it and some 12 year-olds who might be scared. But definitely don't consider 12 to be the top age where someone would enjoy the book. I'm waaaaayyy older than that and I loved it.
This follow-up to "The 7 Professors of the Far North" is every bit as good as the original. In some ways it's even better, since the main characters have already been introduced, allowing Fardell to get right to the story. The word to describe the book is "relentless." Once it gets going, it moves at lightning speed and could be a little too intense for readers under 12. There are real bad guys in this story-- folks who think nothing of shooting the young heroes (there's a bit more gunplay than I expected). Of course, there's danger in the Potter books too, but those are fantasy-oriented so it takes some of the fear away, whereas this book is much more realistic (guns instead of spells).
But overall it's a fun, fast read. It never gets dull, and it's as clever and imaginative as the first book. In addition, the kids are all very positive role models and always try to do the right thing. Furthermore, they don't, as in other stories (books, movies, TV, etc.) aimed at kids, treat adults like idiots or set out to disobey them. Likewise, the adults (well, the good guys) are presented as kind, helpful, intelligent, and supportive. John Fardell, the author, doesn't have to resort to the "adults are stupid so we're on our own" mentality in order to tell a good story.
Since this book is a sequel, it helps to have read first one, but it's worth it, and the combined length of these two books is less than one Potter book. If you're looking for a book, or series, that DOESN'T deal with wizards and dragons etc., which it seems everyone is writing lately because of Potter's success, this is definitely worth your time.
One last note: The "Reading Level" listed above says 9-12 but remember, those numbers represent a suggested range of the lowest age that this book is appropriate for in terms of both difficulty, and content; it's not saying that only people within that range will enjoy it. As mentioned in my review it's a bit intense, so parents (or kids) might want to decide whether it is appropriate reading material. I know some 9 year-olds who could handle it and some 12 year-olds who might be scared. But definitely don't consider 12 to be the top age where someone would enjoy the book. I'm waaaaayyy older than that and I loved it.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Exciting Children's Adventure Story
5 Jun 2007
Format:Hardcover
I picked up Fardell's first story, 7 PROFESSORS OF THE FAR NORTH, at the International Spy Museum last year and have been awaiting obtaining the sequel. It is yet another roller-coaster adventure in the vein of those great old kids' series like Danny Dunn, with a touch of John Verney's Callendar family stories to boot. I found that I liked TURTLE not quite as much as PROFESSORS; the novel transportation feature the children use in the first book is just so memorable that the ones featured in the sequel pale slightly in comparison. Also, the villains of this novel seem more like conventional DOCTOR WHO type bad guys as opposed to the sinister machinations in the original, which reminded me of the menace in Pullman's THE GOLDEN COMPASS (NORTHERN LIGHTS). Still, TURTLE is a wonderful seat-of-your-pants read, with mysterious codes, adventures above and below, children who are smart but not smartass, and adults who are not stooges for the kids. I hope we see more of Sam, Ben, Zara, and the rest of the company in the future.
Really good
11 Jan 2009
Format:Hardcover
Great sequel to Seven professors! Every bit as good. It's unique, has action, and very creative. Anybody and everybody should read this book. It doesn't have to be read after seven professors, but it would be better. That is an awesome book too! Can't wait for scret of the black moon moth!!
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