Family. History. A girl-meets-boy story with <all out cheering> no romantic angle… (yes, that’s right, boys and girls can actually be teenagers and be good friends)…

I’m calling it!

If you’re looking for some truly sweet kid lit, then The Lost Sapphire is for you. I’d hazard a guess the entire of Belinda Murrell’s time slip series would be too. It was a relief for me to read something interesting, exciting and fascinating, that wasn’t peppered with swearing or murdering or shooting or shagging.

A breath of fresh air.

It’s a well researched and vivid historical story intertwined with an expertly written contemporary plot-line. Basically, modern-day Marli’s family inherit a mansion filled with secrets centred around 1920’s Violet. The book models solid and positive values to kids reading it. Both girls have issues in their lives, and they deal with them while staying true to themselves. I wouldn’t think twice about giving this book as a gift. To a girl that is :o).

I got this book out of the YA section in my library, but it would be okay for Middle-grade as well. The main characters are fourteen and fifteen (and >13 usually means YA), but the themes are not as dark or disturbing as what is becoming the norm in some YA.

Big thumbs up!