Inside: Discover the exciting adventure novel called Britfield & the Lost Crown and how it may appeal to all your readers, but especially your middle-schoolers.
Do you have a reader you can never find enough books for? Maybe you have a child who doesn’t want to read anything? Either situation can be hard. I have one of each in my family.
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I was given the paperback version of the book Britfield & the Lost Crown to review. It is an adventure novel that appealed to both of my girls. This doesn’t happen often!
Adventure Novel to Love
Britfield & the Lost Crown grabs you from the moment you start reading. It begins at Weatherly Orphanage, run by cruel people who mistreat the orphans and seem to hide a secret. The two main characters, Tom and Sarah are very likeable, and you can’t help but root for them the moment you meet them.
Tom has gone his whole life believing his parents are dead. Until one day, when he finds out that may not be true. Realizing he must find out the truth, he plans to leave Weatherly.
With the help of other orphans, he and his best friend Sarah manage to escape. But just before leaving, he’s handed a piece of paper with the word Britfield on it. This is the only clue to his past he has to go on.
Tom and Sarah have so many thrilling encounters with people, animals, and hot air balloons as they are being chased by the police and Detective Gowerstone through places like Oxford University and Windsor Castle.
It is an adventure novel with lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing. They will find unlikely friends and discover some are their enemies. Just when you think everything is going to work out and you can rest easy, something happens you didn’t see coming.
I have to agree with this quote. C.R. Stewart wrote this book for middle schoolers, but it is equally enjoyable to adults as well. That is the mark of a good book!
Britfield & the Lost Crown Study Guide
There is a really nice 8-week study guide free for teachers and homeschoolers to go along with the book. It’s 83 pages long, and contains a wide variety of activities for students to do. It’s easily adaptable to the high school level.
Each lesson of the guide is divided into the following four sections.
Vocabulary
The vocabulary exercises include multiple choice, word searches, crossword puzzles, writing definitions, fill in the blank with a word box to choose from, matching, using context clues, and synonyms.
Comprehension
The comprehension questions are straight forward. After reading the chapter(s), your child will answer the questions.
Going Deeper
These are more thought-provoking questions which require using details from the story, and have activities like drawing, describing, or using the imagination.
Learning More with Technology
Students will need to research topics on the internet to answer these questions and practice mapping skills.
At the end of the study there is a section which teaches the literary elements of a story like plot, conflict, characters, and theme. There is also a complete vocabulary list and answer key.
Britfield & the Lost Crown Audiobook
Some have said this book is a quick read, but that will depend on your reader. The book is 383 pages long and would have taken my daughter a couple weeks to read. She has a good grasp on most words for her age, but this book has some advanced vocabulary and she had to ask me what some words were.
We purchased the audiobook to go along with the paperback to finish the book by the review deadline. We would pick up where my daughter left off in the book and listen in the car while running errands around town. I am so glad I bought it! This is how my younger daughter got hooked on the book.
The audiobook is awesome! It is so well done you feel you are right there while the action is happening. The story feels like it’s acted out instead of being read. I recommend purchasing it to go along with the book. The entire family would enjoy this on a long trip or around town like we did.
Here is the official book trailer.
Who This Adventure Novel Is For
- This is a children’s book written for 9-12-year-olds; however, teens and adults will enjoy it as well
- Kids who love mystery novels and suspenseful stories
- Homeschool parents who want an exciting story with a study guide they can use for school
- Parents who want a storyline without inappropriate content
- Homeschoolers who do family read alouds (if you have younger ones, be sure they can handle suspenseful scenes)
Who This Adventure Novel Is Not For
- Children who don’t like scary scenes with dangerous situations
- Children who are intimidated by big chapter books (do the audiobook instead)
- Kids who may easily become sad over situations where bad things happen or children are without their parents (This could apply to older children with anxiety issues.)
What We Loved
We thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was great during read alouds at night, listening in the car, or for my daughter to read independently. It appealed to us because of the:
- Action and suspense
- Mystery
- Adventure
- Likeable main characters
- Geography (maps included)
- Setting of the story
- English History and culture
Our Experience
Britfield & the Lost Crown hooked us in the first chapter. My oldest daughter often stayed up until the wee hours of the morning reading it. She said it was hard to put down. Then she would tell me everything that happened in the chapters she read when she woke up (which was a huge spoiler for me if I wasn’t to that part yet.)
This is an excellent book to use for school. Your child won’t feel as if he is being forced to read a boring book. The study guide is an excellent tool to go along with it. There is a nice mixture of activities and it’s as well written, if not better, than some other literature guides I have used.
You will not regret getting the audiobook to go along with it. It’s so well done! For children who are slower readers, this is the perfect way to keep up with the reading without being frustrated, but still increase their vocabulary. It’s also entertaining for the whole family.
This isn’t just a fun read. It’s a literature book packed with information to educate your kids along the way. It includes geography, historical landmarks, family values, social studies, friendship, courage, vocabulary, culture, and so much more. My girls even looked through the maps and pictures on their website so they could identify some places mentioned in the book.
I can’t give away the ending (it was really good!), but let’s just say we are hanging on the edge of our seats waiting for book two to come out!
Add the adventure novel Britfield & the Lost Crown to your list of family read alouds. You won’t be sorry! You can grab your own copy here.
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Thank you for the intriguing book review. It sounds as if it’s well worth the read, even though it might sound a little long to some middle schoolers. I’ve found that if it’s exciting enough, it doesn’t matter how long it is! Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome! It’s definitely worth the read. They will love it!
Heidi, I can not thank you enough for your excellent review of Britfield! Your perspective is fresh and intuitive! Plus, we got a twofer: You read & listened to it! Yes, the narrator, Ian Russell is nominated for Best UK Male Voice Talent! BTW-I love that C.S. Lewis quote, as well!
You are so welcome! We thoroughly enjoyed both listening to and reading this book and can’t wait for the next one. Hope we don’t have to wait too long!