Esther and I are currently reading Wave Riders

Written by Lauren St John

Illustrated by Rachael Dean

This book appealed to Esther as she loves mystery stories

But also because the two main characters

Jude and Jess

Are twelve year old twins

Who love sailing

We are a family of sailors

The children love being on the water

And having Swallows and Amazon style sailing adventures

We all love the water

Lakes and rivers

And of course, the sea

Lauren St John has written a brilliant adventure story

Wave Riders is very much a modern story

But it reads like the Enid Blyton books we all love

It is set to be a classic

Esther and I are only half way through this fast paced story set at sea

But we are completely hooked

And totally invested in the characters of Jude and Jess

We NEED to know what is going to happen to them

This is not a story that can remain unfinished

We HAVE to know what happens next

This sibling sailing story is so exciting

It is incredibly well written

The perfect book to read this summer

With mystery, adventure and mild peril

The ending question on the back cover blurb

Really reels you in

How do you solve a mystery when that mystery is you?

Twins Jess and Jude Carter live a dream life sailing from one exotic destination to the next with their guardian, Gabriel. But after Gabe vanishes and a storm smashes up their lives, they’re left penniless and alone. When a wealthy, glamorous family offer them a home, everybody tells them they’re the luckiest children in the world. But the Blakeneys’ stately mansion is full of secrets – secrets that seem entangled with the twins own fate.

As they race to discover the truth, Jess and Jude must confront their deepest fears.

How do you solve a mystery when that mystery is you?

Esther and I have met the Blakeneys and we have been screaming at the book

They are not good people. They are not good people!

Are we right?

Full review of this brilliant book coming soon!

In the meantime

Please have a read of this interview with the wonderful Lauren St John

About Wave Riders and her experience of learning to sail

What interested you in writing a book about sailing?
The idea for Wave Riders came to me out of nowhere. I’ve lived by the sea a couple of times in my life – in Kalk Bay, Cape Town, and in St Ives, Cornwall – and it was bliss, but I had not done any sailing. However, when the plot came into my mind I saw the characters and their story incredibly clearly. I had an image of twins Jess and Jude living a dream life sailing from one exotic destination to another on a yacht with their guardian, Gabriel. I imagined them waking up on the morning of their twelfth birthday to find that Gabe has vanished without a trace and they’re all alone at sea. A mysterious note reveals that, many years before, Gabe made a promise that he’d take the twins to the ends of the earth to keep them safe. But who is hunting them and why? That’s the question at the heart of the story. How do you solve a mystery when that mystery is you?

Is it something you’ve always wanted to do?
Growing up in Zimbabwe, we lived on a river and we went out on our small boat any time we could. I adore swimming and being out on the water. The few times I’ve tried it, I’ve really enjoyed waterskiing, and I’d love to learn how to surf, kite surf or do stand-up paddleboarding. However, any time I’ve been out, even for just an hour or two on a yacht, I’ve been really seasick. Over the years, I’ve considered learning to sail, but never seriously. However, the moment I came up with the idea for Wave Riders. I knew I’d have to learn to sail properly. The plot involved sailing in storms and other challenging situations, and I wanted them to be as authentic and technically accurate as possible. I didn’t believe I’d be able to do that if all I did was sit on my sofa watching sailing DVDs and reading sailing manuals.

What made you decide to learn it as part of your research?
Before I became a children’s author, I was a Sunday Times journalist for years. Researching stories was my favourite part of my job, and when I became an author, it felt natural for me to continue that. I went to the Bazaruto Islands in Mozambique to research Dolphin Song, and drove 1,800kms across the American West and rode a palomino mustang through the mountains of Wyoming, to research The Glory, a YA novel about a long-distance horse race. For Wave Riders, I started with a Royal Yachting Association (RYA) First Aid course. Inspired by my certificate, I signed up for a five-day RYA Competent Crew course on a 37-Moody yacht. I was really scared to do it. I was worried about being seasick, for starters. Actually, I was completely fine! I just ate lots of ginger.

How did you find it and will you continue?
It was one of the best experiences of my life. I did it in early April on a freezing, rainy week, and my goodness it was perishing cold. Thankfully, I had lots of thermal and technical gear. Parts of it were terrifying. On the third day, we sailed in Force 7 winds and what you realize really quickly about yachts is that they’re very slippery and there’s hardly anywhere to hold on. But it was exhilarating and made me feel alive and close to danger and the elements in a way I hadn’t felt in years. There’s no way that I could have written Wave Riders without that experience. I’ll definitely do it again.

You can read more about Lauren’s sailing experiences at the back of her book

Where you can also read an incredibly moving letter

From the family of Lucia

To whom Wave Riders is dedicated

Macmillan Children’s Books sent us one copy of Wave Riders for the purpose of this blog tour