Oh my God The Bird Singers came out of nowhere and really knew how to keep my interest as a reader. Eve entwined Polish folklore around a family who were overcoming a loss. Add a strange bird like woman, with secrets which play a major part in the story together with The Lake District and a very very creepy atmosphere you will have the necessary ingredients for a perfect Middle Grade and this is what Eve has done.

For the above reasons The Bird Singers gets 4 stars

A fun middle grade fantasy! I loved getting to see some Polish mythology as that's new to me. I thought it was really well-written and paced, and I had a great time reading it. It's perfectly creepy and fantastical while grounded in the real world - something that is so hard to do as well as this.

Great book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

This was a fun middle grade that was really engaging. I particularly enjoyed the sister's relationship - I'm an only child so have no idea what having a sibling is like, but they just felt very real and I appreciated that the older sister wasn't overly patronising or made to feel like an adult in comparison and the younger sibling also didn't feel ridiculously naive.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and I would definitely pick up more by this author.

Layah, Izzie, and their mother are holidaying in the Lake District when they hear a high-pitched whistle that threatens to pervade the relative peace of their break together. Setting out to discover where it comes from leads Layah and Izzie into recollections of old myths, legends, and fairy tales that their grandmother used to tell them and is seeming increasingly likely to be less tall tales and more the absolute truth.

This proved itself to immediately be a creepy and magical middle grade story, which are my favourites to read. The main characters were crafted with much heart and spirit and it bonded me to them, as they begun their exploration into the strange noises and occurrences appearing around them. The eeriness begun on page one and continued right until the thrilling conclusion, leaving me impressed and engaged with the storyline the entire way throughout.

The Bird Singers
By Eve Wersocki Morris
Published by Hachette Children’s Group

Author Eve Wersocki Morris tells a fabulous Polish folktale set in the Lake District of two sisters, Layah and Izzie who think they know everything about their fractious family. However, things are not as they seem when sister are faced with spectacular whistling, unusual gifts, the murmurs of a shadowed woman and their mothers odd behaviour.
Cleverly combining ghostly magic with adventure and intrigue this page turner of a novel is full of twists and turns. Who is telling the truth? Who should the sisters trust? Who should they turn to for help? Will they ever be strong enough to face their fears?

This dark but intriguing teenage mystery gave me both spine-tingling tension and just the right amount of summer shock! Read it if you dare!!

Joanne Bardgett - Year 3 teacher of littlies, lover of books
#Netgallery
# Hachette Children’s Group

This was a wonderful read! I really enjoyed this one, in fact I couldn’t put it down. It was definitely different from any other book I have read! I loved how it included Polish folklore, something that I have never come across before.

Strange things have been happening to Layah and her younger sister, Izzie, ever since their mother dragged them to a rain-soaked cottage miles from anywhere in the Lake District: there is a peculiar whistling at night, a handful of unusual feathers appear on their doorstep and there are murmurings of a shadowed woman in the forest. And their mother is behaving very oddly. Layah is mourning the loss of her dear grandmother in Poland - and can almost hear her Babcia's voice telling her the old myths and fairy tales from that magical place.

And as the holiday takes on a dark twist, Layah begins to wonder if the myths might just be real.

A holiday in a rain soaked cottage is not what Layah and her sister are really looking forward to, especially as this is the first summer without her much loved Polish grandmother, but the holiday sets in motion a mystery involving a private island and a mysterious old school where strange events took place long ago...
I loved the mix of myth and adventure in this novel - just up my street and that of many of the readers in our school library!

Thank you to Hachette Children’s Books and Netgalley for an arc of this magical book!

A really good middle grade fantasy adventure novel, which introduces some fantastic myths and legends from Poland and Eastern Europe.

The relationship between the sisters Layah and Lizzie. Their mum's mysterious secret and the unknown girl in the photograph all drew me in to the story.
Mysterious, shady characters, detailed locations, frightening strangers, creepy birds, real threat and heart-pounding danger will have you turning page after page as the sisters try to solve the mystery.

Throughout The Bird Singers you learn the; importance of understanding the past, the value of learning and research, and the power of strong girks. Readers will come away inspired and perhaps just a little bit curious about their own family history.

What secrets does your family have?

I heard its brilliant fir fans of the Aveline Jones stories by Phil Hickes, Michelle Harrison’s A Pinch of Magic series and Lucy Hope’s Fledgling will adore this book.

A really enjoyable fantasy adventure which introduces some fantastic myths and legends from Poland and Eastern Europe. The pace is good and the build up of both mystery and tension is excellent, hooking the reader in as well as moving the story along. I really loved the Layah and her sister, Izzie, both being wonderfully developed and interesting characters. I also loved the Vilsestra, and the villain of the tale is genuinely creepy. I did feel the male characters were slightly less well done, but it didn't really affect the story, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I look forward to more.

This book spent a little time languishing on my "To Be Read" section in my kindle, however, as soon as I started reading it I was hooked. The relationship between the sisters, their mum's mysterious secret and the unknown girl in the photograph all drew me in to the story.
This book has the feel of a classic - the characters and the setting have a timeless feel which gives the feeling of a story set in the past but the mobile phones bring it right up to date.
I would thoroughly recommend this to KS2 and early KS3 readers who enjoy mystery and legend meeting in a modern family drama. As a forty something year old, I also really enjoyed it. The references to Polish culture and food also brought the reader in to the family and gave a feeling of history and familiarity with the characters.

What a fabulous fantasy-adventure that felt so well-rooted in the real world. I loved the main characters and the quiet setting as well as the fantasy creatures of the ‘baddies’. I loved the connections throughout to folklore and how the author linked that with their grandmother as well as the weaving of themes of grief and legacy throughout. The slightly shadier characters and locations added an element of mystery to the book but equally I enjoyed reading the parts that felt more real-world based. Brilliantly written and I look forward to more from the author. (I did think there would be more about birds though - I hadn’t realised the bird element was fantastical.)

I was fortunate to receive an ARC of this book on NetGalley - thank you very much to the publishers!

In this action-packed middle grade we join Layah and her sister Izzie who have been experiencing unusual occurrences (whistling, feathers appearing) since coming away to the Lake District with their Mother. Their Mother is acting strangely and the girls want to get to the bottom of why.

I really enjoyed the references to some myths and fairy tales from Poland. This book had creepy moments in places, full of mystery and adventure.

Polish folklore meets the damp, misty Lake District in this deliciously creepy mystery. Layah and her sister Izzie’s summer is thoroughly disrupted when their mum suddenly changes their holiday plans and decides they need to go to Lowesdale – a town with cafes full of delicious food but not much else.

Layah is unsettled. It’s the first summer since her beloved Babcia passed away and she misses her Polish grandmother’s no-nonsense kindness and wonderful stories. Woken in the night by strange whistling, Layah is sure she sees a shadowy figure in the garden. This is the start of a haunting adventure that leads the girls around Lowesdale to an old school, a mysterious island and deep into the heart of family secrets they never imagined.

Cleverly woven into the story is the Polish folktale of a mysterious bird-woman and a man who wants to control her. Readers are challenged to work out how this links to Layah’s family and left anticipating when fantasy is going to cross with reality. Hints of strange bird-like creatures lead the girls further and further away from safety towards the answer their looking for while throwing up so many questions. Why are they there? What connection do they have to this strange place? Who is telling the truth? What isn’t their mother telling them? If Layah and Izzie are going to protect their family, they’ll need to draw on every ounce of strength and bravery they have and determine exactly who they can trust.

Fans of the Aveline Jones stories by Phil Hickes, Michelle Harrison’s A Pinch of Magic series and Lucy Hope’s Fledgling will adore this book. Frightening strangers, creepy birds, real threat and heart-pounding danger will have them turning page after page as they try to solve the mystery alongside Layah and Izzie. The unique depiction of the Valkyrie adds a new mythical creature to children’s repertoire and will inspire so much imagination building.

The importance of understanding the past, the value of learning and research, and the power of strong girls underlie every aspect of this story. Readers will come away inspired and perhaps just a little bit curious about their own family history.

Thank you to Hachette Children’s Books for this magical book!

Wonderful piece of magic realism, dripping in European folklore & basking in a majestic Lake District setting.

Two sisters, who feel as though their family is unraveling, delve into their mother's mysterious past & discover unbelievable truths.

There is lots to love in this engaging and exciting debut from Eve Wersocki Morris.

Layah and Izzie are visiting the Lake District with their mother when a frightening encounter introduces them to the legend of a local monster. A mysterious whistling sound, numerous dead birds and the appearance of some very strange feathers soon force the sisters to question why they are at the centre of something very strange. As they investigate what might be causing these unusual events, they uncover the tragic past of the village where they are staying and find secrets that connect with their own family history.

Drawing inspiration from Polish mythology, Bird Singers is a thrilling and occasionally scary tale that depicts an entirely relatable sibling relationship and shows the power we can unleash to protect the ones we love.

The Bird Singers is an adventurous story for readers aged 9+ who love folklore, magic, monsters and mystery.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Age recommendation: 9+

'The whistling had started on their first night. At first, Layah thought it was bird song - a high thin sound which became a melody, rising and falling. And each night, it returned.'

When sisters Layah and Izzie are dragged by their mother to a run-down cottage in the middle of nowhere, it's not exactly their idea of a holiday... Why is father not with them? And why is mother behaving so strangely?

And then the whistling starts, a handful of feathers appear on their doorstep and there are rumours of a shadowed woman appearing in the forest... All those strange occurrences remind Layah of Babcia's myths and fairy tales and as more events unfold, Layah begins to wonder whether Babcia's stories may be true...

There are many things I enjoyed about the story: the folklore, the Lake District setting, a MC with my name, the eerie atmosphere and the unexpected twist, the plot and the fact that the sisters have got both parents (who are also far from perfect and are going through the struggles of their own). I really liked the characters in the book. Both sisters are such great heroines - the brave and loyal Layah and the booky Izzie make a perfect duo. I wasn't convinced by the character of the creepy professor and particularly his role in the story but that's my only minor remark. Oh wait, there's one thing I didn't like about the book - it's the fact that it didn't come with copious amounts of potato pancakes and dumplings - I had to make my own!

'The Bird Singers' is a captivating debut and Eve Wersocki-Morris is one to watch!

Sometimes the cover of a book just demands that you read it, that and all the hype that The Bird Singers has been receiving on social media (and having read it, the hype is more than justified).

Sisters Layah and Izzie are not impressed that their mum has dragged them off to stay at a rain-soaked cottage in the middle of nowhere. The only thing that interests the girls in Lowesdale are the cakes and they intend to work their way through as many of the treats as possible. But then strange and frightening things begin to happen; a puzzling whistling sound, visions of a yellow-eyed lady, dead birds on the doorstep. And when mum begins acting oddly, Layah is determined to unravel the mysterious events and how they are all connected…
The Bird Singers, with its roots firmly set in Polish mythical folklore, is a deliciously dark and thrilling mystery. With bravery and a wonderful sisterly bond at Its heart, it grips from first page to last as Layah and Izzie go on a nail-biting search for the family truths that their mother is determined to hide, or perhaps protect, them from. But sometimes secrets are best kept that way as the truth can tear a family apart and, even worse, lead to a life and death situation and having to deal with a mythical creature from one of Babcia’s books.

I love a suspense-filled read, one that keeps you guessing, feeling rather uncomfortable and never giving you the opportunity to breathe easy and The Bird Singers oozes mystery and intrigue, with things only getting darker and more dangerous with every turn of the page. You don’t know who to trust in this story of spine-tingling magic and closely-guarded secrets and each character only brings more unease and suspense as the holiday in the Lake District quickly takes a sinister turn. I was quite enjoying the girls’ attempts to work their way through as many different cakes as possible but things rapidly turn into something far more chilling and the debate over whether sherbet and raspberry sponge is better than peanut-butter fudge cake has to be put on hold as powerful magic and dark forces surface.

The quaint village of Lowesdale is the idyllic setting for a little family mystery. And this is one place where appearances are definitely deceiving; the peaceful lanes and delightful teahouse and bakery cannot mask the creepy cottages and the quirky residents who talk of the legendary Lowesdale Stranger. Not to mention the birds - both alive and dead, flickering lights, the peculiar school caretaker and strange figures appearing in the garden in the middle of the night. This is not full-on horror but there’s more than enough to keep the pulse racing.

Such is the quality of writing, it is hard to believe that this is Eve Wersocki Morris’ debut children’s book. But a debut book it is and we many only be in January but I already have a feeling that this will be one of the best books that I read this year.

With huge thanks to Hachette Children’s Books for the copy I received in exchange for an honest review.

Recommended for 9+.

Fans of Aveline Jones will love this book, a truly creepy and original fantasy adventure that will sweep readers away into a masterfully realised world.

This was not my usual read, as it was a bit Famous Five meets monsters, but it was enjoyable. I chose it because the title contained 'singers' but there is no singing in it at all. However, there are many birds and feathers! It was exciting and the girls were both homely and adventurous, a mix that many children will love. The sibling dynamic is lovely and the combination of solving a mystery and the danger and peril that lands them in is great. The whole book is underpinned with family love and I would recommend it to kids aged 10 to 12 who want something a little sassy and dangerous and a bit different.