Sophie Anderson has the gift of taking mythical source material (in this case, The Nightingale and the Robber) and making it appeal to a modern audience while retaining that mythic, timeless quality. This is another beautiful book, that middle-grade children will relate to with its themes of grief and love and being ready to move on in life. I also loved the link to Anderson's previous work.

Really enjoyed reading this. Perfect for my year 5 class and I can’t wait for them to fall in love with the book the way I did.

Another beautiful tale from the author of such wonderful titles as The House with the Chicken Legs.

The Thief Who Sang Storms tells the story of Linnet, a girl who has faced loss, banishment and injustice but is determined to once again unite her island - where previously humans and alkonosts (bird people) once lived in harmony, until a tragedy befell them.

It is a story of adventure, hope and friendship, which is perfect for KS2 readers.

This is a beautiful story. I do not know the poem it is based on but am so glad Sophie Anderson does!

In a different type of coming of age story Linnet is suddenly alone and longing to make a difference. She is waiting and wishing for her singing magic amd yearns to have it so she can use it for good. However, she finds herselfin a situtaion where she needs the support of her friends, old and new. Linnet may not have singing magic but she has a heart for change and chooses kindness.

A wonderful captivating tale that engaged right from the first word. It was also unexpected but totally fitting to catch up with an old friemd from a previous book, as soon as I started to read the description I knew who it was going to be and just have pivotal that was going to be for Linnet.

A perfect book to cosy up with for all ages.

My first and definitely not last Sophie Anderson book. And look at this cover! The stunning artwork of Joanna Lisowiec sells you the book even if you've never heard of Sophie and her middle grade novels.

A magical story and a very timely message: "I'm choosing kindness over everything else," says the main character, Linnet, and how different our world would be with more people of this guiding principle. There's adventure, friendship, grief and solidarity - exactly what a good children's fiction needs.

Thank you NetGalley and Usborne Publishing for an Advance Review Copy.

A beautiful book that takes you on a journey of emotions - themes of friendship, unity, loss and forgiveness are explored using a mythical world.

A little different from her previous books, this is still full of Anderson's trademark empathy and totally immersive world. While it is a tale of grief, how we deal with it, I felt it was more about difference and respecting those differences in others. This side of the novel was done very well, and is a strength of Anderson's writing. I loved the characters and thought the relationships were great. While I did thoroughly enjoy this overall, it did take a little bit to get into it, and I felt the ending could have had more of a kick, but that's just me.

Having read all of Sophie Anderson's books so far, I can't praise them highly enough. This book is different from its 'predecessors" and teaches multiple lessons that are more than applicable in our fractious world. A great read for both children and adults a like, I highly recommend you read this book together with your child before bedtime. It will be a time well spend, enjoy the wonderful story-telling and getting to know intriguing characters.

Lovely and magical! Loved the setting, characters, storyline, premise, and narration. This is my first Sophie Anderson book, and I have fallen in love with her style of writing.

This is a simple and straightforward children's book that has the reach for satisfying middle-grade readers as well. The simplicity lies in the logic of the world-building and the magic that prevails in the narrative.
I must mention I was not as fond of the logic of the wrap-up/reveal, although, given the way the story went, there aren't many other ways it could have been resolved.
We have three floating islands which move closer and further apart from each other. On one of these, bird-people with magical voices reside alongside their human counterparts. After one specific tragedy, things got divided, and people were made to fear this power that one of the population held and the other did not. Our lead protagonist lost her mother in the disaster that started the break that defines her very existence now.
A little time passes, and we see what strategic planning does to divide a nation. Linnet does not have singing magic of her own, but she dreams of a better future. This is about friendship, hurdles and family in approximately that order. As I mentioned earlier, the reveal was surprising but did not improve my reading experience. Given the trouble that the people go through to get to that point, it was not satisfying enough!
I might recommend this for younger readers, but I cannot guarantee the reaction since I have not asked someone of the target audience range what they thought of it.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

This is just so magical, it was a joy to read. The characters are well put together, the storyline has heart in your mouth moments, and Linnet, the main protagonist, is just glorious. She is in search of her magical song and along the way finds old friends, makes new ones and saves the island. This is such a great story, woven by a fabulous story teller. Sophie Anderson, I salute you! I can’t wait for the physical copy to arrive so that I can share it with my book club at school.

Absolutely adored the latest novel from Sophie Anderson. Loved the usual Sophie moral message of unity. Loved the slavic folklore featuring heavily again. The twists and turns were fantastic, I never saw the ending coming, and I thought the examination of grief through her relationship with Nightingale was very poignant.

I have absolutely loved reading this and have now started a 10 year old reading club at school with this book.

Sophie really has a way with words especially describing characters. I loved the relationships between all of the characters and how this was developed in the little bonus chapters hidden between normal chapters.

I would recommend this book as well as Sophies other books .

Lyrical, beautifully plotted and evocative. I love Sophie Anderson's books: they have the feel of the fairy stories I loved so much as a child, and the writing makes you care deeply about the characters.

This was such a lovely book! The premise sounded so good, and trust Sophie Anderson to actually deliver. At times it was a bit slow, but overall I enjoyed this immensely.

I was looking forwards to reading this after the success of the author's previous book but really struggled to get going with this one. It all seemed a bit far-fetched and bizarre and unfortunately I found it really difficult to stick with.

Even before seeing the cover, this title teased my curiosity! Then the cover was such a treat! I LOVE the design & artwork!

We start with an island shaped like a broken heart.
The humans live on one side of the island, and the alkonosts - the bird-people - all live on the other.

It only takes moments to feel totally immersed in the characters' lives in this story.

Things aren't always what they seem ... & a very creative & fascinating adventure unfolds, taking us with it completely.

Themes of loss are present throughout the story and the suthor deals with things sensitively.

Linnet is still waiting for her singing magic to come - with hope and her belief that she really is destined to do something special make her a tremendous, warm character who you will end up loving.

There is a huge, very unexpected twist at the end!
Fantastic story.

When the heartbreaking tragedy happens on the island of Monrovia fear drives people apart. Fear of the unknown and suspicion breed to create a toxic environment where no-one can thrive. Linnet and her father Nightingale are forced to move away from their community, from their friends and to eke out a pitiful and shadowy life in the swamps. They are bird people and the original inhabitants of the island, but after years of living peacefully their world was shattered when the tragedy struck. They do the best they can until Nightingale is captured and Linnet is determined to rescue him, whatever the odds. With unexpected twists and turns and a good dose of magic, this is a fabulous reminder of how forgiveness is better than hatred, how kindness rules and how differences between people can be used in a positive way. I really enjoyed this and I also liked the unexpected link ‘The House with Chicken Legs’. It’s an excellent book for older primary and lower middle school aged children. It also makes for a good set reading text as whilst the book is first and foremost an excellent and gripping story, there are a number of themes that can be explored as class activities or projects.

Sophie Anderson writes beautifully as always. The world was interesting, set in a swamp where bird people, Alkonosts, were ghettoized away from their home they had lived in along side human neighbours over fears of their singing magic. This had a lesson in otherness and parallels with the mistreatment of Jews in the early Nazi regime, told in a magical and softer way for children. Promoting unity and friendship.

Anderson's writing is always full of emotion and family bonds and accepting being different. This book hit all these notes. However, the reason I chose this book was for the singing magic and there wasn't much of that in the story, nor were there many storms. I was expecting an epic finale of magic and thunder clouds and was disappointed. There is a nice community ending though. Despite this, it was a nice story. Perfect for school libraries.

this is a magical and stunning story. As always with this writer, this story is compelling, addictive and just utterly beautiful. This books needs to be read to make everyone’s childhoods and storytelling experiences memorable.