Upon finishing his upbringing at the Foundling Hospital, twelve-year-old Valentine Crow and his friend, Philomena, are old enough to leave and become apprentices to the trades of London. While everyone else finds respectable positions, Valentine is shockingly assigned to Death, to become an apprentice reaper.

‘Humans are good at ignoring death. They have to be, or they’d never get anything done.’ p15

This book perfectly understands that it may well be primarily enjoyed by children, but that doesn't mean it needs to oversimplify the points it's making. Children will understand. It explores morality- it discusses good behaviour purely for the sake of being nice (the intrinsic over the extrinsic)- but it adds nuance, offering the concept of reasons, not excuses.

'...is it fair to punish people for every mistake they make? Most people are trying their best, you know. It's a hard world out there.' p139

It also knows that every idea is best portrayed in humour.

‘I think it’s about learning. Not getting it right. But trying. And pushing yourself to be better every time. It’s like an artist sketching then layering up the paint bit by bit, making mistakes, going over them, making the painting better, selling it for a lot of money, spending the money on more paint, dying before you use it…’
‘Huh?’
‘Sorry. I picked up the soul of an artist this afternoon. He didn’t half make a fuss about wasted paint.’ p140

The story is consistently laugh-out-loud funny. With the delightful, add-in pages showing how to care for a human and the charming wit of Death, it's a thoroughly entertaining read for children and adults alike. It uses this light tone to personify and explore the concept of death, taking inspiration from other countries and cultures to create a rich world from a difficult subject matter. Also, the nods to Alice in Wonderland are fun.

There is the occasional issue, like the use of singular verbs in speech (there's instead of there are); it's a small thing, but, from an educational standpoint, is an irritation. Children learn much of their formal understanding of written language from seeing it in print and, as in this case it isn't linked to character, it would have been nicer for this not to have occurred. Granted, however, this wouldn't even be noticed by most readers.

Likewise, there are inconsistencies in the narrative. Such as, it states that a month has passed but then remarks on it only having been four days, and it mentions the adults being able to see Death at the hospital but doesn't explain why. The premise is unclear on this; is Valentine assigned to Death because of a spelling mistake or it is part of his plan? Again, just an adult reader noticing these (very) small details.

Despite saying all of this, the book is divine. It would be a beautiful addition to a classroom library, or to help children comprehend the challenges of loss. It's also a fantastic world that shows another side to the Victorian orphan narrative.

Simply, this should become part of the blueprint for children's literature.

Another exceptional story from Jenni Spangler.
Valentine crow is officially too old for the foundling hospital and is to be apprenticed for 7 years. When his new boss ambles up to collect him, Valentine is shocked to see Death.
Death has chosen v to be his apprentice and at first v is shocked, scared and uncertain but over the course of time, v learns that death has a soft spot for the squishy, basically bugs in clothes, humans. V learns to sleep in mausoleums, take departing souls to the library, which is the best place ever and help people to the Always.
When V is sent to collect a soul, he is shocked to see his best friends name appear on his clock face. Instead of taking her soul, he saves her life and things go from bad to worse as philomena becomes forgotten and invisible.
V learns the reality of his mistake and must ask Death for help.
At times, humorous and others sad, there is a lovely balance of life and death.
Lord and Lady Clench are brilliant additions to the cast as is Mother Mercy.
There are explanation pages dotted throughout the story and these are often funnny ways of understanding the story!

Valentine Crow has finished his time as a foundling and is now looking for an apprenticeship. Eagerly waiting with his fellow foundlings for their new masters to collect him, and seeing others go off with midwives etc, Valentine finds himself as an apprentice to Mr Death - THE Death! Unusual as it may be, Valentine takes on the role of apprentice reaper and Mr Death has to learn how to have a human in his company - small things like that you need to feed humans and let them sleep. But of course there is a problem. As a human Valentine finds some aspects of the job hard and together he and Mr Death must find a way to solve problems.
This is a nice story of an apprentice to Death and all the problems that may come with the job. Some you won’t imagine. It is the story of friendship -both old and new, and how even when you’re as old as Death you might make mistakes too. Children will enjoy meeting Death and pondering on the new friendship and what will happen next. Definitely for upper primary and early Secondary, this is a good precursor to those that will enjoy Terry Pratchett stories.

I loved this book! Anything that includes the Grim Reaper gets a thumbs up from me. The idea of him also being a 'real' person who makes mistakes and also has fears made him such a likeable character. Valentine was such a great main character too.

A brilliant take on the concept of the Grim Reaper. At the beginning it reminded me of Terry Pratchett's "Mort", but then it took on a very different pathway. I loved to see the way that the characters develop, especially Mr Death, who has to get used to the frailties of a human assistant. I loved this.

This is just exceptional. I loved the whole premise, Valentine’s journey, his sheer willingness to do good and Death is such a lush character. I’d love more from these guys - there’s definitely loads of scope for more! This is not only an excellent story but it’s gorgeously illustrated too! Loved all of the added extras which add to the storytelling! Jenni writes dark children’s stories so so brilliantly!

Valentine Crow was orphaned at birth; however, his mother's dying wish was the he be taken to the Foundling Hospital where he would be brought up with a chance of having a decent future. Now, at the age of twelve, he and his best friend, Philomena, are about to see where life will take them next as they are to be sent into the world to become apprentices for the next seven years. However, little does Valentine know that signing his apprenticeship papers will change his life in more ways than he could ever imagine, for a spelling mistake results in Valentine becoming apprentice to Death.

It's an interesting beginning with both Death and Valentine having to adapt to their new situation; however, Valentine quickly learns how to collect souls as they are ready to leave this world. Eventually, Death gives Valentine his own pocket watch which will help him find the souls he needs to take, with Death showing him exactly what to do and where to take them once they have been collected. There is much to learn but Valentine is keen to get things right. However, when Valentine's first solo collection finds him having to collect Philomena's soul, he finds himself in an impossible situation. Will he go through with the collection and if he doesn't, what will happen then?

Ok, I'm going to start by saying that I devoured this book in one sitting, falling completely under Valentine and Death's spells (gosh, perhaps I shouldn't be saying that I fell under Death's spell!). The pair make an unlikely duo but are characters I already know I want to see more of. (Please tell me there will be another book). Valentine has lived his entire life in the Foundling Hospital where he was never alone. Along with Philomena, who arrived on the same day as he did, this is the only place he has ever known. He seems excited at the prospect of a new adventure and learning new skills but I don't think he would have ever expected to be collecting souls - I was struck by how caring and gentle he was.

I think in life we often imagine Death as a heartless and cruel character and one that everyone fears, I mean, nobody really wants to see Death coming do they, let alone want to get to know him; however, it quickly becomes apparent that he is far from that here: he is caring and thoughtful when collecting souls and treats them with respect - there is a definite warmth to his reaping. He adopts a similar attitude to Valentine, determining to do his best by the boy. Death made me chuckle on more than one occasion and was a character I enjoyed getting to know.

One of the biggest themes of the book is obviously death. The older we get, the more we experience loss due to Death and it's something that is familiar to many children as well, whether that be due to the death of a pet, an elderly relative or, tragically in some cases, the death of a parent or sibling. Valentine Crow and Mr Death made me think differently about the process of dying, especially later in the book when Death is reliving his time in the tree (I won't spoil things for you). Both Death and Valentine will make readers think about the process from a different angle and I love that about this.

Jenni's writing is inviting and friendly, the book is the perfect balance of humour and warmth and I know that readers of all ages will fall under the spell of the characters. With wonderful illustrations peppered throughout the book by Flavia Sorrentino, this is the perfect post-Christmas read - I said it earlier, but I'll say it again here: I'd love to see more of this duo in future books.

Released on the 19th January, I know that copies of Valentine Crow and Mr Death have started appearing in stores (my copy is already waiting for me to collect), so I highly recommend making a stop in your local book shop next time you are out.

Review time:
Valentine Crow & Mr death by Jenni Spangler
Release date 19th January 2023
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thank you for Netgalley and @simonandshuester for allowing me to review this book.

This book was something I was not expecting I read the synopsis and the looked at the cover and I knew what It was about but I was not expecting the emotional impact the book would have on me.

Valentine Crow is an orphan and is signed up to be an apprentice for death. He owes death 7 years, when he starts he does not know whether he can do it.

I really liked Valentine as he tries to navigate death and what that means a lot like a child who has to navigate when death happens in the real world. I enjoyed his interactions with death and the teaching.

At times the book got me in the feels and the way that it dealt with it was what many adults would understand which is why I think this book is good for both children and adults to read, it will show you the reality although it is a fantastical but as I said before I was not expecting to be as emotionally invested as I was.

This would be great for parents to read with their children and the illustrations are top notch. I would like more adventure of Valentine and death because I think there is so much to explore in this respect. A great book that many will enjoy just be ready for the emotions that it may have.

Valentine Crow is excited to be leaving the Foundlings Home for his apprenticeship. However, he is surprised when he learns he has been apprenticed to Death. As in the Grim Reaper himself. Valentine quickly learns how to collect souls. One day though, a collection doesn’t happen and then Valentine must race to solve his mistakes.

A cute, unique story. There were parts that were slow for me, but I can see middle grade kids really enjoying this story.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A rip-roaring joy of a book, I read it in one sitting! It was warm and funny and the illustrations were absolutely gorgeous. Has the vibe of BBC's Ghosts meets The Good Place. I really really hope this is book 1 in a series, because I want to go on more adventures with Valentine.

A long time ago, before I had children, I worked with someone who was an enormous fan of Terry Pratchett and who – as I was unfamiliar with his writing – insisted on lending me their copy of Mort to read as a starting point. Getting on for 30 years later, I don’t remember very much about it other than the many references to brassicas and the basic premise of the book that Mort was apprenticed to Death. Fast forward to a couple of months ago when this, author Jenni Spangler’s latest read, was announced and intrigued at how that idea might be translated for a much younger, more sensitive audience I added it immediately to my must-read list.

I know that there are still adults who believe that children should only be exposed to those fluffy reads I so despise – stories where everything is saccharine-sweet, with no real jeopardy for their protagonists and for whom a title featuring Death as one of its main characters would be a horrifying prospect – but this is a story unlikely to upset or offend anyone. It is, in fact, one of the most sensitively written books I have ever read – full of empathy and crafted with an enormous amount of humour that will delight readers and hold them captivated until the very end of the story.

It is at the start of his life that we meet Valentine – a new arrival at the foundling hospital where he is to spend the next 12 years until the day that he is to leave to be apprenticed to a local tradesman. Together with best friend Philomena, Valentine waits patiently to learn his fate and the two of them share conversation, memories and jokes knowing that they are soon to be parted from one another. After Philomena is summoned, Valentine finds himself ushered into the bursar’s office, where he is asked to sign the papers committing him to his new position. When there is a knock at the door, the bursar opens it and is clearly taken aback at whom is calling but with no other option lets them in. Introducing himself as Death, the visitor announces he is there to collect Valentine and despite the protestations of both the bursar and Valentine it is clear that the paperwork that has been signed is legally binding.

So begins Valentine’s apprenticeship and he soon determines to do his very best to live up to the expectations of his new master, who in turn does all he can to try to ensure Valentine is comfortable in his new surroundings – a local mausoleum. Accompanying Death about his business, Valentine learns how to reap the souls of the dying and Death learns about the needs of mortals such as sleeping and eating and they soon settle into a comfortable working relationship.

When Valentine goes out to a soul collection on his own, he is horrified to find the soon-to-be-deceased is none other than Philomena. Finding himself torn between doing his duty and reaping her soul or keeping his best friend alive past her intended death, Valentine finds that he is in an impossible position. As things quickly go badly wrong, can he put things right again and just what will happen if he can’t?

Although Valentine is obviously the star of the show, it is Death who is my favourite character in the story and I’m sure this will be the case for many others. When he sets about his reaping, he does so with a clear professionalism and respect for the mortals whose lives he is responsible for ending and in addition realises his responsibilities to his new charge, going to great lengths to try to make Valentine comfortable. As a result of this care and empathy he comes across as a very human figure – not one to be feared at all but one who is welcomed by those he attends and I’m sure many children who have lost relatives or pets will find this hugely comforting. Some of the funniest lines in the book are also gifted to him, which may surprise some people, but it is this perfect balance between humour and the reality of a limited mortality that makes this one of my favourite recent reads.

The book is brilliantly illustrated by the author, making it visually very appealing, and readers in Year 4 upwards will delight in the many pictures as well as the fabulous storyline. I adored this and would go as far to say that this is most definitely my favourite of the three titles that Jenni has written thus far. Publishing January 19th, this is one to pre-order now as a gift to your future self – I guarantee you won’t regret it. As always, my enormous thanks must go to publisher Simon & Schuster Children’s UK and to Net Galley for my virtual advance read.

This is such an incredibly fun and imaginative read. I love the premise, being an apprentice to Death sounds like the wildest adventure, it certainly is on the page. The illustrations and jokes are hilarious, and adults and kids will get them and be in stitches. This is by far, one of my favourite new reads. Thank you to the publisher for this fantastic ARC.