What's not to like when reading a new book for the talented M.G.Leonard ,especially when you can meet such likeable characters again? In this last of "The Twitchers" series ,the gang have a peculiar theft to solve - that of hundreds of paradise skins stolen from the Alfred Wallace Collection at the Royal Swan Natural History Museum. Inevitably solving the theft leads to sinister happenings with mysterious people and plenty of adventure which makes reading it a joy. I was invested in the relationships between the characters, I found the central plot to be engaging and as someone working with children I am certain that many will agree with me. It is sad that this is the end of the series but I am sure that there will be more from this amazing author.

A fantastic book to end the Twitchers series I loved how this one focused on Ava this time as she helps solve a mystery alongside the other Twitchers. The writing is brilliant - I couldn’t put it down. The characters are really well developer and I love their friendships with each other. This whole series is fantastic. I wholeheartedly recommend it. These would be great class reads for Year 5+. Such a great adventure series.

What a fantastic ending to the quartet!
I'm so pleased I saved this until I had time to devour it in one sitting. This will appeal to so many different groups of children and adults alike. I love the relationships which have developed throughout the series and am genuinely sad that there won't be any further adventures of the avian variety. The insight into ravens and their intelligence was fascinating!
Thank you M.G. Leonard for producing such a crack series of books which make bird watching a cool thing for everyone to do.

The Twitchers are back for one final adventure!

This time the bird watching detectives are trying to find the culprits of a feather heist!

Whilst on a school trip to the museum, Ava finds herself slap bang in the middle of a crime - the Birds Of Paradise skins collected by Alfred Russell Wallace have been stolen!

With a jet black Raven feather as their first clue, the Twitchers spend their half term break unravelling the mystery of the missing bird skins and the Dead Zoo Gang, all whilst trying to help a new found friend out of danger…

Feather is such a thrilling addition to the Twitchers series. I‘m so sad it’s the last book, but what better way to end the series than with a feather heist inspired by true events?!

This is a brilliantly clever series, using the terrible crimes that affect birds & a highly passionate group of young nature lovers, to highlight why we need to be protecting these beautiful creatures and their environment

M.G.Leonard so effortlessly weaves in educational themes of ornithology & conservation, alongside the page turning adventures, adding SO much heart to these books.

The Twitchers books are so special, and they will forever be favourites of mine. It was so comforting to be reunited with Twitch & the gang once again.

It makes me so happy that young people today get to read such brilliant books, like this one, that are packed with wildlife, important climate messages and hope for the future.

Thank you to Walker Books & NetGalley for the DRC!

I really enjoyed MG Leonard’s previous Adventures on Trains series, and have loved the Twitchers series.

Feather is the final book in the Twitchers series, and concludes the series really well.

The gang have another exciting mystery to solve, with lots of action and twists and turns.

As a member of the Young Ornithologists Club once upon a time, I really loved how this book make bird watching cool again.

This is great middle grade literature and I will look forward to whatever is next from M G Leonard!

A great fourth installment in the 'Twitchers' series that will delight any fans of the series so far.

Ava goes on a school trip to a Natural History Museum and ends up mixed up in a robbery. She discovers before the police do that hundreds of valuable historical bird skins have been stolen from their famous collection and she puts the clues together to work out what has happened. The other twitchers quickly get involved to retrieve the missing skins and save a girl and her pet raven who seems to be in danger from a dangerous gang.

As always, the focus on birds and conservation was woven in throughout the book and this time the changing and developing friendships between the characters was also a focus. The mystery was easy to solve with lots of clues to follow, but as always it led to an exciting and dramatic ending with the children being a key part in getting justice.

A really enjoyable series of books.

Being married to a keen birdwatcher, I’ve loved each of the books in the series - as well as them being brilliant stories, I always feel as though I’ve learnt something after reading them. Did you know that the raven and the crow have the problem-solving abilities of a seven-year-old child?! Wow!

The blurb…
“On a school trip to the Royal Swan Natural History Museum, Ava finds herself at the centre of a heist: hundreds of invaluable bird of paradise skins from the Alfred Wallace Collection have been stolen! When she discovers a large jet-black feather, she's sure it's a clue, but the police won't listen to her. Slipping away, she takes the case to the Twitchers in an investigation that leads them to the bizarre and sinister world of fly-fishing, and to a mysterious girl with a pet Raven called Caliban and a dangerous ring of thieves and smugglers...”

Catching up with Twitch and the gang, with Ava taking centre stage, this is a fabulously action-packed, winter mystery adventure that will keep you turning those pages until the very end - I could not put it down! This could be read as a standalone book, but why wouldn’t you want read the other three books in the series?

Although I’m really sad that this is the last book in this series, I’m really excited to see what M.G. Leonard has up her sleeve in the future - you already know that it’s going to be awesome!

FINISHED: gosh, I loved this. These kids are just the best of friends you can possibly have! They’re brave, smart, loyal and I love how they stick up for each other. Rae was a lovely addition to the cast, and I loved the mystery in this! I always love the bird facts too!

Twitch
By M.G. Leonard
Published by Walker Books

Feather is the final instalment in M.G. Leonard's acclaimed Twitchers series about the theft of hundreds of bird of paradise skins from a local museum.

On a school trip to the Natural History Museum, Ava finds herself trapped in the centre of a heist: hundreds of beautiful bird of paradise skins from the Alfred Wallace Collection have been stolen! Then after finding a large jet-black feather, an unknown girl and a shopping list, she's sure her clues add up, but the police won't listen to her - she’s only a kid.

Knowing who will listen, Ava tells the Twitchers everything and an investigation leads them to the bizarre and sinister world of fly-fishing, and a mysterious girl with a pet Raven called Caliban. Collectively the Twitchers use their skills, knowledge and teamwork to prove their ideas. But finding themselves in a dangerous ring of thieves, smugglers and later a death is not what they expected..

Feather is an exciting mystery adventure about friendship, bravery and protecting nature, that completes the series, perfect for readers 9+.

Joanne Bardgett - teacher of littlies, lover of Children’s literature.
#Netgalley

What can I say - I absolutely adore this series! The Twitchers books came into my life when I was starting to get into birdwatching, I think they're superb and they're always a go-to recommendation when I'm at work, for kids who like their mysteries with a bit of a difference. I've adored Twitch, Spark and Clutch and was really excited to get an advance copy of Feather. Part of me wanted to savour it as I knew it is the last of the series, it being a seasonal quartet, but once I got into the story I found myself racing through it.

This is another brilliant mystery, with the full Twitchers gang in action working to unravel the culprits behind a feather heist at a local museum. There are some dark twists and turns, and the book is just as brilliant as the rest. A fitting ending to the series, while still leaving me wanting more. - exactly how it should be! The door is certainly open for more stories, too. Will happily continue to recommend the four books to customers - and now need to get reading the M. G. 's other books!

Who knew there were so many bird mysteries to solve in and around Briddvale!
Another fantastic book about the Twitchers. I really love their relationships with each other and how they include everyone and let people into their gang. I really felt for Rae. She wasn't having a good time and the Twitchers helped her, even though it put them in danger, and then just accepted her.
Like the others, this book is about birds (obviously!), friendship, family and trust. I also think you could read this as a stand alone book and still understand what you needed to from previous books. This is a huge bonus for primary schools where children can't always access the books in the right order.

Feather is the fourth book in the Twitchers series. The Twitchers books are set around a group of crime solving birdwatchers. Feather takes a leap away from the previous books and is based around the theft of bird skins and feathers from a museum in a nearby town.

One of the magical things about this series is how MG Leonard manages to get the readers fully interested in the birds, and has even background characters who aren’t birdwatchers to fall in love with birds. And amazingly, as the characters fall in love with the birds, the reader does too. This truly is a spectacular series and well worth a read.

I nestled down to read this and ended up reading 2/3 in one sitting and the rest later the same day, so compelling were the exploits of the fledgling detectives. ‘Feather’ hits the ground running and the pace never lets up.

This book has a great premise, which sparks off a thrilling adventure for The Twitchers full of villains and tension. Moreover, I enjoyed finding out about the author’s inspiration in the acknowledgements- how crazy that it’s partly based on real events!

Perilous adventures aside, being back with the Twitchers was as comforting as a mug of hot blackcurrant. Ava leads the action in this outing and I really enjoyed her using her own life experiences to act with empathy and courage when somebody else was in need. As you’d expect it’s full of lots of repartee between the gang. A favourite line (without spoiling with the context) is ‘"Ew, don't be disgusting!" Pam shuddered as if a ghost had passed through her.’ I’ll leave it for you to find and enjoy!

MG Leonard chooses the most brilliant character names. I really think ‘Chief Superintendent Stickler’ might take home the prize although I can think of plenty other things to call him!

I love the way MG Leonard writes: she respects her young readers allowing so much to be shown and not told. Also, she enriches her storytelling with allusions from so many different sources.

Feather is a real treat- enjoy!


(I received an advanced copy via NetGalley and Walker Book in return for an honest review.)

The last installment in the Twitch series is a real treat with a lot of plot twists. The writing is as beautifully done as the previous books in the series. It has a fast-paced beginning that grips you right from the start.

Take flight with Ava, Tara, Jack, Terry, Ozuru, Twitch and Tippi in another fantastic adventure as they try to solve the mystery of a dangerous museum heist!

Feather brings us to the end of M.G. Leonard’s wonderful seasonal quartet of stories celebrating bird watching, friendship and the natural world. This series is so refreshing – championing the environment and inspiring children to go outdoors and explore. There is an incredible level of detail when it comes to descriptions of bird species, the history of famous scientists like Darwin and Wallace, as well as a heart-stopping mystery.

Ava is on a school trip at The Swan Natural History Museum when an alarm sounds. As everyone rushes outside, she hears a noise and hangs back. She discovers that someone has stolen a huge number of bird skins. What could the thief want with such rare and beautiful feathers? Outside the museum, she meets an unusual girl with a pet raven. Maybe she has some answers. Ava knows going to Aves Wood and finding the Twitchers is the best way to solve the mystery.

True to form, the Queen of Middle Grade Mystery, M.G. Leornard takes readers through all the elements great detectives need to consider: clues, leads, motives, suspects and the very real danger that comes with confronting a criminal.

Like the three stories that came before, Feather is a thinking book perfect for readers who love a challenge!

Thank you to Walker Books & NetGalley UK for the chance to read an early copy of this brilliant book!

The latest book in this Winged Quartet from MG Leonard is an absolute gem of an adventure and a conspiracy to pique the interest of any raven!

Ava Kingfisher can't wait for the school holidays to start so she can head back to Briddvale and see her friends. Just one final day of school to get through and fortunately, it is a school trip to the museum where she is able to indulge in her favourite subject, the study of birds.

When the museum alarms screech their alert, everyone flees but Ava, who, realising that there might be a theft occurring, turns detective and starts to gather evidence. Missing exhibits from the birds of paradise collection storage room are worth a fortune and Ava finds a mysterious single black feather which she is convinces is a clue. The police are not interested in her theory and so she decides to head to Briddvale where she knows that the Twitchers will join her in the hunt for the priceless haul.

One chance encounter with a mysterious girl and another with a menacing raven lead Ava to believe that there is more to this heist than the police believe and she and her friends, helped by wannabe YouTube phenomenon Pam, set about uncovering the truth. Little do they realise that they are going to be dealing with a murderous crime gang and have to save the life of an orphan and her feathered friend.

A thrilling chase through Aves Wood brings this book to a perfect ending.

Inspired by a true crime podcast called 'The Feather Heist', this book gets a wholehearted 5 stars from us and we recommend this, and the other three in the series for children age 9-12. It is perfect for fans of Robin Stevens and we just love the way that MG Leonard has taken train spotting and bird watching, brought them into the mainstream as hobbies for children and made them exciting and cool. Middle grade literature at its finest!

Thank you to Net Galley and Walker Books for sending this eBook for our review consideration. All opinions are our own.

I really enjoyed this book because it had a lot of drama and the Twitchers were constantly questioning things like... Who is the thief? What is their motive? When did they commit the theft? and How did they commit the theft? I think this is my favourite book out of the series.

I am gutted this is the last in the series and have my fingers permanently crossed that another series is close up in the horizon and I’m not sure I can go too long without reading an MGLeonard masterpiece.
Superb book to end the series, without a shadow of a doubt kids will be queuing up to read this. Just the adventure that top end primary kids need.
Fantastic.

FEATHER is a fabulous series finisher for this bird-focused mystery series all about protecting the environment and specifically birds from the many crimes that affect them.

Each book is a season, and we wrap up with winter. It's cold and darker, and while many birds have migrated south, there are still some around. This time, the crime is about stealing dead (Victorian) specimens from museums to sell on the black market for their feathers.

After a previous books (SPARK) was about the hunting of trophy birds, this book discusses the value of historic specimens to research and the public. These are records of the amazing birds out there, ones to be treasured, but also a record of the birds lost due to human activities - a warning of what else could be lost. I appreciated that a discussion from an earlier book was returned to.

We have a new narrator for this book, Ava! While the entire gang (including all the growth over the series) are here, it was nice to settle down with a character who hadn't been heard from before, to get her voice on birds but also her view on all the friends. She is very empathetic, reaching out to one of the suspects/victims in a way no one else would have been able to. With her as a contrast, the book also pulls out the different ways the other characters are empathetic, which wasn't always so clear through the eyes of characters who might be focused on other things.

While I'm sad to see this series come to an end, I have loved every minute of it - and the greater appreciation it's given me for birds and the threats against them.

Another fantastic adventure for the Twitchers.
Ava is in a school trip and stumbles upon a museum heist involving the theft of valuable bird skins.
With the help of the Twitchers, Ava is determined to solve the crime and recover the items.
I have really enjoyed this series, learning about different birds and their behaviours, friendship and crime solving. A brilliant end to this series.