Valentine Crow & Mr Death

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!

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.

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.

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.