**Thank you author and publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review**

This was my first experience reading the Amanda Travels series. As an army brat growing up, we traveled quite a bit, so this was right up my alley. In this book, Amanda takes us to Malta where her best friend Leah is with her aunt, but after reading her post card it seems that her friend is asking for help, Amanda is trying to figure out if Leah is in danger, and if so, how can she help? This was a nice, short mystery, with lots of great information about Malta.

I am excited to see that there are more books to this series, and I cannot wait to read them!

What a darling read! In a time when we're all craving travel and want nothing more than to get out and go, a globe-trotting YA adventure is a welcome indulgence! Follow Amanda and her precocious friends as they search for clues to find her friend's missing aunt and help solve the mystery of The Sleeping Lady. Having spent time in Malta and Gozo, I was immediately catapulted back to the spectacular stone architecture, ancient artifacts and colorful fishing villages I fell in love with a few years ago. What a fantastically fun series for young children to learn about different countries and cultures!

This is the eight book In Darlene Foster's Amanda Travels series. Amanda in Malta: The Sleeping Lady is the first book I have read in this series, but will go back and read others. This is a mystery and travel series for middle graders. In each book Amanda travels somewhere with either family or friends. She learns about the place she is visiting, as well as solves a mystery. In this book, Amanda receives a postcard from a girlfriend who is presently in Malta telling her that she needs help. Amands is trying to figure out how to help when her mother asks her if she wants to go away with a classmate, Caleb and his family. A friend of Caleb's has canceled and they would like Amanda to go with them to….. you guessed it, Malta. She jumps at the chance. Once there she has to find her friend, determine what the problem is and solve it without letting her hosts know. It seems that there are two situations that Amanda gets involved in: the plot to steal "The Sleeping Lady" a priceless museum artifact, and who is killing the the island's endangered storks.

I loved the adventure aspect in this story. As an adult, I had to suspend belief that this young girl was involved in solving these mysteries, but it was a fun story. I really liked learning about Malta and the things Amanda saw and did such as: The Popeye Theme Park in Malta, Marsaxlokk, (a charming fishing village,) the bird sanctuary island - Filfla, boat trips, island hops, and a Falconry. Darlene Foster's descriptive writing of places like The Blue Grotto, had this armchair traveler smiling. I have just added Malta to my bucket list. The mystery put Amanda in danger but it wasn't too serious. With some unexpected help, Leah and her grandmother as well as Caleb both situations are solved and sorted. This is a book that I recommend to schools, families and public libraries.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book continues the excellent children’s book travel series featuring twelve year old Amanda as she visits remote locations, where she joins us in learning about history and culture, and manages to also squeeze in time for adventures and solving a mystery or two.

In this book, Amanda visits the beautiful Mediterranean archipelago of Malta, (including the island of Malta as well as the smaller islands of Gozo and Comino) with her friend Caleb and his parents.

Full disclosure: my parents are Maltese and I lived in Malta for a few years, beginning when I was twelve years old too. Given that Amanda and my nostalgia would be so heavily in synch, it is no surprise that I was definitely curious to read this book. The good news is that I was delighted to find Amanda’s perspective of Malta, as well as the snippets of history and travelogue provided, not only interesting and wonderfully researched but presented in a fun and lively manner that I’m sure middle school children will enjoy as well as take learnings back from.

Amanda and her friends visit all the expected tourist locations in Malta, including (amongst other stops on this tour) the walled capital city of Valletta, the ancient ruins of Hagar Qim, the caves of Ghar Dalam, the historical Mosta dome cathedral, and the underground temple known as the Hypogeum. They also sample local cuisine (including everyone’s favourite Maltese pastizzi pastries), and experience the azure splendor of the waters and caves of the Blue Grotto.

To complement the story, Amanda’s motivation for visiting Malta is driven by her need to help her friend Leah out of a jam and the plot of this book thus nicely interweaves learning about the islands with an element of mystery and danger that is sure to delight modern day Nancy Drew fans.

A big thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance review copy of this engaging book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts presented are my own.

What a wonderful book to give to your child. Not only is it an adventure book but its also mystery and educational to boot. I read this book over a series of nights to my 9 year old daughter. She really loved the tale and was excited to see what happens next. She loved hearing about Malta and the section about the birds. As I adult I could read and enjoy this book without reading it to my child. I really felt like I had learnt new things. I will be looking out for more titles. It is suitable for ages 7 through to teens and even us adults will love it too.

Thanks to the publisher for an e-ARC of this novel.

This was my first experience with the Amanda Travels series. This was a nice short mystery, with lots of great info about Malta. I know several students who would love this series and will be looking for more from this series soon!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book of Amanda's adventures, a 12 years girl who made you discover countries around the world and their culture through her adventures with her friends. In this book, the little heroine takes us to Malta where her best friend Leah is with her aunt but after reading her post card it seems that Amanda's friend is asking for her help, What happened to leah? Is she in danger?

It is an interesting book for kids in order to learn about foreign cultures with a little bit of adventure and mystery to make the experience more fascinating but I thing that this book needed some illustrations mainly for the most important places or monuments that the characters had visited which could help while reading the story such as an illustration of the Sleeping Lady, I mean for each chapter.

Author Darlene Foster has a genius idea in this book series. Her books take readers to various parts of the world as Amanda finds herself involved in intriguing mysteries. While the story is fairly simple, the culture of Malta was rich and fascinating. Before reading this short little book I didn’t even know where Malta was in our world. Now I want to visit and see the places and artefacts Amanda experienced.

Amanda Ross is the twelve-year-old heroine of the Amanda Travels series. In this latest adventure, Amanda’s best friend Leah sends a mysterious postcard begging Amanda to join her in Malta. “Something’s not right. Can you come ASAP?” Just as puzzling is the fact that the message was sent in snail mail form instead of email. Amanda doesn’t know how she can reply to her friend let alone actually go help her. Rather she is stuck at home in another long Canadian winter.

This next part is a little far fetched but that’s ok.

Luckily, she receives an invitation from her longtime friend, Caleb Sorenson. His family has asked Amanda to join them for a vacation on Malta. After they arrive, Caleb and Amanda are unable to find Leah. They begin to think that something dangerous is going on. As they investigate, the situation becomes darker by the minute. During the adventure, a national treasure, the tiny ancient sculpture of The Sleeping Lady, has been stolen. Leah and her aunt are somehow involved, and clearly in danger.

Young readers will enjoy exploring the treasures and unexpected surprises of Malta. And, of course they outwit the bad guys, and even protect some endangered animals.

You’ll be hard pressed not to google the gorgeous coast and fishing villages, the history and even discover wonderful food. There are quirky local features such as a movie set from the Popeye movie which is now a theme park, and an entire cafe for homeless cats.

The adventure is fast-paced and a huge amount of fun.

Offer this series to readers who enjoy adventure, mystery-solving, bravery, and humor,

A cute story about a girl who travels to Malta at the request of a friend. I wanted to fall in love with this story when I first read the blurb. I love books set in other countries, with unique cultures and diverse people. As someone with a serious case of wanderlust, I live vicariously through these stories to "see" other countries through the eyes of the characters. This book is the eighth book in a series with this character and I highly enjoyed some of the cultural pieces and locales that are explored in the book. Unfortunately, the dialogue and character development felt awkward and fell flat. Amanda, the main character, is supposed to be twelve yet says sentences like, "I just love these colorful doors. They break up the sandstone buildings." and another character, also around twelve responds to the statement "Look at this cool doorknocker. it's in the shape of a seahorse." by saying "Well, so it is." As an educator, I don't know any twelve year old who talks that way. It sounded like a grandfather responding to a child, not a fellow peer. The dialogue was my least favorite part and the setting was easily my favorite. It did spark me to do some research into Malta, especially Popeye's Village, which is, in fact, a real place. The pacing was good and it flowed, the action was interesting but the plot behind the theft seemed unrealistic to me. It seemed a little to fantastical to be a realistic reason to steal the Sleeping Lady. Despite some of the more technical shortcomings of the book it was overall a good story about a group of friends uncovering a mystery appropriate for children to read.

With a unique blend of adventure, friendship, history and travel Darlene Foster has hit upon a winning and inspirational combination for her children’s books Amanda Travels.

The series is aimed at middle grade (aged 9-12) children, although from reading her latest book I feel it would also be suited for adept readers of a younger age as well as reluctant readers.

Darlene Foster’s latest in the series, Book 8, takes the reader to Malta after Amanda receives a letter from her best friend Leah. To receive a letter alone sends concern to Amanda in the modern digital age of emails. Leah hints that something is wrong, but gives no detail and wants Amanda to join her.

Amanda would love to leave the cold wintry weather of Canada behind her for the warmth and sun of the Mediterranean island but would it even be possible?

As with all children’s books, a resolution is quickly found and Amanda joins her class mate and his parents on their holiday on the beautiful island.

Immediately the author captures the heavenly warmth of the landscape, limestone buildings and the history perfectly. In snippets, the reader is enveloped in the amazing historical elements of the island, some of which become central to the story whilst others act as a stunning backdrop to the action.

Any reservation I had that the historical might slow down the pace of the story proved unfounded as the plot is quickly propelled along. Although there are dramatic events such a brief kidnapping, ominous warnings, chases and unexplained killings of protected birds these are all pitched gently and safely for the younger reader.

Initially, Amanda cannot even find Leah and when she finds her it turns out that Leah’s aunt has become mixed up with crooks. Two criminals want Leah’s aunt, who is an archaeologist, to steal the 4000-year-old Sleeping Lady statue from the museum otherwise there will be consequences. Could Leah even be involved?

Luckily Amanda and Leah are not alone on their mission. Max is a helpful and able go-between and Caleb, the son of the family friend, provides many comic moments throughout the book, particularly with his strange phobia of fish and love of all things Popeye.

When finally they visit the famous Popeye Village he is ecstatic and his courage shines through as he has to rescue Leah!

I like how all the main characters are slightly flawed with their fears and how through working together they find courage, helping each other. The warmth and kindness is a beacon of hope!

Amanda in Malta is a hugely enjoyable book, the writing flows with ease and the plot had me eagerly turning the pages. The book took me back to my addictive reading of the Nancy Drew mysteries as young and I can see how readers will long to read and collect the whole series of Amanda Travels.

Although I have unfortunately not read any previous books within the series this is no way hampered my enjoyment or understanding of The Sleeping Lady. The author slips in enough backstory to ensure this book is an exciting and stand-alone book.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and impartial review.

I have just discovered the story and now I want to read all the books in the series.
They can be read individually, even if the main character and her traits are developed from book to book, this is not an impediment to read them in a different order than the one published.
What I think this book brings more than others addressed to the same public is the fact that you can learn a lot about the places Amanda visits or has to travel to.
I liked a lot the fact that at the end of the book you can find a couple of questions that make you investigate more about the country – in this case about Malta and in the same time having some things to ponder on, enriches the experience and organizes better the info received.
I would highly recommend this for each child discovering the world and for adults who try to inspire the younger ones in the passion for reading.

Amanda in Malta
The Sleeping Lady
by Darlene Foster
Central Avenue Publishing
Children's Fiction | Middle Grade | Travel
Pub Date 11 May 2021


I am reviewing Amanda in Malta through Central Avenue Publishing and Netgalley:


After receiving a postcard from her best friend Leah, Amanda is surprised to learn that Leah is in Malta with her aunt. In reading between the lines she comes to realize that Leah is in in trouble. Amanda who is desperate to help Leah, travels to Malta with her classmate Caleb and his parents.



Amanda becomes intrigued by this exotic island in the middle of the Mediterranean, full of colourful history, sun-drenched limestone fortresses, stunning beaches and fascinating birds. But she wants to know who is killing the protected birds and stop it. She wants to know too who stole a priceless artifact from the museum? And why is Leah acting so strange? She couldn’t possibly be involved in these illegal activities, or could she?



Amanda In Malta is an adventurous books geared towards middle grade girls and boys, especially those who are reluctant readers.



I give Amanda In Malta five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

I really enjoyed this book! I am completely new to this series and happy that I have discovered these stories. Amanda in Malta is the eighth book in the series and what a find! I am going to be picking up some more of these titles for my kindle for sure. These stories are just what I need right now.

This book was obviously very well researched and the writing is so descriptive that you really do feel like you are in Malta. What I love, is that the author doesn’t skip details such as what Amanda chooses for lunch! So you really do feel like a tourist in Malta experiencing the country first hand and you are completely immersed in the story.

The mystery plot is intriguing and the characters extremely likeable. We are carried along on a fun adventure and along the way we learn interesting facts about Malta. I found myself looking up the tourist spots on google to discover even more and becoming really interested. It felt like a mini holiday for me!

The book is not overly long so this would be a great read for a reluctant reader, or for a causal read.

I read this over a couple of days and I really looked forward to my work day being over, so I could grab this book and have a cosy read and a little holiday in my mind!

In Darlene Foster's eleventh in the popular Amanda Travels Adventures series, Amanda in Malta: The Sleeping Lady (Central Avenue Publishing 2021), Amanda receives a postcard from a girlfriend in Malta (a Mediterranean island between Italy and Africa) saying she is in trouble and needs help. As Amanda tries to figure out how to wrangle a trip to this distant location, a friend invites her to join him on a Malta vacation to replace another friend who cancelled. Amanda snaps up the opportunity. Once she is in Malta, her task is to find her friend and help her solve the trouble she is in without involving the family that is hosting her (so they aren't exposed to undo danger, I suspect). It doesn't take long before Amanda is embroiled in two mysteries: One, a plot to steal a priceless museum piece, and two, the horrible killing of the island's endangered storks.

Amanda likes problems, the more complicated the better, so not surprisingly, figures out how to solve both of these while exploring the beauty and sights of this amazing little country. Look at some of the locations she visits:

"Ghar Dalam means ‘cave of darkness’? It is a very important site as it is over 500,000 years old. It holds evidence of the first humans on the island, such as Neanderthal teeth..."

"...famous Azure Window. They had seen pictures of this huge rock jutting out into the sea creating a natural archway."

"...Anchor Bay, the location of the set for the 1980 movie Popeye."

As always Amanda learns a lot which means I--as the reader--do too:

“'Rambling??' Caleb raised his eyebrows. 'That’s what British people call hiking or going for a walk.'"

"He stopped in front of one cage. A noble bird with a black head, blue-grey back, and white-striped under-feathers, perched on a branch. “This, my friends, is the well-known Maltese falcon, or peregrine falcon."

"Aunt Mary taught me that stalagmite has a g in it for ground and stalactite has a c in it for ceiling."

"Malta was required to halt bird hunting in order to join the European Union in 2007."

This is one of the best travel adventures available for youthful readers. The pace is quick but not so fast readers miss the excitement of visiting amazing locations. The characters are endearing with a nice mix of old favorites from prior Amanda books and new folks she meets through her Malta trip (if you know Amanda, you know she is gregarious, fun, and never misses an opportunity to meet new people). Kudos to the author for her creativity and ability to weave problem-solving skills in with the excitement of our planet.

A wonderful adventure set on the island of Malta. Amanda ends up in Malta after finding out that her friend is embroiled in something but doesn’t know what. She ends up on this amazing, action-packed adventure to help her after finding out that a statue has gone missing. The story is set on a wonderful island and, knowing the island, it was filled with accurate references to both the history and geography.

This is a perfect short story for a reluctant or dyslexic reader as the story is so fast paced and the language is simplistic enough but still provides interest. I will definitely be recommending the entire series to my students.

I thoroughly enjoyed Amanda in Alberta when I read it last year not long after visiting Canada. When I saw Amanda’s newest adventure on NetGalley, I thought “Let’s go to Malta!”

The author’s descriptions are vivid and detailed making it easy for readers to visualize the local sights Amanda visits. I drooled over some of the food, especially the pastizzi (but definitely not the rabbit pizza). As an animal lover, I adored the Cat Cafe where locals leave food out for the homeless cats in the city. The Popeye Theme Park was a fun addition. I had no idea the Robin Williams movie was filmed in Malta. With historical details sprinkled throughout the story, I always come away from these books learning something new and feel as if I’ve visited the locations myself.

Amanda is one well-traveled young girl and often finds herself in the midst of troubling occurrences. Malta is no exception. With jellyfish stings, kidnappings, chases, and a trip to the hospital, she and her friends Caleb and Leah encounter both dangerous situations and people several times over the course of the story.

I’d highly recommend this delightful series to young readers and those young at heart who enjoy captivating adventures and mysteries that take them around the world. Who couldn’t use some armchair travel?

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I read about this novel on a book blog and was intrigued - it sounded just like the kind of thing that my 9-year-old daughter would enjoy reading. I’m pleased to say that since I’ve read ‘Amanda in Malta’, I’ve told her all about it and she can’t wait to not only read this novel, but the whole series. She wants to start with those featuring countries that she’s been to herself, and now has a very full Amazon wish list!

In ‘Amanda in Malta’, the lead character goes on holiday to Malta and gets involved in the mystery of a 4000 year old figurine that goes missing from a museum. The unique feature of this book, it that in reading it children will learn so much about the country that it features. The characters visit a range of Malta’s places of interest, both those on the common tourist trail, and some which are a little more obscure. The young reader is told interesting facts about Malta (I learned a lot!) and introduced to a few phrases in the language. This is a great book for children who want to learn about a country without reading non-fiction.

I think that readers of 8-12 will really enjoy this book and think that Darlene Foster has come up with an excellent idea for this series - I’ll be recommending it for my travel-deprived Year 7s this term!

This is cute. It's MG but probably on the younger end. This is apparently the 8th Amanda book. It gives a decent amount of information about Malta and there's a little mystery. I'm thinking second graders would enjoy this and maybe learn something interesting.

If my niece reads it and begs her mom to take her to Malta, do you think I can go too?

I love to travel, and especially now when traveling is something that we can’t easily do, armchair travel is very important. This book, though written for children, was a huge surprise! I loved reading about Malta, a place I’ve never been and learning more about the history and the people of the area. I enjoyed following the main character Amanda around on her journey. I think this is a series that my students would enjoy reading also! I can’t wait to read more of Amanda’s journeys around the world!

This was a very enjoyable little read. It was clearly well researched by the descriptive nature of the sights and sounds of the Islands and as such it invoked some great memories of trips around Malta for me and I recognised so many of the details having visited on numerous occasions. With the story line, it made for a book that I wanted to keep reading in order to see what would happen and where it would go next. I will recommend this title (and others in the series) to students.