Very quick to read and had really nice writing. The characters were all charming, and I think this is a very good book for younger readers. It’s not the most fleshed out story, and the ending was very rushed, but for the age group it’s catered towards, it’s a very good pick.

A fast-paced adventure with a spunky heroine and a fun, Victorian flavour. Lily and her brother Tom travel from place to place with their adoptive mother, hunting for curious objects and selling them to collectors. When they discover a strange, decorated shell, they become part of a plot involving stolen secrets, dangerous graveyard walks, and a quest to help a new friend. This simple yet engaging story has plenty of heart and adventure to entertain young readers.

Finding unexpected treasure is always magical. The Curio Collectors brings the thrill of discovery to life on the page with a historical mystery that will engage readers right from the start.

Tom and Lil live in a caravan with their Ma. Travelling from town to town, trying to make money by selling items from their collection of intriguing curios (unusual items they have found along the way), there is never time to make friends or put down roots. When they visit the bustling city of London, they meet an orphan girl who is desperate to buy a large engraved shell. What’s so special about this shell? Why does she want it? A strange gentleman lurking in the dark adds even more questions.

Eloise Williams is a gifted storyteller, creating characters who quickly become like friends. In this action-packed tale, Tom and Lil model courage, determination and kindness. Readers may not need to run around cemeteries in the dark but they will learn what it means to help someone in need.

Thank you to Barrington Stoke for this accessible and incredibly enjoyable book! With dyslexia-friendly font, spacing and page tint as well as careful vocabulary choice, so many more children will be able to join Tom and Lil on their search for treasure.

Lily and Tom are traveling the countryside with Ma Hawker, entertaining crowds with their curio collection. Along the way they discover a very special piece of scrimshaw, one that young Flora Meriweather is interested in as well. But she's not the only one. Does this piece of scrimshaw hold the key to Flora's past? And can Lily and Tom help her unlock its clues before it's too late?

Set in the late 19th century outside London, The Curio Collectors is a quick, but fun read for ages 8-12 years. The characters are lovable, including Ma Hawker who acts as a adoptive mother to Lily and Tom. The sibling relationship is sweet and a wonderful example to young readers, and the mystery storyline is believable without being too overwhelming. The Curio Collectors is a wonderful novel where the story is engaging, but the writing is suitable for younger readers... a challenging balance to achieve, but which the author does wonderfully. This would make a great book for young readers.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

This was absolutely delightful. The plot was well-paced and captivating from start to finish. The characters were charming and witty. I highly recommend this fun and quick read! Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

Personally Eloise Williams and Barrington Stoke area dream team and The Curio Collectors did not disappoint!

Full of mystery and adventure with the hints of danger I find in all Eloise Williams books I found myself willing Lil and Tom on to the very end.

Thank you so much to Barrington Stoke and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Lil, Tom and Ma Hawker are travellers always off on an adventure, finding curios and selling them to anyone that will buy. When stopped in London a young maid wants a shell that they have and it unlocks a bigger mystery that they thought.

This was such a great book, I loved the characters and their life style it was so fascinating. They had to search for wondrous things, or things they could sell as wondrous to those with money. They traveled everywhere and saw so much, it was so interesting.

I loved that even though a deal goes badly it becomes a big success and they soon find a big mystery and a new friend on the stop on their travels. I really loved meeting Flora, I loved that she was so fascinated with the shells and finding out why was so fun and going with them on the mystery adventure.

This was a really unique and fun read, I loved going to a different era and seeing what these children’s lives were like, I really loved following them on their adventure and solving the mystery.

Great historical fiction for young readers!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for my review.

The plot

Set in 1896, this short adventure tale opens in a field near the (real) village of Digswell Water, north of London. It is a hot day, and our protagonist, 12-year-old Lily, and her younger brother, Tom, are searching the river and bank for curios. Anything they can clean up and sell. They've made money from all manner of things: an otter's skull, a bedpan, old bottles and broken toys. They take what they find back to Ma Hawker at the horse-drawn caravan they call home. They travel from place to place and put on a show to drum up trade, making up elaborate tales of the curios' new pedigree. 

But it is a hard life, and with scant pickings, the trio lives on broth devoid of substance. Lily thinks she's solved the matter when she buys some supposedly valuable trinkets. Alas, she has been duped by the lad that sold them. When the local farmer comes to collect his rent for the field they are in, they have to flee the area. Heading to London, they soon discover that a small piece of carved walrus horn, scrimshaw in the lot Lily bought, is attracting some interest, but not all of it is good.

Ok, from here on in, I can't reveal much more. Suffice it to say the adventure gets very exciting for Lily and has far-reaching consequences for those caught up in it.

So, what did we think?

Eloise's magic shines summerlike in this delightful, easy-to-read tale. 

It has the feel of one twice the length, like Eloise's previous book, Honesty and Lies, which was set in Elizabethan times and has the same feeling of place and people. 

So, crunch time. 

Yes, buy. A perfect short story that delights and encourages younger and reluctant readers alike. It is something I would have loved to have read to me as a younger child, pre this age group, or love to read to a class.

Lily and Tom live with Ma Hawker, she's not really their Ma but she took them in when they were alone. They live in a traveller caravan pulled by Winnie, their horse. Lily and Tom are searching for curios in the river. That's their job, then when they get to town the children help Ma make up stories and put on a show to sell the curios to teh rich folk.
But things aren't going well, they have to keep moving on and when Lily buys a suitcase from a boy, she has made a huge mistake. Ma Hawker says it's rubbish and says they'll be moving again - to London.
But in the suitcase is a shell scrimshaw which a maid wants to buy, when Lily tries to ask for more money the maid doesn't have the money but says she'll get it just not to sell to anyone else. She is scared off by a strange man.
This man wants the scrimshaw too. But Lily hides it and the children look for Flora, the maid, and find out her story. They have to help. But what is special about the scrimshaw. And who is the strange man?

This is a nice adventure story, set in the past, when girls weren't supposed to do anything much. But these feisty young ladies intend to. I haven't read other Eloise Williams books but intend too.
Barrington Stoke books are very popular at school so yes i would love to get this too.

I was so excited to read this, one of the publishers I find myself living every book they publish and with this one I was not disappointed. Pacy, funny and sad, absolutely lovable characters. Couldn’t ask for more.

A charming tale of curiosity, mystery and friendship. I've never read a story that features a curio collector before and this one was a lovely tale. Definitely a children's book but it delighted me nonetheless. Thanks to the author and Netgalley for a temporary copy in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent short adventure story that the whole family enjoyed. A tale of adventure and adversity. It read a bit like an old fashioned black and white movie short , bad guy , clever brave children, finding treasure (of a sort) and helping each other. More please .....

The curio collectors is a cute novel about two children living with a traveler, in the Victorian era. They go around England selling what they say are artifacts, but are usually junk dug up from the river.

They find a shell that has carvings in it (which they refer to as scrimshaw, although that is usually done in ivory or bone). They don't think anything of it, until two people want to buy it. One is a maid, and the other is a rather disgusting man who tries to break into their caravan.

Will the shell got to its rightful owner or will the bad guy get it. The nice thing is that it is a very simple plot, and you can get through the whole story in less than an hour.

Despite the light writing, you can still get involved in the story. Nicely told and done.

This is another excellent book in the series of hi-lo middle grade readers, where the reading is easy, but the story is suited for slightly older readers. This one was suitable for ages 9 and up but was reading level age 8.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>