First Blood

Spy Master #1

by Jan Burchett, Sara Vogler

When Jack Briars becomes an apprentice to King Henry VIII's spy master, he is disappointed to be given the boring duties of a clerk. But the King's enemies are everywhere. Soon Jack is facing more adventure and intrigue than he bargained for. If he wants to stay alive and in favour, he will need to learn the arts of stealth, disguise and deception - and fast!

224 pages, Paperback

Published March 8, 2016

About the author

AKA Grace Cavendish.

Reviews

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review to come. This is a very engaging historical read for primary students - I loved it. Jack is a cheeky and courageous character and the setting is fabulous.

[Emily Padmore-Flint · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but was slow at the start. Once you get into it its really good!!!

[Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Descriptions were well placed and just the right amount to give the story substance but not be long winded, and I didn't once feel bored reading. I did have trouble imagining some of the walls/places and how Jack clambered them from its description, but perhaps that's from a lack of my imagination.

There were some things that probably wouldn't happen in real life, like Robert Aycliffe's conclusion about Edmund Talbot's murder, which broke my immersion a little, but I can't see young readers noticing this at all. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Jack's escapades. This book was a strong 4.5 for me, and I'm excited to see that there's more in this series.

[Katy W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical adventure for 8-12 year-olds.

[Janice Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping read

A good story with excitement and intrigue for 10 year old and her mum! The historical background was interesting and kept the pages turning.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read with my class this term - enjoyable read and we liked that there was a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter!

[Beth]

Well my observation was okay...I HOPE!