Cover Image: Wave Riders

Wave Riders

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Member Reviews

This, like all Lauren St John books, was a great read. I would recommend it unreservedly to any fans of hers!

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Wave Riders is an exciting, fast-paced adventure story, perfect for children aged 9+.
Twins Jess and Jude have grown up under the care of their guardian and father figure, Gabe, and know little to nothing about their parents or past. Whilst sailing around seemingly idyllic Caribbean islands on Gabe's yacht, tragedy befalls them on their eleventh birthday. Gabe has mysteriously disappeared and then, soon after, their yacht is wrecked during a violent squall leaving them with nothing but their dog, Sam. Whilst recovering in hospital, the children learn that a wealthy English family who knew their parents are willing to take them in. It seems to good to be true... is it?
I really enjoyed the threads of mystery woven throughout the book and raced through it. This is the first book I've read by Lauren St John, but it certainly won't be the last.

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Lauren St John has been a favourite children’s author of my mine for a long time, having written some great adventure and mystery series set all around the world. This one starts off in the Caribbean with twins Jess and Jude living on a yacht with their guardian Gabe. When he mysteriously vanishes and they get into difficulty in a storm, the mystery around who they are and who their parents were means they end up being taken to England to be cared for.

I loved the sailing aspects of the book - there was a lot of technical detail - and the adventure was really well paced. The twins felt like realistic characters and their relationship was well created - sometimes they were best friends and sometimes didn’t get on at all. Lots of settings and drama meant you never had chance to get bored while reading this!

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I can’t do better than report the opinions of my twelve year old grandson, an avid reader with wide ranging tastes, who reports that this is a great book about two children who set off to sail around the world with their guardian, Gabe, and Max, their dog. Their happy journey comes to an end when Gabe mysteriously disappears from the boat whilst out at sea and is later found dead on a beach. The young heroes are now in danger as they are taken in by their seemingly kind foster parents and their adventures reveal the children’s history. He goes on to say that this is a very good book and he would recommend it to other children. I know from his parents that he found the book hard to put down when it was time to lay down and whizzed through it at great speed, so keen was he to find out what happened next!

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This is such a great book for younger readers, I would think ages 10/11 would really enjoy this. There is everything in here - adventure on the ocean, school settings, evil guardians and a mystery.

Jess and Jude are sailing around the world with their guardian Gabe, who whisked them away at short notice. Not that they mind, the sea is their schoolroom and Gabe is their teacher. Then he disappears and they are left alone. Being twelve years old, they fear that they will be put into some sort of orphanage and separated, so they set sail. As well as Gabe's disappearance, they also want to solve the mystery of their parents about whom they know nothing, except that they died.

Then a wealthy newspaper owner and his wife take the twins and suddenly there are even more mysteries as secrets start to unfold.

A book that will keep any young reader gripped and the twins, Jess and Jude, will appeal to both sexes. This is a book that is not predominantly for girls or for boys, it's for kids.

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This is the story of Jess & Jude and their adventures at sea; a fun, rollercoaster of a mystery for young adults that will have you gripped from the off.
Thanks to NetGallery for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

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Perfectly pitched mysterious adventure ideal for LKS2+, Wave Riders swept me through twins' Jess & Jude's quest on the high seas. Can they unlock the secrets of their ancestry, escape imminent danger & discover who is truly worthy of their trust? Plenty of current links to topics children care about - the environment, fox-hunting and family drama's to name a few and characters to relate to and keep us guessing about each twist and turn.

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