Like its predecessor Twitch, Spark brilliantly addresses many issues including friendship and courage as well as highlighting the importance of conservation.
It is great to visit Aves Wood again and experience another adventure involving Twitch, Jack and the rest of the Twitcher crew.  MG Leonard knows how to draw her readers in and this delightful blend of mystery and adventure is another perfect read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Walker Books for the e-Arc to read and review.

Spark is a fast-paced and thrilling mystery novel for young readers aged between 8-13 (although it has a much broader appeal and many adults would enjoy it too - speaking from experience!). It's a great seasonal read for around and autumn and Halloween with its spooky and mysterious goings-on that will get you in the right mood for trick or treating. Based in the same world and with the same realistic and well-developed characters we came to know and love in Twitch, you'll get sucked right back into the story. This time, M.G. Leonard tells the story primarily from Jack's point of view, which is a fresh and interesting way to get a new perspective. Jack discovers a wounded cat, rushes to save its life, and then begins to dig deeper in his determination to find out who injured the cat, why, and how he can stop them, with some help from his buddies, the Twitchers. Adventures, high jinks, and plenty of excitement follow! At the same time, this novel explores friendships and the challenges of living according to our values and saying sorry when we make mistakes. I would highly recommend this book to any young reader!

This series is a firm favourite, both with me and the children I teach. With this second instalment comes new villains… but who are they and can the Twitchers stop them from carrying out their deadly plans in time?

Spark is perfect for children who like real life adventure mysteries and I love the importance of nature and wildlife in the books, which sends an important message without being preachy.

It is great to see the character development of both Twitch and Jack in book 2, and to see Jack taking a more central role. I look forward to finding out what mysteries the Twitchers will meet next in book 3!

When Jack rescues a wounded cat, he quickly suspects foul play. Could there be a wildlife criminal on the loose in Briddvale?

Jack rushes to investigate, determined to catch the culprit, only to stumble into a deepening mystery and a sinister criminal plot.

Can Jack and The Twitchers stop the villains before it's too late?

This was such a fun read. It was full of mystery and suspense and kept me guessing right to the end. Leonard has created a great host of characters that I want to spend more time with and when I realised this was the second book in the series I couldn’t get the first book quick enough.

I love the way Leonard has taken the dying hobby of bird watching and made it cool and accessible for a younger audience. This book teaches about the importance of friendship, standing up for what you believe in and following your own path… loved this and I know I will enjoy the first book just as much.

This was a really enjoyable children's book with so many themes to explore and discover - a real achievement to write something so complex but in such an accessible way for younger readers.

Twitch and his friends learn that an endangered bird is expected to arrive in their local area so they make plans to see it but while doing this, Jack uncovers a plot from a wildlife criminal that he is determined to stop. It was a great story of friendship with Twitch being focused on the bird and Jack being focused on the crime, but ultimately finding a way to work together to achieve both goals. The characters were great - both a little different and struggling to fit in at school but you read how their passions eventually convince others to join them and shows how liking something different to the majority makes you interesting.

Really well written with some lovely nature details, a very enjoyable book!

MG Leonard can write no wrong. She is one of the most trusted authors out there. Her impeccable research, love for nature and a brilliantly written mystery give her the trifecta of brilliance.

In Twitch, when we met Twitch, Jack and the rest of the twitchers, they were on a mission to catch a bank robber and things turned pretty scary and thrilling for this vigilante gang of do-gooders.

Spark is the 2nd book in the series and is focussed mainly on Jack and his detecting skills. He has found an injured cat and becomes embroiled in the investigation aimed at finding the evil cat killer. He stumbles upon a lot more than just a plot to hurt or kill cats.

While his investigation is taking place, Twitch has become obsessed with the “lammergeier”, a bearded vulture, not native to the UK but expected to fly over Briddvale soon. Both boys seem to forge ahead with their own plans and neither pays much attention to the other until it is almost too late.

Someone has big plans to add the “lammergeier” to their private collection and it won’t be easy to prove their crimes. Jack is super determined and has plans building in his mind and with the twitchers on his side, I am sure they can figure this mystery out.

Jack proves his courage in this story as he faces some terrifying events and situations on his own, ones I would hope my own children would shy away from. Twitch and Jack’s friendship is amazing and once they start working together again, you can see how they play to each other’s strengths.

As Jack solved the mystery, he finally started to understand just what twitch had been telling him about,his spark bird and how to be patient, calm and attentive while in nature. They have a lovely friendship and Twitch shares his own passion so wonderfully with Jack.

M G Leonard has never written a disappointing book, and I loved this just as much as the others! I loved Twitch and was so please when another one was announced so to be accepted on NetGalley was great. I don’t know many children’s books along the bird watching theme, but have had a few keen ornithologists in my class so I love being able to recommend these!

Thankyou for allowing me a copy of this book, I will read anything by this author as they are always fun, fast paced and keep me engaged. I love the characters in this series and i the plot kept me intrigued which meant that i could read this in one sitting. A fantastic book once again.

It's not often a sequel surpasses the original but the crime to be solved in this is so brilliant and wonderfully connected to the passions of the main characters. Focussing on Jack this time, I loved the twists and turns in this but mostly I was cheering him along the whole way to solve the crime and make sure the villains get their just desserts and animals their justice. A perfectly crafted story, brilliant characters - with excellent dialogue, I adored this nature crime and conservation themed adventure!

MGLeonard is one of my all times favourites, there has not yet been a book written by her that I haven't loved. I was dubious at first how this could follow on from the wonderful Twitch, but I was soon reassured, from the start this book has all the appeal and all the charm of it's predecessor. Another wonderfully written fast paced story from a master story teller. Definitely a bookshelf staple.

A brilliant book for all middle-grade readers. The plot zips along and will keep the readers reading until the end.

Another exciting read by M G Leonard. I particularly like the great unique selling point of being about a group of young ornithologists who solve crimes, using their birdwatching skills. Pure genius. Spark is the second book in this crime adventure series and this time, the story is from Jack’s point of view.

On his way to meet his best-friend Twitch (Vernon) and the other Twitchers at their secret hideout in Aves Woods Jack discovers an injured cat. Despite the cat lashing out and scratching him he carries it over a mile to the nearest vet where it can be treated. The vet informs him the cat has been shot and it is not the first cat in the area to be shot. The first cat died. The owner of the cat, Colonel Mustard, asks jack to find out who is shooting the cats. Jack is excited about solving the mystery and believes it is the perfect quest for the Twitchers over the Autumn half-term. To Jack’s dismay his best friend does not believe him and is much more excited about the fact a rare Lammergeier vulture had been spotted by the Twitcher grapevine and is heading their way.

Spark is a story about what it means to be a true friend. It was great to learn more about Jack and his venture into twitching and finding his spark bird. Whilst searching for clues to solve the mystery of who shot Colonel Mustard jack uncovers an even bigger crime and they must all pull together to catch the criminals.
A brilliant book for all middle-grade readers. The plot zips along and will keep the readers reading until the end.

Absolutely loved this! Twitch and Jack are great characters, along with the other Twitchers that make up the birdwatching/detective club. Set in autumn, this plotline revolves around the arrival of an extremely rare bird, brutal attacks on cats, and wildlife crime. It's well paced and the plot is well developed, I liked how gradually one crime leads them to another until they uncover the most serious one. With lovely seasonal descriptions, bird info and an important conservation message, this is above all a great mystery! I look forward to the next in the series.

I didn't read Twitch and I will surely read it as this one is great and features the same characters.
Well plotted characters, a gripping plot.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Absolutely loved Spark a thrilling, fast-paced adventure with the most marvellous cast of characters. She excels in creating exciting and entertaining plots that keeps readers turning the pages. A true celebration of the beauty and fragility of nature

Really enjoyed this sequel to Twitch and this story sees what happens following the first book and the friendship and team work of the Twitchers tries to solve a murder plot. The main emphasis on the story moves to Jack who is just developing his birdwatching skills and as I read, I felt I was learning lots with him. It would be better if you read Twitch first in my opinion so you know the characters and how they have come to be together. It was good how it was set in Autumn and the differences in the environment fed into the story. A truly great story if you like teamwork, friendship and overcoming a problem. It doesn't matter if you are interested in birds or not!

I'm so happy that Twitch, Jack and the rest of the Twitchers are back!!! I loved Twitch last year and was so excited to see this on Netgalley - devoured it over the last couple of days (and actually struggled to head back to the shopfloor after a couple of breaks as I was so engrossed...) and LOVED it. There's some pretty serious topics around wildlife crime but they're handled really well, and like the first one, Spark is full of heart and humour too. I love the cover art too, and all of the birds throughout. I'm definitely going to be recommending this to our customers once it is released!

Having read Twitch last year and loving that I was thrilled to be accepted to read 'Spark' before its publication date. I wasn't disappointed and devoured the whole book in less than 24 hours. The story had me gripped within the first few pages and it's fast pace and excellent plot makes me feel sure it would appeal to both students and educators. It certainly would make an excellent class reader for keystage 2 children. The book follows the story of Jack who is investigating local cat shootings when he becomes embroiled in a much deeper mystery involving a rare vulture. I really like the fact that you could read this without having already read Twitch and can see that there is huge potential for more books in this series. I for one will be making a beeline for any future titles in this series. Thanks again for allowing me to preread this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this so much. MG Leonard is an autobuy author, this series is fantastic I adore how much the Twitchers grow and learn together. So damn cute. And Twitch and Jack are adorable. I'm rooting for them everytime they are on the page. Solid 5 stars.

I have just spent the most glorious few days in the company of Jack, Twitch and friends as they simultaneously try to solve the mystery of the cat murderer at work in Briddvale and get excited about the rare sighting of the lammergeier. These two worlds collide in an exciting quest to save the rare bird and expose its potential enemy.
Meant in the most respectful way, this book transported me to my childhood days of reading Secret Seven books. I adore the characters and their willingness always to give each other a second chance. There are realistically childish mistakes, humility and lessons learned – and plenty of humour to make it palatable. It’s a page-turning adventure above all, but it is also inspired to set this story (and series) in the nature reserve of Aves Wood, teaching us all sorts about the natural world along the way.
For those who have already read the first in the series Twitch, this is the one in which Jack comes into his own and takes centre stage. You don’t need to have read Twitch to enjoy Spark – but you will want to read all of this series at some point!
Thank you to Walker Books and NetGalleyUK for the advance proof of this book.