Treasure isn’t always where you expect to find it…

River likes to go mooncatching, sweeping his net across the reflection of the night sky in the village pond. But when he accidentally wakes the ghost of Mona Brightly, River must find Mona’s lost treasure before the ghost of the dastardly pirate Dashbuckle gets there first.

This was a hilarious, tense and heartwarming read all rolled into one. I loved Lamb’s characterisation and really enjoyed the story of River and Mona and their quest to thwart the not so bright, yet dastardly Dashbuckle.

One of the things I really enjoyed about Lamb’s book was her atmospheric settings that created the right amount of spookiness and magic to make this book that little more enthralling.

At times funny, at times sad this was a great read that I know many children and adults will enjoy.

I was intrigued by this very, beautifully illustrated cover and I love a whimsical, spooky middle-grade story. So, I went into this little tale expecting a quick but enjoyable ride.

River loves mooncatching in the village pond but one night, he wakes the ghost of Mona Brightly, who is searching for her lost treasure. Can River and Mona find it before some wicked pirate ghosts do?

I loved the little poetic introductions to the chapters, complete with their atmospheric illustrations. They added to the traditional children’s storytelling vibe of the book, which was very effective at transporting me straight to the setting. These interludes were occasionally quite philosophical too, which fits with the fable-like tone and I really enjoyed that.

Mona is a local legend and her spirit is said to haunt the village. She is a very typical, tragic, female ghost who is cursed to walk the world of the living in search of her treasure, never to be reunited with her lover. I think I just wanted her story to be a bit more well-developed. Although I felt some sympathy with her, I think she could have had a lot more depth because as it is, she serves as a kind of comedic side character with a regional accent and a kind heart but very little else.

Somehow, River acquires a little friend in the form of a small toy badger called Boot. I really can’t remember how Boot appeared or why he seemed to be a sentient toy badger but although I liked the idea of him, I questioned what purpose he served. It was never really explained as to why a small, pocket-sized badger appeared to have a past as a larger creature or what had happened to him. The writing was very random, which is acceptable to a degree with magical children’s stories, but nowhere near enough was explained in plain terms for me to grasp a true understanding of what was going on.

I could see what the author was trying to do with this brand of comedy fantasy. However, I don’t think the execution quite worked for me. I was too busy trying to figure out the story and what was actually happening to pick up on the funny lines. Some parts of the book just didn’t have a great flow and in places, the paragraphs appeared to be random pieces of information. Some better editing could have cleared this up or maybe I’m just a little too dumb to pick up the plot!

The Mooncatcher’s Rescue has some great ideas and I really enjoyed some of the more lyrical, whimsical parts of it. I would have loved some better developed characters and world-building to really draw me into the story but I’m sure some fans of classic children’s fantasy will enjoy it. Think Wind in the Willows but with spirits and pirates!

A really cute children's book. I loved how some of the characters spoke. Mona in particular has such a charming way of saying things, like Roarer Borin' Alice instead of aurora borealis. It was hard to tell the age of the characters, they seemed so young but also to do a lot of things on their own.
I found the poems really strange though, I felt like most were just nonsensical on purpose and didn't really have anything to do with the story.

Okay, so this book. I’m not a fan. I’ve just finished the book, way later than I intended, as I couldn’t get through it. At first I was intrigued, however very quickly it became slow and very predictable and boring. I can hear you say it… It’s a children’s book! but honestly apart from there being pirates and ghosts, it isn’t very memorable, to a point where I don’t even know what to say more, as anything I will say will bring the book down more and I don’t think it is very fair, as it was clearly not my type of book.

A fun book about friendship, kindness, ghosts, pirates and monsters
I liked that although the adventure was the central storyline to this book, there was a wonderful story of friendship. How even a new friendship can be deep and meaningful, and that helping someone can be the kindest thing you can do.
It wasn't the longest story or the most complex, but it was enjoyable and perfect for younger kids looking for a fun story. I'd say aged 7-10, depending on reading level

I received an ARC of the book from the publisher, via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Despite featuring ghosts and pirates, this was an utterly forgettable read.