Mold, whose most distinguished feature is his very large nose, works for
healer, Aggy. He must go on a journey and learn to be a hero when Aggy, who has
looked after him since he was abandoned as a baby, is arrested for poisoning
the king.
Aggy’s arrest leads straight into a page-turning adventure, the action
plunging Mold through city sewers and into wild swamps, into a world fraught
with unexpected dangers and some very nasty smells.
He ventures far from the world he knows, staying only one step ahead the
bad people after him, finding help in unexpected places. Despite everything
thrown at him, Mold never gives up, knowing only he can find a cure, stop the
king dying, and prove Aggie’s innocence.
Mold is a character easy to warm to, big-hearted, as much as he is
big-nosed. He makes increasingly good use of this most distinguishing feature,
discovering he can tell someone’s character from their scent.
This intelligent adventure has many subtle themes running through it – pleas
for tolerance and for celebrating difference rather than being afraid. Mold
discovers much during his adventure, not least that the king he admires has not
always behaved well to the people he rules. And about his own heritage and why
he was abandoned.
Debut author Lorraine Gregory admirably brings in these big themes into a
page-turning adventure. She also gets top marks for breaking a few rules (brave
for a debut author), particularly her use of dialect. Mold’s voice is not only
authentic and easy to understand, but it also pulls the young reader straight
into Mold’s colourful world.
‘Mold and the Poison Plot’ is a perfectly-pitched and captivating fantasy
adventure featuring the truly marvellous Mold and is a really very classy read
indeed.
One of my Books of 2017 - Nicki Thornton
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