Welcome to the Maudlin Towers (School for the Not Particularly Bright Sons of the Not Especially Wealthy) blog tour.  Step inside the pages of this gloom-laden, gargoyle-infested tome to learn about the bumbling, blubbering inhabitants of this historical (hysterical?) school.

Best friends Mildew and Sponge are not the biggest fans of Maudlin Towers.  They loathe the mandatory ‘jogs’ with the beastly Mr Stupendo and live in fear of the insane Reverend Brimstone.  Nothing particularly interesting ever happens until one day a spate of terrible crimes befalls the school and the precious School Spoon is stolen!  Keen to get to the bottom of the heinous crime and perturbed by ghostly wailings, Mildew and Sponge set out to crack the case, restore the School Spoon and save the Christmas holidays for everyone!

However, the sighting of a Viking in the ha-ha and the discovery of their history teacher’s time machine complicate matters further than they ever imagined.  A complication which takes a turn for the bizarre when an ancient Viking tribe seem to think Mildew is a werewolf.

I really enjoyed the dry, self-depreciating humour in this cracking read.  The slightly stiff and formal way the characters had of talking was a stark contrast to the mind-boggling madcap events occurring at the Maudlin Towers, which just makes it all the funnier.

Mildew and Sponge’s amateurish sleuthing led to some rather unexpected outcomes; just when you thought they were about to solve it something (or someone) else popped up to complicate issues.  It was very satisfying to follow the pair’s adventures and watch the clues slowly click into place, solving the mystery.  I also loved the gothic style of the illustrations scattered throughout the book; they added an extra layer of wit and understanding.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this time-travelling, werewolf-laced adventure to any reader aged 8+

Chris Priestly

Chris has worked as an illustrator and cartoonist for twenty years before becoming a writer.  He has had several book published, with ‘Curse of the Werewolf Boy’ being the first in the Maudlin Towers series.

Library Girl.

*Many thanks to Bloomsbury for inviting me to take part in this blog tour*