Alfie Bloom: The Secrets of Hexbridge Castle

Alfie Bloom and his dad live in a cramped, damp, basement apartment. At school he is laughed at for his ill-fitting, second-hand clothes and bullied because of his dad's unusual career choice of unsuccessful inventor. So when he receives an elegant letter informing him of an inheritance he is a little confused, when he learns the inheritance is a castle he is blown off his feet! As incredible as his fortune is, it does come at a price and Alfie realises his life will never be the same again. While coming to grips with it all, strange disappearances are occurring in the surrounding countryside and Alfie is sure they are somehow connected to the castle. Determined, he and his friends set out to solve the mystery.

This book has a little of everything, time-travel, magic, mystery and an enigmatic butler! It is a satisfying story of good versus evil and little verses big that will resonate with young readers. The characters are affable and adventurous and the well-paced story-telling will keep you hooked to the end.