Dani and Bart are orphan twins who serve the bedridden King Corolius the Fifth and his son, the spoiled Prince Edward. When Edward’s father buys him a magnificent but huge and angry-looking horse, Prince Edward must prove himself by riding it. The prince, who barely feels comfortable enough on his current pony (‘It’s not a pony!’ he would say indignantly. ‘It’s a small horse!’) bullies Bart into riding Midnight for him. When Bart, disguised as the prince on the horse, is kidnapped, Dani makes it her mission – with the reluctant help of the sullen prince – to escape the castle grounds and find her brother.

As with all of James O’Loghlin’s books, The Twins of Tintarfell features a sarcastic, talking animal and as one of the characters can talk to animals we get more than the usual single dog or bear and it’s great! It’s also full of little asides to the reader and cartoonishly stupid bad guys, which make it a really fun book to read aloud. I love all of James O’Loghlin’s books, they’re perfect for young children who are ready to read or to be read full chapter books but who might find Roald Dahl and the like a little too scary. I had high expectations for The Twins of Tintarfell and I have not been let down!

Dani Solomon