The Wonder Girls - The Wonder Girls, #1

"The Wonder Girls is a fast-paced, full-hearted, total romp of an adventure ..." Unlikely friends, despicable villains, and deadly peril - can a renegade gang stop the Blackshirts sending orphans to Hitler? THE WONDER GIRLS is a kick-ass historical adventure with kindness, inclusion and hope at its heart - Enid Blyton with oomph and diversity! Perfect for readers of Emma Carroll or Robin Stevens. ENGLAND 1936 and the Blackshirts are marching.
Londoners are on the streets resisting them. In the chaos, a terrified, golden-haired girl pulls street-thief Baby from certain death. But Blackshirts overpower them and seize the girl. Baby tracks the Blackshirts to the coast where she finds a railway carriage hidden in brambles, a gang of renegade girls and thirteen-year-old Ida, trying to protect her golden-haired little sister ... Some Blogger Reviews... "The Wonder Girls is a fast-paced, full-hearted, total romp of an adventure ...
The story starts with Baby being saved from the crush of a Blackshirts' march by a golden-haired angel of a girl, who promptly gets kidnapped by sinister grown-ups in a fancy car. Baby, fiercely loyal and warm-hearted, determines to save her Goldilocks girl; she and Fingers set off from London to the south coast town of Nettlefield, in hot pursuit of Baby's saviour. Meanwhile, Ida is trying to come to terms with the fact her Mum is soon to die, while also worried sick about losing her little sister Bonnie to the terrifying and mysterious Nettlefield Grange Orphanage, run by Mrs Bullar.
Alone, neither Baby nor Ida are equipped to deal with the reality of what's going on in the orphanage. Together with the help of a cast of marvellously colourful characters, they might just stand a chance... Any child who loves stories of adventure, chutzpah and heart will rattle through this book and be desperate for more. In short, The Wonder Girls is a real winner of a book."Georgina Lippiet 'This story is full of heart racing moments, incredible bravery and girlpower in the face of fascism...
I was gripped from the first chapter and my heart was pounding, notdaring to turn the page at some points but always feeling that Iwanted more. It is a fabulous story and I have high hopes for it in thisgolden age of Children's fiction. Erin Lyn Hamilton ... it is the focus on family, friendship and loyalty that makes a lasting impression. Throughout the interwoven story lines of Baby, Fingers and and Sophie at the start and following Ida Barnes next, the whole tale is fundamentally warmhearted.
There is peril, and girl power, and fascist louts - but the core is both humane and full of hope. K. M Lockwood