Enter the World of Britfield: Adventure, Intrigue, Conspiracy, Mystery, and Suspense!Tom has spent the majority of his life locked behind the cruel walls of Weatherly Orphanage, but when he learns that his parents might actually be alive, Tom is determined to find them. Together, with his best friend Sarah and armed with only the word “Britfield” as a clue to Tom’s mysterious past, the two make a … clue to Tom’s mysterious past, the two make a daring escape. Now, they are on the run from a famous Scotland Yard detective and what appears to be half of the police officers in England! The hunt is on, but will Tom and Sarah be able to evade capture long enough to solve an even bigger conspiracy that could tear apart the country?
Multiple Award-WinningBritfield and the Lost Crownby C.R. Stewart, is the first book in a thrilling seven-part series based on family, friendship, loyalty, and courage that is written for pre-teens, Y/A, and readers of all ages. Britfield and its heroes, Tom and Sarah, take readers on an epic adventure as they travel across England. With its stimulating language and stunning historical and geographical asides, Britfield engages the reader from the very first pages and doesn’t let go until it reaches its exciting conclusion!
“Such a thrilling book filled with so much awesome history about England, crazy mysteries, and truly amazing characters. It had me hooked every second of reading it! I can’t wait for the sequel.” – Hannah, Kids’ BookBuzz – 5 Stars!
Accelerated Reader level: 5.6
Parents’ Choice Gold Medal Award
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I recently finished reading Britfield and the Lost Crown by C.R. Stewart to my youngest child, Amanda (age 11). The story begins with Tom and Sarah trapped in an orphanage where the children are exploited and deprived of an education and proper nourishment. Sarah remembers life before being an orphan, but Tom has spent most of his life as one and doesn’t really remember much else. He only has one clue about his past and that is the name Britfield. While Tom and Sarah are on the run across England, they see neat places and meet interesting people. Their adventure takes them to London, but it doesn’t end there!
Amanda says that the story gets more exciting once Tom and Sara escape the orphanage. She really liked the twist at the end. She thinks that it will make a great movie! I agree with her on all points. I also liked reading about the historical sites.
Things that could have been better: the orphanage scene was exaggerated and slow going, and sometimes there were too many words or a strange choice of words were used to describe how they said things.
Amanda and I received a Kindle copy of this book. This is our honest and voluntary review.
Fantastic amazing and full of fun! I can not say enough about this story! This is a very enjoyable adventure with Tom and Sarah.
In an orphanage being treated terrible, Tom discovers his parents could be alive. So with the help of the other kids in the orphanage they escape trying to get to London. Along the way they find help from the kindness of strangers.
Will they get to London? Will they find out if Toms parents are alive?
I won this book from an authors goodreads giveaway. The thoughts and opinions are my own!
Our Thoughts
We love this book! Obviously, you’ve already guessed that. We probably wouldn’t keep saying it’s a new recommended reading if we didn’t even like the book!
I have had seven children ages 8 through 14 who read this book on their own during our review period. They ALL loved it! That’s saying something given the age range and that these are both boys and girls with lots of varying interests. Now I can’t wait to start it as a read-aloud because I’m excited to read it too.
Some of the things that are being said by my children about this book:
Can you get book two NOW?!
We need to know what happens next!
This is such a good book.
Can’t come outside to play I’m reading.
Can I bring this book with me?
Could we go to England?
Trust me when I say the questions they ask are amazing and I love how much they’re learning from reading the book. They’ve all been spellbound and read this book rather quickly. It is long but they devoured it at a fast pace. This can only be said for the truly good books.
The cover is very nicely done and really draws you in. This would be a book I’d pick up to read the back cover of because it is eye-catching and makes you want to find out what the book is about.
We definitely recommend this book and think you’ll love it! The main character is 12 so that gives you a nice guess to what age it will appeal to. I would say roughly ages 8- adult would be the appropriate age range for the book. That being said my six and three-year-olds will listen to this as a read-aloud and I’m sure they’re going to love it!
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from The Homeschool Review Crew. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
Mighty Adventure All Over England
Audiobook Review:
This was a delightfully fun audiobook. Our intrepid hero and his friends have been living in a wretched orphanage for some time. While the story takes place in the present, the orphanage is Dickensian in its horrors. The children are just numbers who have to labor all day making furniture for the greedy orphanage owners. They are fed only enough to keep them alive and are punished for the smallest of infractions, often with solitary confinement in one of the many attic rooms. The children dream of escape, and one night two of them do, even though the odds are against them. Then the grand adventure begins. The book then becomes a chase drama, and the fun really starts when the children manage to commandeer a hot air balloon. It takes them all over different parts of England before the gas runs out. But still the adventure continues. I think my favorite point was when they were at Oxford, and the author slips in a Pride and Prejudice reference! As a P&P fan myself, I loved that. The scenes at the orphanage before the great escape showed the wonderful solidarity of the children and the care they had for each other. Most of this book is just a story of escape and the big adventures the two principal characters have after it. Sometimes the children use their wits to get out of a bad situation while, at other times, a solution just seems to appear. This book touches on several themes, including friendship, ingenuity, and standing up for yourself, amongst others. I like the narrator in places, though I didn’t think he did the little girls’ voices very well. This is such a fun adventure story that this book would be a delight if played in the car during a family trip, as both the adults and the kids would appreciate the story.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Britfield and the Lost Crown
Author: C R Stewart
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 22
Stats
Editing: 10/10
Writing Style: 10/10
Content: 10/10
Cover: 10/10
Of the 22 readers:
22 would read another book by this author.
22 thought the cover was good or excellent.
22 felt it was easy to follow.
22 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 16 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
22 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
22 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘The two boys in my class who read this book thoroughly enjoyed it. They thought it was exciting with lots of twists they didn’t see coming.’ Primary Teacher, aged 34
‘I loved the daring escape at the beginning. Then it got even better. So much happens and there’s so much mystery. The two characters were fun to follow.’ Boy, aged 10
‘Tom and Sarah work well together. There is good chemistry there. I loved how they battled all the way through the book overcoming danger and solving problems.’ Girl, aged 12 – with a little help from her teacher
‘A fun way to learn all about Britain. What a wonderful adventure the two kids have. Fun, exciting, and packed full of suspense, this is children’s writing at its very best.’ Parent of twins, aged 11
‘I really want to read the next book. When will it be out?’ Girl, aged 11
To Sum It Up:
‘Packed full of adventure, mystery and suspense; a dream of a book for any 9-12 year old. A BRONZE MEDAL WINNER and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Britfield and The Lost Crown
Britfield #1
By C.R. Stewart
All Tom remembers is life in an orphanage and he has been in Weatherly since he was 6 years old. And Weatherly is the worst of the worst. And the Grievouses are living in luxury off the labor and deplorable conditions in which they are keeping their 56 orphans.
Everyone living within the walls of Weatherly dreams of escape. But when Tom is threatened by the Grievouses and his best friend Sarah Wallace is locked away in one of the attics for 30 days of solitary the ultimate escape plan is put into action. Having just learned that his parents may not be dead Tom has a destination and with the help of his friends, he just might be able to achieve it.
But from the very beginning, the escape plan starts to go awry and escape is no longer certain. And when Tom learns that Detective Gowerstone has been tasked with bringing them in he knows that their chance of success has drastically dropped. Tom and Sarah refuse to be defeated and with a single clue as to his past, Tom is on his way.
And what does the scrap of paper that was slipped to him with the word “Britfield” on it have to do with him? Tom has no idea – is it a name, a place or something else entirely. The only thing he does know is that he doesn’t know who to trust but he and Sarah need some help if they hope to make it to London and disappear.
Britfield and The Lost Crown is a non-stop action-adventure that though has a contemporary setting has an almost classical feel to it. This is a perfect read for middle-grade readers and up. The characters come to life and the twists and turns will keep the reader turning the pages until the end. This is a not-to-be-missed series debut that will leave you in anticipation of book two. I highly recommend this book that at 386 pages is easy to get into the book.
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion – all thoughts expressed are my own.
Wasn’t sure about it at first…was pleasantly surprised!! It is a really nice story for preteen through adult.
This young adult novel has drama, action, and suspense. The adults who help Tom and Sarah appear in the nick of time, a little too conveniently at times. The ending leaves you wanting to learn more about Tom’s heritage.
I just loved this story from C.R. Stewart! It is a wonderful middle grade read that would also be fun to read allowed to younger children. This is the first book in what will be a seven-part series. I’m not sure I will be able to wait, but I’m so glad the next book will be released soon.
Tom and Sarah are orphans who live at a child slave labor facility that fronts itself as a government funded orphanage. The conditions are deplorable and the staff is even more dreadful. When Sarah is placed in solitary confinement for next to nothing, Tom knows it’s time to make a daring attempt to rescue her and escape. Little did they know, the conditions they begin facing outside of the orphanage are more terrifying than what they endured inside.
Tom and Sarah begin an epic adventure across England running from a legendary detective, staff from the orphanage, and a hired assassin! Along the way, they enjoy some historical spots across the country, meet new life-long friends, and discover the power of kindness.
This is a definite must read for any child in your life. An action packed adventure with a happy ending, you’ll be itching to read the next book (HURRY, PLEASE)!
I received an audio copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Great book for readers age 9 – 12 years!