Feather by M.G. Leonard

Feather is the fourth adventure in the series about a group of bird loving friends who use their problem-solving skills to unravel mysteries and solve crimes. The previous books – Twitch, Spark, and Clutch introduced the main characters, but I think each book can be read as a standalone. 

As the title suggests, a black feather is found at the scene of their latest crime.  Ava is on a school trip to a museum when a large number of rare Bird of Paradise skins are stolen from a special room in the museum. When the police won’t listen to her theories about the case she turns to her friends, the Twitchers, to help solve the crime and return the feathers before they are sold to designers or collectors on the black market.  Ava meets a young girl nearby and it seems the girl and her pet Raven are somehow involved, but Ava is not sure how and must tread carefully as the nasty gang of criminals the girl is connected to will put the Twitchers in more danger than they first realise.

The story is a fast-paced page turner with great details that show how the group work together to piece together the clues they find, work as a team to solve the mysteries to bring the criminals to justice.  The characters in the Twitchers - Ava, Tara, Twitch, Jack, Terry, Ozura and Tippi are passionate about the natural environment and birds, and all are incredibly kind-hearted and empathetic to the people they encounter in their search for the truth. It is the perfect ending to a fantastic adventure series for children 9 and older.

Themes: Birds, Museums, Theft, Crime investigation.

Gabrielle Anderson