Welcome to my latest book review. I was delighted to hear that Darlene Foster had written another exciting adventure in the Amanda Travels series – and this time it is set in Scotland, one of my favourite countries.

The Amanda Travels series is ideal for children aged about 8 – 12 years. If you’re looking for an exciting children’s adventure series set in fascinating places around the world, then this would be perfect.

What Darlene Foster says about Amanda in Scotland

I am always on the lookout for an ideal location for an Amanda adventure. I was invited to a small writer’s retreat held on the Isle of Arran and fell in love with the place. I immediately knew Amanda would have a wonderful adventure there. I subsequently returned to the island and did more research. It truly is a magical place. Often called mini Scotland, it has everything the mainland has. I hope I have done the island proud.

Thanks for featuring Amanda in Scotland: The Standing Stones on your blog, Toni.

What Amazon Says

What could possibly go wrong on the magical Scottish Isle of Arran? It’s such a peaceful, charming place with castles, mountains, old graves and ancient standing stones.

Amanda Ross and Leah Anderson are visiting Aunt Jenny who owns an old house on the island. But something is not right. A mysterious woman, who seems to have stepped out of the past, keeps appearing, Leah’s father hasn’t contacted the family for some time, and Aunt Jenny’s house may have an uninvited guest.

Amanda is intrigued by this picturesque island, often called Little Scotland. She watches exciting sheepdog trials, attends a lively ceilidh, makes friends with the locals, and visits the mystical Holy Island. Join Amanda as she tries to solve the mystery of the strange woman and the disappearance of Leah’s father. Will the past catch up with the present?

Be sure to read all the books in this exciting Amanda Travels series!
1. Amanda in Arabia: The Perfume Flask
2. Amanda in Spain: The Girl in the Painting
3. Amanda in England: The Missing Novel
4. Amanda in Alberta: The Writing on the Stone
5. Amanda on the Danube: The Sounds of Music
6. Amanda in New Mexico: Ghosts in the Wind
7. Amanda in Holland: Missing in Action
8. Amanda in Malta: The Sleeping Lady
9. Amanda in France: Fire in the Cathedral

Available at all Amazon outlets including: Amazon US

My Review

5 stars – an exciting mystery set in Scotland

This is the tenth book in the Amanda Travels series. It’s an exciting series for middle grade children about an adventurous girl who travels to different parts of the world and always manages to run into trouble and have at least one mystery to solve. This is a great way for middle grade children to learn about another country and delve into history. In this book, Amanda visits her friend Leah and Leah’s Aunt Jenny on the beautiful island of Arran in Scotland.

Soon Amanda stumbles on two mysteries. Who is the mysterious Morag, who makes an unexpected appearance in period costume? And what has happened to Leah’s father, who seems to have disappeared and keeps sending strange messages? Tension builds as the girls encounter standing stones, an old castle, and myths and legends that all add enchantment and atmosphere along the way. They even learn about sheepdog trials.

It was educational to travel with the girls and learn so much about the very unique customs and history of Scotland. I found it brought back some of my own travel memories of a recent trip to one of my favourite countries.

The author is a master of writing page-turning novels for middle school age readers, and the characters and dialogue are very snappy and engaging. Amanda in Scotland is another winner in the series, and I give it a resounding five stars.

About Darlene Foster

Growing up on a ranch near Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, Darlene Foster dreamt of writing, traveling the world, and meeting interesting people. She also believed in making her dreams come true. It’s no surprise she’s now the award-winning author of Amanda Travels, a children’s adventure series featuring a spunky twelve-year-old who loves to travel to unique places. Readers of all ages enjoy following Amanda as she unravels one mystery after another. When not traveling herself, Darlene divides her time between the west coast of Canada and the Costa Blanca, Spain with her husband and entertaining rescue dogs, Dot and Lia.

Darlene Foster’s other books

You can find Darlene Foster here:

Amazon Author Page

Website   

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Thank you for stopping by. My name is Toni Pike, a multi-genre author who loves writing thrillers for adults, non-fiction, and hilarious books for children.

I’m the author of LINDA’S MIDLIFE CRISIS, DESOLATION BLUFF, DEAD DRY HEART and The Jotham Fletcher Mystery Thriller Series: THE MAGUS COVENANT, THE ROCK OF MAGUS, THE MAGUS EPIPHANY and HOLY SPEAR OF MAGUS.

The Brody Cody Series is for children aged 6-9: BRODY CODY AND THE STEPMOTHER FROM OUTER SPACE and BRODY CODY AND THE HAUNTED VACATION HOUSE.

I’m also the author of two non-fiction books. THE ONE WAY DIET is a no-nonsense guide to losing weight and HAPPY TRAVELS 101 is a short book of travel tips.

All my books can be found HERE.

You can find me online here:

Website: tonipike.com

Amazon author page: Toni Pike

Instagram: @authorlovestravel  – Sharing my travel photos from around the world

Facebook: Toni Pike – Author

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Twitter:  @piketoni1

Linkedin Toni Pike – Linkedin

Email: authortoni.pike@gmail.com

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