Book Review: Amanda in Ireland – The Body in the Bog by Darlene Foster (Amanda Travels Adventure Book 11) #childrensbooks #kidslit

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 Ireland.

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 Ireland

I was inspired to write the story set in Ireland upon visiting this wonderful country filled with intriguing history, legends, myths, and people.

What Amazon Says

Twelve-year-old Amanda Jane Ross is invited to be a bridesmaid for her cousin’s wedding in Ireland! She falls in love with the Emerald Isle the moment she lands in Dublin. The warm, friendly Irish people immediately make her feel at home. Towering castles, ancient graveyards, and the stunning green countryside are filled with fascinating legends, enthralling folktales, and alarming secrets.

Things take a dark turn when disaster strikes. Amanda wonders if there will be a wedding at all. As she joins the search for a missing horse, she stumbles upon a world of screaming banshees, bloody battles, and dangerous peat bogs. The closer she gets to the truth, the more dangerous things become. Will she become another body in the bog?

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My Review

5 Stars – an exciting adventure in the Emerald Isle

Amanda is an adventurous twelve-year-old who always manages to find a mystery to solve wherever she travels in the world. I’ve read several other books in this series for middle grade children, so I was looking forward to this one. There is no better way for children to be introduced to another country.

Amanda Ross travels to Ireland to be a junior bridesmaid at her cousin Taylor’s wedding. But the bride, Roisin, and her magnificent horse mysteriously disappear. Amanda begins to suspect that the best man, Jim, may have something to do with it. The Garda, the Irish police, suspect that it is a kidnapping.

As the story progresses, we encounter Irish history, culture, myths and legends. Famous sights include the boglands, where ancient bodies have been preserved, Dunmore Caves, and – my favourites – museums and castles. It brought back many happy memories of my own brief travels there.

Amanda is determined and confident as she faces danger and tries to solve the mystery in time for the wedding. There are plenty of clues but also red herrings that keep us turning the pages right to the very end. The events unfold quickly, and tensions rise. I’m sure this book is one of the best in the series, although I’ve loved all of them so far.

The engaging and uniquely Irish characters are conveyed with great skill, and the dialogue is natural and snappy.

The author is a master of writing page-turning novels for middle school age readers. Amanda in Ireland 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

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.