Whilst it is a fairly simple mystery, this is a children's book after all, it's still one that will keep younger readers interested. And because the mystery isn't the most important part of the book, it doesn't really matter if some of the readers figure it out early on. The real heart of the book, instead, is the relationship that forms between Grace and Tom, the young boy found living in the ruined island castle. Hardy does a good job of building something between the two children, and leading you to come to the conclusions that Grace does; as well as decisions that will lead to a lovely resolution. Very soon the two of them start to believe that the crimes could be connected, thanks to several witnesses having reported seeing a puffin in the area, and a strange feather being found at one of the crime scenes. But how can puffins be involved? Staking out a likely target, Grace and Watson see a puffin breaking into a shop and making off with a loaf of bread. Following the bird through a strange portal the two of them find themselves on a remote island with a tumbling castle.

Watson is one of the best characters in the book, but what draws you in is the steampunk setting and the other villages that don't seem to be as technologically advanced as them. Where Grace has gone has a secret the townsfolk want to keep to themselves. Interest Age 8+ Reading Age 8 | Shortlisted for the Books for Younger Readers category, Children's Book Awards 2022 Grace’s family have an important job. Grace, her mum and big brother Bren are Wardens of the GriffinThe Griffin Gate Book Review Cover Map. Grace’s grandmother invented the map which lies on a huge table showing all the towns and villages of Moreland.This novella-length and illustrated story focused on the Griffin family, who use a series of magical maps and gates to fight crime all over their kingdom. The youngest family member, Grace, is not allowed to go on missions until she turns fifteen and instead must spend her time either in simulations or hearing the praise her older brother, Bren, receives for his crime-fighting contributions. Now she has proven herself to attend the smaller crimes, she finds herself with a puzzling problem that leads to a castle ruin. Intriguing read and perfect for reluctant readers. In The Griffin Gate, Grace Griffin and her family who are wardens who use a Teleportation map to get to the scene of a crime in an instant. The Griffin's have been wardens for generations, but it's Grace who feels invisible as she can't go on missions yet, even though her brother can, and she thinks she is a better fighter than him during their training sessions. A small town claims a monster has been terrorising them. Grace investigates, keen to finally prove herself. All is not how it seems however and Grace stumbles across a plot not only to undermine her entire family as Wardens but to steal the Griffin Map too. The mystery of The Puffin Portal is a fun series of crimes that on the surface seem unconnected, but thanks to some clues laid out by Hardy, and some inventive investigation by Grace, the answers soon start to unfold; allowing the younger readers the opportunity to try and figure things out before everything is revealed.

The Puffin Portal is not only a good follow up to The Griffin Gate, but a good book in its own right. It is able to introduce readers to this interesting new world and the characters that inhabit it, whilst also expanding on what came before for those that have already experienced the first book. It also comes with some wonderful illustrations by Natalie Smillie that really helps to bring it all alive. This is Vashti's first Barrington Stoke title and the good news is its part of a series with The Puffin Portal coming soon.A mystery, small crimes, portals and puffins, The Puffin Portal is another in this illustrated series about The Griffin family and their amazing map. Grace has been keen to get in on the action, but has been too young to be a qualified warden. I read this book as an adult and will certainly be recommending it to students in our school library. Although it has been edited to a reading age of 8 I feel that the story itself would be more suited to children of around that age and that older students with a younger reading ability might like the story but find it a little on the young side for them. The story begins by introducing readers to Grace, the youngest member of the Griffin family. Following the invention of a series of portals by her great grandmother that allow people to instantly teleport across the country of Moreland, her family have been acting as guardians for its people. Whenever there's trouble, or people need help, they can ask the Wardens, the members of the Griffin family, to help them.

The book also feels more intricate, with more components working together to create the mystery. It feels a bit like Vashti Hardy was more confident with the format when writing this book so was able to spin more clues and more red-herrings into the book. (A pretty impressive feat for the size of it!) This was such a great sci-fi, mystery read (I've tagged it as sci-fi because it's set in the future and has lots of mechanical devices which have been invented rather than the characters using magic to aid them but it could also fall into the category of fantasy). Although Grace has yet to complete her warden training there comes a moment in which she must answer a distress call alone. In doing so though, she puts not only herself at risk but her whole family.In THE PUFFIN PORTAL, Grace is now a fully qualified warden and is investigating a spate of thefts across the world of Moreland. Except they're particularly baffling thefts as it's only small, almost valueless items being taken, and it seems like a bird is responsible! An age-old story of a younger sibling trying to prove herself, with an ingenious fantasy twist. The setting is a place of mechanical animals, inventive gadgets, and portals. A touch of Steampunk!