The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst

 Jaclyn Moriarty is one of the authors I admire most, so it was an enormous thrill to meet her in Sydney, and a gorgeous surprise to receive a copy of her short-listed book, The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst, in my goody-bag (yes, we all got goody bags AS WELL). I started reading it immediately and it is as thoroughly delightful as every other Jaclyn Moriarty book I have ever read.

Moriarty has a distinctive gift for combining sparkling, funny prose with deviously clever plotting -- I don't know how she keeps the threads straight, but she always manages to tie up multiple complex storylines and fiendish clues in a beautifully satisfying package by the last page. The Stolen Prince is a misleading title which has very little to do with the mysteries confronting Esther Mettlestone-Staranise when she returns to boarding school: Ogres, Shadow Mages, Spellbinders, the disappearance of her two best friends, the arrival of mysterious new girls who are not what they seem...

This engaging novel is enhanced with charming illustrations by Kelly Canby -- I wish more children's books these days were illustrated, the distinctive pictures in my childhood favourites have stuck with me for decades and it's a shame that modern kids are missing out. Not in this case, though!