This past June I reviewed THE ANGEL PLAYER, the 2nd book in Andrew Beattie’s Tales from the Middle Ages series. It is a real page turner with memorable characters. I was anxious to read the first story with THE SECRET IN THE TOWER and was not disappointed.
The time period is the same in Medieval London but this one is a separate plot. Twelve-year-old Jack Broom has lived with his aunt ever since he was born. He is being trained as an apothecary (one who prepares medicines and drugs). His aunt is often cruel to him with frequent whippings. He has no other choice than to keep helping her in the shop where she grows plants and creates remedies for those who are sick. His dream is to become a surgeon.
Jack seems destined for failure when soldiers mistake him for a boy with a noble past. He avoids being dragged to the Tower of London and gains a new friend in Alice. Jack’s goal now is to find out who he really is and gets involved in the politics of the time with conspiracies, treason, and power hungry men.
The third person narration guides readers to a thrilling conclusion set in the Tower of London. You feel like you are in the middle ages with the gripping plot. Yes, Jack finally learns about his past and readers will be guessing the entire way about his identity. There’s plenty of action and history. The author details what is truth and fiction in the plot with a detailed Historical Note in the final pages.
THE SECRET IN THE TOWER is best for middle grade readers who enjoy historical fiction. That audience includes us adults who can’t resist an adventurous story set in a time period that is rare in a middle grade book.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Beattie is a London-based author, editor and archivist. Whilst The Secret in the Tower marks his debut as a writer of children’s fiction, he has previously written a number of stage plays for children which have been performed by schools and youth theatre groups in England, the United States and Australia – including Arthur, Boy King of Britain, which tells the story of the boy Arthur, the magician Merlin, and the Sword in the Stone; Brief Lives, which won the Scottish Community Drama Association’s Award for new writing for youth theatre in 2002 and was later staged at the East 15 Acting School in Essex in a production directed by the actress Alison Steadman; and a stage adaptation of Mark Twain’s novel The Prince and the Pauper. He has also written a number of books on history, travel and the environment. (Author’s Website)
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Always in the Middle... 
Sounds good!