The Thames and Tide Club: Squid Invasion

Author Katya Balen, illustrated by Rachael Dean
Narrator Salima Saxton
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing
Publish Date 1 February 2024
Run Time 1 hours and 36 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Children’s / Teenage fiction and true stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Action and adventure stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Crime and mystery fiction, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Fantasy, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Fish and marine life, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Queens, kings, princesses, princes etc, Children’s / Teenage: General interest.

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What to expect

Bloomsbury presents The Thames and Tide Club: Squid Invasion by Katya Balen, read by Salima Saxton.

The mudlarkers of the Thames and Tide Club are about to face Squidmageddon in a funny and fast-paced adventure for young treasure hunters.

When the director of the mudlarking museum goes on holiday for a week, he leaves three members of the Thames and Tide Club – Clem, Zara and Ash – in charge. They’re determined that nothing will go wrong on their watch, but they haven’t planned on an invasion of squid who will stop at nothing to take over the world …

Join the club and dig for treasure in the wildest adventure you could imagine!

Critics Review

Bursting with quirky characters and imaginative world-building elements, this is the start of a delightful young fiction series. Clem and her friends live in a friendly community, and the warmth of that group infuses the whole story. Short chapters and fun illustrations bring huge appeal for readers who are keen to dive into engaging but accessible stories

BookTrust on THE THAMES AND TIDE CLUB: THE SECRET CITY

Clem and the sparring twins Ash and Zara are part of a diverse group of mudlarkers who search the shores of the Thames for artefacts and rubbish, and frequent the mudlarking museum, a place of hot chocolate and mystery. Finding a strange object endangers both London and the river, and the three have to enter a fishily named underwater London (Codvent Garden but still Finsbury Park), and meet a self-important snail, menacing eels and a petulant porpoise to put things right. This is the first of a series by the Carnegie Medal-winner Balen. The fun is in the sometimes satirical tone, the lively detail in both text and illustrations, and unexpected phrases: 'A frankly terrifying china object, shaped like an evil kitten'; 'Tower Bridge swayed like a dandelion in the wind'

Sunday Times Children's Book of the Week on THE THAMES AND TIDE CLUB: THE SECRET CITY

Who doesnu2019t love a good fish pun? Or even a bad one, for that matter. In this brilliantly briny adventure story, Clem and her mudlarking pals are plunged into the secret world of underwater London u2026 This is Katya Balenu2019s first series for younger readers, following the success of her novels for older children, such as October, October, which won the Yoto Carnegie Medal last year. She is clearly delighting in the daftness of gangster eels and stroppy porpoises, but retains the sensitive style that is her trademark.
The action bobs along with the help of black and white illustrations and maps of this secret underwater city by Rachael Dean. Although there is an environmental message, it is never pushed too hard, less a dreary lecture and more a gentle undercurrent that bubbles beneath all the magic and mudlarking. There is much for young readers to enjoy. Dive in

The Times Children's Book of the Week on THAMES AND TIDE CLUB: THE SECRET CITY

Balen doesnu2019t shy away from difficult subjects and her books all embrace weighty themes within gently suspenseful plots. In The Thames and Tide Club, however, sheu2019s writing for younger readers (the recommended age is seven-plus), and the pace is notably brisker as the story plunges us straight into a highly imagined fantasy, much of which takes place underwater

The Telegraph

Balenu2019s writing also contains a simple poeticism: 'Everything looked very familiar. The shapes of the buildings were exactly like the ones above water u2026 but the more she looked, the more she could see signs that the city was falling apart. There is a gentle, but never overbearing, moral about protecting the environment; and the combination of short, suspenseful chapters and engaging illustrations by Rachael Dean make this a book that even less confident readers are likely to enjoy

Daily Telegraph Children's Book of the Week on THAMES AND TIDE CLUB: THE SECRET CITY

Balen launches a new series for slightly younger readers with this wildly imaginative romp set on the banks of the River Thames u2026 Packed with piscine puns and lovely descriptions, this is a watery wonder

Daily Mail on THAMES AND TIDE CLUB: THE SECRET CITY

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