GOLD MEDAL Winning Authors Present
Another Rollicking Adventure
What begins as a fun summer turns wild and crazy when thirteen-year-old Brandon Woodberry and his best friends meet a salty old sea captain with ties to an unsolved 1930s jewelry heist. Determined to both crack the case and save the captain's tugboat before it's hauled off for scrap metal, Brandon & Co. follow their noses and a series of enticing clues.
But the heat is on after Brandon's pet crow, Ralph, turns up with a valuable missing ring, and the line between hero and villain gets murky. Can Brandon and his friends - both feathered and non - solve the cold case, clear their names, and rescue the tugboat before time and luck run out?
Join Brandon for another adventurous summertime romp as he searches for the truth and discovers a curious bond to the sea.
Don't forget to read THE BIRD CAPER and THE BIG DREAM in The Crow's Tales series. Laugh-out-loud mystery adventures to entertain young readers and adults, too!
THE BACKSTORY
The Crow's Ring was always going to be a mystery adventure, like the rest of the series. The Captain's tugboat, the Maryanne, is key to the story. It's based on Thorir's childhood in Iceland, where he'd go to the harbor and watch the ships his father sailed on. He especially loved the look and character of the tugboats.
Another interesting point is that in book two (The Big Dream), Brandon's pet crow, Ralph, finds a ring. The ring reappears and plays an important role in this story. Look at the ring on the book cover-it's a copy of the one Victoria's dad gave her many years ago when she was a young girl. The ring is meaningful to her since she didn't have her dad in her life growing up.
Near the end of the story, Brandon and Josh are served a beautiful Corn Flake Cake. This is a delicious cake with pineapple, whipped cream, and cornflakes. Thorir's Icelandic mother used to make this, and we both miss this tasty dessert. His sister, Ragnhildur, knows how to make the cake, but unfortunately, she lives far from us. We're hoping to try to bake it someday!
Is The Crow's Ring the last book in The Crow's Tales series, or is there more to come? We originally intended to write only one book, the 1st edition of The Big Dream, for our grandchildren, as a gift for them for the holidays. Little did we know we would fall in love with writing for middle-grade readers and with the fun, heartwarming characters we had created. It didn't take long to figure out there was more to young Brandon's story and his adventurous relationship with his pet crow, Ralph.
Instead of a series of loosely connected stories, we decided to focus on the characters' journey through middle school. This allowed us to show how our protagonist, Brandon, and his friends matured in their interests and relationships. In book one, The Bird Caper, Brandon is 10 years old. In book two, The Big Dream, he's 12. And in book three, The Crow's Ring, he's 13, turning 14. As the stories' characters - Brandon, Josh, Penny, Skip, and Sophie - age, their challenges become increasingly complicated and exciting. This approach to the series has opened the door to endless adventures and insights.
So, if you're wondering, "Will there be a book four, five, or even more?" The answer is mostly up to you, the fans!
Industry Reviews
The Wishing Shelf Book Awards EDITORIAL REVIEW
Star Rating: 5
"Another rollicking adventure from the talented writing duo, Pannell & Sigfusson. 9 - 12 year olds will LOVE it!'
I have enjoyed a number of books by Victoria E. Pannell and Thorir Sigfusson, and I always thoroughly enjoy them. And this middle grade novel, The Crow's Ring, is probably the best yet. It's the story of a group (I would say gang, but it's a scary word these days) of kids who get involved in an Enid Blyton-type adventure involving saving a run-down tug from being scrapped, solving an old robbery, and trying to keep up with the antics of the protagonist's pet crow, Ralph, who always seems to be in trouble!
There's so much for young, chapter book readers to enjoy here. The opening is strong with lots of suspense, the pacing is excellent, and there are plenty of red herrings to keep readers turning the page. But, for me, it's the characters which make it a wonderful read. Brandon is the MC, and he's highly likeable and fun to root for. I also love Penny, who's not to be messed with, and Josh, who I liked the most. He's a bit 'out there', but in a wonderfully unpredictable way. The other strong element of the story is the old tug, and how
the kids try to save it. I liked that; and I think young readers will like that part too.
I'd strongly recommend this book. It works as a standalone, although possibly you'll want to buy all three books in the set - The Bird Caper, The Big Dream, and The Crow's Ring. I can almost guarantee they'll love the unpredictability and suspense plus the comradeship and humour of the young characters. A 'Wishing Shelf' Book Review www.thewsa.co.uk
Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
5-stars
In The Crow's Ring by Pannell & Sigfusson, Brandon Woodberry and his friends are drawn into a long-buried mystery. Brandon realizes that a ruby ring, once dropped on his rooftop by his pet crow, matches jewelry reported stolen from a wealthy Riverside homeowner during a 1938 burglary. Their discovery begins aboard the condemned tugboat Maryanne, where Captain Hodges, a former police lieutenant determined to restore the vessel, finds archived files linked to the unsolved crime. As Brandon traces the connections between the homeowner's family, a missing jeweler with ties to New York, and a vehicle discovered near the river decades after it disappeared, the investigation expands beyond the marina. Guided by Detective Patricia Wilcox and driven by the crow's unpredictable movements, the youngsters pursue the evidence that suggests the truth behind the burglary has remained hidden in plain sight.
Pannell & Sigfusson's The Crow's Ring is a really fun middle-grade mystery set in Riverside. Readers follow Brandon and his friends as they work to solve the mystery, something many in the town haven't entirely stopped thinking about. Mrs. Thomas has been hurt the most, and she explains her family's loss in the calmest, most dignified way, treating the youngsters as part of something meaningful. I love it when they climb into a rain-soaked dumpster to rescue discarded police files. Brandon is the story's anchor, and he chooses truth over attention as the investigation widens, which is refreshing because not every young protagonist is that secure about letting the facts speak louder than their own ego. Sophie is another firm favorite, whip-smart and with buckets of analytical reasoning. Riverside itself comes to life, from the wooded clearing, where soil hides the remnants of the past, to the Wilson gazebo overlooking The Greens. Readers, young and young at heart, will enjoy the collaborative problem-solving of this investigation, where friendship is central to setting things right. Very highly recommended.
