Review by Robert, year 7, St Mary’s RC High School
I really liked the fact that it was set in different time periods like the early 21st century, early 20th century and in between.

My favourite characters were Jack and Hannah because of their plan to sneak downstairs and spy on Doctor Brooks and Ryley. The most interesting character I think was Sebastian because of his sudden illness after Mrs. Osmond showed to help look after and care for the Manor.

I think the plot was very thought-provoking because the book contains a lot of mystery and planning.

I would recommend to other pupils in a range of mystery to detective genre

Overall very good book 9/10 

Review by Samaira, Year 8, Shenley Brook End School
Beyond the Secret Lake is exciting book full of amazing twists and turns. It was written by Karen Inglis, a bestselling children’s author. This book is about children from 2014 who have time-travelled to make friends at Penworth Estate in 1913. Lord Cavendish, of Penworth estate has died, which means his 14-year-old son Sebastian inherits the whole estate. With mysteries everywhere, it’s up to the friends Tom, Jack, Stella, Emma, Hannah, Sophie and Lucy to find out who is threatening Sebastian’s life before it’s too late!

I liked the fact that this book shows us daily life in 1913, while taking us through a detective mystery. The mystery part really got me thinking and involved in what the book is about.  Another amazing thing is that it shows the style of talking and the language they used to interact with each other at time. The only thing I did not like was that it took a while before it fully got me interested. Overall, ‘Beyond the Secret Lake’ was an interesting read and I definitely recommend it to history lovers and mystery fans.