The Lost Twin: A Scarlet and Ivy Mystery: Book 1

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The girls also have to find out more about their mother after they believe she covered her past self by using a fake name and finding out they have an aunt right by them in this town! A letter arrives for Ivy telling her she can take Scarlet’s place at the school. Little does Ivy know she will be not only taking Scarlet’s place, but becoming Scarlet herself! She has to pretend to be her sister. Pushy, loud, feisty and even rude! Confused and scared of the imposing Miss Fox who has demanded this of her, Ivy settles in to Scarlet’s old room at the school, and discovers part of a diary from Scarlet. Something’s not right about all this, and Scarlet’s words prove it. SC: I am definitely more like Ivy, I think. I am quite shy and bookish but have the occasional urge to have fun and go on adventures! But I have to say that Scarlet is my favorite twin to write as I sort of live vicariously through her. She isn’t afraid to stand up for herself and loves getting in all sorts of trouble. With everything that's going on in the world, I don't really feel like reading loads of heavy and hard books. I need something easier, something light hearted, something that sparks joy and reminds me that the world can also be a fun and adventurous place. Therefore, apart from some supernatural romantic comedies, I also really enjoy reading middle grade novels at the moment and especially if they're set at a boarding school and star a set of twins. Nostalgia!

Madame Zelda, the new ballet teacher, was someone I felt that was a suspect at first. I felt that she was the responsible one for everything that was happening... but no. I was totally wrong! In my opinion, the author was super clever, trying to make Madame Zelda seem super suspicious so no-one would think it was anyone else, even though Madame Zelda was innocent. With evil headmaster, Mr Bartholomew, safely out of the picture, life is looking up for Scarlet and Ivy. Newly veiled threats, a cryptic letter and secrets to uncover - Rookwood is in real danger this time... Both mysteries build in tension and wonder, revealing kidnapping, treachery, new family and memories. Rookwood’s reputation is crumbling around them, as girls leave in droves. Will the Ballet recital mend it? Or will it be the death of the twins? Scarlet and Ivy” is a series of young adult novels by American author Sophie Cleverly. The first novel of the series was “The Lost Twin” a highly popular and critically acclaimed novel that was such a success that it spawned an entire novel series that is still ongoing. Sophie Cleverly was born in 1989 in Bath, a small town in Maine. Growing up, she was very much interested in children’s literature and read the likes of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett who incidentally write both children and adult literature. Her “Scarlet and Ivy” series has been greatly inspired by “The Graveyard Book” and “Coraline” by Gaiman and “Tiffany Aching” by Pratchett. What she especially liked about these novels was that they were beautiful, sad, scary, and funny all at the same time. She was quite the reader and would visit the city library and borrow as many books as she could to read during the week. In addition to these, she would also take as many books as she could from the older classes bookshelves, as she had already read all the books in her class. It is not surprising that her novels have been compared to Nancy Drew as she absolutely loved to read the likes of The Famous Five, Nancy Drew, The Baby Sitters Club and Goosebumps. Of these series she collected and read nearly every title. Aside from detective fiction she also read a lot of mystery novels which made her believe that she wanted to become a mystery author when she grew up.

SC: There were so many that were really fun to write—particularly the school trip scenes in The Lights Under The Lake and the Halloween ones in The Curse in the Candlelight. But I think my favorite was the letter that the twins find from their mother. I really felt as if she were writing through me—and I cried a lot! It’s a brand-new term for Scarlet and Ivy, and the girls are intrigued by a fascinating new girl, Ebony. She’s as enchanting as she is mysterious, and she’s began to gather quite the following – in fact, most of the younger girls appear to be under her spell. A creepy boarding school at midnight. A secret diary. A terrifying teacher. A spine-tingling mystery must be solved.

There are only three US covers for Scarlet and Ivy due to Sourcebooks no longer wishing to print the rest of the series. [1] When a Rookwood Ballet Recital is announced, Scarlet is beside herself with excitement. The Ballet Snow White is to be held in town and Scarlet is determined to get the lead role of Princess Aurora. Ivy and Scarlet aren’t so sure. There might be more to Ebony than meets the eye, but surely she’s not dangerous? But if it’s not Ebony, then who or what is to blame? This is the third book in the series and I quite enjoyed what the author did with this book. It kinda felt like she wrapped up the trilogy. The first book had a loose end, the second book had a few loose ends and this book is working through those loose ends carefully and wraps them up very nicely. Of course, it's all not very surprising. And if you start this book thinking it's a whodunnit you will end up disappointed, but as a boarding school adventure it works perfectly fine. Can Ivy solve the mystery before Miss Fox suspects? Or before an even greater danger presents itself?The setting of an English all-girls boarding school also allows for a wide range of female voices to be heard. In fact, across the whole series, the number of male characters with speaking parts can almost be counted on one hand compared with the dozens of female characters—I’m pretty sure the series would actually fail a reverse Bechdel Test until the final installment. When the girls get the chance to audition for a theatre show of ballet Sleeping Beauty, the girls are excited but Scarlet more so as she wants the main role of Aurora so starts getting secret lessons after class with Miss Finch to improve. So when her teacher disappears mysteriously, a new teacher, Madame Zelda, shows up randomly and something seems off, just where is Miss Finch? Different covers were made for the UK releases due to people mistaking Scarlet and Ivy as a fantasy series rather than a mystery one. [2] SC: I really love the twins’ best friend Ariadne. She is so enjoyable to write as she’s very clever and funny, whilst at the same time being terribly “uncool.” I wanted to write someone that the twins might write off as annoying or weird, only to discover that once you get to know her she is fantastic—brave and fun and a wonderfully loyal friend. I would love to have a friend like her and I would strive to be the same way myself! The Scarlet and Ivy series starts with the mysterious and unexpected disappearance of the vivacious Scarlet. As Ivy finds entries from her sister’s diary hidden around the school, she tries to piece together what happened to Scarlet, before the horrid Miss Fox hides the truth once and for all.