The Hunt for the Seventh by Christine Morton-Shaw

The Hunt for the Seventh
Christine Morton-Shaw
Katherine Tegen (2008)
ISBN 9780060728229
Reviewed by Austin McCredie (age 13) for Reader Views (8/08)

When Jim moves to Minerva Estate he immediately feels out of place. He feels like he’s always being watched, by something he can’t see or feel. Only hear. He meets children, long dead of the Minerva line, telling him to “Find the Seventh!”

Jim only wishes he could. The children of Minerva leave him clues, telling him what to do and where to go, only as long as he sees each child’s death. He learns of an ancient prophecy, saying that on the Summer Solstice, the Pagan gods must be appeased with a child of the Minerva line or the village of Sevenstone will die.

Christine Morton-Shaw writes fabulously. She draws you in and won’t let you go, not until you finish the book. The details were astounding. I always had a clear image in my head. A few errors were made, but they were barely noticeable.

I think Ms. Morton-Shaw wanted to teach people about how you can finish what you start, no matter how big it seems. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you can do, as long as you do it. Quite often, Jim wants to quit and give up, but he finds the strength to finish what has been tasked.

I feel that Ms. Morton-Shaw makes a good point. We all want to quit at times and give up. Just leave it alone. But when you’re the only one that can see the ghosts, when the prophecy was made for you, and you’re the one who knows what to do, only you can do it. You can’t give up.

“The Hunt for the Seventh” is a ghost tale, a fantasy story and a murder mystery. If you love any of those or just one of those, you’ll find it in “The Hunt for the Seventh.” It is a child’s book made for children, not young or old, but just children; we could all learn something from it.

I really enjoyed “The Hunt for the Seventh” by Christine Morton-Shaw.   It was a well-written, interesting book, something I’ve never come across before — combining the ancient Pagan ways with a murder mystery of the present and twist of fantasy to finish it.