The Crooked Sixpence

The Uncommoners, Book 1

By: Jennifer Bell

Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle

Anyone with a Hogwarts-shaped hole in their lives can't miss this fantasy series opener. Dive into a secret underground city below London where ordinary objects are capable of extraordinary magic!

"Part Tim Burton, part J.K. Rowling! A terrific debut." (Soman Chainani, New York Times best-selling author of the School for Good and Evil series)

Welcome to a world where nothing is quite as it seems....

When their grandmother Sylvie is rushed to the hospital, Ivy Sparrow and her annoying big brother Seb cannot imagine what adventure lies in store. Soon their house is ransacked by unknown intruders, and a very strange policeman turns up on the scene, determined to apprehend them with a toilet brush.

Ivy and Seb make their escape only to find themselves in a completely uncommon world, a secret underground city called Lundinor where ordinary objects have amazing powers. There are belts that enable the wearer to fly, yo-yos that turn into weapons, buttons with healing properties, and other enchanted objects capable of very unusual feats.

But the forces of evil are closing in fast, and when Ivy and Seb learn that their family is connected to one of the greatest uncommon treasures of all time, they must race to unearth the treasure and get to the bottom of a family secret before it's too late.

Debut novelist Jennifer Bell delivers a world of wonder and whimsy in the start of a richly uncommon series.

"An auspicious trilogy opener." (Kirkus Reviews)

©2017 Jennifer Bell (P)2017 Listening Library

Critic reviews

2018, Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Master List, Nominated

great story!

I will listen to any book that Jayne Entwistle reads. I love her voice and how animated she can get. very good story with lots of twists and turns

Great book

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book with my 9 year old daughter. We can't wait to start the next one!

Fun story

We loved this book, it was fun and a great little story in it’s own right.

Fun storyline

I really enjoyed this book. It is a plot that I have no heard yet and used creative and relatable twists and turns to make me guessing. It is a book that I now have in my fifth grade classroom library and have watched students truly enjoy reading it!

intrigue and mystery topped with whimsical fantasy

A delightful tale of uncommon family secrets, dark forces, and a world full of fantasy.

Innovative and entertaining

I hesitated about getting this one because of the claims of it being a knock off Harry Potter. I am glad I ignored it and was delighted by the story. In some ways, it is more like Coraline, in that there is a hidden world.

This was a fun story and I will be reading the next one soon. Enjoy!

Wonderful new series

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and adored the characters. The narrator, Ms. Entwistle is one of my favorites and always does an outstanding job. I look forward to the next in the series and hopefully many more.

Enjoyable listen. Perfect for young readers.

Interesting story. Just enough scary. Just enough fun. Perfect for young readers and an enjoyable listen.

Fun adventure

Interesting magical story. It keeps your attention too. If you like the Bookwanderer series you should enjoy this book too.

Loved it - Entwistle is the perfect narrator

The audiobook is read by Jayne Entwhistle and she's such a delight.

Before reading, I read some very ranty reviews comparing this book to Harry Potter and shouting about knock offs and stolen ideas, and y'all, I am just not seeing it. As I listened, I tried hard to pay attention to any Potteresque similarities, and I just couldn't find any. This isn't a magic school story and the world felt very original and inventive to me!

In this story, there is a secret part of London called Lundinor. It's underground and it's a giant, hidden market where magical people come together to negotiate various trades. There are very funny "uncommon" uses of every day objects: toilet brushes (the police force carry them!), bells (they can talk!), black feathers (they write messages in the air), candles (can make you invisible), and suitcases (climb into and emerge in a far away place). The idea behind "uncommoners" (magical people) and their uncommon objects was such a wonderful idea, I wish I'd thought of it myself!

Our heroine is Ivy Sparrows, age 11, and her older brother, Seb. Their parents aren't dead (wonders never cease!) but they work a lot and are often out of town. As the story starts, Ivy and Seb are being cared for by their grandmother, but she'd had a fall and they travel with her to the hospital. Grandma has a mysterious case of amnesia and can't remember most of her childhood. She has a few keepsakes from the time before, one of which is a gold bracelet. The bracelet has to be cut off for medical purposes and this sets off the events of the novel.

Ivy and her brother don't get along particularly well, but love each other deep down. It's fun to watch them grow closer and learn to respect one another as the story progresses. I loved the rest of the characters, too. Everyone felt very well rounded & developed. Scratch is my favorite, especially the way Entwhistle narrated his backward speaking mannerisms. So cute.

Some fun twists and exciting lead ins to the next book which I already have queued up and ready to go.