Scarlet and Ivy series

All you need to know about

SCARLET AND IVY 

Author : Sophie Cleverly 

When thirteen year old Ivy's twin sister, Scarlet, had died a few weeks before at Rookwood Boarding school, Ivy receives a letter from the school inviting to join the school in the place of her sister. Understandably, Ivy has qualms about joining, as the school had been the place where Scarlet had passed away. But persuasion from her slightly crazy aunt leads to Ivy sitting in the car on the way to the school with Miss Fox, the deputy head of the school, who is probably the most crabbiest (and evil) person in the world. 

Then, when a few minutes of discussion with the deputy head gives her the biggest head ache of her life, Ivy was about to enter full panic mode.

Apparently, when she was told that she was to join "in the place" of her twin, it meant she was to replace her twin. It meant that she was to become her twin. 

Whoa, that went overboard in a matter of seconds. Allow me to explain.

Scarlet and Ivy were mirror twins. They were complete replicas of each other, mirror images of each other. Scarlet was right handed, while Ivy was left handed. They even had the same birthmarks.

Which was why Miss Fox was convinced that this completely insane idea would definitely work.

Only one tiny hitch. Ivy was NOTHING like Scarlet. Where Scarlet was bold and brazen, Ivy was timid and meek. Where Scarlet was the wild and "act first, think later" type, Ivy was the rational and even-tempered one.

How on earth was she supposed to impersonate Scarlet, when they were complete opposites of each other?

But when it was clear that she had no choice in the matter, Ivy began to have a million questions bombarding her mind. What had happened to the real Scarlet? How had she died? And most importantly, why was the school trying to cover it up?

When Ivy was about to lose all hope (and her mind), fortunately for her, Scarlet wasn't about to let herself get subdued without a fight. She had left behind parts of her journal hidden all over the school for Ivy to discover. And these clues might have the answer to all of Ivy's questions...

Along with her new found friend Ariadne, Ivy must find all the missing parts of Scarlet's journal, and uncover the secret, all while maintaining her false identity and making sure no one suspects anything.

But will they succeed, with the staff of Rookwood school were watching them all too closely, and determined to make sure the buried secrets of the school remained concealed forever?

ALL BOOKS IN ORDER

• The Lost Twin
• The Whispers in the Walls
• The Dance in the Dark
• The Lights Under the Lake
• The Curse in the Candlelight
• The Last Secret

The final book of the series, the Last Secret, was published on 31st December 2018.

This was the conclusion to the Scarlet and Ivy saga. 

My Comments

The best thing about the Scarlet and Ivy series is the tension and the mystery. Reading the story, you are on the edge of your seat and filled with so many questions, and desperate to find the answer to them. The character development of each character is immensely satisfying, and I am sure that readers who enjoy the works of Enid Blyton would enjoy this series as well. The Scarlet and Ivy series is hence suitable for all readers of ages 9 to 12, though it primarily depends on the reader's choice.