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! So yes, big mystery. It’s the best kind of mystery writing too, the kind where, if you pay close attention, you can figure it out yourself, instead of waiting for it to be explained. I felt more and more engaged with each clue as I tried to beat Ivy to the metaphorical punch. There's a new girl at Rookwood School, and a new mystery for Scarlet and Ivy to solve. 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. I was able to get in touch with the author of Scarlet and Ivy, Sophie Cleverly, to ask her some questions about the series and her plans for the future.

SC: Mostly my terrible jokes… I often have silly jokes that my editors don’t get and tell me to take out. (Sometimes I don’t listen!) But at least I keep myself amused when writing. There are only three US covers for Scarlet and Ivy due to Sourcebooks no longer wishing to print the rest of the series. [1]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. 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. I RELISHED this adventure sooo much. Ariadne was really very timid at first but got bold by the end of the book❤️ When shy Ivy's trouble-making twin sister Scarlet goes missing from Rookwood school, Ivy is invited to 'take her place' - she must think like Scarlet, act like Scarlet, become Scarlet. Determined to solve the riddle of her sister's disappearance, Ivy agrees - and the hunt for the truth will prove unexpectedly adventurous

GM: Which was your favorite twin to write and do you feel like you identify with one more than the other? As for Rose’s character, she is quite different to the other girls—she is very shy, she struggles with speech and learning (often being selectively mute), and has a special interest in horses. Her differences wouldn’t be well understood in those days, but I wanted to show that she could be an important part of the group, too.With evil headmaster, Mr Bartholomew, safely out of the picture, life is looking up for Scarlet and Ivy. A creepy boarding school at midnight. A secret diary. A terrifying teacher. A spine-tingling mystery must be solved.

Ok yes, THE CREEPY AMOSPHERE WAS SOOO GOOD!!!!!❤️ I loved every single thing about this book and I literally mean it❤️ There were sooo many twists and turns and I guessed half them😂 But I still lovedddd it!!! Specially the ending….. SC: Definitely! After hearing about things like the Bechdel Test, I really liked the idea of a series where the focus is almost entirely on girls and women due to the all-girls school environment. I went to an all-girls school myself (though it wasn’t private or a boarding school), so it was very familiar to me. I wanted to showcase female voices with a wide range of differences.WARUM WOLLTE ICH ES LESEN? Ich bin ja schon seit langer Zeit ein Fan des Imprints You & Ivi und habe schon einige Bücher davon zu Hause. Nur bisher nicht gelesen! Das Geheimnis von Rookwood klang so toll, dass ich es auch direkt lesen musste. Ich liebe Internatsgeschichten When Scarlet and Ivy return to school after the holidays, trouble is afoot and the very existence of Rookwood is threatened. There's also the case now that she's here, horses are being set free and girls getting pushed out of Windows, fights, letters and more strange dreams and behaviour, just what is happening next at this school? But rumours swirl like ghosts around Ebony, and not all of them are nice. And when a prank on All Hallow's Eve goes horribly wrong, it's Ebony who gets the blame. 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? Scarlet, Ivy, and their friends get to go on a week-long residential trip to a countryside hotel by the edge of a reservoir, but Rookwood’s mysteries are determined to follow them. The legends surrounding the town drowned beneath the reservoir seem to be coming true, and is there more to one of their friends than she is letting on?