Harper and the Scarlet Umbrella (1)

We got this for my daughter and she adores it! The writing is amazing and allows her to be introduced to beautiful imagery and a really fun story with a strong lead character. Would absolutely recommend and I hope she comes out with more one day!

My granddaughter loves books. This series is fun, it’s adventurous, mystical and she will enjoy them. The books on Harper series is sweet. She loves them so much. Easy reading too.

This is a cute story sure to enchant children. There are cats, magic, fantastic illustrations, great characters, and a good plot. This is a book I would have snatched up right away in my childhood.It seems irresistible with its cover and description, and it doesn't disappoint.

There are so many things I loved about this book. I loved the creativity used to create Harper's rainy world. I loved the diverse interesting characters. I loved the use of magic and music. HARPER AND THE SCARLET UMBRELLA is a story of adventure, magic, and friendship. Harper is a musically gifted little girl who upon discovering that the cats are missing from her apartment building gathers a group of kids and sets out to get back her beloved cat. Along the way she discovers a magical umbrella, a troubled ex-circus performer, a cat orchestra, and some wonderful friends. The story is told with an enchanting use of language that adds to the mystical quality of the story. There is a musicality to it that fits with the overarching theme of the book. However, there are times when I believe the author got lost in her beautiful words and the story takes a momentary backseat, as did the attention of my young audience when reading this aloud. She quickly rallies though and the colorful characters and their exciting adventure win in the end. This was a charming story and I look forward to reading even more Harper adventures.

This is a beautiful story. I read it out loud to my almost-five-year-old and though she's a little younger than the target audience, she loved it - as did I. It's just a wonderful mix of magic and friendship and music. We can't wait for more Harper books!

What a delightful book! I have given copies to my granddaughter and family friend (male), who will both enjoy this story as well.

Harper lives in an apartment block, in the City of Clouds, where it rains every single day. She is a very talented little girl. She has a special gift of being able to play any instrument perfectly without one lesson. ‘Once there was a girl called Harper who had a rare musical gift. She heard songs on the wind, rhythms on the rain and hope in the beat of a butterfly’s wing.’ One day her cat Midnight goes missing. Harper goes around to the adjoining apartments to ask if anyone has seen her beloved pet. To her astonishment she discovers that all the cats in the neighbourhood have mysteriously vanished. All the kids in the block team up to help solve the mystery of the disappearing felines. With the help of a her Great Aunt Sassy's magical umbrella and the collaborative help of her friends they solve the mystery. I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end. The writing is beautiful. It's a lyrical tale filled with many diverse and adorable characters that kids will relate to. I especially liked the fact that Harper connected so well to Nate, who is visually impaired, and to his wolf companion Smoke. The story weaves together the elements of friendship, music, magic and the celebration of the love of cats. Other books to check out by the author are: "Harper and the Sea of Secrets", and the next book in the series,"Harper and the Circus of Dreams". If I was still actively teaching I would definitely have this book in my classroom and in the school library. I highly, highly recommend this book. It's a winner.

This series is one that really needs to be read in order. My son and I read the third book first, and we kept looking back to see if we missed something. Well, we did- in the first two books! The first book flowed much better and we didn't have to look back once. The author has created a magical, musical world with whimsical characters, and the illustrator has added to it with her black and white artwork. Pets are an important part of this world, along with friendship and family. The print in this story is large and most chapters are 6 to 8 pages long with pictures mixed in. The recommended age group for this book is 7 to 9, but I think children 5 to 10 years old would enjoy it. It is probably a second to third grade reading level if a child is reading it themselves. I was provided with a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Charming story, beautifully written, purchased several copies as gifts which were avidly read by children and parents alike. Certain to be a modern treasured classic, Harper and her friends tell a story of adventure, courage, and diversity. Well done to Ms Burnell...just breathtaking.

What a beautifully written book, my daughter and I have been enjoying it together, she's been really quite gripped. It's one of the best children's books we've read together in a long time. Nice to see a book aimed at young readers that has a bit of substance to it.

Very fast paced and fun but I still feel like i know so little about the characters or Harper at the end. Disappearing cats, magical dreams and wolves all sound amazing but when the speed works so fast you don’t get as much mystery or adventure as it whizzes past as if a dream. I enjoyed the story and illustrations greatly but was just left wanting more as time seemed an unusual concept in this story. Yet cats do know some music.

My daughter doesn't like reading but has now read all the books in the Harper series. She's 11 years old. I think this maybe aimed a bit younger but I'm happy she is finally reading!

These books are beautiful to read to my 6 yo. Even my 9 you who is quite hard to please enjoyed them. My particular favourite to read aloud is Harper and the sea of secrets, but they're all gorgeous.