What Mumsnetters thought of children's book Cogheart by Peter Bunzl

The story has excitement and thrills and a great stepping stone into an adult thriller .The book is packed with different and somewhat likeable characters although you can't help feeling Robert got the raw deal. My
11 year old was enthralled.

Thanks for this book Mumsnet - it's very good. Unfortunately it arrived while I was away on holiday, & by the time I had a chance to sit down & read it I'd missed the deadline.

I'm something of a steampunk fan and wasn't sure if this sort of mash-up would work in a children's book, but this is brilliant. I shall give it to my 11-year-old GS and hope he enjoys it as much as I have. It's certainly the sort of adventure story he enjoys, as long as the quasi-Victorian setting doesn't put him off!

Thank you for our complimentary copy of Cogheart; my daughter aged 7 loved this book and it has got her into the thriller/adventure genre. She liked the way that at first there were two different scenes and then they joined into one. She has leant this to her friend who is also really enjoying it. The twists and turns where exciting and scary which made it hard to put down at times. She cannot wait for the Bunzl's new book "Moonlocket" to come out next year!

Loving this. A really original and unusual idea. I like the way the mechs are portrayed as more feeling than the human baddies. Looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds. My 10 year old DS will get next read of it.

Cogheart was one of the best books that I have read for a while and this was confirmed by my eldest daughter when she read it. Lily was a strong heroine for her who overcame many issues and she also loved the fact that it was set in a different era and so learnt whilst she was reading. I will be looking out for further books that this author might write.

My 10-year-old son loved reading his copy of Cogheart! He said the mystery and danger elements made the book intriguing to read and he couldn't wait to find out how it all turned out. As he loved the book so much, I was looking into Peter Bunzl's other books but it turns out Cogheart was his debut novel! More, please!!!

Perfect book for my 11-year-old son. He loved the historical settings, the twisty plot and, most of all, the mechanical machines. We have three pets, and my son was excited by the idea of a different sort of pet.
We will certainly be looking up more books by this author.

My son has nearly finished this book now and it has really kept his interest he says it's a good story and interesting characters

Thank you for the copy of Cogheart. A lovely story set in a steampunk Victorian England, awash with dirigibles and mechanical people and animals. Lily's father is missing, presumed dead, but when Lily receives a message from her pet mechanical fox Malkin, she realises that all is not as it seems. She sets out on a mission to find the truth, with Robert, the clockmaker's son, and Malkin. This story has all the elements of a children's book you'd expect: heroes, villains, adventure and daring - but the author doesn't shy away from deeper themes or grey characters. No endlessly sunny dispositions for our protagonists here! Lily, whilst brave and determined, can also be reckless and rash. Robert is kind and sweet, but unsure of himself to begin with, and in need of a shove to get started in life. Malkin (my personal favourite), is clever, witty, and somewhat bad-tempered.

Peter Bunzl tackles his themes head-on, good and bad, with a favourable ratio of the two: enough positives to make it a happy story overall, but not avoiding deeper issues either.
The world-building was lovely, you really got a sense of this alternate Victorian England. Unusual enough to spark interest, but not so alien that the you couldn't identify with it. All in all, very well done!

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were likeable and I felt you could relate to them easily. Lily was a great heroine, brave but caring, just the kind of character I want my daughter to read about.
Once I'd got my head round the existence of mechanicals, the story raced along and was very gripping. The story introduced some pretty big themes, loss, organ transplant, betrayal, wishes after death, but it handled them well and age appropriately. I really enjoyed it and I'm handing it on to my niece who I'm sure will love it too.

My little boy is only 4 years old so a little young for this book at the moment - however that hasn't stopped me from reading it myself! I must say I really enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to reading this again when my little boy is old enough - will definitely keep an eye out for more titles in this series!

Borrowed from a friend who loved it, and was loved here too. It's not what she would normally read so I wasn't sure but the recommendation from her friend was enough to get her started and once she started she really got in to it.

It was actually that good that she said she would now consider reading more adventure type books

Back again ...this book is now in Prince Edward Island Canada (home of Anne of Green Gables) with my grandaughter, she is due to stay again in England in a couple of weeks I will see what she thought of it and post again

I read and finished it and really enjoyed this book.
I think it's good for all ages and types of readers.
It's an easy read, has a nice pace and a good adventure.

Firstly thank you for my copy of Cogheart. I read it before passing it to my son and loved it. He's 12 and 3/4 of the way through and is liking it too. Loved that it was set in Victorian England, and the idea of mechanical machines was pure brilliance, what an imagination! More twists than a corkscrew and lots of mystery too. A superb book that I would never have thought of reading so thank you again for the win, it's opened my eyes to a new genre of reading material (even if it is written for youngsters!)

I applied to review this book because I thought it would be a suitable one for by 10 year old grandson. He likes, mystery, magic and adventure – all contained in this book.

It is set in the Victorian era, before electricity and computers, where steam powers the world. Clockwork mechanisms are made by specialists, and wind up servants have been invented. There is a rumor that a perpetual motion machine exists, and someone is willing to kill to obtain it.

Lily, her friend Robert and her mechanical pet fox Malkin are being pursued by evil villains who are after the machine, and involves many adventures, ending with an exciting air ship battle.

I liked the mechanical servants with their strange oaths – “Cogs and chronometers” – “Clockwork and cam-wheels” – “Steam and steel”. Lily thinks of them as her friends, they seem almost human, except they have to be wound up! She comments that humans have a soul, but you can’t take it out and inspect it, so why not robotic servants.

This is a story of adventure and suspense, a real page turner. In the end the perpetual motion machine is found in quite an unexpected place, and the villains defeated!

My grandson liked the book so much, he kept it for himself instead of donating it to the school library, it certainly had his seal of approval.

Interesting premis for a book.

a cracking read which made you want to keep turning those pages

A rollercoaster adventure!! A bit of everything here and a dollop of history and mystery too! Much enjoyed by all I have to say!

Thanks for the book and the rubber. My dd collects rubbers so she was very happy to find this enclosed with the book.

Here is what my 11 yr old says:

I love the ideas of how there are mechanical machines like the fox. At first I didn't understand the first bit but as I read on the book became really interesting. My favorite character is The mechanical fox Malkin. Overall I would give it a 4 star!

Thanks so much for Cogheart! I've been reading it with my 7 year old who loves the excitement and adventure!
Lily is a wonderfully plucky heroine but the most favourite character award goes to Malkin the mechanical fox!
The language is fabulously imaginative, the plot is packed with fantastic twists and turns and the cast of characters is full of amazing automata!
It's a big hit in our house!

Cogheart is a great adventure book, and one I have enjoyed starting to read. The characters are beautifully set out and you can help but fall in love with Malkin. Its lovely to find a new and very different book and one that keeps you interested all the way through. I will love sharing the adventures with my son 11 as I know he will love it too.

I thought my DD would really enjoy this book as she loves historical fiction and adventure/mystery stories but unfortunately she's struggled to get into it. I think she found the mechanicals a bit too freaky and it's maybe too dark for her liking.

I think it's a great book though which will appeal to lots of other readers, just not my DD!

Such a brilliant book. I was hooked by Chapter 1and didn't want to put the book down. Adventure, mystery and tragedy has me racing through the book to get to the ending which did not disappoint!

a very well written book nice mix of being set in Victorian England and all the mechanical animals and some villains, yes there death but that's here in the real world too not just on the printed page got the kids thinking and asking questions

Loving this. Im half way through and just want to know whats happening, but my 7 year old daughter is trying to read it at the same time! Already recommended it to so many people and buying for the school library.