BOOKS by WENDY LEIGHTON-PORTER
SHADOWS OF THE PAST is a series of time-travel adventures, featuring three children and a rather special Tonkinese cat called Max. Wendy has also written some shorter books to accompany the series: In MAX'S ADVENTURES, Max the cat undertakes various special solo missions. SHADOWS OF THE PAST
was awarded the gold medal in the Children's Literary
Classics Book Awards
2017, being named Best Middle Grade Series, while MAX'S CHRISTMAS ADVENTURE
won a separate gold medal for Best Holiday Book.Wendy also won a gold and a silver medal in the 2018 Children's Literary Classics Awards
for THE SHADOW OF THE TUDOR ROSE. The same title was also awarded silver in the Nautilus Book Awards. A bronze medal for THE SHADOW OF THE VOLCANO
in the Readers' Favorite Book Awards 2019 is the most recent award to be added to her collection.
Her books have twice been shortlisted in the Rubery Book Awards.
"Parents - if you are looking for contemporary literature, with exciting and educational content, that is well written and will inspire your children, download the Shadows series (and any spin offs) onto your children's Kindles and sit back and watch them disappear for a couple of hours.
I have been careful about making, in the main, only classical literature available for my daughter and was a little hesitant when she found this series on Amazon, for Kindle.
However, I have found that the calculated exposure to well written literature has resulted in her discerning good and less well written prose. She has found great contemporary literature in this series and is badgering the author for the next book.
My daughter informs me that alongside CS Lewis, Laura Ingalls Wilder, E Nesbit, Michael Morpurgo, the author of How To Train Your Dragon (whose name I can't recall - Cressida Cowell?) and the author of The Silver Sword, Wendy Leighton Porter is one of her most favourite authors."
MR S. PRIESTMAN, PARENT, UK
"Author Wendy Leighton-Porter’s Shadows of the Past children’s series is an outstanding collection of books that would make an excellent addition to any home or school library. Written in an engaging style with characters that will have great appeal to young readers, this page-turning collection will be as enticing to avid book enthusiasts as it will be for reluctant readers."
CHILDREN'S LITERARY CLASSICS BOOK AWARDS 2017
"The Shadows Of The Past
series is perfect for a rainy day and a must-have for a child's shelves! The author writes her stories in such a way that children love reading them, yet, they aren't too immature for the older reader. These books are perfect for the advanced reader that feels most middle-grade books are beneath them. At the same time, the author keeps her stories simple to understand for the more average reader, so as to build confidence and encourage the child to expand their reading skills. These books are perfect for a child reluctant to learn history, myths, and legends, as the stories are so well written, they don't even know that they are learning. Even the explanations at the end of the book, separating fact from fiction is done in such an engaging manner, that it should whet the history appetite in even the most reluctant student. The author's characters are so real that the reader is drawn into the pages, standing beside Joe, Jemima, Charlie, and Max, fighting against/with historical, mythical and legendary beings. It really is like traveling through time to the past."
READERS' FAVORITE 2017
THE SHADOW OF
ATLANTIS
Three 10-year-old children, one Tonkinese cat, four golden owl charms, an old book, and a special key that unlocks the secrets of the Shadows of the Past.
The stage is set for a thrilling ride through the pages of history…
The stage is set for a thrilling ride through the pages of history…
THE SHADOW OF THE MINOTAUR
10-year-old twins Jemima and Joe Lancelot, their best friend Charlie and their Tonkinese cat Max, are on the trail of the twins’ missing parents who are trapped somewhere in the mists of time.
Their second journey into the past takes them to ancient Crete, where they must brave the labyrinth beneath the palace of Knossos, home to the dreaded Minotaur – a monstrous creature that feasts on human flesh. A perilous adventure awaits the time-travelling foursome.
Their second journey into the past takes them to ancient Crete, where they must brave the labyrinth beneath the palace of Knossos, home to the dreaded Minotaur – a monstrous creature that feasts on human flesh. A perilous adventure awaits the time-travelling foursome.
THE SHADOW OF THE TROJAN HORSE
The Trojan War is just a game for the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece, but it’s no laughing matter for three young time-travellers and their Tonkinese cat when they find themselves in Troy, right in the middle of the deadly conflict.
Can the young visitors persuade the Trojans to reject the Greeks’ gift of the Wooden Horse, or will it prove impossible to change the course of history?
Can the young visitors persuade the Trojans to reject the Greeks’ gift of the Wooden Horse, or will it prove impossible to change the course of history?
THE SHADOW OF THE PYRAMID
Maximus Lancelot the Tonkinese cat is terrified of Egyptian mummies, so he’s a bag of nerves when he travels back in time to ancient Egypt with his owners, twins Jemima and Joe, and their best friend Charlie.
As they continue their search for the twins’ missing parents who are trapped somewhere in the past, the young time-travellers arrive at the court of Tutankhamun where they uncover a plot to assassinate the young Pharaoh. Danger lurks around every corner…
As they continue their search for the twins’ missing parents who are trapped somewhere in the past, the young time-travellers arrive at the court of Tutankhamun where they uncover a plot to assassinate the young Pharaoh. Danger lurks around every corner…
THE SHADOW OF THE VOLCANO
As they continue the hunt for their missing parents who are lost somewhere in the pages of history, twins Jemima and Joe Lancelot embark on their 5th journey back into the past, along with best friend Charlie, and Max their Tonkinese cat.
Their destination is the ancient Roman town of Pompeii lying in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, a volcano on the verge of a devastating eruption.
Their destination is the ancient Roman town of Pompeii lying in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, a volcano on the verge of a devastating eruption.
THE SHADOW OF
CAMELOT
“A Lion from the future will come to save the Bear,
Accompanied by children, three – one dark, the others fair…”
Who are the Lion and the Bear mentioned in this ancient prophecy? The answer lies in the mythical kingdom of Camelot.
Another thrilling adventure awaits time-travelling twins Jemima and Joe Lancelot, their best friend Charlie, and Tonkinese cat Max, when they journey into the past to uncover the truth behind the legend of King Arthur.
Accompanied by children, three – one dark, the others fair…”
Who are the Lion and the Bear mentioned in this ancient prophecy? The answer lies in the mythical kingdom of Camelot.
Another thrilling adventure awaits time-travelling twins Jemima and Joe Lancelot, their best friend Charlie, and Tonkinese cat Max, when they journey into the past to uncover the truth behind the legend of King Arthur.
THE SHADOW OF THE NORMAN ARROW
Still searching for their missing parents who are lost somewhere in the past, twins Jemima and Joe Lancelot journey back in time to the year 1066, together with best friend Charlie and their cat Max.
In an adventure fraught with danger, the young time-travellers attempt to change the course of history when they help King Harold in the run-up to the fateful Battle of Hastings.
MAX'S
ARABIAN ADVENTURE
Max the Tonkinese cat goes on a solo adventure without his three time-travelling companions. Dragged into the past by an evil magician who has lined him up to perform a special task, the poor cat fears he may never be able to return to the present and all he holds dear.
Will he make it back or will he be condemned to remain forever in a distant time and place, far from home?
Will he make it back or will he be condemned to remain forever in a distant time and place, far from home?
MAX'S
CHRISTMAS ADVENTURE
A second solo adventure awaits Max the time-travelling Tonkinese cat in this short tale. Invited to accompany a well-known figure on a whirlwind trip into the past, Max sets off on a mission to hunt for something very precious to his owners, Jemima and Joe Lancelot, and that’s the twins’ missing parents. Along the way, his search reveals tantalising clues to the mystery and also to the books that are still to come in the SHADOWS OF THE PAST series.
THE SHADOW OF THE
TWO PRINCES
Twins Jemima and Joe Lancelot, their best friend Charlie, and their Tonkinese cat Max, journey back in time to the year 1483 on a daring mission to rescue two young princes who have been locked up in the Tower of London by their wicked uncle, King Richard III.
Is this a task too far for the time-travelling quartet? Will their plan succeed, or must they risk their own lives to save the two boys?
Is this a task too far for the time-travelling quartet? Will their plan succeed, or must they risk their own lives to save the two boys?
MAX'S
MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE
Max the Tonkinese cat has a third solo adventure in this seasonal tale.
When the feline hero is trapped in the attic one night, he gets more than he bargained for. Will he escape the clutches of the Christmas fairy, a Nutcracker soldier, and three bad-tempered French hens in time to enjoy a holiday with his family? One thing’s for sure – the Twelve Days of Christmas will never seem quite the same again.
When the feline hero is trapped in the attic one night, he gets more than he bargained for. Will he escape the clutches of the Christmas fairy, a Nutcracker soldier, and three bad-tempered French hens in time to enjoy a holiday with his family? One thing’s for sure – the Twelve Days of Christmas will never seem quite the same again.
MAX'S
UNDERCOVER ADVENTURE
When Max the talking Tonkinese cat is snatched from his home in the middle of the night, he’s in for a shock. Spirited away to a secret location, in the company of other animals he’s never met before, he is subjected to exhausting physical exercises and tough endurance tests – a true nightmare for the comfort-loving feline.
But who are the shadowy figures in charge and why has he been taken to their training camp?
But who are the shadowy figures in charge and why has he been taken to their training camp?
Will Max discover the truth about his mysterious undercover adventure?
THE SHADOW OF THE
TUDOR ROSE
In 1588, a foreign plot to invade England and overthrow Queen Elizabeth the First is brewing. At this crucial moment in English history, four visitors from the future arrive in Elizabethan London.
Twins Jemima and Joe Lancelot, together with best friend Charlie and their Tonkinese cat Max, continue the hunt for their missing parents who are lost somewhere in the past, but soon find themselves tangled in a web of conspiracy. Can the young time-travellers unravel the mystery of the Tudor Rose?
Twins Jemima and Joe Lancelot, together with best friend Charlie and their Tonkinese cat Max, continue the hunt for their missing parents who are lost somewhere in the past, but soon find themselves tangled in a web of conspiracy. Can the young time-travellers unravel the mystery of the Tudor Rose?
MAX'S
HALLOWE'EN ADVENTURE
In his 5th solo mini-adventure, Max the Tonkinese cat, the feline hero of the SHADOWS OF THE PAST series is transported back in time to the mid-17th century.
Max doesn’t understand how this has happened, but he soon recognises his surroundings and realises it isn't the first time he’s been to this place. Why has he been brought to this tumbledown cottage in the middle of nowhere? All is about to be revealed…
Max doesn’t understand how this has happened, but he soon recognises his surroundings and realises it isn't the first time he’s been to this place. Why has he been brought to this tumbledown cottage in the middle of nowhere? All is about to be revealed…
THE SHADOW OF THE WITCHFINDER
Three young time-travellers and their Tonkinese cat, Max, find themselves in great danger when they are transported back to the village of Mistley Thorn in the year 1646. It’s only a matter of time before they fall into the hands of Matthew Hopkins, otherwise known as the Witchfinder General.
MAX'S
ROYAL ADVENTURE
The rightful King of England is on the run. With a price on his head and in the gravest of danger, Charles Stuart is desperate to flee the country. A rich reward has been offered for his capture and everyone is on the lookout for the young man. Nowhere is safe. Who will help him?
Never fear – the Guardians of Time have a Special Agent lined up for the job … but he just so happens to be a cat!
Never fear – the Guardians of Time have a Special Agent lined up for the job … but he just so happens to be a cat!
THE SHADOW OF THE GREAT FIRE
In 1666, as London recovers from a deadly plague, an even bigger disaster is about to strike the old medieval city with its wooden buildings and narrow streets. A small spark is all it takes for the whole place to go up in flames, but is this a simple accident or a deliberate act of sabotage?
Just days before the Great Fire will break out, three time-travelling children and their talking cat land on the doorstep of one of the most famous figures of the 17th century. Can they change the course of history? Time is running out…
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08F499JCP
Maximus Lancelot, the feline hero of the Shadows of the Past series, would like to share his private journal. Written in his own words, the Tonkinese cat talks about all of his adventures so far. More will follow in Volume 2...
MAX'S DIARY: Tales of a Time-travelling Cat
In his private diary, Maximus Lancelot the talking Tonkinese cat shares his innermost thoughts about his life and his time-travelling adventures.
To accompany the Shadows of the Past series, these tales of Max’s exploits, told in his own words, allow us a privileged peep into the mind of this lovable feline.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maxs-Diary-Tales-time-travelling-Shadows-ebook/dp/B0BMXRLKSM
Wendy is currently working on book number 18 in the series - The Shadow of the Shifting Sands
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