Tayles of the Forest (Wolves of Greycoat Hall) by Lucinda Gifford

Title: Tayles of the Forest (Wolves of Greycoat Hall)

Author: Lucinda Gifford

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Walker Books

Published: 1^st May 2024

Format: Paperback

Pages: 224

Price: $16.99

Synopsis: Christmas at Greycoat Hall is time for festivities, feasting, presents – and more feasting. But why are valuables disappearing? And who is the mysterious Cerberus Schwartz?

The Wolves of Greycoat Hall has been described by the Sydney Morning Herald as “an absolute winner, teeming with humour, whimsy and warmth”. This third book in the series finds Boris at back at home in Morovia – a country of fairy tale forests, Medieval alleyways and quirky Wolfish traditions.

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Boris Greycoat is back at Greycoat Hall for Christmas, and his new friend, Pierre, from his time in Switzerland has come to spend the holiday with him after a school exchange. Aileen from Scotland and two of Boris and Pierre’s friends, Freddie and Lotta are joining them too – as is a mysterious professor, Cerberus Schwartz. But things start to go missing – including a very special present. So, Boris and his friends set about trying to find out who is taking things, or hiding them and why.

The third Boris novel celebrates Christmas, family, and friendship, as Boris’s Swiss friends meet his Morovian friends like Rudolpha and see how wolves and humans can live together quite happily. This has been such a fun series to read and explore over the past four years, where the main characters are wolves living in a world where difference is celebrated. This series joyfully gives us delightful stories that are filled with whimsy and wit, and a mystery for all ages to enjoy.

Christmas is a popular holiday and event to use in literature, from Charles Dickens to picture books, and many others for all ages, traversing all genres and settings. Christmas with the Greycoats is a lot of fun, with an added in mystery that brings it to life. The story has lots of fun illustrations, and extracts from old books like the fairytale books that Boris has, and a history book about Morovia and wolves. These additions to the story give deeper insight into the setting and story, giving readers something interesting to follow, and a chance to see the way that Boris’s world has evolved up until where we are in the series. It ensures that there is a thread that follows through each book, with characters who come and go who are an important part of Boris’s world.

Boris’s world and Morovia also show the importance of diversity – wolves, humans, disabled people, and people from different countries, where Scotland, Switzerland, and France come to Morovia, where they get to enjoy time with Boris, Randall, and Leonora, and celebrate their friendship and the diversity of the world. This book is lots of fun, as Boris and his friends go on a caper to work out who is behind the thefts at Greycoat Hall. I love that each book both builds on the previous ones, bringing in beloved characters that we’ve met already, as well as new ones, but each story is its own entity within the series, where we are always learning something new about the world of Morovia and Boris and his family. It has exceptional world building, bringing a world of wolves and humans living together quite harmoniously. It is a world of fun, and a series that works really when read in order to truly appreciate the story arc and the characters, who grow and evolve across the series.

In this one, we get to see Boris with his wolf and human friends, who are a diverse group. As the story goes on, small clues are dropped and the kids do whatever they can to find the missing items and who is behind it all, as the adults are distracted with other matters. Of course, the adults in this book are also lots of fun and are such great characters – talking to the kids, letting them have fun but still making sure they’re safe. This gives the stories something special and reassuring, because the kids and Boris can go back to their adults at the end of the day, and feel safe in bed. It is a fun series where things happen, but nothing too dangerous – enough to capture the imagination of readers and get them interested, and with a promise that everything will work out in the end, the things that do happen are age-appropriate, and I think dealt with in ways that can help children cope with the unknown. The third in this series is just as fun as the first two as well, with cahoots and laughter alongside the worries. This fantastic book and series is well worth the read if your child is after something a little quirky that will capture their imaginations.