Arabel's Raven

Cute, clever story that will make you chuckle. The characters are simple personalities that all add to the completeness of the story. Each is peculiar in his or her or raven's way that makes for a fun adventure with an unlikely and often misunderstood bird. Thank goodness for characters such as Arabel who remind us to accept that which annoys us in others and to learn to find scruffy characters as endearing friends. Enjoyable with a few endearing chuckles out loud. ( )

I first discovered Joan Aiken's hilarious tales of the young girl Arabel and her pet raven, Mortimer, in the pages of Cricket Magazine. Thanks to the web I have been able to acquire hardcover copies of the books.

Arabel's Raven is the first book, but you can easily read them in any order as they are really a bunch of short stories more than a cohesive narrative. This book includes the following three stories:
Arabel's Raven;
The Breadbin;
The Escaped Black Mamba and Other Things ( )