''Secret of the Sirens'' is a fantasy novel by British writer

Julia Golding Julia Golding (born 1969), pen names Joss Stirling and Eve Edwards, is a British novelist best known for her ''Cat Royal'' series and '' The Companions Quartet''. Biography Born in London, 1969, she grew up on the edge of Epping Forest. She orig ...

. It is the first book of the '' Companions Quartet''. The other three books in the quartet are '' The Gorgon's Gaze'', '' Mines of the Minotaur'', and '' The Chimera's Curse''.

Plot summary

The novel takes place in the southern regions of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

in the fictional seaside town of Hescombe. Connie Lionheart is 11 years old, and her parents have left her with her Aunt Evelyn. Connie is able to communicate with animals and sense their actual being. She discovers that creatures considered to be mythical actually exist, and there is a secret society which protects them from humans called Society for the Protection of Mythical Creatures. Connie realizes that her aunt is a member of the society. The society is under threat by Kullervo, a powerful evil force, who is gathering an army of creatures that want to reclaim their place on earth and exist. These creature want to eradicate humans and create a new world for themselves. Connie is a companion to mythical creatures, and she and her friends in the society, including Col Clamworthy, protect them, fight Kullervo, and prevent ocean pollution by an oil company.

Characters

Members of the society

*Connie Lionheart is an 11-year-old girl who recently moved to Hescombe. She is a Society member and Universal Companion, but her special companion is the golden dragon Argand. She can talk to animals and all magical creatures. She has "mismatched" eyes ( Heterochromia) and black hair. *Colin (Col) Clamworthy is an 11-year-old boy who is a resident of Hescombe. He is a Society member, member of the Two-Fours, and Companion to the Pegasus species, specifically Skylark. He has mismatched eyes like Connie. He owns a horse named Mags, and he can talk not only to pegasi but also to horses and ponies. **Skylark is a young pegasus who is a Society member in the company of the Two-Fours and Companion to Col *Evelyn Lionheart is Connie's aunt, a resident of Hescombe, Society member, member of the Two-Fours, and Companion to the

Banshee A banshee ( ; Modern Irish , from sga, ben síde , "woman of the fairy mound" or "fairy woman") is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by screaming, wailing, shrieking, or keening. Her name i ...

species. *Lavinia Clamworthy is Col's Grandmother, a resident of Hescombe, Society member, member of the Elementals, and Companion to the

Water Sprite A sprite is a supernatural entity in European mythology. They are often depicted as fairy-like creatures or as an ethereal entity. The word ''sprite'' is derived from the Latin ''spiritus'' ("spirit"), via the French '' esprit''. Variations on ...

species, specifically Issoon. *Aneena Nuruddin is Connie's best friend, resident of Hescombe, and the school gossip. *Jane Benedict is Connie's best friend, resident of Hescombe, and a rather smart peacemaker. *Mack Clamworthy is Col's father, traveler, Society member, and Companion to the Kraken species. *Dr Brock is a Society member, member of the Sea Snakes, and Companion to the Dragon species, specifically Argot. *Jessica Moss is a Society member, member of the Sea Snakes, and Companion to the

Selkie In Celtic and Norse mythology, selkies (also spelled ', ', ') or selkie folk ( sco, selkie fowk) meaning 'seal folk' are mythological beings capable of therianthropy, changing from seal to human form by shedding their skin. They are found ...

species, specifically Arran. *Ivor Coddrington is a Society member, member of the Elementals, and Companion to the Weather Giant species, specifically Hoo. He is also the Assessor for the Society, and, at first, denies Connie admission into the Society. *Shirley Masterson is a Society member, member of the Elementals, and Companion to the Weather Giant species. She trains with Hoo.

Trustees of the society

*Kinga Potowska is Companion to the Dragon species, specifically Morjik. He is Representative of the Company of Reptiles and Sea Creatures. **Morjik is an old dragon who is Companion of Kinga Potowska. *Eagle-Child is Companion to the Storm Bird species, specifically Storm-Bird. Representative of the Company of Winged Beasts. **Storm-Bird Companion of Eagle-Child. A Storm Bird. *Kira Okona Companion to the

Unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years o ...

species. Companion of Windfoal. Representative of the Company of Two and Four-legged Beasts. **Windfoal Companion of Kira Okona. A

unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years o ...

. *Frederick Cony Companion to the Rock

Dwarf Dwarf or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore * Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...

species. Companion of Gard. Representative of the Company of Four Elements. **Gard Companion of Frederick Cony. A Rock

Reception

''Secret of the Sirens'' was on the "Children's Choices for 2008" list by the

International Reading Association The International Literacy Association (ILA), formerly the International Reading Association (IRA), is an international global advocacy and member professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dialo ...

and Children's Book Council. Kirkus Reviews describes it as "easily accessible...for readers who enjoy mythical creatures."

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

calls the book an "entertaining read." It has been criticized for "shallow" characters and "trite dialogue."{{Cite journal, last=Welch, first=Cindy., date=2007, title=Secret of the Sirens: Book One, The Companions Quartet (review), url=http://muse.jhu.edu/content/crossref/journals/bulletin_of_the_center_for_childrens_books/v060/60.8welch01.html, journal=Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, language=en, volume=60, issue=8, pages=328, doi=10.1353/bcc.2007.0264, s2cid=143961007, issn=1558-6766

References

External links

Official Companion Quartet website
2006 British novels 2006 fantasy novels British fantasy novels Novels by Julia Golding Novels set in the United Kingdom Oxford University Press books