Suitabook

Poppy Pym and the Pharaoh’s Curse

Laura Wood

Reading: If suspense feels intense, pause after a tense chapter and invite predictions about the accidents or ruby without demanding a solution. Afterwards, compare the apparent curse with the explanation the story provides.
Themes: Belonging between different worlds: Poppy moves from a travelling circus family into a boarding school and initially does not fit in. The contrast appears to value both her unconventional background and the friendships she develops at school, rather than presenting only one world as sufficient.
Friendship and trust during investigation: Poppy, Kip and Ingrid investigate the accidents and the stolen ruby together. The trio’s co-operative investigation is presented positively, with their friendship helping them pursue questions others explain through the curse.
Appearance, evidence and explanation: Accidents are attributed by some characters to a Pharaoh’s curse, while Poppy and her friends look for who is really causing them. The premise sets a supernatural-seeming explanation against an investigation for a human cause, encouraging attention to evidence without establishing a broader message about belief.
Worth knowing: Consider whether the child enjoys stories where danger, unexplained accidents and a stolen valuable create tension, alongside humour and friendship. The opening may feel particularly suspenseful before the mystery is resolved.