200,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ 

Overnight NZ-wide delivery | πŸ“ Visit our Auckland bookstore β€’ Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

The Swifts

By Beth Lincoln
Series: The Swifts
0.0 (0 reviews)
4.06 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating. ( 6,569 ratings, 1,152 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In The Swifts by Beth Lincoln, readers are introduced to Shenanigan Swift, whose life is shaped by the unusual tradition of family members receiving names defining their futures. As she navigates adventures at her eccentric family's reunion, Shenanigan uncovers hidden secrets and learns valuable lessons about identity and destiny, all while trying to redefine her own path. The quirky characters and mystery make it an engaging read for children.
Read More
Format: Hardback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock

Sorry, we're currently out of stock of The Swifts. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this intriguing story if you're a fan of witty and clever children's mysteries. The narrative unfolds in an entertaining manner with interesting characters and a unique setting, making it a delightful read for those who appreciate adventure and family tales with a touch of humour.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A hilarious mystery adventure perfect for fans of Robin Stevens and Lemony Snicket.

The Swifts is the Children's Winner of the 2023 Nero Book Awards.

On the day they are born, each Swift is brought before the sacred Family Dictionary. They are given a name and a definition, and it is assumed they will grow up to match. Unfortunately, Shenanigan Swift has other ideas.

So what if her relatives all think she's destined to turn out as a troublemaker, just because of her name? Shenanigan knows she can be whatever she wantsβ€”pirate, explorer, or even detective.

Which is lucky, really, because when one of the Family tries to murder Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude, someone has to work out whodunit.

With the help of her sisters and cousin, Shenanigan grudgingly takes on the case, but more murders, a hidden treasure, and an awful lot of suspects make things seriously complicated.

Can Shenanigan catch the killer before the whole household is picked off? And in a Family where definitions are so important, can she learn to define herself?

Series: The Swifts

View all
  • The Swifts
    A hilarious mystery adventure perfect for fans of Robin Stevens and Lemony Snicket. On the day they are born, each Swift is brought before the sacred Family Dictionary. They are given a name and a definition, and it is assumed they will grow up to match. Unfortunately, Shenanigan Swift has other ideas. So what if her relatives all think she's...
    By Beth Lincoln
    Paperback
    $1800
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues
    The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues by Beth Lincoln is an instant New York Times bestseller and the sequel to the multi-award-winning The Swifts – a gleeful gothic mystery perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket and Robin Stevens. Shenanigan Swift hates burglars... So when the famous criminal gang Ouvolpo targets Swift House and swaps a valuable painting for an exploding...
    By Beth Lincoln
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • On Sale
    29% off
    The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues
    The second book in the New York Times-bestselling series - a gleeful gothic mystery perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket and Robin Stevens. Shenanigan Swift hates burglars . . . So when the famous criminal gang Ouvolpo target Swift House and swap a valuable painting for an exploding inflatable bird, Shenanigan sets off in pursuit, determined to make them pay....
    By Beth Lincoln
    Paperback
    $1500
    Usually:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Swifts
    A hilarious mystery adventure perfect for fans of Robin Stevens and Lemony Snicket. The Swifts is the Children's Winner of the 2023 Nero Book Awards. On the day they are born, each Swift is brought before the sacred Family Dictionary. They are given a name and a definition, and it is assumed they will grow up to match. Unfortunately, Shenanigan...
    By Beth Lincoln
    Hardback
    Sold Out

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Beth Lincoln's The Swifts is praised as a masterfully written debut full of clever wordplay and humour. Its Gothic and mysterious elements captivate readers with a cast of quirky characters and an engaging setting. Critics have described the book as an energetic and delightful mystery with clever prose, making it a standout choice for young readers.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241613009

Publisher: Penguin Random House Children's UK

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 02 February 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Puffin

Contributors:

  • Illustrated by Claire Powell

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 41.0mm

Width: 162.0mm

Height: 222.0mm

Weight: 655g

Pages: 464

Collections

Beth Lincoln Children's Books Children's Fiction Children’s, Teenage and Educational Penguin Books Series: The Swifts Young Adult Young Adult Mystery & Thriller

About the Author

Beth Lincoln (Author) Beth Lincoln is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Swifts. Raised in a former Victorian railway station in the North of England, her childhood fears included porcelain dolls, the Durham panther, and wardrobes that looked at her funny. She grew neither tall nor wise, and never learned to play an instrument - but she did write stories, a bad habit that has persisted to this day. When she isn't writing, Beth is woodcarving, or making a mess of her flat, or talking the nearest ear off about unexplained occurrences. Her favourite things include ghosts, crisps, and weird old words like bumbershoot and zounderkite. Among its many accolades, The Swifts was the winner of the 2023 Nero Children's Fiction Award and the Barnes & Noble Children's & YA Book Award. Beth lives in Newcastle upon Tyne with her partner and hopefully, by the time you are reading this, a dog. Claire Powell (Illustrator) Claire Powell is a bestselling children's book illustrator who got her first book deal in 2016 and has never looked back. After spending many years in London, Claire now enjoys a quieter life in the rolling hills of Derbyshire with her partner Stefan (who may not agree that living with Claire is quiet).

Also by Beth Lincoln

View all
  • The Swifts
    A hilarious mystery adventure perfect for fans of Robin Stevens and Lemony Snicket. On the day they are born, each Swift is brought before the sacred Family Dictionary. They are given a name and a definition, and it is assumed they will grow up to match. Unfortunately, Shenanigan Swift has other ideas. So what if her relatives all think she's...
    By Beth Lincoln
    Paperback
    $1800
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues
    The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues by Beth Lincoln is an instant New York Times bestseller and the sequel to the multi-award-winning The Swifts – a gleeful gothic mystery perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket and Robin Stevens. Shenanigan Swift hates burglars... So when the famous criminal gang Ouvolpo targets Swift House and swaps a valuable painting for an exploding...
    By Beth Lincoln
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • On Sale
    29% off
    The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues
    The second book in the New York Times-bestselling series - a gleeful gothic mystery perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket and Robin Stevens. Shenanigan Swift hates burglars . . . So when the famous criminal gang Ouvolpo target Swift House and swap a valuable painting for an exploding inflatable bird, Shenanigan sets off in pursuit, determined to make them pay....
    By Beth Lincoln
    Paperback
    $1500
    Usually:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Browse lists from our team

The Latest at Book Hero

View all

More from Children's Books

View all
  • On Sale
    12% off
    New Release
    Gruffalo Granny
    The brand new Gruffalo picture book from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The Gruffalo said to his daughter one day, "Your Gruffalo Granny is coming to stay." Return to the deep dark wood with the first new Gruffalo story in over 20 years, and meet Gruffalo Granny as she visits the Gruffalo family. This fresh and exciting new Gruffalo adventure...
    By Julia Donaldson
    Hardback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Sprinkle in Time: A Graphic Novel (Dog Man #15)
    New Release
    A Sprinkle in Time: A Graphic Novel (Dog Man #15)
    In the newest saga, our anti-hero, Grandpa, alters the fabric of time and space. Is his evil the necessary soil for Dog Man and friends to grow and bloom? Can we all step up to be the change? It's the saga of the centuryβ€”Dog Man: A Sprinkle in Time!
    By Dav Pilkey
    Hardback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Free Gift
    Fight or Flight: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (21)
    When the going gets tough, what’s a wimpy kid to do? InΒ Fight or Flight, Greg Heffley faces his biggest challenge yet as he becomes a target for the school bully. Luckily for Greg, his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, takes karate, so at least Greg’s got someone in his corner. But an unexpected twist makes Greg realize he’s facing an uphill...
    By Jeff Kinney
    Paperback
    $1699
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Detective Beans Colouring Club
    New Release
    Detective Beans Colouring Club
    Help Detective Beans solve the case of the missing colours! Join the Colouring Club now! Join the Detective Beans Colouring Club! Inside you'll find 40 removable colouring pages featuring scenes from all over Cat Town. Filled with all the characters you know and love from the Detective Beans graphic novels like Biscuits, Beans' mum, Mr Brickle, Bear, Detective Baby Bird...
    By Li Chen
    Paperback
    $1799
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    The Sixth Faction
    Beatrice Prior stands on the brink of a decision every person in her world must make: five factions, five futures, five lives. She has a plan: she's going to make the bravest choice, and leave Abnegation behind to join Dauntless, even though it means leaving her family behind. But when tragedy strikes at her Choosing Ceremony, everything changesβ€”her world, her...
    By Veronica Roth
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3499
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    The Naturals: Dangerous Impulses Book 5
    The Naturals are BACK! No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Lynn Barnes delivers the highly anticipated new installment in her beloved Naturals Series. Cassie Hobbes joined the FBI's Naturals program at seventeen because she had an incredible ability to read people. Since then, Cassie, fellow profiler Dean, emotion‐reader Michael, lie‐detector Lia, and statistical genius Sloane have caught serial...
    By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
    Paperback
    $2199
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    All of Us
    A new heart-wrenching, well-researched historical novel for middle-grade readers. 'The weirdest thing,' continues Tove, 'is that I don't feel any different to the rest of you.' 'That's because you're not!' snaps Birgitte. 'You're Danish.' 'So why do the Nazis hate me and not you?' When twelve-year-old Viggo and his friends Finn, Tove, Birgitte and Konrad start writing rude letters to...
    By Katrina Nannestad
    Hardback
    $2599
    Elsewhere:
    $2999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Star Path
    New Release
    The Star Path
    A young whale searches for the whale rider's heir and a teenager takes an epic voyage to Antarctica with a fleet of waka hourua to claim his lost inheritance, in this breathtaking return to the world of global hit The Whale Rider, over thirty years on. From the internationally acclaimed author of The Whale Rider comes a novel about the...
    By Witi Ihimaera Smiler
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Wahine
    New Release
    Wahine
    From a majestic mermaid to a clay woman, the creator of glaciers to the mother of gardening, discover powerful wahine and how their stories shaped the world around us. Wahine introduces readers to twelve purakau of brave, bold, and inspiring women of Aotearoa. A beautifully illustrated collection that will delight the whole whanau, from award-winning illustrator Isobel Joy Te Aho-White....
    By Isobel Joy Te Aho-White
    Hardback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Lottie Brooks’s Twelve Disasters of Christmas
    From hilarious MEGA bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a new story collection from the world of Lottie Brooks! But this time... it's not about Lottie! From hilarious MEGA bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a new story collection from the world of Lottie Brooks! And it's CHRISTMAS! In The Completely Chaotic Christmas of Lottie Brooks we spent the holiday season with...
    By Katie Kirby
    Paperback
    $1799
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Matihe! Achoo! Matihe! Achoo!
    On Sale
    21% off
    New Release
    Matihe! Achoo!
    What happens when a grumpy tupua has to sneeze? Matihe! Achoo! is a bilingual story about the tupua Mataoho and his connection to the volcanoes of Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. It comes with an action song to engage young readers! He pūrākau e pā ana ki a Mataoho me ngā puia o Takamaki Makaurau. He tupua pukukino a Mataoho e noho...
    By Qiane Matata-Sipu
    Paperback
    $1500
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Sweet As Looky Book
    New Release
    The Sweet As Looky Book
    Can you find all the chocolate fish? Is it possible for kiwi to fly? Can you spot the difference? See Aotearoa New Zealand through the eyes of award-winning artist Donovan Bixley in The Sweet As Looky Book. Use your finest skills to seek out pirates in the Bay of Islands and birds in Rakiura Stewart Island. Get in a car...
    By Donovan Bixley
    Hardback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 200,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.