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Victoria Pannell and Thorir Sigfusson are the award-winning husband-and-wife team behind The Crow’s Tales series for middle-grade readers. The writing duo is the recipient of a GOLD medal in the 2025 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards, a GOLD medal in the 2024 Wishing Shelf Book Awards, 2025 & 2024 GOLD awards in the Literary Titan Book Awards, and twice a recipient of the prestigious B.R.A.G. medallion, among other wonderful accolades.
Their backgrounds are as diverse as their stories. Thorir was born and raised in Iceland until the age of twelve, when his family moved to the United States. Victoria was born in Wilmington, Delaware, and raised in the small town of Pleasantville, New Jersey. She holds a degree in English and education, and an MBA.
Thorir is a retired architect who discovered his passion for writing later in life, finding joy in translating his artistic inclinations into words. Victoria, with her extensive experience in teaching and public relations, brings a nuanced understanding of young readers’ minds to their collaborative works. Together, they draw inspiration from their rich life experiences and four grandchildren, who spark their creativity and drive their storytelling.
Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
In The Crow’s Ring by Pannell & Sigfusson, Brandon Woodberry and his friends are drawn into a long-buried mystery. Brandon realizes that a ruby ring, once dropped on his rooftop by his pet crow, matches jewelry reported stolen from a wealthy Riverside homeowner during a 1938 burglary. Their discovery begins aboard the condemned tugboat Maryanne, where Captain Hodges, a former police lieutenant determined to restore the vessel, finds archived files linked to the unsolved crime. As Brandon traces the connections between the homeowner’s family, a missing jeweler with ties to New York, and a vehicle discovered near the river decades after it disappeared, the investigation expands beyond the marina. Guided by Detective Patricia Wilcox and driven by the crow’s unpredictable movements, the youngsters pursue the evidence that suggests the truth behind the burglary has remained hidden in plain sight.
Pannell & Sigfusson’s The Crow’s Ring is a really fun middle-grade mystery set in Riverside. Readers follow Brandon and his friends as they work to solve the mystery, something many in the town haven't entirely stopped thinking about. Mrs. Thomas has been hurt the most, and she explains her family’s loss in the calmest, most dignified way, treating the youngsters as part of something meaningful. I love it when they climb into a rain-soaked dumpster to rescue discarded police files. Brandon is the story's anchor, and he chooses truth over attention as the investigation widens, which is refreshing because not every young protagonist is that secure about letting the facts speak louder than their own ego. Sophie is another firm favorite, whip-smart and with buckets of analytical reasoning. Riverside itself comes to life, from the wooded clearing, where soil hides the remnants of the past, to the Wilson gazebo overlooking The Greens. Readers, young and young at heart, will enjoy the collaborative problem-solving of this investigation, where friendship is central to setting things right. Very highly recommended.
