A Boy Called Hope
by Lara Williamson
This book was such a scream, I had a smile on my face nearly all the way through and chuckled out loud in a few places. But beware the last chapter - there's a bit of a bombshell and it's so sad it'll have you weeping. What a rollercoaster of emotions in just a few pages!
The boy called Hope is Daniel Hope who lives with his sister Grace, his mum and her boyfriend Big Dave. Daniel's dad left when he was about 4 and since then he hasn't heard anything from him, not even a birthday card. But then he and his sister see him on the local news - as a presenter. Daniel finds out where he lives and begins to formulate a plan to meet with him and finally have his dad back. Unfortunately the best laid plans often go awry, but Dan has his friends and family around to help him through.
The book is full of great characters - the awful older sister Ninja Grace, the school friend Christopher who has secrets of his own, the best friend Jo who has a love of all things saintly, and the family dog Charles Scallybones who eats and sicks up again just about everything. A great read, highly recommended for readers aged 9-12.
Trouble
by Non Pratt
I must admit, from the first sentence I didn't think I was going to like this book at all. The first few pages were full of sexual references, crude language and inappropriate behaviour - all from 15-yr-old girls and boys. Do the teenagers of today really talk and behave like this? It's disgusting - and frightening. I have an 11-yr-old daughter and behaviour like that in a few years time is my worst nightmare. Then so is what happens to 15-yr-old Hannah - she becomes pregnant. And that is when the book turns a different corner and I began to enjoy it.
Even though we would never wish anything like that on such a young girl, the way it is handled in the book is with warmth, encouragement, sensitivity, understanding. Of course, there are the expected taunts and bullying from some of Hannah's classmates, and the fact that the father of the baby does not want to accept responsibility (but you will find out why), but Hannah's emotions during this period of turmoil seems very true to life. She is afraid of telling her parents, she wonders if her decision about the baby is the right one (and what a decision for a 15-yr-old to have to take). She is also about to take her exams.
Then there is Aaron - new to the school, son of one of the teachers, hanging out with a crowd he doesn't really want to be with, carrying the weight of a horrific incident from the past. He befriends Hannah and offers to do something that no other boy would do - pretend he is the father of the unborn baby. So begins a friendship which is strong enough to carry both of them through the rocky 9 months ahead. But then, being a pregnant 15-yr-old schoolgirl is never going to be easy.
Love, Nina
by Nina Stibbe
There was this lady who used to come into our bookshop in Truro with her children. She normally had a massive rucksack with her and never wanted a bag, sometimes we'd see them all with cycling helmets and waterproof jackets. She was a friend of one of my colleagues. She was very chatty, very funny, you got the feeling she was probably a little scatty, she loved books (she told me she used to work in publishing). She had huge eyes and a Roman nose. Then I stopped seeing her in the shop. Then about a month ago, I read about this book being published which was a series of letters from a young lady working as a nanny in London to her sister. It had a good review, so I requested a copy. Blow me down with a feather, if the young lady on the front cover didn't bear a very close resemblance to the aforementioned customer (I never found out her name before this). Of course, it turns out she is the one and same.
My colleagues had said this is a good book to dip in and out of, but I had to read it all. It was very funny. When she was 20, Nina worked as live-in nanny to Sam (10) and Will Frears (9), sons of Mary-Kay Wilmers, editor of the London Review of Books, and Stephen Frears, director of films such as The Queen and High Fidelity. They all lived in a large house in a very literary part of London. Alan Bennett lived next door, Claire Tomalin just round the corner, Jonathan Miller up the road. But Nina was never fazed by any of this, indeed you get the impression that she didn't know who any of these people were at the time. Alan often pops over for dinner (food is mentioned in nearly every letter - Nina seemed to do most of the cooking, some a success, some not) and the conversations they have over dinner are hilarious. They all get on brilliantly, especially Nina with Sam and Will. She often mentions Sam's 'illness' and trouble with his eyes, and having to take him to Great Ormond Street Hospital. We never find out what is actually wrong with him. On researching, I found that Sam actually suffers from a rare condition called Riley-Day Syndrome - he wasn't expected to live beyond the age of 5. The condition affects the nervous system. He is going blind and cannot feel pain. But when he was 10 in this book, you wouldn't have noticed anything different, from the way the family and Nina are with him. The boys are very mature for their age, and their sense of humour is hilarious. Swearing appeared to be allowed by all in the household - funny and shocking at the same time.
All the letters are one-sided, from Nina to her sister Victoria. Nina openly admits that she never kept any of her sister's replies, not for any other reason other than not wanting to keep more paper than necessary in the house and having a good clearout.
She talks about becoming a mature student and studying English Literature at Thames Poly, and a little about her boyfriend Nunny. You feel that perhaps it's not a serious relationship, they hardly seem to see each other, and Nunny sounds like he's having fun with other girls when he's away. You feel the relationship is doomed. You get to find out in the Afterword at the end what happened between them.
There's possibly more letters coming in the future, and even a novel by Nina. Watch this space.
Tinder
by Sally Gardner
The setting is Breitenfeld in November 1642, the midst of the Thirty Years War. Otto Hundebiss is an 18-yr-old soldier fighting for the Imperial Army who are soon to lose the battle against the Swedes. He is wounded - a bullet in his side and a sword in the shoulder - and he is suddenly facing Death himself. But it is not yet Otto's time. Instead he is confronted by a half-man half beast who cleans his wounds and gives him a gift of dice which, when rolled, will tell him which way to travel.
On his journey he meets with the beautiful flame-haired Safire and falls in love. But their meeting is short-lived. She is being tracked by huntsmen and runs off alone through the forest. He vows to find her again, and his travels take him to a ghostly castle where he uncovers truths he should not hear and beasts that will follow him for the rest of his journey. He acquires a magical tinderbox which he cannot dispose of, but which he will find to be of more use than he at first imagined.
This is a beautifully told rendition of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale The Tinderbox, which I haven't read but will now seek out. Sally's mastery of the language of a fairy story is excellent. It is so wonderful to escape into such a world, such a refreshing change from other novels around at the moment, but yet the story itself contains the same pieces as a modern one - love, jealousy, war, death, sorrow.
The copy I read was a proof sent by the publisher with a few sketches by the illustrator David Roberts (whose brilliant drawings can be seen in the Dirty Bertie books, The Tales of Terror series by Chris Priestley, and many many others). The final edition will contain over 100 black and white images, so I may have to buy that one too.
Half Bad
by Sally Green
When I first read the publicity blurb for this title I incorrectly assumed a few things :
a) the main character was female;
b) it was set in America;
c) it was going to be a witch version of Twilight.
The story is actually set in various parts of Britain, and follows Nathan, whose father, Marcus, is a Black Witch but his mother was a White Witch. As you can surmise from the names, the Black Witches are bad through and through, think nothing of deceit and murder, whereas White Witches do nothing but good and perform good and helpful spells. So Nathan is half good, half bad. When Nathan's mother dies, his grandmother brings him up, along with his half brother Arran and his two half sisters Deborah and Jessica. Because of the atrocious acts Nathan's father has carried out during his life, the Council of Witches and their Hunters are tracking down Nathan to try to 'turn' him, and give up the whereabouts of his father. He is taken from his grandmother, kept in a cage and trained to be a fighter, but he manages to escape. He is offered help by various characters, and in so doing, learns much about his mother and father and ultimately about his own character. However, not everyone gives favours freely, and there is one sacrifice he is not willing to make.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I finished it in just a couple of sittings. The pace is fast, there is plenty of action, the characters are exciting, and you never knew who to trust. I highly recommend it.
Knightley & Son
by Rohan Gavin
Hot off my reading The Ultimate Truth by Kevin Brooks, comes the first in another detective drama series for 10-12yr olds, but this one has a different feel to it, slightly younger, more comical. It feels like you're reading about the mind of a young Sherlock Holmes - thoughtful, pragmatic, sensible.
Darkus Knightley's father, a private investigator of all things unexplained, has been in a coma for four years. When he suddenly wakes uttering non-sensical words, Darkus works with him to piece together clues that may link that case to one that is affecting his own family. The mysterious bestselling book 'The Code' seems to be having an ill-effect on some of those that read it. What is 'The Code', and who are the people calling themselves 'The Combination'? The eccentric tweed-wearing father and son duo put their clever and intuitive brains together to unlock the mystery.
The Chronicles of Narmo
by Caitlin Moran
Most people will have heard of Caitlin Moran, columnist in The Times and author of 'How To Be A Woman' and 'Moranthology'. She's very funny. So when I found out that she'd written a book at aged 15, I was interested to read it. Funnily enough, it's like a young Caitlin Moran. The book is semi-autobiographical. It's about a young girl living with her parents and siblings in Wolverhampton, and how they are home-schooled (in the loosest sense of the word). No education is mentioned, just amusing anecdotes on days out, visits from local education personnel, Grandma Bat, and Christmas. Even though the book is very short and a quick wizz through of a read, there are some corking one-liners and you'll find yourself giggling on most pages. Hard to believe that a 15-yr-old wrote it. She's very mature in her immaturity! I love her thoughts on boys, in that they just lose their socks and get through all the milk.
I read online that Caitlin won a Dillons Young Readers contest for an essay on 'Why I Like Books'. I'd love to read that!
The Ultimate Truth
by Kevin Brooks
I've read a couple of Kevin Brooks's young adult books and this is completely different from, say, The Bunker Diary (very teen). The Ultimate Truth is the start of a new series of fiction for younger readers (11-12yrs). It's for fans of Alex Rider and Itch. This first book follows the hero of the series, Travis Delaney, as he recovers from the death of his parents in a car accident. His parents used to run a detective agency, and Travis starts to investigate the missing person case his parents were looking into before their death. He finds himself in more trouble than he cared for as he faces the MI5, CIA, and another mysterious group calling themselves Omega. He starts to realise that maybe the car accident wasn't just 'an accident' after all.
The Girl With All The Gifts
by M.R. Carey
I read a profile on the author in the book trade Bookseller magazine recently, and in it it talked about his new book. I was intrigued. I requested the book. I was hooked from start to finish. It's just brilliant. Think 'The Passage' mixed with 'The Walking Dead' and you have an idea of its premise. But it still manages to be different from those and other 'zombie' or 'turned' type books.
The girl of the title is Melanie, a young girl who is an orphan, and who has a high IQ and just loves to learn. But Melanie is different from other girls - she is locked in a cell every day and let out for school lessons, but only after she has been strapped into a wheelchair so she cannot move her limbs or head. Her teacher, Miss Justineau, is only allowed into the classroom after she has been doused with a special chemical that completely obliterates her human scent. That way, she knows she is safe from Melanie and all the other children strapped into wheelchairs in her classroom.
All proceedings are monitored by Sergeant Parks, a hateful man with a short temper who thinks nothing of using his fists to get his own way. Then there is Dr Caroline Caldwell, who is determined to find out more about the workings of the brain of these children, and thinks nothing of using a scalpel on any of them to further her scientific investigations. But soon, the routine of their daily lives is to be blown out of all proportions. They will all be fighting to survive in a frightening world of hungries and junkers, with not a friendly face in sight.
A gripping and action-packed story.
Running Girl
by Simon Mason
What a great 'whodunnit' thriller! Not sure what age it's aimed at - either teen or adult, but I'm guessing more the teen audience as it has that younger feel and the main characters are teenagers.
A young girl, Chloe, has disappeared. All that is found is a note at home 'gone for a run, back 7.30'. But she's not back at 7.30. She doesn't come back at all. Her body is found, and the hunt is on for her murderer. Schoolboy Garvie Smith used to go out with her, and he decides to try to solve the crime his own way, much to the annoyance of the detective leading the investigation, D.I. Singh. Garvie always seems to be once step ahead of the police, but also finds himself in more trouble than he may have realised.
Plenty of red herrings, dead ends - and school lessons missed! There are enough twists and turns (perhaps too many?!) to keep you guessing to the end.
A Room Full of Chocolate
by Jane Elson
I must admit, after reading the very first line in this book, I rolled my eyes and thought 'Oh no, not another one'. The line reads "Mum found a lump under her arm on my tenth birthday". I have read many books this year about family members ill, dying or dead and I thought I was going to have another following the same form. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I read this book in a day and quite enjoyed it. Grace, the aforementioned 10-yr-old, is sent to live with her granddad on a farm while her mum is treated in hospital for cancer. There, she meets the very colourful Megan, and they become best of friends. But Grace misses her mum, so Megan helps her plan a way of seeing her again.
Parts of the story reminded me of The Secret Hen House Theatre by Helen Peters, which is also set on a farm, and which my daughter and I both loved.
A strong exciting debut from a new author.
Lockwood & Co - The Screaming Staircase
by Jonathan Stroud
Ooh, this is a scary one. It's marketed for 9-12s, but I'm not sure I'd give it to my just turned 11-year old yet! But if your child likes to be spooked, then go ahead. The whole book is on a par with the first chapter of Spook's Apprentice by Joseph Delaney (a great series), which I also found quite scary and warn the young ones about (we keep it in our teen section at work).
Saying that, I really enjoyed this book. Lockwood & Co are a group of 3 children who are hired to dispose of ghosts, poltergeists, basically anything paranormal. It's set in modern day London where the 'Problem' (ie, hauntings) is rife. However, it is only children who have strong powers of sensing the paranormal, so they are trained to go out specifically to remove the Problem. The adults hover in safety at the front door.
After a job goes slightly wrong and the media backlash is brutal, Anthony, Lucy and George struggle to keep their business afloat. That is until they are approached by the famous Mr Fairfax, who employs them to get rid of many 'Visitors' from his ancient home. The only thing is, the previous children who've attempted the job have not come out alive. Will the 3 young ghost hunters survive the night's ordeal?
This is the first book in a series, and I look forward to reading the next one!
Geek Girl: Model Misfit
by Holly Smale
(by Megan, age 11)
The sequel to Geek Girl is an amazing story that links up with the first book, and it's still my absolute favourite!!!
Harriet can't cope with her life anymore; she's been dumped, she might be getting fired at any time, Annabel her step-mum has pushed her away to Japan for a modelling job because she's expecting a baby...
Will things all come clear at the end for Harriet? Or will her life be even more geeky and lonely than ever???
I definitely recommend this AMAZING book to any girl on earth!!!
When The Guns Fall Silent
by James Riordan
A hard-hitting, graphic and, at times, upsetting account of soldiers on the front line during the First World War. Nothing is held back from the 'telling it as it is' way of storytelling. You may have read fantasy and science fiction stories of monsters or zombies tearing people's limbs off and blood pumping out of wounds, and 12-yr-olds probably love that horror and gore. Yet when the same imagery is used to describe soldiers being blown to pieces, decapitated by shrapnel, or taking their own lives because they can't take the horror any more, it is far more upsetting to read. The publishers mark the book as 12 plus, but I will be careful who I'll be recommending this to. There's a section about propaganda, but it is not named as such, so if a child were to read this, they would think those things actually happened - I can't describe them here because they are too appalling.
Yet I don't want you to think that this book shouldn't be read by children. It's educational, it's shocking, you learn the difference between the soldiers on the front line eating dry biscuits and sometimes drinking rain water mixed with blood in the trenches, and the senior officers in their cosy warm cottages eating roast dinners and drinking port. The title of the book refers to Christmas Day 1914, when the German and British soldiers decide to call a day's truce, and come together to play football and shake hands on No Man's Land. They are friends one day, but enemies the next. At the start of each chapter, there is a moving poem written by war poets, for example Wilfred Owen, and these short bursts of prose add to the solemnity of the book.
The book was first published in 2000, and has been re-released ready for publication in 2014 - the centenary of the First World War. The author James Riordan died in 2012 aged 66.
Stay Where You Are & Then Leave
by John Boyne
We'll probably see an abundance of stories and biographies set during the First World War over the next year, as of course 2014 marks its centenary. Add to that the fact that there are many war stories for children on the market already. They can learn so much more by reading these books than I ever did in my boring History lessons at school. There is War Horse by Michael Morpurgo, Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo, Soldier Dog by Sam Angus, The Silver Donkey by Sonya Hartnett, and many others. Including this one.
I love John Boyne's writing. He writes both for adults and children. You'll probably have heard of his most famous - The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, which was turned into a film. 'Stay Where You Are & Then Leave' is about Alfie. On Alfie's 5th birthday, his dad signs up to fight in the First World War. His last memory of him is seeing him stride proudly into their living room in full uniform, and his mother and grandmother bursting into tears and running out the room. His mother lets him read the letters his father sends back, but after a while she begins to hide them away from him, and after that the letters seem to stop altogether. Alfie's mother tells him his father is on a secret mission and is not allowed to get in touch with them. Alfie thinks this is code for his father is dead. But then he accidentally stumbles across some information which makes it apparent his mother is holding an even bigger secret from him about his father.
This is a touching book about the innocence of a young boy trying to understand the horrors of war, about conscription, of conscientious objectors and white feathers, and of mental illnesses caused by the war which were not taken seriously during that period. A wonderful, educational read.
Look out for my next review on another book about the First World War - 'When the Guns Fall Silent'.
Dandelion Clocks
by Rebecca Westcott
Olivia and her autistic brother, Isaac, live with their mum and dad. They live a normal life. Olivia has her best friend Alice, and a boy at school she fancies, Ben. She loves photography and likes to capture everyday moments. Suddenly though they are not a normal family, and there are no normal everyday moments. Her mum falls seriously ill, and even though the word is not mentioned in the book, we deduce it is cancer. Olivia struggles to come to terms with the illness, and the fact that soon her mother will no longer be around. It is not made easier with Isaac and his inability to understand emotions in other people and himself. How will Olivia turn denial into acceptance?
This is a very moving book, but it would be good to recommend to young ones in a similar situation, or suffering from a recent bereavement and finding it hard to understand the turmoil of emotions they are going through.
Suitable for around age 10/11.
Bellman & Black
by Diane Setterfield
I spend about 90% of my time reading children's and teen books, and even though I love most of what I read in those age groups (and more adults should read children's books, they're more exciting than you'd imagine - we have more and more grown-ups visiting the young adult section of our bookshop), I do look forward to a change of writing in an adult book. Several years ago I read The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield and rather enjoyed it, so when I was given the opportunity of reading Bellman & Black, I was quite excited at the prospect. I absolutely loved it. Her writing is just glorious. I could even compare it to Dickens - full of detail, wonderfully descriptive, incredibly atmospheric. I'm a bit of a fan of dark, ghostly stories, and even though this is not a ghost story as such, it leaves you with that same prickly feeling, which you both love and fear at the same time.
When he is 10 years old, William Bellman is out with his friends when he produces a home-made, finely crafted catapult. His friends make him a bet that he can't knock out that rook from that tree way over there. William takes up the challenge, and even though he knows he can do it, when he sees the stone from the catapult arc its way directly towards the rook, he silently wishes the rook would fly away. It does not. It falls dead from the tree. The story then continues with William as a young handsome man, admired by the ladies. He is offered work as an apprentice at his uncle's mill. He is a quick learner and a hard worker, and the business flourishes. His fortune seems to improve over the coming years until accidents and illnesses start to befall those around him he loves, and a strange man in black appears at all the funerals. Something niggles at the back of William's mind. Who is this man and what does he want, and why does he only make appearances at funerals?
Gripping, dark, thrilling, sinister, atmospheric - a memorable and moving story of how one act can pave a way to your downfall. Don't mess with rooks. They remember everything.
If you enjoy this, also try the rather scary Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley. But not in the dark on your own.
The Great Unexpected
by Sharon Creech
A wonderful tale of unexpected family ties spanning two continents - with a little bit of a ghost story thrown in too - oh, and a fairy ring!
Naomi and Lizzie are best friends in a small American village called Blackbird Tree. The main thing they have in common is that they are both orphans. Naomi is looked after by Nula and Joe - Nula came to America from her home country Ireland when she was a teenager. Lizzie is with foster parents - her only family is apparently a mad aunt living in Ireland. Thus the seeds of family ties are sown, and grow as the story grows. It is helped along the way by a mysterious young lad, Finn, who falls out of a tree one day in front of Naomi. He has a strange accent, and also a strange ability to appear and disappear at random moments - usually when Naomi is thinking of him. The stories of old Mrs Kavanagh and her friend Pilpenny in Ireland, and Naomi and Lizzie in America, are interwoven beautifully, helped along by all the other strange and eccentric characters in Blackbird Tree, each of them with their own secrets and stories to tell.
I just loved this!
After Iris - The Diaries of Bluebell Gadsby
by Natasha Farrant
What a wonderful book, I loved it. Just right for girls 10years and over. Written part film transcript and part diary, it is about young Bluebell (but she much prefers Blue) whose twin sister Iris died in a car accident 3 years earlier. Blue records her family's life on video - much to the annoyance of her eldest sister Flora. Blue, Flora and their younger brother and sister Twig and Jas live in a beautiful old, but cold, house in London. They are looked after by a Bosnian au pair Zoran, as their father spends most of the time working in Warwick, and their mother constantly travels all over the world with her job. The past few years have been an emotional struggle for them all, especially Blue, and you can sense the family slowly falling apart. Only the silent and solitary Blue, cameragirl extraordinaire, is able to show her feelings in her diaries. She thinks she's finally found someone to talk to when carefree and loveable Joss Bateman pops into her life and she finds she has a huge crush on him. However, the path of young teenage love is an unfairly rocky one, but help and friendship is not too far away...
You will laugh, and you will find a lump in your throat, but mostly you will just love this book.
Downside Up
by Hayley Long
Ronni Runnacles is in a bad place emotionally. Her dad has left, her mum is a wreck, and she just can't concentrate in school - that's if she actually goes. Add to that the very annoying Sadie Slowgrove and the gorgeous you'll-get-me-if-you're-lucky Stuart Bolan, and Ronni finds the easiest way out of all her problems is to create an imaginary world where she is the superfamous popstar Ronni Runaway. But one day, after an accident on the dodgems, Ronni starts to realise that you might not always be happy with what you wish for.
This was really rather funny, and a whole lot of fun with it too. I just loved Ronni's teenage language - 'whoop' is one of her favourite words, so just imagine it said in a teenage 'whatever' way. Ronni's nan is great too, with her too-tight clothes and her 'cheesemobile' yellow car. But I think my favourite character is Ronni's Russian classmate Yuri Maximovich Krolik who starts all his sentences with 'Yes' - he's hilarious.
I must admit I much preferred the first section to the second 'upside down' after-the-accident section. It definitely wasn't as funny (apart from Yuri) and I found myself skim-reading through most of it. But I'm sure once young girls have read this one they'll definitely look to read Hayley Long's other books.
I'd recommend this for girls over 10. There is some light swearing (cr*p, b*tch, bl**dy) but you can hear worse in the Harry Potter films!
"When Did You See Her Last?" (All The Wrong Questions 2)
by Lemony Snicket
There's not much more to say than that this is just as madly and weirdly wonderful as the first book "Who Could That Be At This Hour?" We rejoin Lemony and his 'teacher' S.Theodora Markson, this time trying to hunt down the missing Cleo Knight, a young chemist on the verge of creating invisible ink. Many familiar faces appear again from book 1, with the sinister Hangfire still lurking in the background. A joy of silliness.
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock
by Matthew Quick
Leonard is a troubled soul. His parents are no longer together - his ex-rock star alcoholic father is no longer in the picture, and his fashion designer mother spends most of her time away from home with her French boyfriend. It is his 18th birthday, but nobody remembers. He is bullied at school by Asher Beale, one-time best friend until that dreadful life-changing incident. He is unhappy, and he sees no happiness in the future for himself either, so he makes the decision to take himself out of this world and into another, happier place - and take Asher Beale with him. And that's where his grandfather's P-38 gun that was used to kill a Nazi officer in World War II, comes into the picture. It is up to his 3 friends in the world - Herr Silverman his history and German teacher; Walt his Humphrey Bogart film loving neighbour; Lauren the beautiful Christian - to convince him that life is worth living. But will it be enough?
This is understandably a very sad story. Poor Leonard, even though he is highly intelligent, is seen as a weirdo by his classmates, so when he starts to spiral downwards no-one seems to notice because they think he is strange anyway. The school guidance counsellor remarks on his behaviour but when he laughs it off, so does she. You end up screaming at some of the characters to give him the help he needs, stop the inevitable from happening. Thankfully Herr Silverman is a lot more astute and aware and you hope you can rely on him to pull Leonard out of his suicidal hole.
There were a few annoying things in the story, the first being footnotes. I'm not a big fan of these, they seem to tear you away from the moment and when the story is so emotionally heavy, it takes a while to get back into it. The second is the sudden introduction of letters from the future. You wonder what on earth it is about, until it is explained a little further into the book. The third is the ending - I often seem disappointed by endings, but this one really annoys. See what you think yourselves.
Other than that, a really enjoyable, thoughtful, heartbreaking story about a taboo subject.
Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
by Robin Sloan
I didn't quite know what to make of this. In a way, it was a shame that I read it right after The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, because I loved that book so much it was going be hard to beat. I loved the idea of the story of Mr Penumbra - a bookshop that is open all day and all night, but hardly has any customers. The few customers it has act rather strangely and keep quoting what sounds like a Latin phrase to Clay, the young lad whose job it is to man the bookstore through the night. Using the help of a few of his friends, he discovers that many of the non-mainstream books kept in the shop are written in code. Once this code is broken, the secret to eternal life is revealed. But Clay doesn't want to have to read through all the books to solve the puzzle. One of his friends works at Google and she uses her technological wizardry to solve it the modern way. I think this is where the story lost me slightly. I wanted an oldy-worldy magical story of secrets and books, but instead I get thrown back into the real world of Google search, Kindles and e-books, and Amazon. So good concept, but not quite good enough to hold my excitement.
The Goldfinch
by Donna Tartt
I was very excited when I saw that Donna Tartt had written a third novel. Her first, The Secret History, was published to critical acclaim in 1992 and I absolutely loved it. She had us waiting 10 years for her second novel - The Little Friend was published in 2002. So another 11 years have passed and she has produced another tome of a book - the 771-paged The Goldfinch. This book is not only of epic proportions size-wise, but also content-wise. The story may itself be simple - 13-year old Theo is visiting a museum with his mother when there is an explosion and his mother is killed. Theo takes a painting which his mother loved, in order to keep it, and the memory of her, alive. But it is this painting, and the struggle to keep it safe and hidden over the next 14 years, which draws him into a world he could not have foreseen for himself.
You will become addicted to this book. Its size will become invisible, until you near the end and you wish it to continue further. Theo becomes your best friend, you want all the characters to like him, and most of them do. You will fall in love with Theo's best friend, Boris, with his heavily-accented speech and his bad-boy but totally adorable personality. You want Hobie, Theo's 'guardian', to be your father and to live in his eccentric sounding house. But above all you want Theo to survive all the bad stuff that gets thrown at him. Donna Tartt details so much that you wonder whether it is research or real life that she is basing it on - the horror of drug use and abuse; the minutiae of the art world. But wherever it's from, the fact it feels real is what makes a great story, and a brilliant read.
For me the only downside of the whole book is the last few pages of philosophising. I'm a 'black and white' type person, so all questions on the 'meaning of life' make me glaze over. Donna Tartt, through her character Theo, makes a couple of comments during the book about the pointlessness of bringing children into a world of misery and unhappiness - mortgages, divorce, hip-replacements and loneliness in care homes are what they face in life. Her own reflection on life perhaps?
The Bomber Dog
by Megan Rix
This is the third in Megan Rix's animal war story series (after The Great Escape and The Victory Dogs), and her storytelling continues to be exciting, heartwarming and fascinating. In this book, we find out about the adventures of Grey, a German Shepherd dog - or Alsatian as they were known as during the war so as not to use the word 'German'. Grey is rescued as a puppy from the hands of the Germans in France by British soldiers, and taken back to Britain, where he is later discovered and cared for by Nathan, a new British army recruit. Grey's looks and talents are picked up by a Colonel in the paratroop regiment, who employs both Nathan and Grey as paratroopers, their job being dropped into enemy territory and report back on what weapons the Germans are about to use against the British. Nathan and Grey form a very close bond - both would give their lives for each other, so when their first jump into France ends in disaster and they are separated, neither will give up the search for the other.
If you like animal war stories, then also try War Horse or Shadow, both by Michael Morpurgo, and Soldier Dog by Sam Angus.
How I Live Now
by Meg Rosoff
I first read this book when it was published about 8 years ago, and instantly became a Meg Rosoff fan. I then read Just In Case, What I Was, There Is No Dog, and have been lucky to read an advance copy of Picture Me Gone (published 5th September 2013). I loved them all. There is now a film coming out of How I Live Now (release date at the moment October 2013), so I thought it was time to re-read the book.
Well, it was better than I remembered. American teenager Daisy is sent to live with her cousins in England. She is quite happy with this, as her dad has married devil woman Davina (Daisy's mother died giving birth to Daisy), and they are expecting their own baby. Her dad seems to want her out the way so he can start a new life with his new family - at least that is how Daisy tells it. We also learn that Daisy has an eating disorder and has seen many a psychiatrist while growing up in America.
As soon as she arrives in England and is met by her cigarette-smoking young teenage cousin Edmond (well, one of the cousins, there are four of them in the family), she knows that she has found a new home. Her Aunt Penn flies off to Oslo on a mission of world peace, and leaves the cousins alone. The days are fun-filled, relaxing and hugely enjoyable. Even more so as Daisy finds she has a real connection with Edmond, and they fall in love. This is not to last however as war breaks out in England. Airports are closed down so Aunty Penn can't return home and Daisy can't get back to America. Soldiers take over the cousins' farm, and the girls are separated from the boys. So begins a tale of survival and heartache for Daisy as she struggles to look after her younger cousin in a country torn apart by war, and tries to be reunited with the rest of the cousins - especially Edmond.
The story is told from Daisy's viewpoint and is full of emotion, humour, anxiety and fear. There are no direct quotes - all conversations are recorded indirectly. This is how the whole book is and I wonder how this will translate onto the screen. I hope it works. A heartbreakingly wonderful story.
Flora & Ulysses - The Illuminated Adventures
by Kate DiCamillo
This is such a cute book! Everything about it is quirky - the story about a superhero squirrel called Ulysses, the brilliant illustrations (some in graphic novel format), Flora's hairstyle - well, she's not your average 10-yr-old girl in a story with long flowing blond locks. I mean, she's friends with a boy temporarily incapacitated by blindness following a traumatic incident (or so he says. And by the way, don't call him Billy. It's William Spiver.)
Well I can't reveal all of its wonderfulness to you, you must find out for yourself. It all starts off with a hoover...
The Forever Whale
by Sarah Lean
Hannah's granddad has Alzheimer's. Before it got too bad, he had taken Hannah out in his rowing boat, like he regularly did, and promised to tell her a story about meeting her grandma, some deer, and a whale. But then the illness took hold and he was moved into a home, and his eyes became empty - along with his memory. Hannah is determined to find out what granddad wanted to tell her. She decides to visit a local island which he often talked about, and film anything she can see, in the hope that this will jog his memory, and she can have her old granddad back. What she finds stirs up memories - and a few surprises - for everybody.
This is a beautiful story which I finished in one sitting. If you like this, also try Michael Morpurgo's Why the Whales Came.
Sarah Lean has also written two other wonderful stories - A Dog Called Homeless, and A Horse for Angel.
Rendezvous in Russia
by Lauren St John
This is the third in the Laura Marlin mysteries series (after Dead Man's Cove, Kidnap in the Caribbean, and Kentucky Thriller), which sees Laura, Tariq and Skye caught up in another adventure involving the notorious Straight A's gang. Our three heroes become film stars as they are cast as extras in a movie where a priceless piece of art is stolen from a museum in Russia. However, scenes become more fact than fiction, and Laura finds herself closer to Mr A, the evil boss of the Straight A's, than she ever wished to be.
It's another exciting page turner from Lauren St John - I've loved all her series (The White Giraffe, Laura Marlin, The One Dollar Horse). She has a great ability of drawing you in from the first page so you are instantly hooked. I urge everyone to read all her books!
More Than This
by Patrick Ness
This is a book that will get you thinking. The story begins with a drowning. Sixteen year old Seth is struggling in the icy waters of an ocean - the waves dash him against rocks - he dies. But then, he wakes up - on the front path of a house. Is this heaven or hell? Is he dead or alive? Is this purgatory? You are left with these questions all through the book. Just when you think you know what's happened and where Seth is, the author throws in another conundrum and you're back to puzzling over what on earth is going on. But not in a bad way. Your interest is held as the author reveals what has happened in the past, Seth's relationship with his family and friends, the tragedy that occurred in his family (quite a horrific one too - very moving) for which Seth knows he is to blame and can never forgive himself. Seth is not alone in this strange world. There is the strong and wilful teenage girl Regine, the young Polish boy Tomasz, and the ominous black clad and black helmeted Driver (or 'Death' as Tomasz calls him) who is constantly tracking them down. As they try to answer his questions as to where they are and their purpose of being there, they help him along with answers to problems in his past life, so he starts to realise that there always was and always is 'More than this'.
Tomasz is the one character I found the most entertaining, but also the one I had the most problem with. He is twelve years old and had been learning English ready to start a new life there with his mother when he found himself in this scary new world. But his words are almost philosophical - too mature for a 12-yr-old, never mind a Polish boy just learning the language. But I will forgive the author this as he is my favourite character.
A powerful book for all you thinkers out there!
The School for Good and Evil
by Soman Chainani
Sophie and Agatha are friends in an almost fairytale world - Sophie is the beautiful blond princess who longs to be rescued by a handsome prince and Agatha is the dark sulky girl with no other friends and whose mother appears to be a witch. Even though they are not actually living in a fairytale, it could be that they soon will. Every four years, two children (one good, one evil) are whisked away in the dead of night to attend one of two schools - either the School for Good, or the School for Evil, and end up in their own fairytale story. Sophie hopes she will be the one chosen for the School for Good as she yearns to live happily ever after with her prince, and she has done nothing but good deeds for the last four years to make sure she earns her place. However, things do not go to plan for either her or Agatha. They are both whisked away, but Sophie is cast into the School for Evil, and Agatha into the School for Good. Agatha is determined to save her friend and escape back to their homeland, but Sophie has other things on her mind - to swap places with Agatha and live out her dream in the School for Good. They both battle fairies, monsters, wolves, the High Master, even other students to get what they want, until they realise they must work together and solve a riddle to even stand a chance of escaping.
A fast-paced, funny, action-packed, thrilling ride of an adventure, children of 10 and over will love this book, which is the first of a trilogy. It is also going to be made into a film, which should be superb to watch.
Go to the dedicated website http://schoolforgoodandevil.com/ to take an exam to see which school you'd be put into!
Picture Me Gone
by Meg Rosoff
Meg Rosoff is one of my many favourite authors. One of her books 'How I Live Now' is soon to be a film (out 27th September 2013). My personal favourites are 'What I Was' and 'Just in Case'. Until now. 'Picture Me Gone' is about 12-yr-old Mila, who sets out on a trip to America with her father to try to find his friend, Matthew, who left the family home one day and didn't return, leaving his wife, baby son, and dog behind. Mila uses her special gift of being able to 'read' people - their thoughts, feelings and memories - to try to solve the mystery. What she uncovers are friendships, secrets, lies, tragedy, and a situation that is just too incomprehensible for a 12-yr-old girl.
I was drawn into this book immediately - I knew by the second chapter that this would be my favourite. I nearly cried when I read how sad Honey the dog was, how she was disliked by Suzanne the wife, how she missed her master - "loneliness flows off her in waves"..."this is not a happy house". Thankfully Mila and her father take Honey with them on the search for Matthew which is a relief for us all.
This is a fantastic book of discovery. Mila is a very mature young girl - perhaps being an only child has helped her understand the intricacies of adult relationships and behaviour, which also helps her piece together the mystery.
Meg has the brilliant ability of capturing and describing every emotion, every subtle bit of body language, every part of a conversation, so you can vividly imagine each and every character she introduces into the story. I loved loved loved it.
Smile
by Raina Telgemeier
(Review by Megan)
This is an epic book about a girl called Raina in sixth grade, who has a disastrous fall after a meeting at Girl Scouts, where she knocks out her two front teeth! Raina's life turns into a nightmare as the orthodontist gives her braces, embarrassing head gear, and fake teeth!
Turning into a teenager makes her life harder, as she grows interested in boys, goes to high school and gets spots...
I loved this book in all ways, especially how it is laid out like a comic book, with pictures and speech bubbles that makes it a more enjoyable read.
If you like Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Geek Girl you'll love this.
Chasing the Dark
by Sam Hepburn
Joe Slattery's mum has been killed in a hit-and-run car accident, and as his father is no longer on the scene, Joe is sent to live with his mum's sister and her husband. However, Aunt Doreen shows only animosity towards Joe. While enjoying a walk out with his dog, Oz, to escape the awful Aunt, Joe finds himself in the grounds of a crumbling mansion. Before he knows it, he is grabbed by a dirty tramp, who threatens to kill Oz unless Joe brings him food, medicine, bandages and money. This is the start of a frightening adventure for Joe as he uncovers secrets and lies. The accident that killed his mum was no simple hit-and-run; who was the stranger in the car who was giving her a lift; what is the tramp with the foreign accent doing hiding in the mansion. Joe tries to discover some answers, but in the process finds himself in mortal danger.
A great thriller that definitely picks up speed as it progresses.
Fortunately, the Milk...
by Neil Gaiman
A crazy, kooky tale of a father's trip out the house to get some milk so the kids can have their breakfast cereal. He is away for absolutely ages, and on his return his children ask where he's been. So begins an incredible story of time-travel, meeting dinosaurs, aliens in spaceships, pirates, stone-god worshipping men, and the all-important pint of milk. If the story isn't enough to keep the readers entertained, Chris Riddell's illustrations will definitely have you poring over every page, looking at the minute detail of his pictures. The father of the story bears an incredibly uncanny resemblance to Neil Gaiman himself...
A brilliant pairing of author and illustrator to create an entertaining fantasy story for young readers.
The Mysterious Misadventures of Clemency Wrigglesworth
by Julia Lee
I really enjoyed this fun, quirky adventure story of a brave young orphan, Clemency Wrigglesworth, who travels alone from India to England, not knowing where she is going or who will look after her. She is taken under the wing of Mrs Potchard and her son Gully, and his aunt Mrs Marvel and her children Whitby and Leicester. An advertisement is put in The Times newspaper announcing the arrival of Miss Wrigglesworth and her location, but unfortunately the mysterious lady who comes to whisk Clemency away may not have her best intentions at heart. Gully and Whitby set out on a daring rescue mission, while Clemency uses her fearlessness and bravado to attempt to find out the truth about her real family.
If you like this, also try The Thornthwaite Inheritance or The Considine Curse by Gareth P Jones and Wilma Tenderfoot and The Case of the Frozen Hearts by Emma Kennedy
Perfect
by Rachel Joyce
I really enjoyed Rachel Joyce's first book, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, so I was looking forward to reading this one. Rachel has such lovely descriptive prose, and her turn of phrase is perfect. But do not come to this book expecting a tragi-comedy. Come expecting tragedy but no comedy. You feel constantly on your guard, expecting something awful to happen, knowing the moment is coming very soon, and when it does it is heartbreakingly sad. Catastrophic events build up to one big disaster that leaves the characters and the readers saddened and tearful. The twist at the end will have you sobbing even more.
The Case of the Pistol-Packing Widows
by Caroline Lawrence
The third in the brilliant P.K Pinkerton Mysteries, this story finds P.K. travelling from Virginia City to Carson City on an undercover job paid for by Opal Blossom, but concerning someone he is uncomfortable to follow - his friend Poker Face Jace. As is to be expected, his mission is not an easy one, and P.K. has to introduce more disguises to get where and what he wants. New friendships are made, foes are fought, secrets are uncovered, Mulligrubs are overcome, but above all a great adventure is had - by P.K. and the reader!
This is one of my favourite series, and I really look forward to the next installment!
Midnight Pirates
by Ally Kennen
Gosh, what a lot of action in this book - jam packed! At first, I thought there was TOO much, it jumped around a bit too much, but it soon settles down into a good adventure. On the plus side too, it's set in Cornwall, so I could put a few towns in the map and knew whereabouts the author was setting the story.
Miranda and her brothers Jackie and Cal (cool surfer dude, with great surf-talk which makes you giggle) live in a hotel which is owned and run by their parents. The hotel is right on a cliff overlooking the beach and the kids just love it. However, the parents run into financial difficulties and have to put the hotel up for sale. They take a break abroad and send the kids to a boarding school for a few weeks while they're away. The kids never make it to the school - they run back to the hotel, phone the agents to tell them the house is off the market, and start to take in holiday-makers to keep the money coming in. Unbeknownst to them, some of the tourists are not who they seem and trouble is lurking on their own doorstep.
A great adventure for 9+. If you like Cornwall based adventure stories, then try Itch by Simon Mayo, Dead Man's Cove by Lauren St John, The Whistling Caves by Helen Moss, North of Nowhere by Liz Kessler and Fritha's Summer by Susan Morris.
