Well, this book definitely had me riveted! I looked forward to every chance to read it, and had to finish the last 150 pages in one sitting late into the night. It has that ghostly, eerie feel to it that gives you a slight chill and an uneasy feeling of dread.
Every Easter, 'Tonto' (as is his nickname, I don't recall ever finding out his real name) and his elder teenage brother Andrew (mainly known as Hanny) go with their parents, a priest (Father Wilfred)and a group of religious believers, on a pilgrimage to a coastal village near Lancaster, named by the locals as 'The Loney'. They stay in an old house called 'The Moorings'. Their main purpose there is to try to cure Hanny - he is mute and mentally impaired. When Father Wildred dies suddenly, an Irish priest Father Bernard takes his place and goes with them on the next pilgrimage. However, much has changed in the village. There are suspicious locals and disturbing incidents. What doesn't help the atmosphere both within the group and the feel of the book is the constant lashing of the rain, the mist and fog rolling over the fields and the beach. The feeling of unease stretches out from the characters themselves to make you feel rather uncomfortable. You dread what may happen next.
The only criticism I may have of the book, is that all this dread builds up but then seems to peter out. I was expecting something really bad to happen, but it never actually did - although there are enough chilling moments to make up for it! The locals are a menacing lot - I can't believe the family stayed in the awful house as long as they did. Tonto is a great narrator, his relationship with Hanny is moving, they have such a strong bond. The fact that Hanny is mute adds to the chill of the book. He is often stood staring and pointing, and we're left wondering for a few seconds what on earth he's seen or heard. The suspicious death of Father Wilfred was also a bit of a letdown for me - I found myself skim reading the chapter describing the moment fear overcame him and the loss of strength of his faith.
Overall however, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to feel a little bit unsettled!
This is Tom and Lucy's second book. Their first 'Lobsters' was shortlisted for both the YA Book Prize 2015, and The Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition 2013. Not having read this first book, but hearing good things about this second one, I was keen to get hold of a copy. I was also interested in reading it because it's aimed at a slightly younger audience than 'Lobsters' (a definite teen book due to content). 'Never Evers' is aimed at the tween market (12-14yrs), which my daughter, unbeknownst to her due to unfamiliarity with this book market lingo, is part of.
After struggling through the first 30 or so pages (girls being horrid to each other, boys just thinking about 'getting off' with girls) I was starting to think I couldn't read any more, but then the humour set in and I really enjoyed it. I finished it the next day. 'Mouse' has been kicked out of ballet school for not being good enough, and has returned to her old school just in time for the school ski trip. On that trip is Lauren, who she beat into getting the place for ballet school and who has since seemed to hold a grudge. Mouse is reunited with her old friends Connie (who is just hilarious and decided to bring her pet hamster on the school trip) and Keira. Also arriving at the same ski resort from a different school is Jack, Max (who decides the main reason for the trip is to kiss a girl and buy fireworks - random) and Toddy (who has some great cool one liners).
Jack falls for Mouse immediately, but many circumstances come between them, including the horrid Lauren and the local French pop star Roland (I just kept thinking of Justin Bieber as a comparison). Misunderstandings, accidents, lies, hamster bites, snow storms - they're all in there, and they all make a perfect package. I will definitely be passing this on to my daughter.
I thought A Little Life was long - this is a massive tome at over 900 pages. The main difference between the two books is that I loved A Little Life. Sorry, but I can't say the same about City On Fire. It was overlong (it's taken me over a month, perhaps two, to read it), confusing, a bit pretentious (keep a dictionary at hand if, like me, you are an ordinary person with an ordinary person's vocabulary. Not quite as bad as Will Self, but nearly there.) I totally lost the plot (literally) a number of times, I got confused over the characters (mainly the Post Humanist gang - I still don't know who has the tattoos or the green hair).
The main premise of the story is this. It is 1970s New York. A girl is found shot in a park on New Year's Eve. That's the gist. Add into that many characters who are linked to the girl in one way or another, so you are left wondering who may have done it. But i didn't really care - even when the guilty person was revealed there was no gasp from me - nada. We have Regan and Will, son and daughter of a wealthy business man William Hamilton Sweeney, whose name is known all over New York. The snake-like and unlikeable Amory Gould, Regan and Will's step uncle from their father's second marriage to the money grabbing Felicia. Regan's husband Keith, who is having an affair with Sam, the victim in the park. Mercer, Will's black boyfriend, who also found Sam's body. Um, then we have Will's 'friends' from when he was in a short-lived punk band - Nicky Chaos, Sewer Girl, Sol, DT. Then there's the reporter Richard, his neighbour Jenny, Sam's father the firework maker, oh and not forgetting Regan and Keith's children Cate and Will. Yes, there are 3 Wills. When the story goes back and forth in time it gets mildly confusing. Then there's Charlie, who had a crush on Sam, and when he finds out she's been shot becomes Messiah-like. Oh, nearly forgot the crippled detective who has to sort out all the mess - and from what I understood, he didn't really solve it, someone showed him all the clues and led him to it.
There are fireworks, fires, black-outs, business frauds, drugs, anarchists. I've read good reviews and bad reviews - if you have the time to spare, read it yourself and make your own mind up.
Wow.I mean, wow. This book may have 'little' in the title, but it is oh so big in many ways. Firstly, it's 720 pages long - big in paper. Secondly, it's big in characters - and I don't mean the amount of characters, I mean it's a hugely character-driven story, with so much detail about all the people. Thirdly, it's big in emotion - I cried so many times. I think that's where I should start really. This book is harrowing, it's upsetting, it's powerful, it's emotional, it's awe-inspiring, it'll take over your life, it'll become your friend that you cannot bear to leave, it'll be there when you're not reading it. When you finish reading it, it'll leave a massive hole in your life. You will decide to read it again. It's brilliant. It'll definitely win many literary prizes.
I should tell you a little bit about the story. It's set in America, and spans the lives of four friends from university to late middle age. Willem, Malcolm, JB and Jude. Even though we learn a lot about all of them, it is Jude who is the main focus of the story, as he is the main focus of all his friend's lives. He has suffered a shocking and traumatic childhood, one that no-one would believe a child could or should go through, and we watch with sorrow and unease as he carries this weighty disturbing baggage with him into adulthood.
This is Hanya's second novel. Her first was 'The People in the Trees'. I will definitely be seeking this one out.
Milo's dad has run off with his secretary to Abu Dhabi, leaving Milo's distraught and heartbroken mum, Sandy, to cope with looking after Milo, Milo's pet pig Hamlet, and Milo's great grandma Lou. Milo has a sight problem - he suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, which means he has only pinhole vision, a condition which only gets worse and results in blindness. Lou is starting to suffer from dementia, and creates an incident at home which results in her being put into a nursing home. However, even though Milo is the one with the vision problem, he seems to see clearer than the adults around him when it comes to things happening right in front of their eyes. The nursing home is not as nice a place as the manager portrays, and Milo sets out to prove she is mistreating the residents. But no-one wants to listen to a young boy with a pig when they have problems of their own.
This is quite a sweet story, but for me it was overlong (I was skimreading large parts), and slightly confusing in places. The topics covered are rather current - dementia, the war in Syria, refugees, the lottery of choosing a nice care home, couples separated, depression, even mail order brides! I think my favourite character is Mr Overland, the man who watches everything from his bedroom window, whistling continuously. I guess that's because I'm a bit of a nosey parker myself! Milo himself is a strong boy who loves his great-gran very much, and is determined for his voice to be heard.
Contains some swearing.
Sophie Kinsella is well-known for her adult 'Shopaholic' series, but here she delves into the young adult arena - and, I think, is very successful!
Audrey has been the victim of serious bullying at her last school, as a result of which 3 girls were expelled, and Audrey now suffers from severe depression and an anxiety disorder. She no longer goes to school, she cannot leave the house (only to visit her therapist, Dr Sarah), and she constantly wears sunglasses, as she is unable to make eye contact with anyone, not even her parents.
As part of her therapy, Dr Sarah suggests Audrey films her family life, starting with her own family first, and then to film any strangers who come to the house. Audrey has 2 brothers - Frank, who's older, and Felix, who's younger. Frank is obsessed with a computer game called 'Land of Conquerors', and he plays it with his friend, Linus. Audrey likes Linus, but it's hard for her to try to talk to him, or even be near him at first, due to her stress and anxiety problems. But she soon realises that Linus understands her and her problems, and that he doesn't think she's a weirdo for wearing dark glasses indoors, and that he knows he has to take things slowly with her. One step at a time, he helps her venture into the world, encourages her to approach strangers and talk to them, and Audrey starts to improve hugely - until she goes one step too far, and it seems all the hard work may have been lost.
Even though the book has the serious story of depression and acute anxiety (which is explained really well, and dealt with brilliantly), it is also immensely funny. I think most mums of teenagers will be able to relate very well with Audrey's mum. She is totally fixated with how much time Frank is spending on his computer, she tries banning him, forcing him to watch a Dickens film instead, making him spend time 'jamming' with his dad on the guitars, helping out making sandwiches for the local fete. All, of course, at Frank's horror and embarrassment. But Frank always finds a way back to the computer - until his mum throws it out the window.
The book is full of hilarious moments, mostly concerning mum getting exasperated with Frank, but also touching scenes with Audrey struggling with her illness, and desperately wanting to be have a 'normal' life.
If you like this, you should try 'We Are All Made Of Molecules' by Susin Nielsen.
I'll heartily recommend this to anyone over the age of 13/14. It's funny, it's very life-like, it's awkward, it's horrid, it's shocking, it's sad - it's just about everything you want in a teen book.
Stewart is 13, super gifted and intelligent, but slightly socially awkward. He lives with his mum and dad, until his mum dies of cancer and leaves Stewart and his dad devastated, sad and alone.
Ashley is 14, beautiful, popular at school, but slightly dim and not the nicest person in the world (an understatement). She also lives happily with her mum and dad, until her dad leaves them - for another man. Ashley is so ashamed and embarrassed she barely speaks to him any more - even though he lives in the converted shed at the bottom of their garden.
Stewart's dad and Ashley's mum work together. Romance blossoms and they end up living together - much to Ashley's horror. She has no intention on being nice to either of them, especially 'Spewart', and is completely mortified when he transfers to her school, and into her class.
This is a story of love, hate, prejudice, but above all, compromise and forgiveness.
There is an upsetting scene of an adult nature involving a teen girl and teen boy, which is why I wouldn't recommend this to anyone under 14.
This book grew on me the more I read it, and by the second day of reading I just couldn't put it down. It's about love - just like the title says, but it's more than just boy meeting girl, it's about love of film, love of family, love of friends.
Sixteen year old Luke has just started a Film Studies course at college. We know something's not right with his life from the start - he's paranoid about people staring, he doesn't talk very much, he's withdrawn, he has another voice talking in his head to him. Then he meets Leia, who's on the course with him, and they immediately click. They both love films, they're both named after characters in Star Wars, they both think the same things at the same time. They pair up in class to work together on a film script, and they both seem to be telling each other their life stories. Luke knows there's something between them, but it's not a full-on passionate love affair, it's a tentative 'getting to know someone better'. It's chaste and it's beautiful.
Then we learn more about Luke's brother, Marc, who's just about to come out of prison. He's been in for 2 years for serious assault, and life has been strange without him. How will it be when he comes home? Why does Luke has a scar on his face? Who is Craig Miller, and why is everyone scared of him?
The film thread is kept going throughout the book. We read screenplay scene descriptions (eg, 'INT car, dark, fingers drumming on wheel), the book cover itself looks like a manuscript, the characters play film games in the book (eg, Brad Pitt to Robert de Niro in 2 moves). It's all very clever, and it all adds to the atmosphere. Is everyone's life a film? Are we all characters in someone's manuscript?
A brilliant book about love, family and revenge.
Some of the characters from the book (Luke, Zia and Tommy) are in a stage play written by Steven called 'Back Down', and is currently touring the UK.
Steven Camden is also author of another teen book 'Tape'.
Wow, this just raced along! I loved it! Great descriptions, great characters, great story. I loved the fact it was set in the Edwardian era, its fashions, its architecture - yes, I loved it all!
The story itself is set in the newly opened department store in London - Sinclair's. I'm sure if I'd been watching 'Mr Selfridge' on television, I would've been comparing the two shops, but that series passed me by, so I was fresh to the Edwardian shopping experience! An expensive bejewelled clockwork sparrow has been stolen along with many other costly items from the jewellery department. Unfortunately, shop assistant Sophie has found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and is under suspicion for the theft. It will take a lot of hard detective work from her new-found friends to figure out the real culprits (and there are many sinister and suspicious characters to choose from) and to prove Sophie's innocence.
I very much look forward to more in the series!
If you loved Robin Stevens' Wells & Wong schoolgirl detective series, then this is for you.
This is such an original story, and one which took me through several phases. At first, I thought it was just full of nastiness - all the characters (main character Iris, her mother Hannah, and mother's boyfriend Lowell) seemed to be full of hatred for each other. How can a mother show no sign of love at all for her daughter, even if Iris has her problems? Iris's way of coping with her home situation is by lighting fires - not just a small, outdoor, dry leaf pile sort of fire, but more of a burn your mother's wardrobe down fire, and let's start a fire in a store room at school sort of fire. The sort where people's lives are at risk, but there is no thought of that - the fire, the smell, the sound, the danger are all too attractive and addictive.
Iris at first finds help in friend Thurston, even though he doesn't really seem the ideal person. He seems a bit of a misfit, a loner, the sort of person you'd imagine wouldn't have many friends at school.
Then Hannah finds out that Iris's dad, Ernest, is gravely ill and dying. She also knows that he is incredibly rich - he owns many priceless works of art. She whisks Iris and Lowell off to visit Ernest. Iris remembers nothing of her father. Hannah has told her that he abandoned them when she was small, and was nothing but a bad father.
This part of the book set in Ernest's house was my favourite. We discover more about Ernest himself, about his love of art (one of Iris's favourite topics also), about his past, about why he was not there for Iris when she was little. Lies are uncovered, people humiliated and shamed, lost friends reunited, a true family revealed.
The title, Fire Colour One, refers to the title of a famous painting by Yves Klein, made in 1962. Yves created the piece by using nude models as the 'brushes' and then firing a hose of blazing fire at the canvas, putting everyone's lives at risk. In the last decade it sold at auction in New York for $36.4 million.
The scene in the book depicting Ernest's death and Iris's emotions surrounding the death are particularly moving, especially when you know that Jenny Valentine herself recently lost her father after a grave illness (which she too suffered, but recovered from). A touching and poignant end to a brave, original story.
Mikey and his friends are just about to graduate from high school. It's their final couple of weeks before the summer holidays and then they're off on their separate ways to university. But there are a few problems :
1) Mikey has OCD - it's so bad he thinks the loop won't break and he'll die;
2) His older sister Mel has an eating disorder and needs constant monitoring;
3) His dad is an alcoholic;
4) His mum is running for Congress and everyone has to appear normal;
5) He loves Henna, but hasn't told her, but Henna loves new boy Nathan, who seems very suspicious;
6) His best friend Jared is part God of feline animals;
7) The town they live in is about to be taken over by Immortals - they come in the guise of police officers with blue rays coming out of their eyes. But it's OK, the indie kids are around to save the day;
8) The indie kids are being killed off one by one;
9) There are zombie deer.
I know, sounds weird. It definitely seems that way when you start reading it, but strangely the main theme of teens struggling with emotions, exams, anxieties, sexual preferences, whether someone's your friend or not, whether someone fancies you or not, parents - all the usual teen angst stuff - makes the story seem more normal than it actually is. Many of you will spot throw-ins from other top-selling kids' novels - vampires (check), Greek Gods (check), cancer victims (check), zombies (check). I loved all the characters, and I think many teens will find something from each of them to identify with. I did spend rather a large amount of time wondering whether there was an underlying meaning to the Immortals and the indie kids. Were the Immortals just authority figures trying to run the kids' lives? Were the indie kids just synonymous with people being different and that it was ok to be different, that they matter too and are just as important as everyone else, in fact they can be the heroes? However in the end, I just enjoyed it for what it is - something a little bit different and a little bit wonderful by one of my favourite authors.
Review by Megan, aged 12
The Geek Girl series has always been a personal favourite of mine, and 'All That Glitters' is still a fantastic book, but unfortunately it broke the good streak. Harriet is mainly concerned about the goings on at home, and the story is basically just about school.
I was expecting another dramatic story about her having an amazing experience doing a photo shoot with Nick, even though he was supposed to be in Australia after they broke up. Instead, Harriet only has about two chapters actually in the modelling world, and most of the other time having a bad time at school.
Some people may like the change in the storyline, which is great, but personally, overall, still an impressive piece of writing, and I guess a repeat of Harriet's childhood. But, I have to admit, a little bit disappointing.
I started to read this book with some trepidation - it's been getting quite a bit of hype in the press and from other bloggers, but recently I've been feeling a bit let down with the teen books I've read. It just seems to have been all sex, drugs, misery, death, and it's saddened me that, as the mother of a near-teen, this is what is out there for them to read. But times are a-changing and I guess I'll have to come to terms with the fact that children are growing up a lot faster than when I was a child. When I was 13 I was reading 'My Family and Other Animals' by Gerald Durrell and absolutely loved it. My daughter is currently re-reading 'Twilight' by Stephenie Meyer. See what I mean?
As testimony to the changing of attitudes and subject material in teen books, 'Simon...' is bang up to date with the current LGBT trend (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender). Simon is gay, but he hasn't told anyone yet. He is terrified of coming out to friends and especially to his parents. He forms an online friendship with Blue, who is also gay, and whose real identity is unknown, both to us and to Simon. They only know they go to the same school. Simon also uses a pseudonym when he emails Blue. It's this anonymity which makes it easier for them to open up to each other, to reveal how they both feel, to be there for each other when the time comes to tell their family and friends they are gay, even though for Simon that time is forced upon him after a very evil and vile incident. All the while we as the reader, and Simon, are trying to work out who Blue is.
It took me a couple of chapters, but I grew to love this book. You really felt for Simon when the time came to tell his parents. Even though in this modern world being gay is almost as much the norm as being straight, the author shows that there are still plenty of people who treat gays as weirdos, or someone to bully and tease for who they are. In one of Simon's e-mails to Blue, he asks "Don't you think everyone should have to come out? Why is straight the default?....It should be this big awkward thing whether you're straight, gay, bi or whatever." They decide it should be named the 'Homo Sapiens Agenda'.
The author, Becky Albertalli, is a clinical psychologist, and co-led a support group for gender nonconforming children in Washington, DC. In the book, she deals with her topics sensitively and with insight and understanding. I loved all the characters - well, nearly all - and couldn't wait to find out who Blue really was.
Donald can see ghosts - and talk to them. His friend Merry can just about make them out. His mum is a clairvoyant, and is sometimes hired to talk to ghosts to put them to rest. His dad is dead - but lives on as a ghost in a big house in the woods playing records.
Donald's mum hears word that there are ghostly goings on on the South West coast, so Donald and Merry accompany her to a caravan holiday park to investigate. Unfortunately, the rather unpleasant boy Danny also turns up there with his family and latches onto them. They also encounter the scary Estella, a very clever medium, who hatches an evil plan to get rid of the ghostly monsters once and for all. Donald finds himself in a life threatening situation - how will he get out of this alive?
This is a very funny story for about 10 year olds - Ally really gets you giggling on each page. Sometimes the writing and the story is a little loose and haphazard, but overall I really enjoyed it. I also loved her last book - Midnight Pirates.
Madeline is sick - has been since a baby. She suffers from Severe Combined Immunodeficiency - she has to stay indoors as any contact with the outside world may make her ill. The windows in the house don't open, there's a special air filter mechanism that is used to get fresh air into the house. Any visitors to the house (and there are few - only Carla, the nurse, and Madeline's architecture tutor) are blasted with a cold air cleaning treatment. Madeline is 18, and has been used to spending all her time in her house with her mum, who is also her doctor. Then Olly moves in next door. She starts communicating with him firstly by writing on the windows, then instant messaging online. Her mum knows nothing about this connection, but Carla (having a teenager daughter of her own) is instantly aware something is happening between the two, and arranges for Olly to visit when the mother is not at home.
A beautiful romance blossoms, but one where they both know that a touch or a kiss could kill Madeline. Now that she is experiencing love, Madeline wants more from life, and to share it with Olly. How can this can be done within the confines of her home?
This is a touching story about a mother's love and about first love, about having only one life and living it to the full. What makes the book more interesting to read is that the text is interspersed with hand written hospital notes, diary entries, IM screens, and drawings. I thought I knew what was going to happen, but there were a few twists and turns to keep you guessing.
A lovely story with loveable characters. Move over Gus and Hazel, make way for Madeline and Olly.
Katy Birchall is currently an Editorial Assistant at Country Life magazine. 'The It Girl' is her first book in a new series about schoolgirl Anna, her labrador Dog, and her dad. It is being marketed as 'clean teen', and for being ideal for fans of Geek Girl and Louise Rennison. Seeing as my daughter loves the former and I love the latter, I was keen to give it a go!
Anna's parents are divorced, but are still good friends. Her dad is a journalist and has fallen in love with a famous actress, Helena, who he had to interview. Helena also happens to have a daughter Marianne, who is a socialite and an It Girl, so Helena and Anna's dad are keen for the girls to get along. Will the girls manage to become friends? What will Anna's school friends think of her joining the celebrity world?
On the whole, I rather enjoyed it. It was really funny, and it just so happens that, like Anna, my daughter also loves the Marvel characters (she knows them through all the films though, rather than the graphic novels) and Star Wars, and we also have a yellow labrador who is rather mad. I liked Anna's friends Jess, Danny and Connor, but of course none of us likes a show-off meany bad girl, of which there are many in one's life during school days, and of which there are a couple in this book. This was the part of the story which I thought let it down slightly. It was very predictable where the story was going and what was going to happen - so many school stories focus so much on the bully or the nasty girl. The book just seemed to lose its originality and its humour for quite a few pages.
However, I'd definitely read the next in the series (due out 2016), as I'd love to read more about the wonderful, funny Anna and what happens next in her rather mad world!
Last year, Non Pratt (if the text copyright page is anything to go by, then her real name is Leonie Parish) published her debut novel, 'Trouble', about a 15-yr-old schoolgirl who becomes pregnant. As you can see from my review, I enjoyed Trouble, so I was looking forward to reading Non's second novel. I was rather disappointed. It's just basically full of bad language and sexual references - two 16-yr-old girls going to a weekend festival with a box of condoms, one of the girls already sexually active, the other a virgin. I guess I should've seen it coming. I find it quite depressing that teenagers will actually want to read this (because they will), and I don't know whether it's for the reason that it's just a book of dialogue with no literary content at all, or whether it's because this this stuff actually happens in real life. Teenage girls (and boys) think nothing of sleeping around, just giving away their bodies to the first person who shows interest.
'Trouble' was longlisted and shortlisted for many awards, but sadly I don't think 'Remix' is in the same league. Sorry Non.
This book is being marketed as a 'companion' to Kate's previous novel, the award winning 'Life After Life'. It follows the story of Teddy, Ursula's younger brother, as he grows up, and joins Bomber Command during WW2, and then follows him through a life after the war, the 'afterward', a life he never thought he'd witness.
I really loved 'Life After Life', and so thought I'd feel the same about 'A God in Ruins', but I must admit that by about half way through, I felt myself 'plodding' through it, and feeling some chapters as a bit of a chore. I found myself getting a little fed up with the backward and forward in time, and even though the main story of Teddy is of his years in service, I hate to admit that at times I skimmed through those passages. I much preferred reading about his home life, his family, the awfully unkind Viola, and of course the wise words of Ursula.
This is not to say I disliked it, I would like to think that anyone who read 'Life After Life' should read this, it's just that I felt my thoughts wandering, and my eyes flicking to how many pages I had left! But I still loved Teddy, and it was lovely to read more about his parents and siblings.
'Half Wild' is book two in the Half Bad trilogy (my review of book one can be found here). I read 'Half Bad' about a year and a half ago, and was worried that I wouldn't remember all the details, but luckily Sally Green has a canny way of updating the reader on all that has happened in the first couple of chapters of 'Half Wild'.
It's going to be difficult to talk about the book without giving away spoilers, but there are a few things I can say - it's as brilliant as the first; you won't want to put it down; you still don't know who to trust; you'll have to wait until March 2016 for the final book in the trilogy (that's the worst bit).
At the beginning of 'Half Wild' we find Nathan at a cave, a meeting place he'd arranged with Gabriel to meet with him if all turned bad. He's been there nearly a month, and still no Gabriel. The last Nathan can remember is fighting with Hunters, Gabriel trying to provide a distraction so Nathan could escape, the Fairborn knife being taken from him, and his close friend Annalise being taken by Mercury and put into a death-like sleep. So, Nathan wants to track down Mercury, save Annalise and find Gabriel. Of course a million other things happen. What about Marcus, Nathan's father? The last we heard of him in book one was when he gave Nathan his 3 gifts, but he didn't want to hang around because he'd heard the only reason Mercury will give up Annalise to Nathan is if he brings her the head or heart of Marcus. So, Nathan also wants to track down his father.
Nathan gets help from unexpected places, but of course he has to provide something in return. He soon finds himself with a lot of blood on his hands, and in a situation that he has known would come, but which he prayed wouldn't. With a war between the Council and the Black and White Witches escalating, Nathan has to juggle love, family and his Half Wild gift to stay alive.
Absolutely brilliant.
It's quite common for big movies with big-name actors to be based on a bestselling book, but in this instance it's the opposite. At the moment, there is a film out 'Big Game' starring Samuel L. Jackson, written by Jalmari Helander and Petri Jokiranta, and directed by Jalmari Helander. Barry Cunningham, from publishers Chicken House, approached children's author Dan Smith ('My Friend the Enemy', 'My Brother's Secret') and asked if he could bring the characters to life on the page. Well, what a brilliant job he's done. I couldn't put the book down - I read it in a day. It's full of adrenalin-fuelled action and adventure, you're hardly allowed to stop and draw breath. The characters are thrown from one near-death experience to another.
The story is set in Finland. It is the eve of Oskari's 13th birthday, and following tradition he has to spend one night and one day alone in the forests surrounding Mount Akka with just a bow and arrow and an emergency fire kit and a few small essentials. At the end of that time he must emerge from the forest with his prize. When his father was his age, he came out carrying a bear's head. However, the villagers don't seem to have much faith in Oskari's ability to hunt and kill anything. Oskari is soon to find out that the forest contains things more frightening than bears and elks, and he and all the villagers will discover he has more courage and heroism than anyone would have imagined.
A brilliant adventure for ages 11+.
Oh my goodness, I love Lauren St John's writing so much. I've been a huge fan since her White Giraffe series (**newsflash** there will be a new title in that series 'Operation Rhino' due out August 2015) , which was then followed by the brilliant Laura Marlin series, then the excellent One Dollar Horse series, and now there is this 'The Glory'. All I can say is that her writing is as superb as ever. I read this book in a day, it was so engrossing. Lauren has this excellent ability of describing places in such beautiful detail that you want to get straight on a plane to visit it. This happened after I'd read 'Rendezvous in Russia'. I'd always wanted to go to Russia, and after reading this I said to my daughter 'Right, we're off'. We visited St Petersburg and I was just so excited I didn't care that it rained the whole week, and I didn't care that I had to spend a week's wages to buy a ballet ticket - it was all worth it. It was beautiful.
So, now Colorado is my next port of call. I followed the trail of The Glory (a fictional month-long, 1200 mile horse and rider endurance race, with a $250,000 prize) in one of my guidebooks on the USA, and the places just sound amazing. I want to to go horseriding, I want to buy a cowboy hat, I want to go to that cafe in Boulder, I want to experience the spectacular scenery and surroundings, I want to camp out under the stars (without the rattlesnakes).
Thank you Lauren for enriching my literary and travelling life!
Robin Stevens has become another of my favourite authors. This is only her second book (the first was book one in the Wells & Wong series 'Murder Most Unladylike') and it's even better than the first.
We follow Hazel and Daisy in the school holidays where they're staying at Daisy's house with her family to celebrate her birthday. However, everyone is acting very suspiciously and when one of the party falls dead after drinking a cup of tea, thoughts turn to murder and everyone is a suspect. Who better to investigate than the young detective duo Wells & Wong?
A delicious and delightful pageturner of a read. Unputdownable!
I've only read one of David Levithan's novels, and that was co-written with Rachel Cohn 'Dash and Lily's Book of Dares'. I just loved it. I could see why fans of John Green liked his style of writing, and of course vice-versa. Even though 'Marly's Ghost' has just been released over here, it was actually first published in 2005, early on in Levithan's writing career. It's an interesting one - I don't know whether I liked it or not. It's a reworking of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol', but the reasons for the ghostly visits are not because Ben, the main character, (whose name we find out near the end is actually short for Ebenezer Scrooge) is a miser, but because he is finding it hard to move on in life after the death of his girlfriend, Marly. He withdraws himself from life, family and friends and cannot understand how life is continuing around him. The ghosts try to point out that he can keep the memory of Marly in his heart, but not like a ball and chain. He must let go, and carry on with his life.
I adore 'A Christmas Carol', and that could be the main reason why I wasn't sure about David's version. It's literally a copy, but slightly mixed up in places, so I knew what was coming and could guess the ending, which always spoils the reading of a book. David acknowledges at the end of his book that readers would either love it or hate it, but he hoped they would just go along with his version just for the pure enjoyment of it.
I'm sure true fans of Levithan will love it, but the jury's out for me.
Well, this book definitely had me riveted! I looked forward to every chance to read it, and had to finish the last 150 pages in one sitting late into the night. It has that ghostly, eerie feel to it that gives you a slight chill and an uneasy feeling of dread.
