Man at the Helm by Nina Stibbe

Man at the Helm
by Nina Stibbe

At the moment, Nina Stibbe is better known for her first bestselling book Love Nina, a collection of letters written by her to her sister while Nina was a nanny in London. I really loved that book, it was very funny, she has a wicked sense of humour (in the literal and slang way), so I was looking forward to reading this book, her first foray into fiction. Her writing style is unchanged. She has a great way of using brackets in sentences to clear up confusion over meanings, and I have to smile every time she does it. It took me a couple of chapters to settle into the story, I seemed to be waiting for something big to happen, (but I do spend 90% of my time reading Young Adult/9-12 fiction, where you're wham bang straight into the adventure), but suddenly I couldn't put it down. 

The story is recounted by 9-yr-old Lizzie. Her parents divorce after her father falls in love with someone else, and she (along with her older sister) decide to write a list of all the men they deem suitable to become the next 'man at the helm'. They then forge letters from their mother to these men, asking them to pop over for a drink, and then they wait to see what happens. What's funny is that the girls just want them to be 'intimate' enough times to have to get married. Most of these encounters don't end too well, but you find yourself laughing about it rather than thinking 'oh the poor woman/the poor children'. Of course the one man the mother falls for is not the best of characters and the children are aghast at what they've let themselves and their mother in for.

Just as your thinking 'oh this is hilarious, what on earth is going to happen to the poor family next', something either heartfelt or heartwrenchingly sad happens and you have to have a good old blubber and a moment away from the book to compose yourself and then get right back into it. (Well I did anyway, ask my daughter - she thoughtfully left the room when she saw my eyes filling up and my nose turning red, saying "I'll just leave you on your own for a bit").

Nina said in one interview last year that the book is semi-autobiographical ("it's about my mother's unorthodox style of parenting"). The mother in the story survives mostly on pills and drink, swears like a trooper, and basically just lets her children run wild, but is a natural beauty and makes all men she meets stop dead in their tracks.

I loved the book, loved all the characters and love Nina's style of writing.

If you like this, I also recommend the completely farcical Campari for Breakfast by Sara Crowe.

Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens

Murder Most Unladylike
by Robin Stevens

The year is 1934. Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are both pupils at Deepdean School for Girls, Daisy being rather clever, but also clever enough to cover it up (no-one likes a swot), and Hazel is Chinese and looks up to Daisy because of her cleverness. They set up a detective agency, with Daisy as Sherlock and Hazel as the long-suffering Watson. They soon get a juicy case to get their teeth stuck into - one of the mistresses at the school is found dead - by Hazel herself. The only problem is, by the time it takes Hazel to run and get Daisy and return to the scene of the crime, the body has disappeared. Seeing as no-one else would believe them, they start investigations on their own. As another death occurs, they soon discover that they it could be they themselves next on the list of murder victims. They must move swiftly to capture the murderer before it's too late.

The suspense is held throughout, but also with a dash of humour on each page. The sense of bullyishness of the girl pupils, the strictness of the mistresses, the no-nonsense approach of all-girls schools in the 30's are all included. Daisy is friends with Hazel, but with a bit of a mean streak - she grabs her just that little bit too tightly, enough to leave a mark, she calls her an idiot, she swiftly dismisses any logical thoughts Hazel may have on the case if they do not coincide with her own. But Hazel puts on her stiff upper lip, bears it all and is determined to prove herself.

A great, funny murder-mystery - think Enid Blyton with more mischief and wickedness!

One Wish by Michelle Harrison

One Wish
by Michelle Harrison

Michelle Harrison is the award winning author of The 13 Treasures trilogy. This book, One Wish, is the prequel to that trilogy. Now I haven't read The 13 Treasures, so I came to this book blind - it was brilliant! It's one of those books which you have to keep reading, you're drawn from one chapter straight into the next by the excitement, adventure and drama of the storytelling. I must admit, I didn't read The 13 Treasures when I heard it was about fairies, but I've definitely missed out there, if this book is anything to go by.

Tanya goes to stay in a holiday cottage with her mother, but as soon as they go in, Tanya starts to hear voices from under the floorboards, voices only she can hear, as she has the second sight - the ability to see and hear fairies. Now these fairies are not the type you are probably picturing right this moment. They come in all forms and shapes and sizes, and some are good, some are bad. Tanya gets to meet fairies in all of these forms during her unexpectedly eventful holiday. There are kidnappings, magic spells, near drownings, wishing trees, visits to other worlds - the story is absolutely action packed, and I highly recommend it!

Solitaire by Alice Oseman

Solitaire
by Alice Oseman

You know when sometimes you've read such a good book that you're lost for words how to describe it? When 'brilliant' and 'amazing' don't seem to be enough? Well done, Alice Oseman, you have struck me dumb with your masterpiece. And you're only 19?? Incredible. Actually, perhaps not so incredible - it just makes sense. Still in your teens and writing about teens - of course you'd be spot on! There's just something about this book, especially the main character, Tori Spring. I had a connection with her for most of the book. I think everybody had a little bit of a Tori Spring in them when they were in sixth form at school. Not really part of a gang, and not really wanting to be either. Not loud, not following the fashions, the popular music, the clubs. Just happy with your own company. And then Michael Holden - I just loved Michael, and of course the two of them would single each other out. They're both different, both in their own way.

I don't even want to tell you what the book's about. You must read it afresh, like I did, and love it. For you WILL love it. I promise you.

Has Anyone Seen Jessica Jenkins? by Liz Kessler

Has Anyone Seen Jessica Jenkins?
by Liz Kessler

I've met Liz Kessler a couple of times. She lives locally and has done a couple of events in our bookshop. She is brilliant with the kids, and is also a lovely lady. It's a good all-round warm fuzzy feeling when you love her books too. I guess Liz is most famous for her Emily Windsnap series - my 11-yr-old daughter loves them (I must admit I haven't read them myself). My favourites are the standalone novels - A Year Without Autumn, North of Nowhere (both being time-slip adventures), and now this one.

Jessica Jenkins is in class one day, daydreaming, staring out the window, her mind floating away, when she is brought back to earth by two things - her friend, Izzy, prodding her and giving her a funny look, and the teacher yelling at her. Izzy later reveals the reason for the funny look - Jessica's elbow was disappearing. She was slowly turning invisible. Thus begins a great adventure involving crystals, serum, labs, superpowers, break-ins, kidnaps, rescues, and friends pulling together in a crisis.

I think the cover is brilliant - it will really get the children and parents picking it up to read the back, so I hope the publisher's keep it for the retail copy. Each of the chapter headings have really detailed little drawings around them, which describe what happens in that chapter. Once I'd finished each chapter, I'd go back and look at the drawings and think to myself 'Oh yeah, there's that cat', and 'there's that crystal'. Very clever.

Another successful, very readable and enjoyable adventure story from the very talented Liz Kessler.

Smart by Kim Slater

Smart
by Kim Slater

Kieran Woods is a bit different. He is brilliant at drawing, but his special teacher at school tells him he must try to think before he speaks so as not to upset people. He also proves to be a brilliant detective. A homeless man is found dead in the river, and Kieran takes it upon himself to find out who killed him. But it's not easy, especially when you have Tony as a stepfather and Ryan as a stepbrother. They are both physically and mentally abusive towards Kieran and his mother. Kieran is not allowed to watch the television with him, he must eat his meals at different times (and not have the same food - only beans on toast for Kieran), and whenever there are visitors to the house Kieran must go to his room. These visitors usually come at night, and Tony hands over little bags and receives a large amount of cash in exchange.

As if this isn't enough unhappiness in poor Kieran's life, he has been banned from seeing his Grandma, who tried to stand up to Tony and his bullying ways, but lost the right to see her grandson in the process. But now Grandma could be the only comfort in Kieran's life, so he sets out to try to find her again.

This is such a sad and tragic story. You just want to take Kieran by the hand and drag him out of his current life and take care of him. His mother works all hours of the day, puts up with the abuse from Tony, doesn't report him out of fear, and does not stand up for Kieran when Tony picks on him. They live in a street of crime, and Tony's pet Rottweiler Tyson has been locked in the shed and just left there for days on end. It is all just so pitiful, you long for some happiness in Kieran's life. Even though Kieran's schoolteacher sounds caring and loving, even she does not investigate Kieran's home life when he comes into school with bumps and bruises.

Kieran is very brave, in fact he is the bravest of everyone in the whole story, even though he is the one with special needs and does not fully understand the way people work. He is also smart -he knows how to make use of his talents, he knows when something is wrong and he tells the right people. Good always overcomes evil.

A rather harrowing story but written brilliantly. If you like this then read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, or Colin Fischer

Look Who's Back by Timur Vermes

Look Who's Back
by Timur Vermes

The mixture of the cover image and title really caught my eye, and when I read the synopsis I thought I have to read this. Adolf Hitler wakes up in modern day Berlin having been 'asleep' for over 60 years. He has not aged, and he still wears his Fuhrer uniform. He wanders the streets to figure out what's going on, and discovers the true date from a nearby newspaper vendor. Everyone he passes presumes he is an actor - a very good method actor - and before he knows it, his photo is in the newspapers and he is being asked onto a famous satirical chat show. People don't realise that they are laughing along with someone who is talking in all sincerity. They just think he is pushing the boundaries somewhat.

The funniest, and most uncomfortable, thing about the story is that he is able to talk people around to his way of thinking. He is a charmer, a gentleman, sensitive to women's feelings, loves the youth of today, but at the end of the day he is Adolf Hitler, hater and killer of Jews, the reason hundreds of thousands of people died. There is a moment in the book where Adolf goes to visit a grandma whose whole family were gassed in the war because they were Jews. He even has this old lady warming to him and making him a cup of tea.

The author, through Adolf, criticises modern media - the press, journalists, publishers, television shows - to the extent that you are just agreeing with everything he says. Is this how Adolf worked in his day? He was a strong public speaker, he became Fuhrer (though not through a true democratic process), thousands did not seem to question his ethics of wanting to eliminate an entire religion.


This book will have you, as his modern day audience, laughing uncomfortably.