Category read it yourself

Stop! Gangster Koala! / Barking Bake Off!

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Stop! Gangster Koala!
Barking Bake Off!
Jenny Moore, illustrated by Berta Maluenda
New Frontier Publishing

In the first of Jenny Moore’s Pawprint Productions series for younger readers, cuddly koala actor Archie has landed the role of gangster Hoodlum PIE Claw in the popular drama series Squeaky Minders. His big concern is that he won’t be sufficiently scary to give a convincing performance as the town’s meanest menace. However during the filming of the opening scene, Archie trips and knocks himself out. Upon waking, he believes he’s a real gangster and he rampages through the studios hurling squidgy lemon meringue pies at anyone crossing his path. Having stolen all the fresh pies from another series and sending patients leaping from their beds in fear on Emergency Vets, Archie ends up storming into a live recording of Beastly Buzzers. Will he stop at nothing to procure all the prizes?

Who doesn’t enjoy a baking show so Barking Bake Off! is sure to be loved. The contestants facing one another are Poppy Seedcake and Corgi Joe. Whatever the secret ingredient in Corgi Joe’s barkwell tarts is, it’s not what the contestant intended. Indeed it’s an absolute calamity. The same is true in the second round. Seems Joe has lost his touch: maybe not as week three sees a vast improvement and a score of ten barks. But then disaster strikes in the form of the poisoning. Something decidedly unsavoury is surely going on behind the scenes of Pawprint Productions. It’s a bizarre mystery but can Meek and Squeak in police guise discover a culprit and save the whole series? Now that would be telling …

Berta Maluenda’s amusing black and white illustrations are a vital ingredient in the stories, making them even tastier.

Snow

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Snow
Meera Trehan
Walker Books

This story is set in Mistmir, a kingdom which is empty save for the Princess Karina who spends all her time digging Snow. This snow is not the ordinary precipitation, rather it has been scientifically modified to be self-replenishing in response to her wish for ‘perfect’ snow on her thirteenth birthday. As a consequence the Princess has been continually labouring and now she and her father, the King, are the only ones who haven’t fled.

One day as she shovels, the Princess discovers her precious fluttery toy, made by the strangers who created the Snow. A sign of hope surely, but before she’s been able to show her father, she encounters a girl, Ela, who has accidentally entered Mistmir from our world. Ela can hardly believe that this is the Princess from the Snow Princess book that her mother used to read to her every night.

Princess Karina realises that the unexpected visitor is key to saving Mistmir and invites Ela to her castle. Ela travels with Karina, hoping that she will discover the truth that lies behind the Book and the strange mental memory-like images it conjured. As they travel on the look out for menacing hounds on the prowl, the girls form a bond of friendship and work together to find answers and save the snow-immersed kingdom.

Combining magic and science, Meera Trehan has crafted a story with themes of loneliness, belonging and forgiveness that is perfect for the chilly winter months. The world building is throughly convincing and the climax of the tale satisfying. Altogether a thoroughly enjoyable, haunting read.

Flember: The Golden Heart

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Flember: The Golden Heart
Jamie Smart
David Fickling Books

Jamie Smart brings his superb Flember series to a close with a spell-binding adventure, full of inventiveness surprises at almost every turn of the page, as well as illustrations of characters and diagrams that add to the story.

On account of the heinous Iola Gray and her sinister plans, Flember Island is in grave danger. Can Dev P. Everdew and his lovable red giant robot bear, Boja possibly save the island and restore it to a place of peace and magic? Assuredly he will face numerous challenges, both physical and mental. Imagine having an angry wolf standing over you glaring with its red eyes, and baring its sharp black teeth with strings of spit glistening between them.

Yes there are scary moments aplenty but also lots of humour, not to mention a fair few farts courtesy of Boja. Add to all this, that the book is great for empathy building; and what Jamie Smart has done yet again is to create an unputdownable, thought-provoking book with a hugely satisfying conclusion that Flember fans will love.

Dev. his brother Santoro and Boja will be greatly missed but you can always go back and start reading the entire series over again.

Murder At Christmas

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Murder At Christmas
Fleur Hitchcock
Nosy Crow

Having been at boarding school in England while her mother (a diplomat), father and younger brother, Billy, have been living in Australia, Grace is excited to be spending Christmas in Bath, staying in her Aunt Mollie’s hotel with Mum and Billy. (Aunt Mollie is mum’s twin sister.)

Mum goes to visit their Gran who lives nearby in a residential care home but after several hours she hasn’t returned so Grace and Billy start worrying and their aunt isn’t around either so the siblings are left on their own. To add to their worries, a body is found on the hotel stairs: something is definitely wrong.
On the positive side, Grace and Billy make two new friends, Olive and Doug; but with each passing day, Grace suspects something terrible has happened to their mum, especially as Aunt Mollie is acting strangely.

Determined to find their mum as well as solving the murder before Christmas, the siblings, working with new friends,Doug and Olive, start searching for clues.

Eventually they discover where their mum is but getting her free safe and sound, plus finding out the truth behind her disappearance is a real challenge.

Superbly plotted with lots of twists and turns, several red herrings, suspense and two young protagonists who really prove themselves, this is a compelling seasonal adventure at the heart of which is family and its importance.

Snuggle up and read this as you drink a cup of hot chocolate in the run up to Christmas.


Flipped!

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Flipped!
Philip Caveney
Fox and Ink Books

This story takes inspiration from both the COVID pandemic and Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. Set in 2020 during a COVID lockdown, its main protagonist is fifteen year old Flip. His mother is a nurse practitioner at the local hospital and after on-line lessons undertaken with no enthusiasm during the summer term on Flip’s part, the school holiday has begun. He can neither spend time with his friends, nor enjoy a week or two abroad with his mum. He’s not a keen reader and so with little else to occupy him, Flip has taken to walking out onto the nearby North Kent Marshes.

On one of those walks, he comes upon a derelict house and curious, he decides to investigate. He heads inside and to his surprise a strangely dressed girl, seemingly of a similar age to himself, speaks to him. She says this, “So here you are at last. It’s about time. I’ve been waiting for you for ages.” Flip learns that her name is Estella. Estella is bemused by the mask he has and Flip is concerned that she has no awareness of social distancing nor any of the other rules introduced to stop the spread of the pandemic, though she does mention that there’s no cholera where they are. Estella leads Flip to a room where he must work on listing and ordering a collection of books, a task set for him by a Miss H. However Flip causes some chaos, escapes and goes home. There he does an online search for the name Estella, a search that leads him to the book Great Expectations. Rejecting that the strange girl in the house is part of the story, Flip returns, only to discover that he too seems to be a character in the story.

Unintentionally, his actions start affecting Dickens’s narrative: Flip really needs to find a way to set things right and leave the book once and for all: either that or remain forever trapped within its pages.

In addition to coping with this problematic situation, Flip is at the same time coping with consequences of his parents’ break-up, so many readers will find plenty to relate to in his story. It matters not that most will be unfamiliar with Great Expectations as Philip Caveney’s explanations of the Dickens’ characters are so well done. So too is Flip’s character who is utterly believable and easy to empathise with. A mystery story, with witty touches; strongly recommended for upper KS2/KS3 readers

Lionborn

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Lionborn
Sharique Zea

The story begins in London with two mysterious figures, Abigor and Baka standing over a sleeping infant attempting to extract its blood and becoming frustrated at being unable to do so because just prior to their arrival protective light entered his body. Their intended victim is Fionn Hurley and they have identified him as a Lionborn.

Fast forward to when Fionn is twelve. He has nightmares, vivid ones that seem ever more real when he wakes up with injuries that soon disappear. His parents don’t believe what he says about the dreams and his peers mock him, some calling him ‘monster boy’; however Fionn knows that these are more than mere nightmares.

When he talks to a classmate, Tiny, the boy is interested and suggests the two team up. His closest friend is Ella whose mother is missing, so the team becomes a threesome. Being with Ella and Tiny makes Fionn feel normal again, so he says. But far from normal is the appearance of a lion cub that nobody else can see. Strange things are also happening to Ella and it takes some persuasion but she reveals to Fionn that she’s been receiving riddles that she thinks are coming from her mother; but are they?

It’s not long before the three friends find themselves in the dangerous world of Arborea, not a dream but a world where monsters from Fionn’s dreams want his blood. With Tiny’s confidence, Ella’s determination and Fionn’s intelligence, the three must then work together to stay alive, a desperate task, but one during which they learn things about themselves and one another, things they never thought possible.

The author cleverly weaves together the human world and the fantasy world with its enchanted forests, labyrinths and menacing beasts immersing readers in an environment where boundaries are highly permeable. With Fionn emerging as a hero as the book ends, we’re left wondering what comes next.

The Cloud Kingdom

jillrbennett Leave a comment

The Cloud Kingdom
Máire Zepf, illustrated by Andrew Whitson
Little Island Books

Nancy is a bibliophile and spends almost all her time reading. Then one summer’s day so engrossed was she in her book that she failed to notice a fox enter the garden with a faery on its back. The faery takes a cake from the plate beside Nancy and rides away into the woods. The following day a similar thing happens, but on the third day it’s her beloved cat, Pangur that is seized. Determined to retrieve her pet, Nancy gives chase and eventually comes upon the Faery King. Her initial requests for the return of Pangur are turned down but eventually she strikes a bargain with him and becomes the human storyteller to the Faery Kingdom.

What follows are seven further interconnecting tales featuring such wonders as Beyvinn, a dream-weaving giantess, a hat shop with magical hats crafted by wizards, a ghost dragon

and a mechanical jellyfish.

A charming combination of words and pictures: Máire Zepf’s inventive short tales that are perfectly pitched for reading aloud and Andrew Whitson’s illustrations which have an ethereal, whimsical look, make this an ideal pre-bedtime book or to share with a KS1 class over a couple of days. Great for stimulating children’s own imaginations.

Small Wonder

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Small Wonder
Ross Montgomery
Walker Books

Tick, who is ten and his younger brother Leaf, (fivish) were cared for by their grandfather in a cottage on the farthest edge of the forest until he died. Thus far their life had been peaceful but then a fleet of black-sailed ships appeared on the horizon – the Drene warships – and what Tick calls a Hunter is on the prowl: it’s time to leave, destination the King’s Keep.Grandfather had warned that this day might come and now they have just six moons to reach the mighty fortress built by the previous ruler, Good King Avery, before the drawbridge is pulled up.

Readers follow the boys’ journey on their trusty steed, a dapple grey mare, Pebble, as they flee from all they’ve known. A terrifying and testing journey it truly is, full of adventure and with only a rough idea of how to reach King’s Keep, they travel through forest, grassland and around mountains. There’s snow to contend with, bandits, strangers who may not be what they seem, and more; but all the while Tick has in mind that he must honour his Grandfather’s last words,”If you have one chance, then you have to make it count.”

Can they both reach their destination in time or will the Hunter or the snow get them first? Assuredly it will take all Tick’s determination and courage, but eventually arrive, they do, in no small measure thanks to Pebble. By the time they get to the Keep, Tick has learned more than he ever imagined possible and is ready to face whatever comes next.

With the twist at the end, this is a truly brilliant adventure story, Ross’s best yet in my book. Thoroughly recommended for older readers and it would make a terrific read aloud to share with an upper KS2 class.

Scrap: Escape from Somewhere 513

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Scrap: Escape from Somewhere 513
Guy Bass, illustrated by Alessia Trunfio
Little Tiger

With old rivals and some new foes to deal with, Scrap, Paige and Gnat undertake a hazardous journey to the Ocean Jungles in search of the Wigeon, the last rocket ship on Somewhere 513. But they face a desperate struggle to extricate the ship from frogbears. While these beings dislike the taste of metallic Scrap, they’ll most likely have a taste for human flesh and bones.

Then Paige manages to get the ship airborne but Gnat is beguiled by a baby frogbear calling it cute; that is before it attacks. Eventually the ship crashes, happily with no fatalities, but the Wigeon is in a terrible state. However, over the space radio come voices supposedly broadcasting from Somewhere Five One Four saying they need help.

During all this a kind of alliance with Newman is formed but is he to be trusted?

With Scrap doing his utmost to repair the Wigeon and Harmony Highshine’s forces moving ever closer, it seems that if Paige is to keep her promise to her mum to keep Gnat safe, there’s no option but to remain with the Moochfolk, while Gnat and Scrap leave in the airship bound for Somewhere 514.

This is the final story in Guy Bass’s wonderful trilogy and its end chapter and epilogue brought tears to my eyes.
If you’ve not read the first two books, Scrap and Scrap: The Good, the Bad and the Rusty, start with those: they’re all gripping stories and Alessia Trunfio’s illustrations are a powerful addition to the narrative each.

Ice Dancer

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Ice Dancer
Alex Cotter
Nosy Crow

Dina and her younger brothers have bid a temporary farewell to the hills of Wales to stay with their Aunt JJ in Sheffield. However, they receive what Dina finds a very cool welcome by JJ who seems nothing like she’d remembered. Already struggling to cope with losing her older sister, Sasha, as well as her parents splitting up, Dina is feeling very edgy and isolated.

Soon after arriving at their aunt’s, Dina spies an old pair of ice skates that she recognises as belonging to her Great-Gran Kendra. After some harsh words between her and JJ, Dina feels the need to skate. She takes the skates and heads to the local rink. Skating gives her a sense of freedom and she feels passionate about it; however she has difficulty when it comes to mixing with other people, especially strangers, so Dina feels torn in this new situation but skate she must and soon her inside knots begin to loosen. She does though, pick up on the hostility among the other skaters but one girl, Rosie, a talented skater befriends her.

Rosie is not happy with the partner she has for the upcoming Winter Wonderland Showcase. Could Dina perhaps take his place? She’d dearly love to but that would mean staying with JJ another three weeks and attending a local school. Another skate with Rosie confirms that it would be worth it and despite coach Helena’s antagonism based on something from her mum’s past, Dina knows she must dig deep and find the courage to follow her dreams.

With things from her family’s past starting to emerge and true feelings not being discussed, family members must start to listen properly to one another; that will enable them to emerge stronger than before. Indeed family is central to the whole story, that and the power of friendship, not forgetting the satisfaction, Dina’s pursuit of skating brings.

The way the author captures Dina’s passion is superb, bringing out the joy of creativity and her willingness, (along with Rosie) to challenge skating’s long-held rules concerning appropriate roles for male and female skaters.

A terrific story for older readers – thought-provoking and full of adventure and mystery. You’ll find it had to put it down till you reach the final page.

Croaky: Escape From Crow Castle / Adventuremice: Mousehole to the Centre of the Earth

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Croaky: Escape From Crow Castle
Matty Long
Oxford Children’s Books

Croaky Hopper is different from other frogs; he loves having wild adventures and when he isn’t actually having one, he dreams of so doing. Becoming a member of the Woggle Scouts has unexpectedly helped him find these adventures and as he’s wondering what’s next, Winston reveals that their next trip is to Crow Castle. This super-creepy former home of Count Von Crow, is a place where his ghost still wanders searching for people to scare.

As he, Sheena and Winston discuss this, who should appear but Morag, the Grand Woggler and she insists on joining them on the visit to the castle. Indeed Winston’s leadership of the patrol is at stake and Croaky can’t allow that to happen. The task they face won’t be easy as they must keep under wraps their wild adventuring and act like regular scouts.

Then Croaky presses a crow-shaped mark on the wall and suddenly finds he’s in a secret passage with Morag. The passage leads them to a room with its walls covered in pictures of crows and a message is written beneath one of them. With puzzles not Croaky’s strength, how can they find their way back their friends? And if they do, then what?

With a murder of meddling crows, it turns out that this is an unforgettable adventure in more ways than one. It will certainly entertain readers who will enjoy the ghostly goings on and the change of heart by one of the cast of characters, and of course Matty Long’s colour illustrations are terrific fun.

Adventuremice: Mousehole to the Centre of the Earth
Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre
David Fickling Books

The seventh adventure of Pedro et al begins when their breakfast is disturbed by the arrival of Uncle Bernie (aka Professor Quatermouse) with his new invention, the Mechanical Mole, a machine that will enable the Adventuremice to go exploring underground. After a discussion as to whether or not they should try out the invention, they take the Mechanical Mole for a test drive and with Juniper in the pilot’s seat off they go down and down, rather fast, burrowing through the rock far beneath the Mouse Islands.

Eventually they arrive in a cave and begin to look around. Almost at once they discover some very large footprints. Could they belong to a supposedly extinct Hamstersaurus? Then they hear a loud RAWR! and there before them is a very live Hamstersausus rex. However it’s quickly distracted by a small mouse with a bow and arrow firing at it. This friendly mouse invites Pedro and friends to follow her and she takes them to the treehouse of the other cavemice that live in fear of the Hamstersaurus.

Can the Adventuremice step in and save the day? Perhaps with imagination, creativity and especially vital, teamwork they can make not only the cavemice happy, but also the creature they fear.

Interestingly Pedro and friends are able to consider both viewpoints, an ability that is important for young readers to develop too.

Team Philip and Sarah have created another smashing story with lots to offer both verbally and visually.

Beastopia

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Beastopia
Chrissie Sains, illustrated by Jenny Taylor
Walker Books

Digby Griffin is devoted to his pet mouse, Cheddar, and has been ever since he discovered her making a nest in his sock drawer. However as Digby’s tenth birthday is fast approaching he is troubled by the thought of The Curse of the Tenth Birthday -that’s the day on which Cheddar will be struck and disappear just like Digby’s elder brother’s budgie and his older sister Mog’s snake. Determined to keep Cheddar safe, Digby decides to stay up all night on his tenth birthday eve and also invites his best friend Tai for a ‘sleepover’ or rather a ‘watchover’.

Suddenly Grandad calls from downstairs asking for assistance. Digby is surprised to see him standing in a smoke filled kitchen clutching what appears to be a duck-billed platypus. This, Grandad thrusts into Digby’s hands as he attempts to deal with the cake mess in the oven. However the creature wriggles free and disappears into the basement. Aware it’s not the first animal to have done so, Digby is puzzled about what happens to them and decides to investigate sometime later.

That happens during the sleepover when a small present and a note are left in his bedroom. The present is a simple phone on which are two messages. As he reads them, Cheddar starts wriggling, then disappears downstairs and seemingly into the washing machine wherein Digby is sure he sees a tunnel – a portal, he suggests. Grandad appears on the scene and thus begins for Digby, Mog and Tai an entry test to become apprentice guardians of Beastopia. Beastopia, Grandad tells them is a sanctuary for magical creatures who can no longer hide in the human world, and he is the guardian.

After a strange journey, Grandad finds Mani, (a kind of walking book) that’s to watch over them, then leaves the recruits and heads off on a mission concerning the Loch Ness Monster.
The trio must then face three challenges as part of their assessment. the first being to collect dragon smoke. The second is to harness a basilisk, the third is to feed the fairies and keep them contained; but these fairies are of the troublesome kind and have an unusual diet …

Can Digby, Mog and Tai possibly succeed in all three challenges and thus become apprentices; several times the odds are stacked against them and nothing is as it seems … They’ll certainly learn more about themselves.

The book ends on a lead in to the next adventure for Digby et al, Beastopia The Ice Phoenix.
Exciting reading for young readers who love adventures involving animals and magic, with humorous illustrations by Jenny Taylor adding to the fun.

Tomorrow’s Ghost

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Tomorrow’s Ghost
Tanya Landman
Walker Books

It’s the summer of 1976 and twelve year old Anna who is living with her Aunt Maggie, is to go and stay with Auntie Em, recently retired and moved into an isolated cottage in the countryside. Aunt Em tripped and fell over her new dog while the two were out walking, has badly sprained her ankle, is hardly able to walk and needs help. As a consequence, Anna packs a bag and sets off to somewhere she’s never been to stay with someone she barely knows: not a happy prospect, spending the summer far from her friends. However Peartree Cottage is a welcoming place and Anna likes her room.

Soon she starts having vivid dreams about a girl from 1919. The girl, Etty, lives with her harsh, unloving grandfather in a mansion surrounded by statues. This house, steeped in sadness, seemed to be calling to Anna. After five dreams, each more vivid, she is determined to find out what happened to Etty, even if it means telling lies about where she’s been to Aunt Em. Later on Colin from the village shop offers to take Anna swimming and strangely she finds herself being irritated by this.

Then at the library she learns from the librarian, of a terrible fire that destroyed much of Featherstone Manor with almost everyone getting out safely. But what of Lady Henrietta, who was twelve at the time? The only way Anna has a chance of saving her from a terrible and untimely demise is to find a way to communicate with her. A mirror she’d seen in Etty’s bedroom, perhaps …

Gripping, haunting and powerfully atmospheric, this story will have readers on edge until the final chapter reveal. I read it in a day, so bound up in the fate of both Etty and Anna had I become.

Linnet and the Periwinkle Flyer

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Linnet and the Periwinkle Flyer
Lindsay Littleson
Tiny Tree Books

Linnet, in her early teens, has grown up in Mount St.Marys, a convent with a cruel regime in Yorkshire. She longs to escape, so she’s both happy and fearful when the announcement is made: she’s to leave the convent’s confines and take up a position with Mrs Periwinkle in Periwinkle’s Bazaar. Her first thought is that she’ll now be able to search for her lost friend, Dove.

Mrs Periwinkle seems a rather harsh person but she has another skill aside from her shop business: she is an inventor. One night awakened by hammering sounds, Linnet creeps into the yard and comes upon a large book wherein she sees what she assumes is her boss’s latest invention. Weeks later she revisits the yard and there finds Mrs periwinkle working on what the woman tells her is The Periwinkle Flyer, a machine she hopes to get patented and to Linnet’s surprise Mrs P. agrees to allow her to have a go on the invention.

That night, wondering what she’s let herself in for, Linnet has a dream in which she and the machine crash. Soon after, it’s time for what she’s certain is the machine’s test flight and sure enough, the flying machine and Linnet become airborne. Linnet finds the experience exciting and doesn’t want it to end but then she begins to lose control …

Is this the end of Linnet’s flying hopes? Happily not; instead it’s the beginning of an exciting new partnership. But then comes news of an outbreak of smallpox. That there is a link between Linnet’s role with Mrs Periwinkle and the terrible illness is revealed near the end of the adventure; an adventure that has strong, determined characters, inventiveness and nail-biting flying sequences, and at the heart of which is the importance of feeling part of a family.

Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Causing Chaos

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Causing Chaos
Louie Stowell
Walker Books

In Loki’s latest month of diary entries, each one begins with a Loki Virtue Score card (virtue points are awarded for good deeds and taken away when as Loki says, ‘I do anything fun’.) This month we find Loki behaving in a very strange way and unusually it’s not for the most part of his own volition.

When newly appointed guardian, Freya, turns up, she’s wearing a necklace, one with magical powers and pretty soon things start turning chaotic. Friends Valerie and Georgina suddenly become enemies, Heimdall intends declaring his love for one of the teachers, Mrs Wiliams, The Giants suddenly love Thor and vice-versa, and Loki’s sworn enemy, Vinir, follows him everywhere offering him gifts and an invitation. Then Loki wonders if perhaps he does now like his new admirer after all. All the while Loki is endeavouring to break whatever spell is causing the chaos.

My head was spinning by the time I got to the end of this only to find the words, ‘TO BE CONTINUED … ’
Hilarity rules in this fifth story and it’s made even funnier by the liberal sprinkling of Louie Stowell’s drawings. Older primary readers will, like this reviewer, giggle their way from Day One where we see a drippy nosed Loki saying, ‘I card breade!’

Time Travel is NOT My Superpower / The Appletree Animal Agency Collie Chaos

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Time Travel is NOT My Superpower
Nathanael Lessore, illustrated by Simran Diamond Singh
Little Tiger

Sara, the young narrator of the second story set in the town of Walsham where special powers are part of everyday life, is working on improving her recently discovered superpower – teleporting. Thus far she is able to teleport herself but is unable to take any objects with her. However trouble starts when she accidentally teleports not only herself but her best friends, Georgie and Javier, as well as Jock her arch enemy, back in time to 2002. It’s crucial that they don’t interact with anybody, so nothing in the future is changed. However how is that possible when you find you’re at someone’s birthday party, a boy called Herman, someone that you don’t know. They eventually get away though, back to the present day, or is it? If it is, then why is Sara’s Mum wearing flip-flops and her Dad dressed in a parking warden’s uniform? They’re supposed to be superheroes. And as for being fed Brussels sprouts – don’t even mention the F__T word.

Something definitely is wrong, so how will Sara get herself and her companions in this muddle back into their proper universe.

With giggles aplenty both verbal and visual, this will go down well with KS2 readers who enjoy crazy adventures.

The Appletree Animal Agency Collie Chaos
Katya Balen, illustrated by Gill Smith
Walker Books

It’s winter and we’re back in the village of Mossdale where Appletree Agency have three new clients on their list – Algernon, a ten year old terrapin, Crumpet, a cat that’s something of a diva, and Domino, a dog with three legs. Domino is allocated to Mrs MacDonald but it’s not long before he escapes. The team load up with pet supplies, a compass, snacks and other useful equipment and off they set into the snow: Appletree Agency on the case.

They decide to follow a trail of threepaw prints and thanks to Luca, eventually track Domino down in a field belonging to the curmudgeonly farmer they’d already had a run it with. The dog makes it clear that the children should follow him and he leads them to discover a boy they’d seen earlier but now he’s injured.

Eventually having taken him to safety, the Appletree team learn that the boy, Finn, is staying with his grandpa, the very farmer they’d upset. Moreover he’s an animal lover. Finn was eager for a pet of his own and with Domino forming a bond with him it felt almost like he had one. Then the Appletree Agency members have an idea, an idea that will make everybody happy. But that’s not quite the end of this story …

A wonderfully heart-warming adventure that is perfect for pet lovers who like a touch of humour as well as passion in their stories.

Fear Files: Hide and Seek

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Fear Files: Hide and Seek
Christopher Edge
Walker Books

Based on the Darkive (a secret database filled with testimony recovered from survivors of inexplicable phenomena), this story is really going to get your adrenalin pumping. From the outset readers discover that this is to be a Level 4 Rated File ie it’s in the ‘Beyond Fear’ category.

Sol and Adam (from whose viewpoint the story is told) are spending the weekend on a camping trip. Adam is not at all happy with things having expected some degree of luxury and has ended up in a muddy field.

After a restless night, they go exploring and come upon an abandoned ghost town where, against Sol’s wishes, they find themselves involved in a really scary game of hide and seek with rules they don’t know. Soon Adam is desperately searching for his friend among weird statues, uniform clad children and the eerie voice of the “Itter” filling his consciousness. Even so, he must find Sol and get out before the Itter finds him. Seemingly though there’s no end to this game but is it a dream, some sort of trick, Adam’s imagination or a horrific reality?

Full of suspense, this is truly gripping reading with a mix of witness accounts, interviewer notes and black and white illustrations, though I definitely wouldn’t recommend this to the faint-hearted or as a pre bedtime read.

The Diary of Wiska Wildflower: The New School

jillrbennett 1 Comment

The Diary of Wiska Wildflower: The New School
Harriet Muncaster
Oxford Children’s Books

Oozing with charm from cover to cover is Harriet Muncaster’s first book in her new series. It stars Wiska Wildflower, who has moved with her Mum and Dad from Twitching to Acorn, on the other side of Wiskling Wood. where they’ve bought a new business.

Wiska has to start at a new school, Inkcap’s Academy, and she’s very upset to be so far from her best friend, Luna. However, two of her classmates, Primrose and Cleobelle take her under their wing and they’re impressed at her talent for drawing and designing clothes. They don’t though, see why she spends time with a little ‘twigling ‘doll, thinking of adventures for her. Are these two really as welcoming and friendly as Wiska thinks? Could they have an ulterior motive in wanting her to do everything they do, especially working with them on a joint entry for the annual Spellbrooke fashion show for young wisklings?

Young readers will be delighted by the new miniature world of magic with its wonderful Wiskling lore, that Harriet Muncaster has conjured up. Magic it is, but Wiska has to deal with issues that confront real world inhabitants such as resisting being pressured into conforming, finding new friends and most importantly, remaining true to your real self. All these its creator cleverly weaves into Wiska’s story. Moreover, readers familiar with characters from other series by Harriet will be happy to see that Victoria Stitch is a bit part player herein.

Destined to be a great hit, the series opener has enchanted this reviewer and will enrapture countless children from around seven.

Gordon in the City / Huxley and Flapjack Wild West Escape

jillrbennett 1 Comment

Gordon in the City
Alex Latimer
Oxford Children’s Books

Gordon the erstwhile ‘meanest Goose on Earth’ is now, thanks to Anthony the Piglet, a reformed character. Indeed it’s been almost twelve months since he started trying to be good.
One day as he walks home feeling happy with his new self, he sees a letter pinned to his door. It’s an invitation to present the trophy for the Meanest Goose on Earth to this year’s winner. Hmm!
Being the great friend that he is, Anthony says he’ll disguise himself as a goose and accompany Gordon to the City for the presentation.

This he does and the two arrive expecting one of the four previous runners-up to receive the award. That however, is not what happens. Big surprise or rather, shock horror for Gordon when he discovers the winner. Moreover he and Anthony are invited to stay with her. Not a good idea at all as Gordon rapidly discovers.

Next morning Anthony has disappeared and Gordon starts reverting to his old wicked ways under his host’s influence. Fortunately he comes to his senses and having been told that something dangerous has happened to his friend, Gordon knows he must save him. Is there anyone or any goose, he can call upon to help and if so, what will be the outcome?

I know lots of young solo readers who will be honking their loudest for Gordon and Anthony in this their 4th adventure and looking forward to the next one.

Huxley and Flapjack Wild West Escape
Alan MacDonald, illustrated by Francesca Gambatesa
Little Tiger

Best friends Huxley the koala and Flapjack the penguin return in a third story and what an adventure they have when they sign up for a job as cowhands at Daisy Bank Farm. This is because Huxley wants a new guitar and has spent all his money. He even goes so far as to tell Dolly the farmer that they can horse ride but on their very first day things start going wrong. However they make it through to sundown when the cows are returned to their pen at Daisy Bank, safely behind a shut gate, so Huxley assures his friend.

Next morning, shock horror! The cattle pen is empty and after looking all over the farm, off they set to search further afield. Eventually they reach Bull Bottom Farm owned by Big Bull. The curmudgeonly fellow insists that all the cows on his land belong to him and are marked with a letter B. But is he telling the truth and if not can Huxley and Flapjack work out which are Dolly’s and get them back to their rightful owner? Could music be the solution?

With an abundance of daftness, this foray into the world of cattle farming is full of action, a bit of guitar strumming and Francesca Gambatesa’s fun colour illustrations. It’s just right for those ready for first fiction books.

Mallory Vayle and Maggoty Skull in The Beast from Beneath

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Mallory Vayle and Maggoty Skull in The Beast from Beneath
Martin Howard, illustrated by Pete Williamson
Nosy Crow

This story is the sequel to Mallory Vayle and the Curse of Maggoty Skull. Mallory is now becoming accustomed to her recently discovered powers as a necromancer and this 2nd book is full of dark humour.

It begins with Mallory and Maggoty out together; Maggoty walks past the Les Wigs shop, the result being that Maggoty, who has a particular penchant for wigs, demands that she finds the money to purchase Eleganza, the hairpiece with ostrich feathers on display in the window. The problem is it’s way too expensive and he doesn’t want to take her ‘no’ for a answer.

Aunt Lilith (the fake medium) with whom Mallory now lives, suggests that they hold a Grand Séance and charge those attending to receive messages from the spirit world. Said aunt decides to try and boost her invented psychic powers beforehand and things go disastrously wrong. By accident, she summons an evil Nightmare that refuses to leave Carrion Castle; in addition it intends to terrorise humanity in its entirety. It’s going to take a lot of effort on Mallory’s part to sort that out.

With Pete Williamson’s dark creepy illustrations, this is a very funny book overflowing with gothic gruesomeness that older readers will relish.

The Last Resort

jillrbennett Leave a comment

The Last Resort
Erin Estrada Kelly
Scholastic

It’s the start of the summer break. Lila Clement goes into one of her panics when she’s told she and her brother, Caleb, have to accompany her parents on a long drive to Ohio for a fortnight’s stay for her paternal grandfather’s funeral. She’s never even met this grandfather, so why bother. They’ll stay for a while in the creepy old Victorian Castle Hill Inn that Grandpa Clement owned. Moreover her two best friends seem to have become rather distant and she’d far rather remain in her home town and try to work things out. Instead it’s her grandfather’s affairs that have to be sorted out. He was an eccentric by all accounts.

Her grandfather’s neighbour is Teddy who was close to him and when she’s sure she’s seen Grandpa Clement’s ghost who said he was murdered and in need of her help. Lila tells the boy. He in turn reveals that on the fourth floor of Castle Hill Inn is a portal through which spirits of the dead pass to the afterlife. Lila, Teddy and Caleb are determined to solve the mystery of Grandpa’s murder; in so doing they find themselves involved with victims of a tragedy from over a century and a half ago.

A book with some really creepy scenes with ghosts after revenge as well as malevolent forces that prey on the children’s fear. Older readers will be gripped by this pacy spectral story.

Skulkmoor / Royal Institute of Magic: Elizabeth’s Legacy

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Skulkmoor
Hana Tooke
Puffin Books

Time was, the great house of Skulkmoor stood proudly on a hillside capturing the attention of all who passed by. Nowadays, it’s a peculiar puzzle of a place, in part on account of a huge wall that cuts the place in half and separates the two opposing families that live within. This is because many years ago, the Fox family was torn apart by an incident dubbed as murder, and a dispute about inheritance: without an obvious heir, the huge family fortune – and the house – has been divided into two. Now though, two young cousins, Iris and Ted, one from each of the rival sides, are pitted against one another, racing to solve the historic crime or face losing their home forever.

Can Iris and Ted set aside their differences and save that family fortune, if not they will in part be responsible for destroying everything.

Infused with humour, this richly detailed, compelling gothic mystery with two memorable protagonists – we see things alternately from each one’s perspective – will keep readers on edge hoping for an amicable solution to the deeds of the past.

Royal Institute of Magic: Elizabeth’s Legacy
Victor Kloss
Vinci Books

It’s two years since Ben Greenwood’s parents disappeared but he knows they are still alive and despite everybody else having given up hope, he is determined to find out what happened to the couple who are supposedly, environmentalists.

One day he comes upon a letter he’s not seen before and wonders whether this and the piece of cloth with it could help him solve the mystery. The letter is from an organisation called the Royal Institute of Magic and is dated a day before his parents disappeared. Like most people, fourteen-year-old Ben knows nothing about what the Royal Institute of Magic is, but he has his first clue – the logo on the letter.

So he and his close friend, Charlie, set out to find this Institute. Charlie and Natalie are an excellent combination of bravery, instinct and knowledge, qualities that will be vital to Ben’s quest. They are joined by a young girl, Natalie, who is with the Institute and is charged with watching out for both of them. Having avoided the Wardens they find themselves in the wood elves’ forest and Natalie becomes separated from the others.

Eventually Ben and Charlie arrive at the Floating Prison where beheadings will take place unless …
With lots of twists and turns, this intriguing fantasy quest will appeal to older readers who like discovering new worlds with magical happenings.

The Skeleton Puzzle / A Stocking Full of Spies

jillrbennett Leave a comment

The Skeleton Puzzle
Lisa Thompson
Scholastic

The young detectives of Chestnut Close – Matthew, Melody and Jake – return to try and solve another mystery. A skeleton is discovered buried in the garden of their neighbour, Old Nina and the three are determined to find out who it is, how it got there and who was responsible. Jake has also found what looks like a wedding ring.

Then Nina’s long-lost son turns up, with a young son of his own. The boy is obsessed with a shape-shifting puzzle that he manipulates all the time. Are the two really who they claim to be? The three friends are suspicious and think they could well be imposters. The deeper they dig, the more they suspect the father, who calls himself Michael, almost certainly is.

Meanwhile Jake is struggling at home with his sick mother and is trying to keep this to himself; and Matthew is acting somewhat mysteriously.

With priceless jewels possibly hidden somewhere on the Close, this twisting-turning mystery will keep you on tenterhooks, right through to the final page, which sets things up for the next in the series.

A Stocking Full of Spies
Robin Stevens
Puffin Books

It’s almost Christmas in 1941 and a bomb has fallen on Deepen School for Girls : May and Nuala have been removed from the chaos there and sent to join May’s and Eric’s elder sister, Hazel Wong, who is working at Bletchley Park. Almost immediately they find themselves working on their most dangerous case thus far. One of the codebreakers has been shot and in his pocket is discovered a top-secret message.

Was he in fact a spy, was the message planted on him; was this just a tragic accident or murder?: Whatever it was Daisy’s brother, Bertie has been blamed; even Bertie himself is unsure whether he was actually responsible for the death. Hazel and Daisy set Nuala, May and Eric the task of finding out what actually did happen and thus proving Bertie’s innocence. The three of them are acting as messengers between the huts but Bletchley Park is a secretive place wherein a number of Britain’s most brilliant minds are at work, they will have to listen, watch and they hope, unearth the truth. They are very different characters: May is impulsive and Nuala and Eric more considered in their actions, so they’re an interesting team.

Then a second murder takes place – are they linked? Was it the same murderer again? What a challenge the three face.

A clever cracker of a story for confident readers from Y4 onwards: it works was a standalone but it would be better to read the previous two books first.
(In her author’s note, Robin Stevens suggests that many of the Bletchley Park staff were neurodivergent though in the story we’re never told if this applies to any of the characters featured.)

Dead Yard : Seeds of Doom / How to Survive a Horror Sequel

jillrbennett Leave a comment

These are both new titles from Little Tiger – thank you to the publisher for sending them for review.

Dead Yard : Seeds of Doom
P.J.Kilburn, illustrated by Markia Jenai

P.J.Kilburn’s debut novel celebrates Caribbean culture and folklore.

Jermaine’s wish is to be a movie director and he’s spending the Easter holidays shooting an entry for a junior film making competition. However he has to attend his great great uncle’s Dead Yard (a service for the deceased lasting all night) and he’s instructed not to eat any of the food until after midnight. But the sight of a plate of delicious- looking patties proves irresistible and chomp! he starts biting into one. A big mistake.

Suddenly he’s in his own horrific adventure bound-up with Uncle Carl’s ghost and boy, is he bad-tempered. Moreover, there’s a malevolent-looking man searching for a bag of cursed cassava seeds and an outbreak of an epidemic that makes the local children dangerously ill. All that plus the unanticipated arrival to of a woman claiming to be an old flame of Carl’s.

Can Jermaine possibly work with his uncle Carl, sort out this complex chaotic situation and save those they care about, before it’s too late?

Imbued with humour and creepiness, this fun, shortish horror mystery, is set not in the Caribbean but in a modern day London’s Shepherd’s Bush community. Taste it and see …

More creepiness in:

How to Survive a Horror Sequel
Scarlett Dunmore

This sequel to How to Survive a Horror Movie begins towards the end of October with protagonist Charley trying to rebuild her life after attempts to kill her at her boarding school. As the story opens Charley is with her mother who is driving the car northwards through the darkness of the Scottish countryside to the town where they hope to make a new start. When they stop for petrol and some supplies, Charley is certain she sees a ghost nearby though she doesn’t say anything. But then the car stops and won’t restart alongside a road sign telling them they have reached Glendale, (a village also known as the Devil’s Punchbowl) and they have to go back to the garage on foot to seek help. The bad news is that the car will take some considerable time to mend, the good news is that someone offers them a temporary dwelling – a run-down, rather creepy house.

Charley has little choice but to stay and she begins investigating her new environment. Soon she becomes aware of both ghosts and disappearances. It transpires that Glendale has a long-standing association with witches, but worse than that Charley convinces herself that the Harrogate Killer is on her trail. As Halloween draws ever closer, she’s determined to discover just what is happening at Glendale.

Can she possibly do so when she’s not sure who among its residents an be trusted. Full of horror movie tropes, some new characters to enjoy, and imbued with a dry wit, plus a dramatic finale, this will grip readers all the way to its final question.

Sinbin Island

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Sinbin Island
Doug Naylor
David Fickling Books

Jack Winston Claremont Digby, Digs to his friends, has become an orphan and instead of being cared for as anticipated by family friend, Mrs O’Malley, he learns that he is to go to the Cyril Snigg’s Correctional Orphanage for Wayward Boys and Girls (Cowbag, so its pupils call it), said by some to have been founded by a pirate. Before going he is given an ancient magical Russian soldier nesting doll (handed down through generations of his family) and told to open it when the need arises.

On arriving at the school, the boy begins to make some new friends and they endeavour to avoid the attention of the bully, Lewis Seaforth. They also try to avoid accumulating high numbers of lashes: one hundred means a pupil will be sent to Sin Bin Island at the end of the year. Some so it’s said, have never returned, while some returners have never been the same since their ordeal.

Come the end of term it’s Digs, Amber, Cav and Noah who are to spend the week on Sin Bin Island.

The second part of the book is concerned with the four ‘Binners’ – a pretty smart lot it turns out – endeavouring to survive on the terrifying island. They find themselves facing some pretty hair-raising ordeals and risking life and limb, (those Russian dolls prove invaluable), some revelations are made and as the adventure draws to a close, it looks as though for Digs a great destiny awaits. First though there’s a second year at Cowbag to look forward to.

This is exceptional storytelling from Doug Naylor, fast paced, thrilling and with lashings of humour: a real treasure of a tale in more ways than one. Older KS2 readers and beyond will find it utterly compelling, assuredly this adult reviewer did.

Nora Nightsky

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Nora Nightsky
Rebecca Lewis-Oakes, illustrated by Becka Moor
Scholastic

When I say Nora Nightsky is a star, I don’t mean a celebrity but an actual star in the sky. All her family members are part of the constellation Ursa Minor and they love to grant humans, wishes from afar. Not so Nora; all she wants to do is stay in the shadows: after all humans ought to solve their own problems.
However having received several letters from a girl named Olivia wishing for a pet, she decides to take action and sets out to Earth accompanied by Leap her best friend, a hare-shaped constellation, eventually crash-landing in a muddy field.

Her intention is to give Olivia a ‘piece of her mind’ but that’s not what happens. She does though have a plan to obtain a pet for the girl, destination the zoo where a surprise awaits and it’s not a good surprise. Nora’s time on Earth is limited though and she must return from whence she came before her stardust is all used up and her magic fades. Can she obtain the pet for Olivia or will she be stuck forever as a mortal on Earth?

Nora’s character is a delightful mix of rebelliousness and determination that results in her getting into some hugely funny situations with the cheery Olivia, making this a really fun story. It’s made even more so thanks to Becka Moor’s black-and-white illustrations that portray the protagonist brilliantly. Readers will assuredly have their fingers crossed that Nora achieves her goals and can appear in a new adventure soon.

Role Model

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Role Model
Elle McNicoll
Knights Of

Thirteen year old Aeriel Sharpe, the book’s narrator is neurodivergent. Recently her mother has been elected Prime Minister and the family has moved from Scotland where Aeriel loved the snow and wind and the way they made her feel; she’s now struggling to adapt to a very different way of life. At her new school, Aeriel is eager to fit in and is assigned a buddy, Ana, on her first day. Ana has two close friends and maybe Aeriel could become part of their group.

It’s not that simple though, and then Aeriel is put in an uncomfortable situation and faints during a school assembly. This has been secretly filmed and the video goes viral. The PM’s press team step in to ‘help’ and Aerial films a response but this results in her getting even more attention from the media and her being called an inspirational role model for young people. Anything but inspirational is how Aeriel feels though: she’s followed by paparazzi, asked to formal dinners with Royals and more but all she yearns for is an ordinary life and true friends. Eventually she finds everything too much.

One person who does understand Aeriel however, is her older sister, Fizz ,who is also neurodivergent. She does her best to encourage her sibling to find a way to embrace and love herself and in so doing to become the main character in her own life story. Along with some friends from her school SEND department, Aeriel begins to do just that.

Just as every neurotypical person is different, so too is every one who is autistic. As a protagonist, Aeriel does a terrific job of showing that far from being a cliched ‘superpower’, her neurodiversity is integral to the unique, powerful and very special girl that she is. Her story is one that should be read widely by parents, teachers and those around Aeriel’s age.

Badgers Are Go: Revenge of the Claw

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Badgers Are Go! Revenge of the Claw
Susannah Lloyd, illustrated by Nici Gregory
David Fickling Books

It’s a new term at Rumpington Academy of Badgering and the Major announces excitedly that there is a new member of staff, an inventor, one Professor Archibald Briskwhiskers and from the outset he seems to have taken a dislike to Lulu Rifferton Rear. Moreover, he’s interested in why Lulu hasn’t on this occasion been assigned a mission.

Then comes a notice in the paper concerning a custard craze and guess who is given the role of piloting BOP 92e; that involves so the Prof insists, one simple manoeuvre … The next thing, or almost the next, is that Lulu is accused of a serious crime and there’s only one way to prove her innocence. She must discover the truth by going undercover to Mole HQ.

Full of splendidly scandalous sharp practice on one side and courage, confidence and cleverness, not to mention some treacle, on the other, this will have readers rooting for young Lulu as she goes all out to save the world.

After this deliciously daft adventure, with Nici Gregory’s unforgettable drawings throughout, whither next for our young hero?

Beastie Bros: Dungeons and Dragonflies

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Beastie Bros: Dungeons and Dragonflies
David O’Connell
Scholastic

Set in Bugtown, this second adventure of best friends Dribble the snail and Dash the firefly sees the two attempt to recover a priceless treasure.

It’s festival time in Bugtown and after an embarrassing moment, or several, with Dribble’s Tummy Tickler invention, they come upon their friend Tilda the earthworm. She suggests they join her on a tour to see the display of the queen ant’s crown jewels. Dribble and Dash are somewhat suspicious of the bus driver and tour guide but they climb aboard nonetheless and the bad feeling Dash has worsens at the sight of the dung beetle passengers already seated.

Having arrived at the displays the friends are taken o a huge room wherein they are shown a fabulous addition to the queen’s collection of gemstones, the Gumdrop of Light.

As they gaze at it some fireworks are thrown, the Gumdrop of Light disappears and so it’s announced, some visitors have been kidnapped.

Realising that his bad feeling about some of those dung beetles was justified, Dash tells Dribble that they are actually master criminals, the Dung Heap Gang. Almost immediately Dash and Dribble are hot on the trail. They pursue the thieves into the maze of dark tunnels. where they soon find themselves confronting gigantic dragonflies; moreover the two friends get separated.

Can the heroic pair find a way to get past the menacing beasties, and can they locate the criminals, retrieve the precious gemstone and restore it to the rightful owner?

Full of zany drawings, a choose your own adventure chapter, a poem about custard and much more including a smashing supporting cast, the entire story is absolutely bonkers and enormous fun. On the serious side, the author aka Professor Crispin T. Earthworm has provided some fascinating bug facts and there are ideas for readers to create their own fantasy stories and a game.

Newly confident solo readers and those sharing the book will relish this.

Medusa Gorgon’s Bad Hair Day

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Medusa Gorgon’s Bad Hair Day
Bethany Walker, illustrated by Katie Abey
Scholastic

Meet Medusa Gorgon age twelve. She works as a guardian in the temple of the goddess Athena. Medusa is rather hot-tempered and her best friend, Arachne has suggested that writing a diary to release and channel her feelings would help her. A good idea indeed but then Medusa upsets Athena who banishes her to the twenty-first century to retrieve the goddesses’ shield, the very shield and prized possession that Medusa might have disposed of into Hades’ well in a fit of anger over her friend, Arachne, being turned into a spider.

The outcome is that Medusa’s life becomes a series of very bad days. For starters, thanks to Athena, she’s had her hair changed into snakes, ‘vile, ugly, angry, slithering snakes’ that constantly hiss atop her head. There’s an awful lot to learn in this place of banishment including things relating to human homes in England. She certainly can’t let her ‘carers’ do such things as drink from the toilet

and as for life at Shadwell Academy secondary school, bewilderment doesn’t come into it. Then comes the language issue: yes she is able to understand and speak the language of the twenty-first century but ‘actually knowing what they’re talking about’ is a very different matter (so true). And who should Medusa try to make friends with – another tricky thing to try and get right.

With friendship at the heart of the whole story, this is a great read – funny, pacy and splendidly illustrated by Katie Abey. The book draws quite heavily on the Greek myths but it matters not if readers are familiar with Medusa, Arachne, Athena, Hades et al. (I should mention that there’s an on-going correspondence between Athena and Hades via Hermes Express Air Tortoise aka H.E.A.T.) And as for the shield – is it ever returned to Athena? Then what about the fate of Arachne? To find out, you must get a copy of this hilarious book for yourself.

Score Like A Striker

jillrbennett 1 Comment

Score Like A Striker
Ben Lyttleton
Puffin

Have you ever imagined yourself scoring the vital goal in the soccer World Cup final, if the answer’s yes, this first title in the author’s Football Skills series is likely to be the ideal book for you; it’s written by Ben Lyttleton, a former soccer scout, now broadcaster, football club co-owner and penalty coach.

The author showcases and analyses the techniques used by brilliant goal-scorers such as Lionel Messi, Harry Kane and Chloe Kelly (she who scored the winning penalty against Spain in a thrilling penalty shootout which secured England the UEFA Women’s Championship a few days back); showing readers what is necessary to become a shining star on the pitch. First you need to love the game for its own sake, but in addition to skill, a great deal of practice, dogged determination and resilience are necessary; so too is a willingness to learn from your own mistakes.

The chapters are kept short, the facts are punchy, there’s humour in the writing and the illustrations are detailed, so whether readers want to sharpen their footie skills or just read yet more about their favourite sport, then they should get hold of a copy.

Paddock Grove: A Pony To Own

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Paddock Grove: A Pony To Own
J.P. Rose
Walker Books

Georgia Harris (George) is thrilled she’s been awarded a scholarship to Paddock Grove, an elite equine boarding school. She’s far less thrilled though when instead of her beloved Timmy, the horse she’s already bonded with, her parents, (unable to afford Timmy) have bought her Bear, a mischievous horse also from the local riding school. Bear loves to get muddy all over and even does so on the day George is to start at her new school but that’s just the start of her troubles. When she arrives at the school parking area, Mrs Hawksworth, the headteacher of Paddock Grove greets her with the words “Miss Harris. You and your pony have made quite the entrance.” Fortunately though, soon after, Katie arrives on the scene and her kind manner as she shows George around, makes the newcomer feel a lot better.

She discovers that she’ll be sharing a room with three other girls one of whom is Katie. The others are Tabitha (who seems a tad cautious but has a big heart) and Lili whose home is on a small island near Fiji.She appears to be keeping things about her family life to herself but has a playful nature and is very enthusiastic about riding. The four roommates make a great team. But can George and the mischievous Bear become a team too? That is a vital if George is to keep her place at the school and there’s definitely one girl who does not want that to happen.

This first of an equestrian series is really well crafted and the storylines cleverly interwoven. I’d not read any other books by J.P. Rose; now I’m eagerly awaiting Riding For Gold, the next in this series.

The Lost Book of Undersea Adventure

jillrbennett Leave a comment

The Lost Book of Undersea Adventure
Unknown Adventurer, Teddy Keen
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

This begins with the author inspired by his grandmother’s stories, embarking on a quest to find the legendary sea nomads of the Coral Triangle. Five days later something terrifying happens. Having stumbled upon their dangerous cargo it’s the intention of three smugglers to silence him by killing him. He’s tossed from the ferry and struggles to stay afloat until eventually he reaches land – a deserted island. Utterly alone and initially exceedingly frightened, but having found his journal and pencils, he decides to start the journal he’d promised his siblings he’d write. He also puts his survival skills to the test and after a couple of days, he’s made a camp, a hammock, fishing spear and found a way to make fire.
A couple of weeks later he sees that the island is split into two and that something leaps from the water in the middle of the lagoon – a ray perhaps. Not long after he notices a moving light reflected on the water: it’s time to investigate. The following day having finished building a raft it’s time to go. But the waters are extremely dangerous and the next thing he knows is that he’s in a stilt house. Woken by voices and three pairs of staring eyes, they’re not smugglers but children, the adventurer realises.

Prepare to be transported to distant seas and a coral reef with incredible marine life,

discover ancient legends of sea spirits, face unimaginable perils and meet with some amazing people in this exhilarating story of survival and friendship.

Utterly engrossing, the book is presented in the form of an artist’s journal/log with diagrams, close-ups of marine creatures and more.

When The Storm Comes

jillrbennett Leave a comment

When The Storm Comes
Polly Ho-Yen
Knights Of

One rainy day, with considerable reluctance four children, Mali, (who narrates the story) Fara, Jonesey and Petey find themselves together in the school library after lessons. They’ve been chosen by very pregnant teacher, Ms Devine, to form a book group panel and she joins them to explain what this entails. Meanwhile, the weather has deteriorated and a fierce thunder storm brings floods. Leaving for home is now impossible as the doors are jammed. Worse, they’re unable to make contact with the outside world so bedding down for the night appears to be their only option. What to do about food soon becomes an issue with Petey keen to have more than his fair share and this contributes to the worsening mood of them all.

Suddenly a man appears: it’s Lowly, the school caretaker and he’s been on site all the time. As things become increasingly perilous, the children begin to realise that they must all trust one another and pull together. Then Jonesey is injured by a falling branch and loses consciousness. Can they escape from the terrible danger? Mali will have to give it his all if he’s to find a way through to the outside and get the aid of emergency services.

With the issue of climate change rearing its head, this is a thrilling, thought-provoking story, full of tension wherein the four children learn much about themselves and one another.

Totally Chaotic History: The Stone Age Runs Wild!

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Totally Chaotic History: The Stone Age Runs Wild!
Greg Jenner, illustrated by Rikin Parekh
Walker Books

In this third book of the series, author Greg Jenner is aided and abetted by Dr Brenna Hassett, archaeologist and biological anthropologist whose voice is a great complement for Jenner’s chatty style.

Almost immediately many readers will find that what they thought they knew about the Stone Age is actually wrong. For starters scientists don’t use the term ‘Stone Age’, rather they divide it into eras and so we read, ‘there were loads of different species of hominids appearing, dying out, exploring new lands, inventing new technologies and experimenting with new ways to live.’

You’ll discover amazing buildings such as Gôbekli Tepe – the world’s first stone temple, and visit the Catalhôyûk,

neither of which I’d heard of before.

My head was spinning long before I finished this, which is no surprise because as the author tells us near the end, things were constantly changing during the time they were writing the book and they had to rewrite things on five occasions as new discoveries were made.

Bursting with facts, the whole thing is hugely amusing from cover to cover, made all the more so by Rikin Parekh whose illustrations are splendid. If this fails to engage children, then I’ll spend a night on that luxurious-looking stone bed. Ouch!

The Last Pebble

jillrbennett Leave a comment

The Last Pebble
Alex Horne
Walker Books

This story is set in the seaside town of Bognor on the south coast and we follow a boy named Trader who struggles to make real friends at school but is fascinated by rocks and loves spending time beachcombing with his Grandfather.

One day Trader finds a very special pebble associated with which there seems to be a mystery. Grandfather helps him clean it up but it appears that the old man knows more about the pebble than he’s letting on. “This stone will change everything,” he tells Trader as the two part company for the day. There are only a few days before Trader leaves his primary school but he manages to get through it and starts to forge a friendship with Charlotte, a relative newcomer to his school. Hopefully she will be interested in his find, Trader says to Grandpa who seems far, far away.

The next day Trader shows the pebble to Charlotte but there’s no time to tell her all about it, something he wants to do. Meanwhile Grandpa disappears returning a few days later with a piece needed to fix the stone tumbler.

Then when Charlotte and Trader are on the beach together, Charlotte shows Trader a bottle that she’s found containing a message. Who could have left such a strange message and the subsequent ones? The Mystery deepens. Can the two friends get to the bottom of it?

A compelling story, gentle and thought-provoking, a story of family, friendship and loyalty that is beautifully crafted and ideal for summer reading.

Will Wolfheart

jillrbennett Leave a comment


Will Wolfheart
Teresa Heapy, illustrated by Adam Beer
David Fickling Books

Will loves his dog, Whiskers, more than anything and is devastated when, having moved house, Whiskers goes to live with Will’s grandma, Gran-Mishti, meaning he only gets to see Whiskers at weekends. Then on one of these eagerly awaited weekends, Will is suddenly transported to a magical world wherein Whiskers is a wolf and the two can speak to one another. This world is Wolf World: enchanted and exciting yes, but danger is never far away.

The author’s portrayal of the relationship between Will and Whiskers is superb but equally so is that captured in Adam Beer’s illustrations. However there are a number of other memorable characters too: not least Clara, a human girl and members of the adversarial wolf packs, some of which are friendly towards humans, others far from it; and the wild, magical setting wields a power of its own: I really loved the descriptions of the changing skyscapes. I loved too the support Will’s Dad gave him at a crucial point in the story when the boy was showing great stress.

Animal lovers will certainly relish the tale with its perils aplenty and powerful messages about belonging and ways of loving . However you definitely do not have to love dogs to enjoy this book; I’m petrified of them having been attacked by an Alsatian as a child and was captivated by the story. It would make a terrific read aloud to share with KS2 classes but make sure you show the final illustration of Gran-Mishti’s gate.

Bad United Fast As Lightning / Guardians of the New Moon: The Year of the Ox

jillrbennett Leave a comment

These are both additions to popular series from Little Tiger – thanks to the publisher for sending then for review.

Bad United Fast As Lightning
Louise Forshaw

Having achieved two wins, Bad United are starting to attract a fair bit of attention, so much so that Hoof the unicorn declares ‘We’re famous’.
When manager, Serena Winter announces a visit to the spa, it’s no surprise that one team member is far from enthusiastic: Bolt (cheetah) considers yogic breathing a complete waste of time; he’s the best striker so why bother, he thinks. But whether the experience has had the desired effect of bringing the whole team back together ready for anything as Hoof hopes, we’ve yet to find out when they begin training for the next match, which is against Storm. Pretty soon though, it appears that it’s not the case with Bolt.

On match day Serena reminds them all to focus on their happy places but with all the other players waiting on the pitch, team Storm hasn’t shown up. What happens thereafter is I suspect, the strangest ever match that commentators, Waffle and Cyclops have ever witnessed, so much so that Serena immediately asks for a rematch. Will Bad United emerge victorious, this time? And has Bolt finally learned about team play? If so, fans will be cheering extra loud.

Guardians of the New Moon: The Year of the Ox
Eric Huang, illustrated by Phùng Nguyén Quang

Shocked that his son Xiao Nioh has been wasting his time working on a dance he was going to perform to usher in the Year of the Ox, Lord Chiyou is finding it very difficult to understand his son’s creative performance involving a sword and a long coloured ribbon. Frivolities is what he calls it and in an effort to make his son brave, at the suggestion of the Jade Emperor sends Xiao Nioh off on a quest accompanied by the Guardians of the New Moon, Ming and Miaow. They must deliver a message about farming techniques and one more matter – the crops and the whole valley must be protected from the nian, a fierce magical one-horned beast with a massive appetite. With the help of the Guardians, can Xiao Nioh prove himself without having to abandon his dancing dreams, or will the Year of the Ox be a huge let down?

With plenty of action and humour too, this third book in the series is as exciting as the previous Guardians stories.

A Box Full of Murders

jillrbennett Leave a comment


A Box Full of Murders
Janice Hallett
Puffin

Janice Hallett adopts a similar style for this, her first children’s story, as she does for her adult crime/mystery books, making clever use of letters, diary entries, press cuttings, police reports and emails.

Siblings Ava and Luke live in different homes with parents who have separated; Ava lives with Mum and Luke with Dad. Both children keep in touch via their mobiles and when Luke discovers a box marked ‘Top Secret’ in Dad’s loft, he shares its contents by means of text messages, quickly realising that it tells the story of a crime that took place at a Scout and Guides’ summer camp in 1983 – the last to be held at that location as the campsite land has been bought for questionable reasons. Because of this the leaders of each tent group have been asked to write diaries about their experiences. These groups have names like The Fun Girl Three, Hunky Dory, Ventures, Duran Spandau – apt for the times.

As the siblings read through these diaries they are introduced to the campers, the Scout and Guide leaders, some mysterious strangers lurking in the forest and rumours of a shrieking ghost. Along with Ava and Luke, we readers see events at the camp playing out and every so often there’s a Progress Report summarising the information so far to help in solving the case. Things become very dangerous for the campers when two bodies are discovered, one of a botanist, the other his assistant, and even more alarming when one of the guides goes missing.

Luke and Ava work diligently through the clues and it becomes clear that this whole mystery is not something left in the past; the murderer is still at large and perhaps nearer than they think.

A pacy, gripping read with a multi-layered plot, some humour, two terrific characters in Ava and Luke and an ending that hints of more to come. I can hardly wait.

Netta Becker and the Timeline Crime

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Netta Becker and the Timeline Crime
Jennifer Claessen
uclan publishing

Combining adventure, friendship of an unusual kind and a Greek myth retold feminist style, this is an intriguing story.

Netta Becker, eleven, is spending the holiday with her younger, history obsessed brother, Remy and their parents. It was his turn to pick the destination – a rather run-down villa in Crete near King Minos’ palace – but it’s definitely not the kind of place Netta anticipates enjoying at all. Moreover she’ll miss an important swimming gala.

However, soon after arriving she starts having very realistic dreams that drag her back four thousand years to Ancient Greece and the palace of King Minos. In one she’s seen by Princess Ariadne (Ari) who thinks she’s some kind of spirit that’s she’s called up – ‘tricky muse’ she calls her.

As she spends more time in the distant past, her connection to the present begins to weaken and she gets increasingly distant, sulky even, something her parents fail to notice. Soon she starts to question her own reality: why has she been drawn way back to ancient times and is it possible she can alter the course of events in history? The more time Netta spends with Ari, the more she gains insights into the king – his arrogance and murderous nature.

Others have stories that may well be worth telling – those of the children and women – that appear to be of no significance to the powerful males. This belief is about to be challenged by Ari and Netta who want to show that ‘being unseen in history doesn’t mean life wasn’t worth living.’

A hugely engaging book: I love the way the author has looked at traditional stories in a completely different way: you don’t need to be familiar with Greek myths to enjoy this, though there are explanatory notes giving more detail about some of the references included after the narrative.

The Lucky House Detective Agency

jillrbennett Leave a comment

The Lucky House Detective Agency
Scarlett Li, illustrated by Sian James
Knights Of

Living in Leighton-on-Sea, eleven year old Felix and his best friend Isaac absolutely love detective stories and both boys spend a lot of time helping in Felix’s family’s Chinese takeaway, called Lucky House Takeaway.

One evening during a specially busy time the family’s lucky money plant brought from Hong Kong – Optimus Prime they call it – crashes to the ground. Mum is devastated and so the boys decide to use their detective skills to find out who knocked over the precious plant and prevent bad luck from befalling the Lee family. Their initial list of suspects comprises everyone in the takeaway at the time, including regular customers and Felix adds Nina Ding his cousin and nemesis ‘know it all Nina’ they call her.

As they’re repotting the plant, the boys find an old coin with Chinese characters and begin asking around about it. Could the accident by any chance have anything to do with a long lost Chinese treasure? They ask Mr Tsui, who tells them about an old box linked to a visit from Li Hung Chang, a Chinese diplomat from the 1800’s. A vital clue or a red herring?

With an interesting cast of characters, a wealth of information about British-Chinese culture and incidents aplenty, this well-plotted, exciting story is a fun mystery for KS2 readers that will certainly keep them guessing. With Felix’s final “The Lucky House Detective Agency is open for business. Let’s roll.” I wonder what mystery will come their way next?

Pernickety Boo

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Pernickety Boo
Sally Gardner, illustrated by Chris Mould
Harper Collins Children’s Books

Let me introduce Pernickety Boo, an umbrella, not an ordinary one, though he started out that way. Then an absent-minded sorcerer used him to stir a magic potion, the result being the umbrella acquired magical powers. However his creator left him on an underground train and at Baker Street station he was handed in to the lost property office where he stayed for five whole years.

One day he’s taken, along with other interesting items, to a sale and there he meets young Sylvie Moonshine and a life of adventure ensues. Pernickety Boo can understand cat, has a particular predilection for gloves, especially those made of soft leather, and an ability to time travel, all of which make him extra special.

Totally delightful are his time travels with Sylvie as are those with Jimjam her cat; so too are the encounters with the pushy journalist Ada Moore who is desperate for a scoop.

What an absolutely wonderful, innocent character Sally Gardner has created in her inimitable way. Equally wonderful are Chris Mould’s pen and ink illustrations and together they make a book that exudes humour and is a joy to read from beginning to end. I truly hope that with Pernickety’s ‘See you soon’ on the final page we’ll hear more about him. Read aloud or read alone, you can’t get better than this.

Riverskin

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Riverskin
Mike Edwards
Walker Books

Green-yeller skinned Tess lives in the turns, beneath the River Tees with her guardian, darker green-skinned, spine-finned Aunt Peg and her Unkle Darkwater. So dangerous is he that he’s chained up in a pit and her aunt gives him slumber mix to keep him under control, but he’s an-ever present threat. Tess feeds on raw fish in a home furnished with ‘dry-folk stuff’ such as a ketul and other bits and pieces salvaged from the water. However Aunt Peg is getting older, becoming mind-slippy and mood-swirly so Tess can’t any longer rely on her for protection. Moreover, she starts having doubts about her true origin.

When Unkle Darkwater breaks free Tess is helped by Chris, a dry-folk boy she saved from drowning as well as extricating his bike from the nook. Now at last she begins to learn more about both herself and her true origins. When she finds out the truth though, what will she do?

I took a few pages to get used to Tess’s unique lyrical manner of telling her story but once I’d done so the drama and the world of the turns sucked me in and swept me along as I became more and more fascinated by her character and her fate.

With its roots in Teeside folklore, Mike Edwards’ debut book is exceptional and I eagerly await what comes next.

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody: The Hat of Great Importance

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody: The Hat of Great Importance
Patrick Ness, illustrated by Tim Miller
Walker Books

At the start of this second in Ness’s wry series, when Zeke the monitor lizard’s best friend Daniel turns up at the school bus stop wearing a large pink hat, Zeke is deeply disturbed. Surely it’s only birds – the top of the pecking order – that wear hats.

However, things get stranger still with the very tall tower – the Death Ray of Death – so Daniel surmises, is being built exactly where Pelicarnassus and his mum live. Does she intend to melt the school or focus it on Zeke exclusively? Plus Zeke learns that his buddies, Alicia and Daniel are visiting the Guidance Counsellor and have been told to spend their time exclusively with one another. Poor Zeke feels alienated and persuades himself that someone is out to get him.

Then the bus doesn’t turn up the following morning, melted by the Death Ray of Death and replaced by a van driven by a shrew. When the same shrew arrives on a bike after school, saying that the van was melted in his driveway, Zeke is certain it’s not the shrew that’s the real target of the Ray of Death, (rather it’s himself).
With the focus on the dynamics of friendships and themes of mental health and the willingness to share emotions, the author also further explores social inequality especially that between the lizards that live in the poorest part of town and other creatures in the school.

Once again Tim Miller’s illustrations are as droll as the words and are sure to bring plenty of smiles to readers’ faces.


The World’s Worst Alien

jillrbennett Leave a comment

The World’s Worst Alien
Alice Primmer, illustrated by Fred Blunt
Walker Books

This is a slice of life as lived and narrated by Sky, an alien student who has somehow created planet Earth for her school project. However, rather than the dinosaurs she hoped to find living thereon, it’s the age of humans and they appear to be doing a very good job of ruining the entire planet. Bang goes the good grades she’s desperately wanting. Sky decides to change her form and spend time on Earth, in in order to sort things out, without she hopes, having to do too much work before returning from whence she came.

On arriving in London, she experiences cold for the first time and the attire she’s wearing is modelled on the gear worn by YouTube influencers and so totally inappropriate for the climate. But as well as having no name and no place to live, she has no clothes to change in to and off she goes to school straight to a year six classroom where the other pupils are led to believe she’s from Antarctica There she makes friends (kind of) with a girl named Zana to whom she confides that she wants to be an influencer on You Tube without having the first clue about the topic of her videos. Zana invites her new friend to stay the night with her, telling her mother that she’s an exchange student but the school forgot to book her accommodation.

From then on things get progressively more crazy and chaotic: there are unfair doings going on around her (giraffes to release from the zoo) as well as local environmental causes to become involved with.

A funny story that looks at humans from the perspective of an outsider: what though will Sky’s impressions of we Earthlings be by the time she’s completed her project? Alice Primmer’s debut children’s novel gives readers plenty to ponder on, laugh at and talk about, and there’s a plethora of Fred Blunt’s zany illustrations to accompany the silly situations Sky et al find themselves in.

Nature Heroes

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Nature Heroes
Lily Dyu, illustrated by Jackie Lay
Nosy Crow

The author’s follow-up to Earth Heroes, published in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, is an inspiring collection of twenty short stories that celebrate pioneers who are working with nature to save the world.

‘Biodiversity – the rich variety of living things on earth – is being eaten away by habitat destruction, climate change and pollution. ‘ So says Lily Dyson in her introduction wherein she issues a challenge ‘Together we can rewild the world.’ But is this an impossible task?

Not so think lots of individuals, men and women, from all over the world who have dared to stand up for nature; their amazing efforts related herein show that change definitely is possible. A photograph/illustration and an inspiring quote introduce each of them.

Heroes new to me include Titouan Bernicot

who at sixteen years old, when out with his brother, was so horrified by the ghostly whiteness of the coral in his favourite surf spot in the Pacific Ocean near the island of Mo’orea in French Polynesia that he was unable to ignore what was happening. Having been introduced by his father to a marine biologist who had started coral gardening, Titouan offered to help, eventually launching ‘Coral Gardeners’ an organisation he hoped would save their island’s reefs. Today they have seven coral nurseries across French Polynesia and their team of fifty, many of whom are his childhood friends, have planted tens of thousands of corals.

It was great to learn of Elizabeth Wathuti. Liz, as she prefers, was shocked to see that after several years, the trees she and her seven year old classmates had planted had been cut down.

Her mum told her that sections of the forest were felled for timber and new tea plantations. Devastated, she had to do something and ended up with an award, the money from which she founded the Green Generation Initiative aiming to give every child in Kenya the opportunity to plant and care for a tree.This and much more resulted in her appointment as a United Nations Water Commissioner.

These are just two examples of ways in which when we stand together, we can start changing the world. What can you do?

The Woodland Badger

jillrbennett Leave a comment

The Woodland Badger
Holly Webb
Little Tiger

Poppy loves to visit her mum’s allotment very close to their home where there are butterflies and bees aplenty. One day after school she accompanies her mum who is hoping to collect some strawberries for their tea later that evening. However Mum discovers that most of them have been nibbled, most likely by slugs. Fred, another allotment holder, offers them some of his strawberries and also tells them of his pre-bedtime method of keeping the marauding slugs at bay. During their chat he also mentions that hedgehogs eat slugs and they and other wild creatures live in the nearby woods. Mum suggests they stay a bit longer and see if any show themselves. At dusk, first a fox appears and then a badger; the two watch the badger, spellbound.

The following day Poppy talks excitedly about the badger to her teacher, Mr Finch and he responds enthusiastically. Then Poppy and her friend Grace use the school library to do further research and that night Poppy is allowed to sleep out on their balcony in the hope she can get another sighting of Diamond, as she names the badger. She is excited to see not one but two badgers, Diamond and another smaller one she names Ruby.

But then comes some alarming news from Fred: the woodland has been sold to developers and they plan to clear it and build houses, which put the badgers’ home at risk. Poppy and her mum know they must do something. In collaboration with their neighbours, they launch a campaign showing everybody the importance of protecting natural areas and the wildlife residing therein.

Empowering and gently educative, this story shows readers how food chains work in addition to giving information relating to the diet, habitat and behaviour of badgers. A great story for lower KS2 readers.

Gordon Wins It All

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Gordon Wins It All
Alex Latimer
Oxford Children’s Books

Another honker of a tale about a goose – the meanest goose on earth – who continues with his endeavours to be a good goose. The trouble is he starts to fantasise about being so good that he becomes Mayor of Grover Gardens. As a result it only takes a kind deed by Mrs Elephant, followed by the unexpected appearance of one of his old cronies from the Meaneest Goose Society to make him start to regress. He organises the first ever Grand Tournament for Grover Gardens residents, planning to win every single event and maybe, just maybe, helped by Anthony’s training schedule, if things go as he hopes, he’ll soon have that mayoral chain of office round his neck. The trouble is the other contestants in the events are rather better at their respective sports than Gordon anticipated.

Has the goose got the prowess at long jump, sprinting and javelin throwing to win, or will he fall victim to temptation and cheat his way success?

With a vital message about honesty, this is a very funny story with Alex Latimer’s superb illustrations adding greatly to the humour: Gordon’s facial expressions and laugh-out loud eyebrows are simply splendid.

Naeli and the Secret Song

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Naeli and the Secret Song
Jasbinder Bilan
Chicken House

Naeli’s passion and her greatest talent is playing her treasured violin given to her by her father. An English doctor, he returned from India to his homeland years back when his own father was seriously ill, since when nobody has heard from him. So when her mother dies from malaria, Naeli is left completely alone, except for her ayah, Vanya, and spends her time playing her violin and learning the sitar.. After a year, she still misses her mother every day,.

Then one day her ayah brings her an unsigned letter with the name Naeli Harwood on the envelope. Inside the envelope is some money, a ticket to travel to London and instructions to bring her violin. Has her father made contact at last? Determined to find out she knows she must undertake the three month long journey from Calcutta port. As she boards the ship, she encounters a boy who introduces himself as Jack; he’s on his way to his hated boarding school and soon becomes Naeli’s friend.

On arrival Naeli is hoping to get a carriage with Jack but she’s met by a man saying he’s been instructed to take her to a lodging house and she’s put to work in a pie shop. Eight days later Naeli is sent to her Uncle Daniel’s home and on his return he tells her that her father went missing some time back and is presumed dead. This uncle, she discovers, was the person who sent her the ticket and he’s extremely interested in her violin and even more interested in hearing her play it. over and over and over. until she can’t play any more. Naeli is very frightened by his behaviour; she flees her uncle’s home and goes to Westminster School to seek out Jack.

She persuades him to go with her to her ancestral home in Northumberland. What they discover there is almost unbelievably shocking but they’re determined to try and get sufficient evidence to prevent a terrible miscarriage of justice from prevailing. The problem is that it’s exceedingly dangerous especially when Uncle Daniel appears on the scene – a real-life adventure – as Jack says in the penultimate chapter of this utterly compelling historical novel.

With its themes of identity and grief, it will surely appeal to older readers with an interest in history, adventure or music; and with lots of personal connections with India, I absolutely loved it and read it in a single sitting.

Ava Spark: Hello I’m Here!

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Ava Spark: Hello I’m Here!
Alex Field, illustrated by Joanna Bartel
New Frontier Publishing

Ten year old Ava lives with her mum and twin sister, Flo, in London. One day she’s sent for by the deputy head of her school and Ava wonders why. She learns that she has been given a very important job. A new girl is coming from Australia (staying with her granny to start with) and Mrs Taylor wants Ava to be her buddy and show her around and generally make her feel comfortable in her new surroundings when she starts school the following day.

Ava, who uses a wheel chair and speaks by means of a communication aid she calls Swiftie, is concerned these may prove problematic to her befriending the new girl. To help matters, she decides to give Swiftie an Australian accent, which gets the approval of Mrs Taylor.

After school Ava’s best friend Jack comes round to her home clutching a toy koala bear, saying it’s for Liv, which surprises Ava who thinks they’re a bit old for such toys but doesn’t actually say so. She suggests they should think of something special to do with Liv, and Flo suggests it should be on the upcoming Sports Day. They agree to make two teams, England and Australia to make Liv feel at home. Jack says they can use the koala as a mascot for the Australian team if they kit it out in the appropriate colours – green and gold, maybe having made a trip to the charity shop to find something suitable.

After school Liv is invited to Ava’s house and to their surprise she comes and Sports Day is one of the topics they talk about. Clearly organising the event will take a fair bit of work, particularly who should be in which team. Eventually they sort it out, but will it all go to plan and most important will Liv have a good time?

A warm=hearted celebration of family, friendship and being yourself that shows the importance of communication by whatever means is appropriate for you.