I am a fan of retellings of fairy tales and was immediately drawn to this slim hard back novella, a story about a princess named Imelda and a prince named Ambrose, who are married for a day and a night. Imelda is poisoned and the only way she can be saved is by forfeiting their love. Then a meeting with the witch who have cursed them, gives them the opportunity to regain that love. Facing many adventures including a beaver, strange landscapes, cannibals and a wicked fairy, the pair begin to get to know each other again.
A short book, Once more upon a time was just what I needed to get out of a reading slump as well as leaving me feeling happy and relaxed. The introduction of a talking cloak that thinks he is a horse adds many laugh aloud moments with his sharp and witty dialogue. The struggles that both Ambrose and Imelda face as their feelings grow give a contemporary feel to the fairy tale. Imelda does not want to be tied down. As one of The Twelve Dancing Princesses she has faced that with the magic slippers that her father had made them wear, and she wants to be free without the obligation of love. Ambrose, the middle brother, must learn to trust love, after being disappointed by his family.
This was a feel-good story, yet with enough adventure and danger to keep me glued to the page as Imelda and Ambrose strove to gain the potion that the witch demanded. There are many small gems of wisdom for the reader to ponder, including in the Epilogue: 'The king and queen did not live happily, but hopefully, ever after.'
Themes Fariy tale retelling, Love.
Pat Pledger
Playing at the border by Joanna Ho and Teresa Martinez
HarperCollins, ISBN: 9780062994547.
'Feet planted on the soil of one nation, eyes gazing at the shores of another, Yo-Yo Ma played a solo accompanied by an orchestra of wind and water.'
On April 13, 2019, on the US banks of the Rio Grande he played a piece of music hundreds of years old to an audience on the opposite banks in Mexico to show that building bridges is so much better than building walls.
But this is more than just a story of one man playing a cello alone to be heard by a few - this is the story of a renowned cellist, himself a blend of cultures as he was born to Chinese parents in France and raised in the US. Because his fingers were too small for a double bass, as a little child he chose the cello - and its particular blend of international origins is woven into both the story and the music. And from its strings comes the music dancing 'over rocks and rivers and walls into the sky', born in Germany 300 years before, lost, then found in Spain, and renewed in the US to unite those who had once been one but who were now separated...
Connecting cultures and countries through music was Yo-Yo Ma's ambition when he began the Bach Project in 2018, reviving the rare cello solos which 'create the sound of harmonising melodies on one instrument' there was a much symbolism as there was entertainment on that day in 2019 when the people of two nations momentarily joined together again, in defiance of the rhetoric and actions of the then POTUS. And in Johanna Ho's text, which is as lyrical as the music itself, we discover that there were many more than just two nations involved in making it happen.
Andi McNulty has just turned eighteen, but when she wakes the morning after her birthday, she is alone in a motel room, unable to remember what happened - and she's covered in blood. The TV is on and Andi hears her own name - her family is on the news, her father has been murdered, her mother is only barely alive in a coma and her little brother Josh is missing. Suspect Number One is Andi, but she couldn't have done this, right? She's on the high school field hockey team, she is a caring big sister and her whole family is happy. What happened to her near-perfect life? Finding herself alone and unsure of where to turn, Andi teams up with the strange, yet sympathetic Nate who works at the motel. Andi has to clear her name, find a murderer and save her brother - who is missing without a trace.
This mystery suspense novel is told from Andi's perspective, starting out with her waking in the motel room. Questions are a constant theme through the whole book, though there is a lack of urgency, and not much action for the majority of the book. While the writing is adequate, the story lacks some depth that many murder mysteries that have been published in the last few years have had. The story also goes back and forth a few times on the same questions, seeming to go around and around without true direction, but the story does slowly move forward. While not as exciting as some other YA mysteries, still a decent read.
Themes Mystery, Murder, Suspense, Family Relationships, Secrets.
'Anatomy' is set in Edinburgh, 1817, a time of advancing medical knowledge, but also a time when the gentleman physician, learned in Latin, was highly esteemed, while the common surgeon was held in lower standing, mixing with the lower classes, and relying on the brute strength of his hands. Hazel is a young lady, destined to marry her cousin Bernard and become Lady Almont, but due to the quirks of her largely neglectful upbringing, is fascinated by the sciences of anatomy and medicine. An early scene sees her experiment on a dead frog, trying to reignite life, in the style of Frankenstein.
The early chapters set the scene for what follows. Hazel is determined to be her own self, and follow her dreams, at a time when women’s future security was dependent on securing an advantageous marriage. Austen’s Sense and sensibility was a novel of the times. Hazel, however, disguised as a man, determines to attend anatomy lectures and surgery demonstrations. Her path crosses with Jack, a resurrection man, who steals bodies from the graveyard for surgeons to dissect. This is the beginning of a romance. But the real love story in this novel is the love of anatomy, and the quest for female autonomy and independence.
This is an unusual novel combining romantic historical fiction with macabre mystery and horror. It is well written with interesting characters and keeps the reader enthralled until the last strange turn of events that suggest there may possibly be a sequel, something I think readers of this novel will no doubt welcome enthusiastically.
Dana Schwartz’s website provides discussion questions about the novel and links to interviews with the author.
Pan Macmillan, 2022. ISBN: 9781529095241. (Age:Adult) Recommended for adults.
The Atlas Six is advertised as 'The runaway Tiktok must-read fantasy novel of the year,' enough to make any fantasy fan want to pick it up. The Alexandrian Society is a secret society that preserves all the knowledge from ancient civilizations. It is an exclusive club that guarantees wealth and power to anyone who is invited to join it. Atlas Blakely approaches six young people to see if they are prepared to join. Even though they are warned that only five will survive, all agree to spend a year to try and quality for the honour of membership. All have different powers that are important to the Society:
Libby Rhodes and Nicolas Ferrer de Varona: inseparable enemies, cosmologists who can control matter with their minds. Reina Mori: a naturalist who can speak the language of life itself. Parisa Kamali: a mind reader whose powers of seduction are unmatched. Tristan Caine: the son of a crime kingpin who can see the secrets of the universe. Callum Nova: an insanely rich pretty boy who could bring about the end of the world. He need only ask. (Publisher).
As time passes for the characters, they are given instructions and dangerous quests that test their ability to problem solve and use their unique skills. The reader, knowing that only five of them will survive, is kept alert trying to work out which one could be eliminated and how this would be done. Each chapter is told in the voice of one of the characters, giving the reader one perspective on what is happening and insights into the feelings and beliefs of that person. Like Gallant by V.E. Schwab, the book is interspersed with illustrations, this time of each of the main protagonists. They are not labelled, and it is fun to try and work out who is portrayed.
This is a very dark story with some scenes of a sexual nature that make it unsuitable for a younger audience, but adults who like fantasy will find it very intriguing with a fascinating conclusion that leaves an opening for a sequel.
Pat Pledger
Good night to your fantastic elastic brain by JoAnn Deak and Terrence Deak. Illus. by Neely Daggett
This significant new non-fiction book, Good Night to Your Fantastic Elastic Brain, written by two psychologists has been released in picture book style and is easy to read and understand. The book explains the brain, in just enough detail for children, its function and how to care for it by getting enough sleep. This well written factual story follows the journey of the brain, described as a big pink walnut, from how it works during the day to what it achieves when we are asleep. Children are initially introduced to what the brain does and then it goes on to describe the parts of the brain and their special job. The authors have used correct scientific and medical terminology (with pronunciations of more difficult words in brackets) throughout the book when describing the brain and how it functions. Double page spreads cover topics such as how your brain develops, gains control, remembers, forgets, energizers, takes a bath and dreams. Each topic is complemented with large bright and colourful images and diagrams, as well as text boxes giving further information. New or important words are capitalized and highlighted in bold colours.
This is a valuable book to be shared between children and adults, especially the section on what happens if you are unable to sleep well and how to improve your sleep.
Themes Brains, Health, Children.
Kathryn Beilby
Rainbow Grey: Eye of the Storm by Laura Ellen Anderson
Farshore, 2022. ISBN: 9781405298704. (Age:7+)
Rainbow Grey: Eye of the Storm is the second in the Rainbow Grey series, which is British author and illustrator Laura Ellen Anderson's second series of books following the well-known Amelia Fang books.
Anderson is foremost an illustrator. She is the illustrator behind the relaunch of Enid Blyton's Famous Five series and Cornelia Funke's Dragon Rider series. She created the Evil Emperor Penguin series of graphic novels for Junior primary/primary children. She is passionate about illustration. This is obvious from a brief flip through Rainbow Grey Eye of the Storm. Illustrations border pages, fly across pages, burst from dark and light backgrounds and bleed across double spreads. The exuberance of the illustrations is mirrored in the stories that accompany them but somehow it seems that the story must fit the pictures; the pictures drive the text.
Notwithstanding this, the text is energetic, the adventures bounce along and there is magic. Anderson loves to play with words. There is plenty of rhyme and rhythm, much alliteration, much nonsensical amusement and entertainment, much repetition and bouncy repartee. The fantasy/adventure storyline is like others with which children would already be familiar. There is a map of a fantasy world and accompanying descriptions complete with imaginative place names. There is a cast of characters, with funny names and there is a central character Ray Grey with her friends and opponents. Like other fantasy stories, the hero and friends have to find their inner strengths/magical powers and save the world. The point of difference with the Rainbow Grey series is that the fantasy world is located in the earth's atmosphere - not in outer space or perhaps underground as is more usual. The characters channel the powers of the weather: wind, rain, sun and rainbows. Ray develops her secret weather powers and strives to save Earth and the "Weatherlands" from destruction by evil pent-up age old forces.
The style of the narration of Rainbow Grey: Eye of the Storm is an acquired taste. The uninitiated young reader may need support through read alouds in order to accustom themselves to the unusual vocabulary and idiomatic, pun style humour. They will need the ability to suspend disbelief and a level of concentration in order to follow the antics and understand the motivations and relationships of the multiple characters. Once accustomed to the style, the reader will begin to see the serious message in the book begin to emerge - that is that the earth needs weather and every type of weather influences the other.
A lot of warmth and heart emerges from Rainbow Grey: Eye of the Storm. After restoration of the Weatherlands and the gentle treatment of the death and afterlife of La Blaze, a sun weatherling, the united friends fly on the cloud cat to a vantage point on the dark side of the Earth where they can view the stars and muse on the fact that though their enemy is still out there, they can return, strengthened, to deal with her in the next book in the series...
Rainbow Grey: Eye of the Storm is a light, fun-filled book, second in a series, which may be enjoyed by younger primary children.
Mama and her crew sail the sadly depleted oceans of the near future witnessing the effects of climate change everywhere they go and they are committed to raising awareness of the damage mankind has done to our planet. Like Greenpeace before them they believe in actions rather than peaceful protest. But in their world where the damage is extreme, extreme measures are called for. They successfully carry out a raid in Tasmania to kidnap the ex-Prime Minister of Australia but in doing so one of their crew is killed. The ship escapes but the loss preys on the minds of the crew who each have their own reasons to be there. Sailing towards an undisclosed rendezvous they torpedo any fishing trawlers they find plundering the last resources of the damaged ocean. As they voyage they experience first-hand the consequences of warming ocean currents, rising sea levels, rafts of floating rubbish and weather pattern changes. The ship, which is part organic, copes with the extremes, guided by her captain Rena, herself shaped by the ocean. The various crew members bring eccentric skills to their mission, all in some way refugees from mainstream life.
This strange story details the many ways we have damaged our planet and particularly the ocean, always driven by self-interest. The hybrid ship with its gills and organic workings had potential until it got bogged down in meaningless words and the captain’s back story is interesting, but there is no hope for a future where we consider our friend’s life so precious while thoughtlessly killing others involved in actions we dislike. Whether for revenge or conservation, this is way beyond civil disobedience. The book is worth reading for the detailed climate change material and for generating discussion on climate change and the fundamental issue of killing for a cause.
There is nothing straightforward about this dark story. It is both a science-fiction calamity story involving the malicious manipulation of humanity (the Mades) and an other-worldly story of witches, ghosts, the dead and the dark horrors of evil in many manifestations. This is a horror story that weaves the stories of Made twins - that should not be; three witches - with one that has gone missing, and an evil ‘Father’ - who has masterminded and modified many for his own purposes. In the years beyond the ‘Father’s’ scientific progenitural meddling, the creatures of his twisted mind are allowed to re-enter society, but never with full humanity or physical possibility. The redress scheme allows them a chance to work with their warped minds and be all that they can be. For Meera though, there is never really a possibility to be anything other than the lesser twin and the shadow of her ghost-sister Kai. (Kai+Meera = chimera!) She may yet be the one who can restore some peace to the world and discover the missing witch. But there are always twists in the tale.
I found this book very difficult to read, at times it felt like the ramblings of a psychotic writer lost in the recesses of a dark corridor of horror. Despite that, I can recognise the clever twisting and weaving of many threads of chronology, and darkly magical elements of the horror genre with extreme mastery of language, but there was nothing enjoyable in the exercise for me as a reader. The use of language had a powerful quality that demonstrated the skill of the author, and was perhaps the only reason why I was able to persist to the end of this book. There was extreme violence scattered through the story, and horror at every turn … and there were many twists to the narrative thread. The reproductive tortures on the Made creatures was awful and the lack of a common humanity and redemptive quality to the story was unpleasant. This could only be recommended to those who revel in the deep mire of the Horror genre and who recognise the power of language in the moulding hand of a skilled author and crafter of ideas.
Holkham Hall is a big house with lots of secrets hidden within.
The story begins with Lady Anne Coke on a business trip when she is called home due to a family emergency. When she arrives home, she finds her beloved grandfather is dead, having fallen down a flight of stairs. As she talks with her parents Anne starts to believe that things are not all as they seem, and when a childhood friend of Anne’s is also found dead, she starts to believe that there is more to it.
Anne has some happy memories of her childhood with her grandfather at Holkham Hall as well as some not so happy memories from that time, that still cause her fear. She finds an unlikely ally who helps her to unravel both the horrible memories of her childhood, that she has concealed for so long, and the fate of what really happened to her grandfather and childhood friend. As the memories slowly return Anne finds that they lead her to the discovery of the truth.
Anne finds out that not everyone is who they pretend to be, starting with her childhood governess.
'Such a lot goes on under one’s nose and we don’t even notice'.
The way the story is written with the present story woven through with the story of Anne’s 11 year old self makes for a great read. This story will keep you engaged till the very end as you try and work out who are friends and who can’t be trusted.
In times of difficulty the Skandian Brotherband work together like a well-oiled machine. They are accomplished and capable sailors, but also formidable adversaries in combat. When Erak’s Wolfship is stolen in a daring raid, and then gets used in piracy attacks against Skandian allies, the small band of sailors under the leadership of Hal, the master sailor and tactician, must use all of their skills to put a stop to the pirates. Will the small vessel, The Heron, be able to match the larger vessel in open waters? Can the sailors defeat their opponents despite being outnumbered? Can Hal come up with a plan to use his vessel to its full advantage? And can they restore the Skandian reputation to the wider world?
Set in a fictitious world, but reminiscent of the Vikings, this is book 9 in the Brotherband stories, and yet again it is a book to recommend to those who love action and adventure. With sailing terminology and tactics throughout, it is also a series for those who are inspired by the ocean and traditional nautical skills. But as for all of John Flanagan’s books, it is a delight as the band of ‘brothers’ work together and overcome difficulties in conflict settings. Both male and female readers will love this book, but because there is swashbuckling violence it will appeal to those who want more action in the stories they read, but there is also a gentle and sometimes amusing tenderness in the relationships between the odd collection of sailors. I have loved every story from this series, and Flanagan will yet again cause readers to be delighted.
Themes Adventure, Piracy, Sailing, Friendship.
Carolyn Hull
J. R. R. Tolkien by Maria Isabel and Sanchez Vegara
Little People, Big Dreams. Frances Lincoln Children's, 2022. ISBN: 9780711257856. (Age:4 - 7)
Ever since Sir Peter Jackson decided to turn the remarkable adventures of the fantastic people of Middle Earth into the most highly successful movie franchise, ordinary people have known the name of the original creator of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Even though John Ronald Reuel Tolkien wrote other stories in his lifetime, the creation of a whole new world united in either the quest for or the safety of the 'One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them' , remains his seminal work.
So for his story to be told in this popular series, recommended every time someone asks for biographies for young readers, will be a welcome addition.
John experienced lots of change in his life from a young age. Moving from South Africa to a big city in England, he longed for the nature he grew up around. After the death of both of his parents, John found comfort in telling stories and building imaginary worlds with his friends. And he continued to tell stories for the rest of his life, creating epic tales of hobbits, dwarves, elves and wizards as J. R. R. Tolkien. Featuring stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the writer's life, it is one that will be sought after as young readers clamour to know more about the man who is the epitome of this year's CBCA Book week theme, Dreaming with eyes open....
Themes Biographies.
Barbara Braxton
A clock of stars: Beyond the mountains by Francesca Gibbons
This is the second book in the Clock of Stars trilogy, and I haven’t read the first book which I feel put me at a disadvantage with some of the story, however I really enjoyed this book even though there were points where I knew that I was missing key information.
In Beyond the Mountains Imogen and Marie are in their world after returning from Yaroslav but they are struggling to get back to normal, Imogen is in therapy as she keeps insisting that she has had an unbelievable adventure while visiting a fantastical world, frustrated at not being believed and struggling with the addition of Mark, mum’s boyfriend she decides to take matters into her own hands and return to Yaroslav with Marie, except this time they also drag Mark along for the journey.
When they arrive, they find a whole new world, Anneshka is no longer queen and is very unhappy about it and Miro has taken the throne and is hating it. After hearing that Marie might be the key to Anneshka becoming the Queen of the Greatest Kingdom, she seizes her and heads over the mountains with Imogen and Miro in pursuit. What they find will change everything in ways they could never have imagined.
This is an enjoyable book that is enhanced by Chris Riddell’s illustrations that perfectly capture the mode and adventure of the story, although I would recommend that it is read after the first book so that some of the more subtle storylines make sense. I really appreciated how the author discusses Imogen’s mental health issues without ever laboring the point. The inclusion of therapy, ‘worry creatures’ and thoughts and feelings that Imogen struggles to give voice to really makes this book a great one to share with teenagers and those who might be stuck in feeling there is something wrong with them. The story is not a joyful one and even tends to lean a bit into the horror genre at times however as events unfold both good and bad the reader will want to keep turning pages to find out what happens. The story does end with the reader expecting to return to Yaroslav and Imogen and Marie’s story. This is a brilliant story and one that I highly recommend especially to readers who are fans of Narnia.
Jamie Russell's Skywake Battlefield follows hard on the heels of Skywake Invasion and readers will be sucked into the vortex of tense action packed futuristic, sci-fi adventure as surely as our gaming team protagonists (the Ghost Reapers) themselves. With no reduction of intensity, Casey Henderson and her team of Skywake gamers find themselves thrown into the middle of a frightening battle after their abduction and delivery to the planet Hosin. The battle that they and other top-level gamers from Earth have been thrown into is between the brutal alien Red Eyes (the Arcturians) and the Bactu (The squids). The Arcturians have developed mindcontrol devices that have caused the rest of the human gamers to attack Bactu defences. Casey and her team must use their skill and complementary abilities to rescue themselves and ultimately the planet Hosin and the inhabitants- the gentle, ancient and wise Bacturians.
A host of futuristic weapons and systems of destruction are deployed: fighting is brutal. Casey has to develop leadership skills based on the ability to make the right choice in ultra-difficult split-second commando-style situations. Skywake Battlefield, as second book in the series, further develops the depiction of Casey as a leader who is growing towards her full possibilities. Skilfully, Russell circles back to Casey's father who was a war hero, killed in action as he peformed the job that he was trained to do...disarming mines in Afghanistan. Casey's father taught her about Flow...the ability to be in the moment when needed. When faced with terrifying moments, Casey learns to develop flow. Gradually her powers increase. She is backed by her team using their skills including hacking enemy sci-fi military equipment and infrastructure. Trapped on Hosin, they discover an ex-soldier from Earth who was captured many years ago and left by his commander and battalion. Gradually the purpose behind the whole inter-galactic battle emerges. The evil Arcturians are searching for the ancient Bacturian artefact called the psionic array which will enable them to have total control over the universe. Elements of the source were buried long ago when they built the ancient structures on earth eg. the pyramids and the statues on Easter Island- but the key is somewhere else on Earth...
Casey and her team must fight not only to save Hosin; the battle grows to saving the whole universe. Harsh choices have to be made where potential losses have to be weighed against gains. Casey learns from Private Ross and Lieutenant Dreyfus, real human soldiers, about battle and the choices that have to be made - harsh decisions that only true leaders can and must take. Casey has to face betrayal, the oily grooming of her brother by her nemesis Xander and the power of steely decision making. She has to discover the flow that a leader must acquire in order to lead in a world of combat and the dire consequences of weakness and indecision.
How dire her decisions will be, how hard the choices she will be forced to make remain to be seen in the next story which the reader is promised with the TO BE CONTINUED at the end of Skywake Battlefield.
Jamie Russell is a screenwriter as well as an author. The vividness of the visuals of the action scenes in both Skywake Invasion and Skywake Battlefield lend themselves to the screen just as surely as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was very quickly adapted to screen. In acknowledgements in the endpapers, Russell thanks everyone who has picked up a copy of his books for their children and grandchildren. Anyone who does should be thanked. These books are not only electrifying - at a deeper level they deliver a very solid moral message re war and general decision making for young people to think about.
Recommended for those who love sci-fi and gaming and those who haven't discovered it yet!
The girl who could fix anything: Beatrice Shilling, World War II engineer by Mara Rockliff. Illus. by Daniel Duncan
Walker Books, 2022. ISBN: 9781406399004.
A century ago, as Britain emerged from the horrors of World War I, Beatrice Shilling wasn't quite like other children. Instead of spending any pocket money on sweets, she bought tools. She could make anything. She could fix anything. And when she took a thing apart, she put it back together better than before. When Beatrice left home to study engineering, she knew that as a girl she wouldn't be quite like the other engineers - and she wasn't. She was better. Still, it took hard work and perseverance to persuade the Royal Aircraft Establishment to give her a chance. But when World War II broke out and British fighter pilots took to the skies in a desperate struggle for survival against Hitler's bombers, it was clearly time for new ideas. Could Beatrice solve an engine puzzle and help Britain win the war?
This is the intriguing story of a remarkable woman whose dismissal of other's opinions about what women should/could do, and whose ingenuity, persistence, and way with a wrench (or spanner) made her quite unlike anyone else, adding to the growing list of remarkable women whose ground-breaking stories are only just being told. For even though she changed the course of the war and was awarded an OBE, she retired 20 years later never having held a top post in the Royal Aircraft Establishment because even then in 1969, those jobs were only awarded to men. Shilling is another woman to introduce students to when they are looking for heroes to investigate and model, and because this has a clear explanation of the problem with the Hurricanes and Spitfires and how it was solved, it will appeal to those with an interest in engineering and mechanics as well.
An extended biography and selected resources for further exploration round out this amazing story.
