This non-fiction newcomer to the area of children’s feelings and mental health is designed and presented in an appealing and popular format to engage young readers. The comic-strip illustrations are easy to read and successful in portraying each different scenario. The feelings covered include anxiety, sadness, jealousy, shyness, fear, hate, loneliness and anger. Each double page spread follows the same layout with an explanation of the feeling being discussed, a comic-strip story with text underneath and a series of top tips from the character mentioned in the story.
The colourful and engaging illustrations show a diverse range of characters from different family and cultural backgrounds. There are two pages with children telling the reader what makes them happy which is followed by a double page of a First Aid Box for Feelings. The Dear Reader letter on the beginning endpapers from the author, Marcia Williams, gives a wise and thoughtful insight into feelings and keeping healthy. On the back endpapers is the index and a More Help information box with a UK child line link which could be easily covered over with a sticker highlighting the details of the Australian Kids Help Line.
A worthwhile addition to home, school and public library.
Pan Macmillan, 2021. ISBN: 9781529040418. (Age:Young adult and adult)
Marina is adopted, she has always known this but she also knows she was abandoned at birth, left in the foyer of a house on Streatham High Road nearly thirty years ago. When visiting a nearby client, whose book she is editing, she is drawn to the house and finds there is a flat to let in the run down mansion. On impulse she arranges to see the flat and decides to move there to find out more about the people who lived there in 1964 when she was abandoned. The narrative shifts to 17 year old Connie in April 1964, finding herself pregnant to boyfriend Johnny who has left to pursue his dreams of becoming an artist in Paris. It is a year since Connie’s mother died of cancer leaving her father bereft, retreating into the world of second hand books in his small shop so she has no one to confide in. The narrative shifts from Marina, who keeps her identity secret as she learns more about the people who lived in the flats, tracking down leads and considering possibilities, to Connie as she struggles with the fact of her pregnancy and what options are open to her, concealing her swelling body by binding the bump and wearing loose clothing. We slowly piece together their stories and those of the people in the house until their secrets are revealed.
Connie’s story is a sad reflection on the times and her vulnerability and Marina’s is one of someone who has enjoyed love and security from her adoptive parents who are there to support her as she tries to fit the missing piece into her life. I didn’t feel the house itself carried any great significance and the narrative was too slow paced for me. The denouement was anticipated yet sudden and incomplete. I felt that finding excuses for the perpetrator was a mistake. This may have appeal to young adult and adult readers of Quintana’s other books and lovers of women’s fiction.
Themes Identity, Adoption, Secrets, Teen pregnancy.
Sue Speck
Never grow up by Roald Dahl. Illus. by Quentin Blake
Never Grow up is a picture book inspired by the works of Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake. The actual writing is a collaboration between Al Blyth, an award-winning playwright and screenwriter, and Stella Gurney, who has worked as both a copywriter and an editor and now writes full time. They are an experienced and talented team who have captured the style of Dahl’s work incredibly well.
The story talks directly to the reader in the hope of guiding us to live the kind of life Dahl appreciated most, with magic, mischief and adventure galore and people who appreciate those who are not “run of the mill”. It celebrates adults who can hold on to all the childhood wonder of the world and push their skills to the limits by being bold and striving for the wackiest life possible.
The rhyme and rhythm of the book capture the Roald Dahl classics and combined with the familiar illustrations of Blake we could almost believe Dahl still lives. This book will be enjoyed by all fans of Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake.
CWA Dagger in the library Award winner Griffiths has written another mystery featuring Dr Ruth Galloway, a forensic archaeologist. Ivor March, a convicted murderer, has offered DCI Nelson a deal. He will tell him where the bodies of other young women are buried but only if he brings Ruth into the investigation to do the digging. She agrees to supervise the digging, but why is Ivor March so keen to have her back at the fens?
Ruth has made a change in her life. She has made a break with Norfolk and is now living in Cambridge with her daughter Kate and Frank. Although no longer the police’s forensic investigator she cannot resist the enticement of coming back to the place she loves and doing the work that she has been so good at.
The fens are always mysterious and the legend of the Lantern Men, who shine their lights and lure travellers into the marshes to their deaths, is a frightening one. When the investigation finds that March and his friends had acted as Lantern Men, supposedly rescuing young women, suspects abound as another young woman is killed. March could not have done it as he is in prison, and this casts suspicion on the people who surrounded him at the house where they had all lived.
There is excitement and danger ahead for Ruth in this engrossing and clever mystery that kept me guessing until the end. The lantern men was a suspenseful, nail-biting read, not just for the mystery but for the relationships described, and I look forward to following Ruth’s exploits in The night hawks, the next in this outstanding series.
Themes Mystery, Norfolk, Legends, Murder.
Pat Pledger
While you're sleeping by Mick Jackson. Illus. by John Broadley
Pavilion, 2021. ISBN: 9781843654650. (Age:4+)
Night time. Time to snuggle down under the covers, think briefly about tomorrow and drift off to the land of sweet dreams.
But night is not a time of peace and quiet for all. There is much that happens. Weather changes, animals hunt and there are many many workers who ensure that the wheels of modern life keep turning, and on the other side of the world children are going about their daytime life.
With its highly detailed imagery, which are fully explored in the excellent teachers' notes, this book introduces the young reader to another world which exists side by side with their own.
This world of the night-time worker will either acknowledge what they already know because they have a family member who works then (and thus they see their own lives in print), or expose them to a whole new concept helping them to understand how the world works and appreciate those who make it so. Either way, it opens up a realm of possibilities to explore from children sharing their own experiences to investigating what causes night and darkness. Starting with a focus on things that are close to the child, it gradually encompasses a broader perspective to show that there is always much life and activity happening somewhere, and even though they might be asleep another child will be sitting in class. Perfect for this year's CBCA Book Week theme.
This is an original concept that will capture the imagination with its intriguing cover - why is there a bed floating over the town? - and the calm, undramatic text will soothe and comfort.
Stepping inside the story of Meixing, the young Chinese migrant, we are drawn into the reality of her circumstances and her sadness, as well as in her magical imagination, as she copes in the half-light of living as a new migrant. This is both a story of coping and resilience, but also an opportunity to develop empathy for those who struggle with the weight of expectation as the hopes of their non-English speaking family are placed on their young shoulders. Meixing’s life in her new home is almost immediately turned upside down by tragedy, but she is able to escape into the imagination-charged magic of the glasshouse in her unruly garden and into the arms of the magically ‘alive’ house (that she names ‘Big Scary’). Her next-door neighbours, also new migrants, but from Vietnam and therefore still foreign to her, are the warmest and most welcoming neighbours and their son Kevin becomes a friend despite some fraught moments.
This is a very different migrant story, with cultural background woven within fantasy elements, but with the most poignant voice and melancholy of the young main character. The book is written as a second person narrative, inviting the reader to step inside the shoes and the pain of the migrant’s experience. It is hard to imagine the experience of migration and the unkindnesses and isolation that must be endured because of language and cultural barriers, but this story gives a real insight into how difficult it might be, and also the incredible resilience required by the young children who must adjust quickly to their new circumstances and also often take on ‘adult’ responsibilities in their ‘new-world’. This book will bring tears to your eyes. It is almost too heart-rending for young readers, but its power is in the opportunity to promote empathy and to see the value of imagination.
Themes Migration, Grief and loss, Imagination, Migrant experience, Chinese and Buddhist culture.
The bright and colourful cover design of this new dinosaur book may trick the reader into thinking it is a fiction picture book however there is surprise in store. This book is full of facts about all different types of dinosaur related material and presented in a humorous and visually appealing manner. The end papers have vibrant cartoon-type drawings of all kinds of creatures from the time of dinosaurs. The book begins with a do you love dinosaurs section then warns the reader that before they turn the page there are ten fun dinosaur rules to be obeyed including “if you want to be in the veggie dino gang, then eat your greens!” Each double page spread focuses on one particular category of dinosaur: fearsome hunters, gentle giants, leaf loving veggies, armoured dinosaurs, the raptors, dino fossils, babysaurus and of course Tyrannosaurus Rex, who has his very own spread turned sideways to fit him in. At the end there is a dino sports day which measures how fast the more common dinosaurs are as well as dino neighbours which talks about other creatures who lived at that time. There is also a dino hall of fame which shows a picture and then fast facts about the chosen dinosaur. Each page has information presented in different fonts spread out in segments amongst the lively illustrations and humorous speech bubbles.
This will be a popular read for children in a school or public library as well as a shared read at home for younger children.
Margaret has moved into a cottage in the mountains with her parents to be nearer to her grandmother. Taken far from her friends and being an only child, she is quite lonely, so they send her to explore her surroundings while they unpack to make her room look as it did in her previous home. On her way home she sees unicorns moving across the sky and then stumbles across a baby unicorn that has been left behind. She takes it home and, with the help of her grandmother, she cares for it during the winter until its parents return in the spring. We learn all about what unicorns eat and drink as well as why they fly from the mainland to Unicorn Island each year on the last summer wind. Enough to fill many dreams for those who love unicorns.
A beautifully illustrated story that has the feel of a classic fairy-tale and offers so much more than the recent sparkly unicorn offerings on the market. It uses a mixture of double-spread pictures, single page illustrations and multiple small vignettes on the page to tell all about the magical winter Margaret spends with her unicorn. The setting of the story seems to me to be the Scottish Highlands and the illustrator has captured the surrounds and the seasons to perfection in these realistic illustrations of this rugged coastal landscape. The story is quite detailed and could have been edited somewhat but it reads well, and unicorn lovers will enjoy this one very much.
Winner of the 2020 Nebula Award, this is a full-length novel in the Murderbot Diaries. For those not familiar with this series, the first of which is All systems red, Murderbot is a droid, a self-aware SecUnit who loves to watch endless entertainment channels. In Fugitive Telemetry Murderbot finds a body on Preservation Station and ends up having to investigate.
Those who enjoy the humour of this science fiction series will not be disappointed. There are many laugh out loud moments. And those who enjoy a murder mystery will enjoy following the shenanigans that Murderbot goes through, communicating with humans and covering up its high intelligence and contempt for people.
The other books in the series have been novellas, short enough to get a taste for Murderbot and clever and humorous enough to get readers avidly waiting for the next instalments. This series is a winner - fun reads with a great protagonist. Fans may well want to try the excellent Raksura series by Martha Wells while waiting for the next book.
Imagine appearing to be a regular young girl but in reality you are a werewolf with powers that make you super-fast and super-strong and give you x-ray vision. Lottie Luna is just that and although she doesn't like to use her powers, preferring to be just the regular young girl, if she finds her friends in a pickle she will use them to help them out.
In this fourth adventure in the series, when Lottie's school holds its yearly talent competition, she finds that she might just have to use them, if she's going to help her friends save the day and win first prize.
Written for for young, newly independent readers who see themselves as just like Lottie - being just regular little girls on the surface, but with a heroine not too far below the surface, each story is richly illustrated with all the supports needed to carry their reading journey forward making this is an ideal series to offer those looking for something new and different.
Fans of the Graceling series (Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue) will welcome the long awaited return of another book in the Graceling Realm. Winterkeep is a land of strange beings. A huge creature with twelve tenacles known as The Keeper lives in the depths of the ocean, telepathic silbercows frolic in the waters while blue foxes bond with humans and can hear their thoughts and talk to them. When two of Bitterblue’s advisors disappear and Bitterblue is left with information that Winterkeep’s elite have been cheating her kingdom of the money they should have paid for a precious mineral, she sets off with Giddon and her half sister Hava, as well as a delegation of advisors, to find out what is happening. However, she is swept off her boat and kidnapped. Meanwhile Lovisa Cavenda is a young student who is acutely curious about what has been stored in the attic and is determined to find out what is going on with her parents, powerful members of the Government.
Cashore’s characters are stunning. Giddon’s grief when he believes Bitterblue has drowned is touching, and Bitterblue proves that she has resilience and stamina under the most trying of conditions. But it is Lovisa, that 16-year-old girl, who faces the most difficult trials and who has the reader feeling so sorry for her plight. Then the blue fox, Adventure, is an amazing character as he races through secret tunnels trying to protect Lovisa, and he too is faced with the most difficult of ethical decisions. All the minor characters are fully described and feel real. There are many twists and turns and the reader is left wondering who they can trust and feeling appalled at the treatment that Lovisa’s mother deals out to her and her three little brothers.
The world building is stunning. Winterkeep is a strange alluring place, with air ships attached to balloons, Industrialists and Scholars making up the Government and political intrigue abounding. Lovisa’s cynical take on the government – that everyone is just out to make money regardless of how it affects the country – seems to have some validity too, while environmental issues are also brought up.
This is unique fantasy, peopled with strange telepathic creatures and a fast-moving plot that makes it very difficult to put down. I now want to go back and re-read the other books in the series.
Themes Fantasy, Romance, Good and evil, Power, Corruption, Ethics.
Ernest is the baby in a herd of elephants. Each day they walk and talk, eat and drink and at night they sleep. Ernest begins to think that perhaps there is something more to life. One day passing a jungle he asks his mother what it is. She tells him it is only a jungle, but intrigued with something different Ernest breaks off from the herd and goes to investigate. He is terribly excited by all he sees and walks on, unaware that he is going deeper into the jungle. His excitement begins to wane as he becomes a little concerned, the shadows become darker and he becomes a little frightened. It is then that he notices there is no path out of the jungle, so he decides to ask the animals for help.
The answers he receives are not helpful: the gorilla tells him to go away, the lion tells him to leave him alone, the hippo refuses to help, and the crocodile dives under the water. But a noise at his feet offers help. Ernest, unsure whether the little mouse can help at all, lifts him onto the head because that is the polite thing to do. And it is better to be lost with someone than be alone.
Despite his size the mouse is able to direct Ernest back to the herd and the little elephant is reunited with his mother.
A wonderful tale of exploring and getting into difficulties, Browne’s understated text reveals how frightened Ernest becomes when he finds himself all alone and lost in the jungle. Browne’s apt words reflect the elephant’s initial excitement and growing discomfiture as he ventures into the jungle, wonderfully supported by the glowing illustrations full of life and detail. Children will love reading about Ernest, using the story as a springboard to talk of their own adventures, where they may take risks but with the surety that there is always someone to welcome them back home.
Author and illustrator of over fifty picture books Browne was Children’s Laureate from 2009 - 2011. Learn more about him here.
A group of four meets every Thursday to revisit cold cases. Worldly wise Elizabeth their leader was once involved in the secret service and is able to gain access to the most extraordinary people and information. When the builder of their retirement village is found murdered, an opportunity too good to pass up presents itself: a real murder to investigate.
An astute and funny look at life after retirement, Osman delivers his characters with an archness that is salutary as well as excruciatingly funny. Self deprecating retired nurse Joyce is the diary keeper, Ron, a former labour leader and troublemaker is forthright and does not take no for an answer, while Ibrahim is a retired psychiatrist with a house full of files. Each of the four brings a different set of skills and abilities to the group, and a few days later, Ventham the owner of the village is also murdered, right in front of their eyes.
And then the new builder, Bogdan, takes Elizabeth to show her what he has found in the cemetery and was told to remove.
Osman creates a marvellous scenario. The young constable who lectures the villagers on personal safety is drawn into their circle, and Elizabeth and the others get her on the investigation team at the local police station. A priest comes to the village meetings, concerned about the razing of the cemetery on the adjacent land, bought to extend the housing, while Ron’s son is a former boxer, and it is his photo that is found at one of the murder sites.
And the relationship between PC Donna and her boss, Chris, tingles with possibilities. The mix is intoxicating, the threads numerous and the writing thunders along, taking the reader happily along for a joyous ride.
A second outing for this group, The man who died twice has been recently published.
Themes Murder, Retirement homes, Old age, Corruption, Humour, Crime.
With the series Shadow and Bone on Netflix, fans of the Grisha books will be delighted to see the King of Scars duology coming to its conclusion. The story is once again told in three voices, that of King Nikolai, his general the stormwitch, Zoya Nazyalensky and Nina Zenik, a spy deep undercover in Fjerda. The reader is taken on a fast-moving adventure as they try to keep their enemies out of their country. Nikolai must face the demon within him and attempt to control the darkness, while Zoya must recognise the power that she has been given and use it to defend her country. Meanwhile Nina faces the deception of her life as she pretends to be a young peasant girl accompanying Hanne, the wealthy daughter of Brum who is active in the politics of Fjerda.
Each of the narrators’ voices are distinct and sometimes it is tempting to flick over and just follow one main character as the action is so exciting, but of course Nikolai, Zoya and Nina’s stories are all cleverly interwoven, and hints are given in each section of important things that are happening. Bardugo’s characters are all finely drawn and even the minor characters stand out each with distinctive characteristics.
Much action and suspense will keep the reader engrossed as the trio fight for their country. The political intrigue, romances and surprising twists are all very gripping. And readers will be left satisfied with the clever wrap-up of all the threads, while a hint about Kez Brekker and the Crow Club from my favourite of the Grisha books, Six of Crows hopefully leaves room for another adventure.
Themes Fantasy, Good and evil, Conspiracies, Quests, Magic.
Pat Pledger
Three weddings and a proposal by Sheila O'Flanagan
Delphie manages to secure a surprise plus one to her brother's wedding - most of her male friends are now married and unavailable, which doesn't help her case as her family keeps asking why she's still single, pointing out that she'll miss her chance, she's going to be lonely if she doesn't settle down soon. But Delphie has been career-oriented for years, and it has been paying off. She loves her job at Cosecha, working directly for her millionaire boss, Conrad Morgan. Then she gets a phone call while at the wedding, a bad news call that shocks Delphie and changes everything. After years of loving her life, job, friends and her dream house, what do these changes mean for Delphie?
This was quite an enjoyable read - set in Ireland, this contemporary novel shows a strong woman taking care of business. Determined, good at her job and happily single, Delphie sets a great example for young women today. O'Flanagan's writing style is appealing due to its simplicity, with interesting characters, various relationships and an Irish setting (as well as the occasional Irish slang – or swear word!). Written in a relatable way, Delphie and the other characters are easily conjured in your mind. As readers will be immersed into Delphie's life and that of those around her, this book is ideal for fans of Marian Keyes. Through the navigation of dealing with loss and changes which are universal themes, this novel encompasses human relationships, career direction and life choices, and doing what is best for you.
Themes Ireland, Career, Self Determination, Loss, Death, Weddings, Human Relations.
