Puffin Press, 2019. ISBN: 9780241444177. 40pp. pbk.
(Age: All) Recommended. The
book with no pictures is a fun story and this book makes
that story even more fun by letting people fill-in-the-blanks and
write their own words.
Kids of all ages can have fun putting different words into the story
to make it as funny as they like. It would appeal to all ages, as
anyone can add words into the story.
Kids can have fun filling in the blanks and then getting their
parents or teacher to read it.
This book can be used to encourage reluctant writers to create a fun
story using the scaffolding of the book with no pictures.
I enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to anyone with a sense
of humor.
Karen Colliver
Slay by Brittney Morris
Hodder Children's Books, 2019. 330pp. ISBN: 9781444951721. pbk.
Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are a
combination of role playing video games and online games in which a
very large number of people interact with one another within a
virtual world. As an older reviewer I found I had to immerse myself
in the terminology in the book, using the internet to find answers,
then jumping into the gaming word portrayed. Most readers of this
book will find a more comfortable affinity with the world created by
Morris to tell her story about racial inequality in the USA. This
multi layered and complex issue is displayed by a range of
characters: Kiera, one of four Black students at Jefferson High is
peculiarly asked for her opinion as if she is the spokesperson for
all Back people, Steph, Kiera's sister is a promoter of African
American Vernacular English, Malcolm Kiera's boyfriend is desperate
for them both to be accepted into Spelman College, one of the
foremost HBCU places (Historically Black College) where he feels he
will not have to compete with white students, while Kiera's white
friends ask her if it is OK to wear their hair in dreads, or wear an
Indian headdress to a fancy dress party. Kiera retreats into the
digital world she has created, Slay, where all of the players are
black and in playing, understand the rules of the game. And here she
can be herself.
Morris very cleverly places all the characters into positions where
they are able to reveal the racial tension that underlines their
lives. But the game is above all this, or so Kiera believes.
When she finds that one of the players, Anubis has been killed over
the paper money used in the game, she is appalled. Not knowing that
she is the developer, her friends and family discuss the issues that
this Black game creates: is it anti white, discriminatory, is it
racist, what happens when the developer is discovered, will he or
she be sued for the boy's death? Kiera must solve the crime and the
last half of this engrossing tale hangs on crime detection as she
and Steph and her friend in Paris untangle the web of clues hidden
within the game, leading to a neat resolution with a twist in the
tale.
Fran Knight
Going the distance by Beth Reekles
The Kissing Booth 2. Penguin, 2020. ISBN: 9780241413227.
368pp.
(Age: 15+) Noah has left for college while his girlfriend Elle and
brother Lee navigate senior year in his shadow. Lee made the
football team, but he's not quite the player Noah was, meaning Elle
doesn't get much sympathy from Lee as she yearns for Noah. Lee is
consolidating his romance with Rachel more and more, which means
Elle becomes more and more friendly with the new boy to the group.
Levi is cute if not a tad maudlin having been dumped by his
girlfriend, since moving interstate.
Tension builds as Noah is pictured on social media, enjoying frat
parties and meeting pretty college girls. High School rumours
precipitate a showdown between Noah and Elle. Will their
relationship survive or are new love interests the natural outcome
of trying to sustain a long distance relationship?
Acclaimed adolescent author, Beth Reekles is on a winning YA formula
with the success of her Kissing Booth series. Both
manuscripts so far have been adapted for Netflix. The cliched
romantic plot shies away from any number of modern, familial or
social themes. Interesting that this volume in depicting the
obligatory obsession of adolescents with romance is, according to
the author, somewhat improved in the television manuscript. The
comparison just may be a boost to both readership and views but
certainly won't condemn the reality of peer pressure in the manner
of the best of jarring and jolting YA literature.
Deborah Robins
DK Life Stories
Dorling Kindersley, 2019. Albert Einstein by Will Mara. ISBN: 9780241322918. hbk.,
128pp. Gandhi by Diane Ailey, illus. by Charlotte Age. ISBN:
9781465474636. hbk., 128pp.
Wil Mara has made Einstein's life story an engaging and fascinating
look at this very complex human being, one whose ideas have shaken
up the foundation of modern physics. As a patent clerk in Bern
Albert had time to think about and discuss his ideas, publishing his
four ground shaking papers in 1905, which made the academic world
take notice. Teaching at Berlin he saw the rise of Fascism in the
1930's a direct result of the punishing Treaty Of Versailles which
ended World War One. A committed pacifist he took the position at
Princeton in the USA and there he was able to advise people on the
road Hitler and his scientists were taking. The Manhattan Project
grew out of his advice, paradoxically doing the very thing he
thought countries should not do. Considered one of the greatest
minds of the twentieth century, Einstein died in 1955.
The book on Gandhi has the same format, presenting to younger
readers a leader of the twentieth century known over the world. It
begins with his family and childhood in India where he became aware
of the oppression of British rule. Moving to South Africa to work as
a lawyer, their system of keeping black and white separate
infuriated him, and he did all he could to support the
underrepresented. He successfully developed the idea of satyagraha,
a way of dealing with the British through non-violence and civil
disobedience which was instrumental in winning India's freedom from
British rule in 1947. This potted biography presents a flawed man
who in developing ideas of peace and non violence influenced others
who came after him such as Martin Luther King. Born in 1869, he was
assassinated in 1948 by a fanatic who disagreed with his peaceful
approach to non Hindus.
Divided into ten (Einstein) and 12 (Gandhi) chapters, the sentences
are short and pithy, illustrations dot the pages and the whole is
complimented with fact boxes, asides and photographs, designed to
entrance the younger reader. A detailed glossary, most useful index,
family trees, who's who and timeline of their lives are rounded off
with a quiz that readers will love to try.
The books are part a series, DK Life Stories, and while the
format may not immediately attract some readers, a teacher will be
able to point them out to students as a valuable and involving
source of information.
Fran Knight
Children of virtue and vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi
Legacy of Orisha, bk 2. MacMillan, 2019. ISBN: 9781529034790.
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Zelie has just set fire to her father's
funeral pyre, and now she and her brother Tzain, and her friend
Amari, daughter of Orisha's dead monarch, have to work out how to
save their country from war, and establish peace between the maji,
traditional holders of magic, from whom Zelie and Tzain descend, and
the increasingly powerful rulers of the land who want to destroy
anything to do with the maji. It looks like there is a chance for
peace as the princess Amari asserts her right to the throne, but
then everything turns to disaster when it is discovered that her
brother Inan and her fierce and power hungry mother Nehanda still
live.
The story is set in the fantasy land of Orisha, based on the towns
and settings of Nigeria; and the inhabitants speak Yoruba.
Exclamations and incantations are frequently in Yoruba and not
translated, so the reader has to just guess or skip those sentences.
There is no glossary to help here.
The themes centre on overcoming oppression and the hatred between
different groups of people. One nice feature is the friendship
between the two girls Zelie and Amari, each with separate
allegiances, but who for the most part try to work together. However
they are gradually drawn apart by the warring factions. Each of them
struggles to know who to trust, and how to resolve the conflict in
their country. Children of virtue and vengeance is book 2 in the Orisha
trilogy, and while I read this as a stand-alone, it took a while to
work out the relationships, and the references to strange creatures
such as the lionaire which may have been given better description in
the first book. So I would recommend reading Children of blood
and bone first. The chapters are short and fast-paced,
alternating between three narrators, Zelie, Amari, and Inan, and
quickly draw the reader into the action, so that it is easy to stay
engaged until the end. However, the cliff-hanger ending clearly
leads into the third yet to be released novel.
Readers of fantasy who enjoy mystical worlds with action, romance
and some gore, will enjoy this series. Themes include identity,
courage, magic, racism.
Helen Eddy
Wrecking ball by Jeff Kinney
Diary of a wimpy kid book 14. Puffin, 2019, ISBN:
9780143796053. 217p.
(Age: 8+) Signalling hilarious new social lows, the image of a
bathroom drain clogged with human hair greets readers of Greg
Heffley's 14th lined journal. Indeed, plumbing and home improvement
themes are pervasive AFTER Greg deals with his 'collection' of junk,
holds a garage sale, designs HIS dream house, contemplates the
elusiveness of fame and most surprisingly extolls the usefulness of
childrens' books for bibliotherapy.
Greg's main Spring misadventure begins with his family missing his
Great Aunt Ruth's funeral. Nevertheless, his mother inherits enough
money to renovate their house. Nothing goes to plan. The workmen and
their messes are upsetting the neighbours MORE than Greg's fear of
the grout monster, school or life in general. A serious construction
error means they decide to move to a new neighbourhood. Sidekick
Rawley is miserable but of course Mum, Dad, Rodrick and Manny
feature prominently in endless accidents, emergencies and
misunderstandings . . . oh, and Becky is still playing hard to get.
The neverending twists and turns in Wimpy Kid's daydreams and
misadventures include the cascading impact of not wanting the
workmen using the toilet, which makes Greg trigger a smoke alarm,
which forces Manny to jettison his soft toys out the window onto the
lawn so he can leap for dear life! Fans of Wimpy Kid certainly won't
be disappointed in a new season of maniacal menace from America's
favourite stick boy. Follow the thread about the book tour and other
brand news on Jeff Kinney's website.
Deborah Robins
A Tale of Magic by Chris Colfer
Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2019. ISBN: 9781510202115.
448pp. hbk.
(Age: Teens) Highly recommended. This is a story about a time when
magic was seen to be a bad thing, where people were punished for
doing magic, depending on where you lived depended on the punishment
you received.
Brystal is not aware of her magic abilities, she just has a profound
love of books and reading but unfortunately she lives in a place
where girls are not allowed to read, only boys learn to read and go
to school. Brystal manages to get herself the best job she could
imagine, being the maid cleaning the local library, each night when
she finishes cleaning the library she spends some time reading the
books in the library. One night when she has finished cleaning she
notices a book on a high shelf that she had not seen previously,
when she reaches up to pull this book from the shelf it will not
budge, with a bit of effort the book opens a secret door behind the
book shelf where Brystal finds a collection of forbidden books, and
this discovery will change her life forever. One night while she is
reading one of the forbidden books The Truth about Magic she
learns that she is a Fairy. When she is discovered doing magic her
life takes a turn for the worst.
Brystal ends up in the Bootstrap Correctional Facility for Troubled
Young Women. She has never been so cold in her life, but a ray of
kindness finds her with one of the other girls bringing her extra
blankets during the night, and they build up a friendship which
makes the place more bearable.
One day Madame Weatherberry arrives at the facility and takes
Brystal away to become a student at her school for magic. Brystal is
unsure about this to begin with but begins to enjoy the new
adventure and meets some new friends who are in similar situations
to her.
Through Madame Weatherberry's kindness Brystal starts to learn to
use her magic. But there is something mysterious going on at the
school and their teacher is not telling them the whole truth. When
Madame Weatherberry does not return to the academy Brystal tells her
classmates about what is happening and together they are determined
to save Madame Weatherberry.
In the end Brystal learns the truth and has to make a choice about
how she is going to handle the information she had learnt. Brystal
was determined that the tale of magic would have a happy ending.
This book is aimed at teen readers.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a bit of magic and
mystery.
Karen Colliver
Respect by Rachel Brian
Wren and Rook, 2020. ISBN: 9781526362216. hbk., 54pp.
(Age: 5-12) Highly recommended. Subtitled, Consent, boundaries
and being in charge of YOU, this little volume of humorous
illustrations and helpful information is sure to be a winner in any
library, classroom or home. Right from the front cover, where a
stick figure wearing a crown, declares "I'm the ruler of my own
body" to the Help! section at the back of the book, Rachel Brian has
produced a fabulous and very timely self-help book that clearly
shows readers many examples of just what consent means.
The quirky illustrations are even part of the "What's inside"
(Contents Page) and readers know right from the start that they will
learn: "What's consent?" "Ways to set a boundary", "How to support
your friends", "Do you get to change your mind?" "Is getting hurt by
people/badgers OK?" and "What makes a friendship healthy".
I particularly liked the section titled "Does someone's outfit tell
you if they consent" where a figure is dressed in a swimsuit, but
has no intention of going swimming. The advice is "Don't assume you
know why someone is dressed in a particular way". Another section
that caught my eye was the mini comic on tickling, when one friend
did not want to be tickled and eventually his friend thought of
something else fun to do.
This is an engaging and very clever way of bringing a very serious
topic out into the open and giving readers strategies for setting
boundaries. There is a trailer
from Blue Seat Studios on Vimeo.
Pat Pledger
What's the point of Maths? by DK Publishing
DK Children, 2020. ISBN: 9780241343524.
(Age: 8-Adult) Highly recommended. What a well-produced, easy to
understand book! After reading this, or even dipping into it,
readers will come away with a greater understanding of the important
place that Maths has in daily lives.
Like all good reference books, this has an excellent Contents page.
An introduction gives an illustrated overview of the importance of
Maths - telling time, navigating Earth, growing crops, creating art,
making music, designing and building, making money, saving lives,
computing, and all will grab the reader's attention and pull them
into the book. It is then divided into the following headings:
What's the point of numbers and counting; What's the point of shapes
and measuring; What's the point of patterns and sequences; What the
point of data and statistics; What's the point of probability and
logic?
Intriguing headings in 'What's the point of numbers and counting?'
like How to count with your nose, How to be negative, How to know
the unknown, will fascinate the reader. Information given has an
historical base and is very interesting to both people fascinated by
Maths or those who have always found it difficult and challenging. A
glossary and an index round up this excellent book.
I was intrigued by the How to escape prison in the 'What's the point
of probability and logic?' section and found the historical facts
really interesting. Each page is brightly illustrated with often
amusing pictures, and the diagrams and simple steps help the reader
to understand the explanations of the mathematical concepts. There
are worked examples to show readers how to solve mathematical
problems.
Pat Pledger
The Fowl twins by Eoin Colfer
Harper Collins, 2019. ISBN: 9780008324827.
(Age: 9-13+) Recommended. Eleven year old fraternal twins Myles and
Beckett Fowl are complete opposites. The twins live on the
Irish Dalkey Island with their family, under the ever-watchful eye
of NANNI (The Nano Artificial Neural Network Intelligence), a
complex security system devised by Artemis and to a degree, young
Myles. Myles is debonair, controlled and focused purely on the
scientific and technological aspects of life. He is responsible for
helping to create much of the family's idyllic island fortress and
thinks deeply before acting. His brother Beckett on the other hand
is impulsive, untidy and full of energy and he jumps into situations
without any thought of the possible consequences. The brothers
though, are inseparable, and complement each other in surviving
their many dangerous escapades.
The story begins with an unexpected visit from The Baddie: Lord
Teddy Bleedham-Drye, The Duke of Sicily. The first chapter is wholly
devoted to explaining this character whose life work has been
dedicated to finding the elixir of youth. Hence the visit to Dalkey
Island where a miniature troll with possible live-forever venom is
sighted leading to complicated and wildly exciting adventures for
the twins. Beckett finds the troll and names it Whistle Blower and
when the twins are whisked away (aka kidnapped) by Sister Jeronima,
the nunterrogator, the real trouble begins. Governments are funding
Sr Jeromina to torture and cross-examine the twins for their own
nefarious reasons and they find themselves in all sorts of trouble.
Throw in a fairy, Lazuli, invisible to most but not to Myles and the
excitement and confusion reigns.
Fans of all ages will enjoy this next book from Eoin Colfer. Fowl
twins is a humorous and action packed spin off from the Artemis
Fowl series and an enjoyable fast-paced read. As the novel
mentions past characters and aspects from the Artemis Fowl
series it is not necessary to have pre-read Artemis Fowl.
Themes: Humour, Adventure, Twins, Family, Villains, Fantasy,
Technology.
Kathryn Beilby
Eight princesses and a magic mirror by Natasha Farrant
Illus. by Lydia Corry. Zephyr, 2019. ISBN: 9781788541152. 209pp.,
hbk.
Mirror, mirror on the wall . . . what makes a princess excellent?'
The enchantress's mirror travels through time, from east to west, to
find the answer. Reflected in it are princesses who refuse to be
pretty, polite or obedient. These are girls determined to do the
rescuing themselves. The Arabian princess of the desert protects her
people from the king with the black and gold banner; Latin American
Princess, Tica, takes a crocodile for a pet; a Scottish princess
explores the high seas; African Princess, Abayome, puts empathy and
kindness above being royal; and in a tower-block, a Princess saves her
precious community garden from the hands of greedy urban developers.
While the traditional princesses of familiar fairy tales still
remain popular with many girls, others are demanding stories about
those who are not helpless and dreaming of the handsome prince to
rescue them and live happily ever after. So this collection of
original stories about princesses who are bold, empowered, full of
curiosity, adventure and determined to be true to themselves will
appeal to those ready to move beyond Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora
and company. With its relatively short meaty stories and full colour
illustrations, it is perfect for newly independent readers and with
the magic mirror connecting the stories throughout it has a
continuity that encourages them to keep reading each new adventure.
Something different to entice readers into the library for a new
year of reading adventures or to suggest to parents looking for
something a bit different to share at bedtime.
Barbara Braxton
Westwind by Ian Rankin
Orion, 2019 (c1990). ISBN: 9781409196051. 320pp.
(Age: Senior/adult) Recommended. Westwind was originally
published in 1990 and was forgotten by most. But Rankin did hear
from readers on occasion, who liked Westwind and so made a decision
to revise and reissue.
Westwind is a thriller set in the 1990s when satellite and computer
technology are still a little mysterious to most. Martin Hepton
works in a tracking facility, with its latest target Zephyr a
British satellite. It has been successfully launched from the
shuttle Argos, but Argos has come down with loss of all but one
life, the only Brit in the crew.
This is a time when, as now the political situation is unsettled.
The Americans want out of Europe, however there are many both in
Britain, Europe and the US who think the move fool hardy.
Hepton and another of the trackers, Paul Vincent, think there is
something odd when they loose contact for longer than is normal with
Zephyr. Hepton's sense of unease grows when Vincent is suddenly
taken ill and removed to a hospital.
Dreyfuss, the lone survivor from the shuttle finds himself in an
American hospital isolated, drugged and fearful for his future. He
hopes for some help from the British Embassy, but it seems a long
time coming.
Add to the mix a rather beautiful assassin, MI5, MI6 and US
intelligence and the odd body the action ramps up as does the
intrigue about what is happening and who is behind it all. Westwind in the end is a reasonably satisfying spy come tech
thriller. Those geeks into the latest technology may find it a bit
lame, but for a Luddite like me it was fine. This is not a Rebus
novel, Edinburgh is not its setting, but I can see why there was a
push to reissue. There are parallels to situations now in the UK and
Europe so perhaps a timely reminder of what may happen when politics
goes wobbly. Themes: Thriller, Crime, Spies.
Mark Knight
Peppa Pig : George and the Dinosaur
Penguin Random House UK, 2020. ISBN: 9780241392478.
(Age: Preschool) Recommended for fans of Peppa Pig series.
Another one in the very popular series, this time the focus is on
George who absolutely loves dinosaurs. With his friends Richard and
Edmond, he digs in the playground and in the garden, hoping to find
the bones of a dinosaur. Then Mummy Pig takes the children to the
beach, where Miss Rabbits tells them about fossils. Little did
anyone believe that George would discover a huge dinosaur fossils
hidden in a big rock. What a stunning find!
As always, the book is illustrated in lovely bright colours and fans
will love the sight of George dressed in khaki, carrying a
magnifying glass and looking very professional as he searches for
dinosaur bones. Children will learn about fossils and the different
names of dinosaurs as Miss Rabbit takes the children along the
beach, and they will have lots of fun making up a name for the
dinosaur fossil that George has found.
A good choice for a read aloud, children will love the connection to
the TV characters.
Pat Pledger
The year we fell from space by Amy Sarig King
Text, 2019. ISBN: 9781922268853. 272pp.
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. This deeply emotional narrative is
told by Liberty, who draws us into her life as her family seems to
her to be crumbling. When her father decides to leave his family,
his two daughters are devastated. His wife seems to accept his
choice as an expected one, and he assures them that his decision is
for the best. It would be a wonderful book for both adolescent
readers and adults, particularly parents and indeed for those who
teach them, and is highly recommended for its beautiful writing and
compelling sense of the important things in the world.
We learn about the world as perceived by Liberty, and we are drawn
into her significantly intellectual rationalisation of their
situation as she shares her world with the planets, the moon and
stars, and most interestingly, with a meteorite that she found when
it fell to earth. The wisdom that she grasps from this other world,
and that she draws on from unexpected sources, helps Liberty to
understand her situation and to cope with the changes.
Liberty's shining intelligence adds a special glow to the narrative,
and as she relates the events, we are privileged to read about her
daily life that is perceived through her astonishing level of
understanding of the universe. Quirky personal statements that only
Liberty can hear, by a star, or a planet, or the moon, or even
ordinary objects, imbue this work with a certain something that
lifts it out of the ordinary. Through her devotion to our planet,
that is at the heart of her world and this narrative, her love and
fascination with the universe, and her love of the environment, we
realise that she is determined to make sense of her new situation.
Glittering with emotions, both positive and negative, this
exceptional story is as entertaining, evocative and brilliant as the
world of stars itself. Teacher's
notes are available.
Elizabeth Bondar
How to write a great story by Caroline Lawrence
Piccadilly Press, 2019. ISBN: 9781848128149. pbk., 177 pgs.
(Age: 9+) I personally think this would be a great secondary and adult
guide to writing too. I actually feel like writing a story now, so I
will have this on my shelf in class so kids and I can use it as a
reference. Bet it would get kids writing and enjoy doing so. I think
every classroom should have a copy. I think it would get reluctant
writers writing.
Caroline Lawrence visits school events and workshops talking to
children and encouraging them to write. She has now managed to share
her best tips in this illustrated guide to creative writing and
storytelling for readers and writers aged 9+ and personally anyone
at any age. I would recommend this for secondary and adult writers.
So loved reading Caroline Lawrence's guide to writing that I managed
to read it in one sitting. Ok, ok a sitting and a half. It was very
easy to read and enjoyable. Illustrations from Linzie Hunter in
black and white were lively and added humour to the book.
I really enjoyed how Caroline wrote and pulled apart all kinds of
stories and movies that the everyday person knows and relate to like
Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, The Incredibles,
Star Wars just to name a few. Oh yeah, and lots about ancient
Greek and Roman mythology.
She explores every aspect of writing, from brainstorming a setting,
to creating an opponent and choosing your hero's greatest weakness,
like an Achilles' heel. She teaches you about your left and right
brain and she uses it. If you want to be a writer there is great
advice in this book.
Caroline does mention her books in this guide and how she got ideas
for the stories. I am so tempted to read the Roman Mysteries
now and then watch the TV series they were made into. How to write a great story is a must in every library and
classroom. Bet it would get anyone writing.
Maria Komninos
