Macmillan Children's Books, 2019. 311 pages, paperback. ISBN:
9781529014563.
(Age: Mid teens+) Recommended. Field Notes on Love is a
romantic novel about two strangers travelling across America by
train. Just like an old romance film, right? This story doesn't
start by them catching each other's eyes from across the platform
and falling helplessly in love though. No this starts with Hugo
Wilkinson, who just recently got dumped by his long-term girlfriend
Margaret Campbell. And her parting gift? The tickets for their
long-planned train trip before they went to university. If only they
had not booked it under her name, non-transferable and no
exceptions. Luckily when Mae finds an ad for a replacement for
Margaret Campbell for an adventure across America by train, she is
certain this is what she needs to get over her rejection from film
school. Now a train trip with a complete stranger might not sound
like the best idea, but both of them are looking for something more.
More of what? They don't know, but they might be able to help each
other out.
Both Hugo and Mae's journey throughout this story are personal and
moving and it was the perfect escape from my usual mystery driven
reads. The little romantic moments that Hugo and Mae share together
on this trip kept me reading late into the night and also into my
work breaks. Jennifer E. Smith has done a wonderful job of telling a
purely romantic story between two strangers. She has also managed to
give so much life to the other characters as well. Both Hugo and
Mae's family's feel grounded in the story, and it was refreshing to
read about families that are loving and supportive and accepting of
their children. And as for the travelers they met along the way,
they were all interesting and different and not one of them was
forgetful.
I think that this is a very refreshing young adult romance novel
that would be a great read if you need a step back from drama driven
stories. I would recommend it to mid-teens and up, and those who
just want to enjoy a nice light romance.
Kayla Raphael
Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu
Hachette, 2019. ISBN: 9781444945256.
(Age: 15+) Recommended. This book was captivating and disturbing. A
confronting story of family relationships is told through the eyes
of Rachel. Rachel belongs to a family devoted to a fundamentalist
Christian religion.
The family church emphasises female submission and follows a rigid
interpretation of the Bible that sets all followers apart from the
rest of civilisation. Family members do not attend school or
associate with members of the wider community.
Rachel accesses the one computer in the house to manage her father's
business. This opens the door to knowledge - and Rachel begins to
realise that there might be more to life. This book sensitively and
intelligently explores the relationship Rachel has with her faith.
The reader considers the actions of her family when her access to
wider knowledge is discovered. As Rachel interrogates the differing
perspectives on offer the reader also interprets their perspectives
of the Bible, feminism, and vegetarian lifestyles.
There is a delicate touch to the writing that shows Rachel evolving
through the experience of leaving the community. The support she
receives nurtures her and is provided without judgement. 'Tell me,
what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?' is
the question that returns throughout the book. Devoted is an
essential read.
Linda Guthrie
Super cats by Gwyneth Rees and Becka Moir
Bloomsbury, 2019 ISBN: 9781408894194.
(Age: 5-8) Themes: Cats, Superpowers. Gwyneth Rees brings cats,
magic, superpowers and villains together in her new book Super
cats, just right for young readers.
Tagg the tabby kitten was born in spring to Melody and Chester.
Whilst his other brothers and sisters find new homes, he keeps
coming back after several attempts to find him a family. Of course,
there's a special reason for this, young Tagg has been born with a
superpower just like his mum and dad. His brother Rowdy from a
previous litter also has a super feline ability.
In the summer house, his great-uncle shares stories of previous
Feline Force adventures and Tagg tries to imagine what his talent
will be. When beautiful cat Glamour lands on the roof to report her
partner Flash, is missing after leaving home to purchase tickets for
an upcoming concert, the other cats become worried. Why is the
concert venue in an abandoned factory? What is the eccentric human
scientist and his feline offsider planning? With three other
supercats missing, all the adult Feline Force team gather to plan
and then infiltrate the concert to search for their missing friends.
Tagg sneaks off against his parents' instructions and teams up with
Sugarfoot the kitten. Together they become involved in dangerous
adventures, narrow escapes, scary bodyguards and foil evil plots. As
Tagg grows and helps save the missing cats, his surprising super
talent appears.
Gwyneth Rees' fast-paced story is just right for young animal fans
and Becca Moir's line drawings show all the feline action. What's
next for young Tagg and his new kitten friends - time for a team of
new super-agents?
Rhyllis Bignell
The Fork, The Witch and The Worm by Christopher Paolini
Tales from Alagaesia bk. 1. Penguin, 2019. ISBN:
9780241392379.
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. This is a new collection of stories
based in the world of the Inheritance Cycle. Can you enjoy
this book when you have not read the Inheritance Cycle
series? Yes. This book may be just the book you are looking for to
entice those readers a little reluctant to take on the Inheritance
Cycle series because of the size of the volumes.
The book comprises three stories: The Fork; The Witch (with the
chapter 'On the Nature Stars' written by Christopher's sister Angela
and The Worm. The book begins with Eragon working to establish Mount
Arngor as the Dragon Rider's new home.
Of these stories it is 'The Worm' and 'The Fork' that really
captivate the reader. In 'The Fork', an innkeeper's daughter
encounters a mysterious traveller at a tipping point in her life.
She confides in the traveller who provides timely advice. Later when
the traveller's meeting with traders has an unexpected outcome, the
wisdom of the advice becomes clear. This story relates the
advantages of confronting your fears.
'The Worm' is the story of Ilgra. She lives in a village that is
attacked by a dragon. Following the attack, that kills her father,
dragon takes up residence above the village. Ilgra trains herself to
be a mighty warrior and then convinces a shaman to teach her the
magic she needs to defeat the dragon. There is a real feeling of a
Norse saga about this story. The themes of courage, loss and
persistence are well told in this final story.
Linda Guthrie
The multiplying mysteries of Mount Ten by Krista Van Dolzer
Bloomsbury, 2019. ISBN: 9781681197708.
(Age: 8 - 12) Esther, an aspiring 12-year-old artist has worked hard
to get her art portfolio perfect and is on her way to attend a
prestigious art camp in her holidays but finds herself at a Maths
camp after getting hopelessly lost in a storm with her step-father.
She feels like a fish out of water at Camp Archimedes but after
getting involved in some of the camp's puzzles and activities and
then solving a very complicated brain teaser in a single day her
confidence lifts.
So, when faced with the cryptic, threatening notes left for her and
some of her fellow campers she resolves not only solve to the
mystery but save the victims she thinks have been kidnapped,
including her stepfather. Not knowing who she can really trust
Esther works with the children who have found the notes and they
show great cooperation skills as they work together to find a way to
make the notes lead them to a solution.
The book provides the reader with a variety of good puzzles to solve
along the way and if read to a class it would be entertaining to try
to solve the puzzles along with the characters.
The characters were not as well developed as in some other books for
this age group, but they are strong enough to make this an
entertaining story. The story moves a little slowly at first but has
a satisfying resolution and picks up the pace through the book to
reach it.
The relationship Esther has with her stepfather Toby and the way
they interact will resonate with the many children who are living in
mixed families.
A side story about a character called the Fenimore Forger is not a
necessary part of the overall story but perhaps the author has
included it as an added interest for art lovers.
A good book for readers who like maths. Themes: Mathematics puzzles,
Problem-solving, Friendship.
Gabrielle Anderson
We are blood and thunder by Kesia Lupo
Bloomsbury, 2019. ISBN: 9781408898055.
(Age: 12+ ) Recommended. Themes: YA, fantasy, magic. 'In a sealed
off city, it begins with a hunt. A young woman, Lena, is running for
her life, convicted of being a mage and sentenced to death. Her only
way to survive is to trust those she has been brought up to fear,
those with magic.
On the other side of the locked gates is a masked lady, Constance,
determined to find a way back in. She knows only too well how the
people of Duke's Forest loathe magic. Years ago she escaped before
her powers were discovered. But now she won't hide who she is any
longer.
A powerful and terrifying storm cloud unites them. It descends over
the dukedom and devastates much in its wake. But this is more than a
thunderstorm. This is a spell, and the truth behind why it has been
cast is more sinister than anyone can imagine . . . ' (Publisher)
Only Lena and Constance hold the key to destroying the spell. Though
neither of them realise it, they need each other. They are the blood
and they have the thunder within.
Kesia Lupo crafts a vibrant fantasy world in her debut novel, where
both kindness and cruelty stand out. The worldbuilding grounded the
story and gave a sense of reality through the characters' trials and
tribulations. In her emotive narration, Lupo enables the reader to
empathise with the main characters and feel indignant at the
inequity and unfairness that Lena faces. Lena's character growth was
a pleasure to read as she transforms from an insecure child unsure
of her place in the world to a young woman who understands her
identity and connections to the people around her. Constance's
mysterious and inscrutable character was a stark contrast to Lena's
easily perceived emotions, creating a compelling narrative that led
to an unexpected twist. The way the storm cloud connected Constance
and Lena emphasised the way the past actions of some can impact
other people's futures, binding them together through chance or
fate. Lupo's abrupt descriptions of character deaths suggests the
way people devalue others' lives is callous and beseeches readers to
consider the way our actions impact others; thought-provoking themes
for the current day and age. The pacing in the opening scene was
fast, heightening the tension, and remained at a good tempo for the
rest of the novel, slowing for the worldbuilding, then increasing
for climactic scenes. Some descriptions in the book are visceral and
not appropriate for young readers, but for teenagers, this novel is
an engaging, interesting read.
Stephanie Lam
Star Wars: Meet the Heroes: Chewbacca by Ruth Amos
DK. 2019. ISBN: 9780241387795. 63p
(Age: 8+) Themes: Star Wars, Heroes, Cinema. Like the other heroes
in the Star Wars Meet the Heroes series, Chewbacca, will
delight new fans of the Star Wars movies by revising some
fun facts about Han Solo's hairy side-kick.
We learn that Chewbacca is a rebel hero despite not having a
speaking part. We recall why Chewbacca makes howling noises and
learn obscure details about his Wookie upbringing. Higher order
questions about Chewbacca's mechanical and aeronautical abilities
compete with recall literary facts such as What is the Millennium
Falcon? How old is Chewbacca? Both the detail and the non-fiction
format make Chewbacca more credible - a pop culture icon!
The consistent format of both R2-D2 and Chewbacca in DK's latest Q
and A hardbacks, brands the Meet the Heroes series with a
mash-up of movie stills, colour blocks, bold headings and obligatory
glossary. All of the Meet the Villains and the Meet the
Heroes titles, promise to be enthusiastically received by
young fans who have only recently stumbled upon the Star Wars
stories.
Deborah Robins
Malamander by Thomas Taylor
Walker Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781406386288.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Themes: Fantasy; Family; Loss; Adventure;
Fantasy creatures. Set in the gloriously named 'Eerie-on-Sea', this
mystery adventure reveals quirky characters who try to solve the
mystery of the unusual creature, the Malamander, and its influence
on their local community. The main character is Herbie Lemon, a
young lad who works in the local Hotel as the 'Lost-and-Founder' -
an important role of returning lost things to their rightful owners.
Unexpectedly, a visitor named Violet drops into his office and
sparks a rollicking and roiling adventure to uncover the mystery of
missing parents, the hook-handed Sea Captain and the scary and
dangerous Malamander. With danger on the sea-shore, a talking cat
and an ominous author as distractions, Herbie and Violet explore
friendship and exercise problem-solving strategies to find what the
community has lost and found.
This is obviously going to be the first book in a series of further
adventures as the author, Thomas Taylor, leaves Herbie and Violet
poised for more mystery and problem-solving. Lovers of fantasy will
enjoy this book. The honesty and guileless nature of Herbie will
endear him to readers, and the extremely idiosyncratic nature of the
town and characters that inhabit it adds to the overall humorous
oddities that young readers will enjoy. The action that escalates in
the book is not so tense as to cause fear, but there is drama!
Packaged in a pull-out box, this would make an interesting and
appealing gift for a young reader.
Recommended for readers aged 10+
Carolyn Hull
Isles of storm and sorrow: Viper by Bex Hogan
Orion Children's Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781510105836.
Recommended for mature readers aged 16+. Seventeen-year-old Marianne
is the daughter of the Viper - a sadistic and powerful Sea Captain
of the King's protective fleet. Surrounded by a crew of murderers
and psychopaths, Marianne is expected to become just like her
father, but she harbours a reticence that defies her heritage and
her father's cold-hearted purpose. With multiple murders, violence
and the intense distrust within this band of powerful misfits,
Marianne is set on a course that is brutal and disquieting. Almost
no crew members are worthy of trust, and she is always on the
lookout for betrayal and is conscious that something is very wrong
in her life. Her natural instinct is to heal rather than to kill,
maim and destroy and this puts her at odds with everything her
father does. Her relationship with her mentors Grace and Bronn has
been good in the past giving her glimpses of hope, but even these
relationships become remote and risky as she approaches her
Initiation. A chance discovery, an unexpected alliance and an
improbable future, combined with a mysterious history are all set to
collide in a war-like confrontation, with a hint of fantasy.
This is an intensely powerful story, with romance, violence, extreme
stress and internal and external conflict for the young protagonist.
The story has fantasy, piratical scenarios and sadistic characters
in abundance, and yet it is also the story of someone who desires to
rise above her circumstances and change her destiny. This is a
compelling story and readers will look forward to the rest of the
trilogy of Isles of storm and sorrow. However, extreme
violence described in the book makes this a book for older readers
only - it is more Game of Thrones than Hunger games.
The explicitly described violence can be quite confronting.
Themes: Conflict, Trust and distrust, Family, Violence, Good vs
evil, Fantasy, Royalty.
Carolyn Hull
How to make friends with the dark by Kathleen Glasgow
HarperCollins, 2019. ISBN: 9781460751060.
(Age: Senior secondary) Tiger (Grace) Tolliver's life will forever
be divided into 'before' and 'after' her mum died. Before, she was a
normal 16 year old, only child of a devoted, if overprotective, mum.
They were poor but happy and while Tiger was sometimes bullied at
school, her best friend Cake looked out for her and they, along with
friend Kai formed the band Broken Candle. Then, after Tiger has a
fight with her mum about letting her go to the school dance, her mum
dies from a brain aneurism. Tiger is racked with guilt. 'I would
never . . . have left my mother to die alone. That's the sort of
thing a bad daughter would do' p43. But Tiger's life 'after',
continues in a haze of grief. She is taken into foster care and
experiences first-hand the world of children with no home of their
own. After being moved from carer to carer a family friend finally
alerts the social worker to the identity of Tiger's father, someone
she has never known and who her mother refused to talk about. Once
her blood relatives are tracked down the social security are anxious
to hand over responsibility but all is not smooth sailing. Not only
does Tiger have to learn to deal with her overwhelming grief but she
has to adjust to a world far more challenging than she ever thought
possible. Depression and suicidal thoughts threaten to engulf her as
the full complexity of grief is laid out for the reader; who do you
turn to when your mum dies and other people let you down? There is
no easy answer and ultimately we have to save ourselves, take
control of our lives and learn to live with loss.
This is a book for older students developing a perspective on life,
willing to make the emotional journey with Tiger. The minor
characters tend to be a bit sketchy but they are generally positive
people making the best of their lot in life. There is a notable lack
of comfortable teenage romance but the value and support of family
and friends is central. It would be interesting to compare this with
Stone
Girl by Eleni Hale.
Themes: Grief, Loss, family, friendship, foster care.
Sue Speck
Do you dream of Terra-Two? by Temi Oh
Simon and Schuster, 2019. ISBN: 9781471171253.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Do you dream of Terra-Two?
follows a group of young high achievers as they vie for one of six
positions on 'Damocles', a space-craft destined to travel
further through space than ever before. The crew on 'Damocles'
are to join seasoned astronauts on a twenty-two year journey to the
far-off planet known as Terra-Two, heralding the future of
space travel and mass colonisation of a new world. With each
candidate specially selected and trained since the age of thirteen,
the mission is marketed as an unquestionable success.
With only hours until launch, the select six are left to wander free
around the British Interplanetary Society's Museum, but things take
a darker turn after Ara, Astrid, and Eliot leave the grounds to
explore London one last time. Disaster strikes and Ara is pulled out
of the dirty, polluted water of the Thames.
Desperate for a replacement and unwilling to postpone the mission,
one of the beta crew, Jesse, is drafted in and the mission goes
ahead, their rocket launching before Ara's burial. In psychological
turmoil, the crew fight to save face and put their jobs first,
despite being haunted by the ghost of their dead crew-mate. As Ara's
replacement, Jesse struggles to fit in. He is the social pariah and
the others act almost as if he killed Ara for her place on the ship.
Going head-to-head with Harry, Jesse is the catalyst of Harry's
worst side and it is only after an incident that almost kills Jesse
that the others embrace him as one of their own. However, they have
more to contend with than just one another as they realise just how
close to death they come every single day. Do you dream of Terra-Two? is an exciting journey into space,
relationships, and the possibilities of a new world. The novel
interrogates and discusses mental health, showcasing Poppy's
struggle as a normal response to isolation and change.
I would highly recommend this novel to people aged fourteen and up
who are interested in sci-fi or personally struggling with mental
health issues.
Kayla Gaskell
Flights of fancy: stories, pictures and inspiration from ten Children's Laureates by Quentin Blake et al.
Children's Laureates by Quentin Blake et al.
Walker Books. 2019. ISBN: 9781406387858.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. This slim volume of writing and
illustrating prompts, celebrating the first 10 British Children's
Laureates, enthralled me; having recently scanned A velocity of
being (Popova and Bedrick) in which prominent American
creatives penned or illustrated a motivational letter to children
about the importance of reading. Lacking the gravitas of such
philosophical dictums, Flights of fancy is infinitely more
serviceable, and not solely for its apparent purpose i.e.
cultivating burgeoning authors and illustrators by fleshing out some
useful strategies and exemplars.
Young readers without any creative ambitions, will inhabit both the
strategies and the diverse stories, plays, poems and visual texts
composed by esteemed authors. Malorie Blackman takes a kernel of
narrative and facets three perspectives. Michael Rosen bounces in
word play to create a succinct poetic message. Julia Donaldson
transforms a fable into a script. Chris Riddell, Lauren Child,
Anthony Browne and Quentin Blake conjure the tricks of visual
narratives. Anne Fine, Jacqueline Wilson and Michael Morpurgo fling
about imaginative prompts for their creations.
Each Laureate's section, bordered by distinctively coloured frames,
is easily located via the Contents.
20 collective project ideas and a biographical section deliver
either quick grabs or background details. Timed to celebrate the
20th anniversary celebrations of the Children's Laureate award and
bursary, this is a delightful manual for children of all ages to
visit and re-visit: for pleasure, for beloved authors voices, and
not least for stimulus because schools historically demand a large
amount of creative writing from their students.
Deborah Robins
Rory Branagan (detective): The Deadly Dinner Lady by Andrew Clover and Ralph Lazar
HarperCollins, 2019. ISBN: 9780008265922.
(Age: 8 - 12) Highly recommended. Themes: Detectives - fiction,
Murder - fiction, School stories, Teachers - fiction, Performing
Arts - fiction. Rory is a boy who loves to solve crimes, and, in
this book, he is faced with the deadliest crime committed during the
school Talent contest. Already famous for solving other crimes Rory
sets to work with his sidekick Cassidy (The cat) to find out who has
murdered the nastiest Dinner lady at the school and why. This
comedy-crime book is very funny and really entertaining to read. It
would not be one to read to a class because of the large amount of
visual component, but Rory's character is one most children will
relate to easily. The teacher characters are also a great feature of
the book as the author has taken traits common to many teachers and
created some memorable ones in this book. The very serious Mr Bolton
who has composed a Rap about Grammar and Mr Meeton who thinks he is
the most popular teacher in the school.
Rory Branagan and the other main characters are introduced in
picture form at the beginning of each novel in the series. This is a
great reference guide for students who find names in books difficult
to read. The illustrations are by Ralph Lazar who illustrated the Happiness
is . . . series of books.
The series has 7 titles and The deadly Dinner Lady is the
fourth book in the series. I would class this as a Graphic novel as
the text is spread out between a generous amount of entertaining
illustration. It looks very much like a long novel as it over 270
pages which makes it perfect for a child who wants to cover up the
fact that they can't read quickly, are reluctant readers or are
daunted by too much text.
There is a Rory Branagan website
which children can use to find out more about the characters and the
books, including information about the creators. There is an
entertaining section called Minis which is worth looking at.
Gabrielle Anderson
The princess and the fangirl by Ashley Poston
Quirk Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781683691105.
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Romance. If you are not a fan of Comicons,
you might struggle at first with this latest Geekerella title by
Ashley Poston. Set at the 25th annual EcelsiCon in Atlanta, the
jargon and language is disorientating at first but is soon
internalized - certainly a lot quicker than grasping an entirely new
world, typical of your average high fantasy novel.
Alternating both main characters' perspectives helps unpack the
strange world of the EcelsiCon Convention through the eyes of newbie
Jess and Imogen, the veteran. Based on the storyline of The
Prince and the Pauper, celebrity Jessica Stone switches places
with her fangirl doppelganger (Imogen) in order to find freedom from
the commitment and from relentless social media trolls, who erode
her self-worth.
Imogen ironically wants to save Jessica, AKA Princess Amara, from
being written out of the film franchise. A case of mistaken identity
brings the disillusioned actress and the naive but genuine fan, into
conflict. Jessica wants nothing to do with saving her character and
blames the role of Amara for stunting her acting career. When
someone leaks the script of the next sequel on social media, Imogen
agrees to switch places, to help identify the person before Jessica
gets the blame.
As in the original fairytale, the grass only seems greener on the
other side. Numerous complications alter the perceptions each has of
the other's life. On the bright side, being someone they are not,
has an unexpected effect on their social lives. Both girls fall
deeply in love, with a boy and a girl who help them see that they
are not imposters as they fear - but amazing and talented and
capable of making a real difference to the world. Now that's a
message worth internalizing.
To subscribe to excerpts from future Geekerella books visit here.
Deborah Robins
Peppa Pig: Puddle playtime : A touch-and-feel playbook
Peppa Pig series. Ladybird Books, 2019. ISBN: 9780241375860.
(Age: 1-4) Recommended for fans of Peppa Pig. Lots of fun for little
fingers in this touch and feel book that even has some sticky mud to
feel, as well as a shiny bucket of mud and shimmery raindrops. Peppa
and George really enjoy playing in the rain muddle, as can be seen
by the expressions on their faces. Mummy Pig get them to put on
their rain clothes so that they can enjoy themselves and what a good
time they have.
Children will adore this sturdy board book and will love the
touching and feeling that goes with it. The shimmery raindrops are
gorgeous, and the bumpy frog is fun to touch. The illustrations are
all done in bright yellows, green and blues and are delightful. The
expressions on the friend's faces as they experience the raindrops,
listen to the frog that goes 'Ribbit! Ribbit!', watch the fluffy
duck and her ducklings and finally jump in the sticky mud really
show the enjoyment that all the family has playing out in the rain
and mud.
This is definitely a book for the toddler who loves Peppa Pig and
will bring lots of enjoyment to little people.
Pat Pledger
