Carolrhoda Books, 2016. ISBN 9781512410235
(Age; 14+) Highly recommended. Bildungsroman. Brooks Rattigan is the
stand-in and the book's narrator. Desperate to be accepted into
Columbia University AND able to afford the fees, working class
Brooks founds his own business, escorting rich nerdy graduates to
their dances and formals. Celia Lieberman does not approve of the
date her parents have arranged and behaves much like Caterina in
Shakespeare's The taming of the shrew. The ending is thus
foreshadowed.
Complications arise when Brooks' best friend, The Murf, feels that
Brooks is abandoning his roots. He doesn't approve of Brooks' blind
ambition to attend the elite university, or his method of funding
it. Brooks' deadbeat father, himself a Harvard graduate, lets him
down and discourages him. Brooks is also attracted to a very
shallow, very beautiful high society girl. To make matters worse,
Shelby has a very jealous ex-boyfriend.
After a few initial spats, during which Celia is a very ungracious
date; she becomes the only person who is demonstrably supportive.
Both Celia and Brooks develop into the kind of friends who can rely
on each other. This is important because, much to our delight, no
two characters in fiction could possibly experience quite so much
bad luck.
Steve Bloom's concept is fresh and no doubt the movie rights have
already been secured. The characters and their relationships are
hilarious because Bloom knows exactly what they should do and say.
Brooks is sometimes inspiring - at others contemptible but we must
like him. We admire his grit to succeed in the face of failure - to
respect women yet exploit their situation at the same time. Most of
all we like that he falls for the one girl he started off hating.
Brooks Rattigan is a paradox and so are we.
Deborah Robins
Midnight at the zoo by Faye Hanson
Five Mile Press, 2016. ISBN 9780763689087
(Age: 4-7) Recommended. Faye Hanson's beautifully created,
intricately detailed and vibrant colourful illustrations add to the
delight of reading Midnight at the zoo.'
Max and Mia's class are off to the zoo for an exciting adventure.
They've studied the map presented at the beginning of the story and
hope to see the ring-tailed mongoose, the red pandas and the
flamingos.
In their loud animal print bedroom with the 'Explorashon HQ' tent,
the brother and sister prepare for their special day. They are
definitely animal fans; everything in their bedroom has a pattern or
design, from their backpacks to pyjamas. In the morning, Max and Mia
'trundle like elephants to the car, cling like monkeys' to say
goodbye to Mum and even nibble their early snacks like lemurs.
Twenty excited children and one wide-eyed teacher enter through the
zoo gates filled with excitement. 'But not the flick of a tail or
swish of a whisker can be seen.' After a very disappointing day, the
teacher leads her class towards the exit. Without a headcount,
eighteen students and the teacher board the bus, whilst two are left
behind. Max holds his sister Mia's hand and with a torch from his
backpack, they look for a way out. In front of them, a locked wooden
door appears; what are they going to do?
As the clock strikes midnight, they are welcomed into another world
filled with animated creatures, fiery fireworks and fantastic
scenes. They discover flouncing flamingos, mischievous monkeys,
lanterns illuminating laughing lemurs and kingly cats. Max and Mia's
fantastic night-time adventures end with a comforting sleep nestled
in the fur of a majestic lion and lioness. Daytime comes and as they
reunite with Mum, they cannot wait to share their amazing adventure.
Fay Hanson's lively story Midnight at the zoo is filled with
fun alliteration and with charming descriptions. At times, the blue
text is hard to read as it blends in to the black of the night
scenes. Teachers reading this to a class may question the ratio of
one adult to twenty excitable children and the idea that she did not
know about Max and Mia's problem! The story ends with a magnificent
midnight map of the zoo, fountains of fireworks, colourful costumes
and dancing animals are illuminated.
Rhyllis Bignell
Virginia Wolf! by Kyo Maclear
Ill. by Isabelle Arsenault. Book Island, 2017. ISBN 9781911496038
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Mental health, Depression, Virginia
Woolf. With nods to The yellow wallpaper (Charlotte Perkins
Gilman 1892) on the endpapers, the story of Virginia's slide into
depression, becoming a wolf, is handed with such clarity that even a
younger reader can see what the story is about. They do not need to
know the story of Virginia Woolf or the book The yellow
wallpaper, but these echoes are there for older readers and
adults to recognise and perhaps seek out.
Vanessa is dismayed when her sister begins to sound like a wolf. She
keeps to her bed, growling at any attempt to calm her, her ears seem
to grow larger, she is disinterested in anything and everyone around
her, she tells everyone to leave her alone.
Akin to several books I have recently read, I need a hug!
(Aaron Blabey, 2015), Blue whale blues (Peter Caenavas,
2015), Mr Huff (Anna Walker, 2015) and Small things
(Mel Tregonning, 2016) each book in its own distinctive way tackles
depression in children and young adults. Each book could be used in
a group showing the readers that they are not alone, that others
feel like this too, with all books depicting the child overcoming
their low days with open communication and support from friends and
families.
Vanessa takes to her paints, making the walls in Virginia's room
bright and alive with colour and flowers, taking the word,
Bloomsbury at its basic meaning. Her continued support helps
Virginia overcome her depression, the ears disappear, she gets out
of bed, she becomes a smiling happy child again, and together they
leave her room to go out and play.
The illustrations showing Virginia often in shadow or a lump in the
bed, reflect the lack of happiness in her life. As the flowers
unfold, the trees become higher, the flowers brighter, the ladder is
extended out of the room and into the sunshine, into the world
outside. These will entice young readers to look at the reasons the
illustrator has included some of the things shown. I just love the
page starting with 'The whole house sank' with its topsy turvy view
of the girls amid various objects, repeated near the end of the book
with the line, 'The whole house lifted' with the same illustration
shown from a different perspective. Illustrators that make you think
and explore make a huge contribution to the success of a story, and
this is a wonderful example.
First published by Kids Can Press in Canada in 2012.
Fran Knight
Saturdays at sea by Jessica Day George
Castle Glower series bk. 5. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN
9781408878248
(Age: 8-11) Recommended. Saturdays at Sea is the fifth and
final instalment of the wonderful, fantastical Castle Glower
series! Fans of Jessica Day George's imaginative stories will be sad
to reach the conclusion and with two more days to go - Sunday and
Monday there are opportunities for a return to Castle Glower and a
wedding or two to take place.
Written like a three act play, the story is firstly set in the
flamboyant and exquisite Royal Palace of Grath and the picturesque
seaside kingdom. The royal family and their entourage including
their magnificent griffins visit the Kingdom of Grath for the
upcoming wedding of Lilah and Lulath. They are also there to build
the ship from pieces from all the kingdoms including magical pieces
from the Castle Glower. Initially the ship builder Master Cathan
refuses to use the other materials until Celie speaks up; she
understand the reasons why the enchanted item need including.
The Grathian royal family are obsessed with customs; they change
clothes continually, have hundreds of dogs, a multitude of beautiful
rooms and speak in a rather poetic way. While the Castle Glower
family are used to a different style of talking and dressing, they
realise they must be accommodating for the sake of the engaged
couple. When Grathian Prince Orlath returns from his sea adventures
with his pet monkey, things begin to change. Celie, Pogue and Rolf
assist the prince with the shipbuilding and Celie's feelings of
missing Castle Glower are eased.
Lilah's quest to find the lost village of the unicorns directs the
second act of the story. After the wonderful festivities of the
betrothal celebrations, The Ship is ready for the maiden voyage.
This enchanted vessel determines its own course and there is nothing
to stop it. With Queen Celina's magic and her clever planning, they
are able to survive. Their time aboard the speeding ship proves
interesting. Magical places, mystical islands, trading ports,
overcoming dangerous conditions and griffin rides make the second
and third acts exciting.
Jessica Day George's fantasy series is an exciting and engaging read
that leaves fans wanting to read about Celie and Pogue's future and
witness the spectacle of Lilah and Lulath's wedding.
Rhyllis Bignell
Snot Chocolate by Morris Gleitzman
Puffin Books, 2016. ISBN 9780143309222
The blurb reads, "Stop your mum picking her nose, read the secret
diary of a dog, catch a bus and then let it go, discover how one
slice of toast can make you the most popular person in school, start
wearing a crown and give up eating pig-nostril gruel, use a wrecking
ball to defeat a bully, show your big sister the very scary secret
in your wardrobe, unleash the awesome power of chips, live in a
house that gets wiped clean more often than a bottom."
But there is so much more to this collection of short stories from a
master storyteller who seamlessly switches between the poignancy of
Two weeks with the Queen, the gaiety of Toad Rage and
the seriousness and sincerity of the Once series. Gleitzman
himself says, "Nine stories, and I've made them different lengths
because different parents have different ideas about how long a
person should be allowed to read before turning the lights out."
With a title designed to attract that reader who loves to makes sure
parents and teachers have a stomach-churning moment when they see
it, nevertheless there are serious undertones to each as the central
character of each tries to grapple with a big problem affecting
family or friends using a thought process and logic that are
particular to that age group. Creativity is alive and well in
children - until the formality and seriousness of school try to
quell it.
Along with Give Peas a Chance and Pizza Cake, these
stories which give the author "a break from the stiff neck and stiff
brain you sometimes get writing book-length stories" might seem a
long way from the stories Gleitzman commonly crafts and which he is
so valued for, but as he says, he would "hate to forget that in
stories a laugh can have a teardrop as a very close neighbour."
However, despite the sombre notes this is a collection that will
keep those newly independent readers, particularly boys, reading and
help them transition to the next phase of their reading journey -
which will probably be a Gleitzman novel - as they show that even
short stories with wicked titles can have great, credible characters
and a depth of plot that makes reading so worthwhile.
Parents, teachers and teacher librarians are blessed to have such a
gifted writer as Gleitzman on their side.
Barbara Braxton
The summer seaside kitchen by Jenny Colgan
Little, Brown, 2017. ISBN 9780751564808
(Age: 16+) Recommended. Romance. Scotland. Environment. This is the
first book that I have read by Jenny Colgan, a Sunday Times top ten
bestselling author, and I found it immensely enjoyable. Flora is
living in London, trying to cope with her job and city living and
crushing on her boss, Joel. When she is asked to go back to Mure,
the isolated Scottish island where she grew up and where people
refuse to forget her past, she is uncertain but knows that she can't
refuse. Her firm's rich client wants to stop a wind farm spoiling
his view and her boss thinks that she can influence what happens on
the island with her insider knowledge of people and their
motivations.
Arriving back home, Flora has much to contend with - her father
seems to have grown smaller and more introverted and her three
brothers aren't very happy. Soon she finds herself immersed in
family life and the discovery of her mother's recipe books leads to
a love of cooking and also the opening of a little shop on the
harbour.
Although essentially a romance, Colgan keeps the reader guessing
about who Flora will end up with and the background of the island's
politics and personalities play an important part in Flora's
realisation of where she wants her future to lead.
The wonderful setting of a quiet Scottish island adds interest as
its inhabitants struggle to keep their young people on the island
and try to ensure that the millionaire building a resort actually
employs some of the islanders.
This is a feel good book, peopled with relatable characters and
events. Its warmth and uplifting plot made it very readable. I will
certainly follow this author in the future when I want to enjoy a
good escapist romance.
Pat Pledger
I'm going to eat this ant by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408869901
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Ants. Anteater. Food. Cooking.
Anteater is hungry. He is sick of licking up wriggly, squirmy ants,
but he is hungry. He puts all of his efforts into just one ant - the
trouble is that it is the wrong ant. This ant is cunning and ties
the anteater in knots avoiding being licked into his mouth. This
very funny look at the contest between an anteater and his quarry
will have kids rolling in the aisles as they watch the contest
between the eater and the (usually) eaten.
Anteater imagines all the different ways he can eat this ant: in a
sandwich, sucked up through a straw, simmering in a soup, stir
fried, or in a sorbet. But the ant has other ideas. While anteater
is dreaming up the different ways of eating the ant, his long tongue
has been wrapped around a tree, making it an excellent bridge for
the ant and his friends.
Boldly outlined but spare drawings give a good impression of the
antics behind the words, and small differences in the way the eyes
are drawn for both creatures tells the readers lots about what they
are thinking, adding to the laughs for the readers.
They will learn lots about the two animals and the story will have
them seeking out more information, while the list of ways the ant
will be cooked will find favour (flavour) amongst the readers.
Fran Knight
Echoes in death by J.D. Robb
In death bk 44. Little, Brown, 2017. ISBN 9780349410869
(Age: Adult) Murder. Fans of J.D. Robb will be thrilled with the
44th book in this series featuring Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her
cohort of helpers, including gorgeous husband Roarke. Eve and Roarke
are on their way home one night when a young woman stumbles into the
street in front of them. She has been attacked and her attacker
looked like the devil.
Investigating, Eve discovers other attacks have occurred, all with a
violent rape and burglary but this time the attack has resulted in
murder. It is clear that the man behind the masks is becoming more
violent and it is imperative that Eve finds him before more people
are murdered. Eve and Peabody and the rest of her team, ably
supported by Roarke, gets to grips with the backgrounds of the
wealthy people who are being targeted, and the reader easily gets
caught up in the police work involved in solving the crimes.
Witty repartee between Eve and Peabody gives a lift to the often
dark moments in the book, and the steady and deep relationship
between Eve and Roarke is as satisfying as ever. A theme of domestic
violence and how it affects women pervades the book and gives the
plot depth and complexity.
Books in the In depth series are always rewarding reads and
ones that fans know they will enjoy.
Pat Pledger
Wrestling Trolls: The final countdown by Jim Eldridge
Hot Key Books, 2015. ISBN 9781471402692
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. The Final Countdown is book 6
in the series that sees Jack, a half troll and a prince, travelling
with his friends, a talking horse and a phoenix. They follow the
wrestling matches around the country and are quite famous for their
wrestling skills. This book is 2 stories in one. In the first story,
Jack receives a message for help from his grandfather. Despite being
a rather unkind person, Jack decides he needs to help his
grandfather. On arrival in the town, near where Jack's grandfather
is being held, villagers try to stop Jack and his friends. Luckily,
Jack gets to the castle but it is not his grandfather who is there
to meet him. Jack has been tricked by the wizard named Wazza. Wazza
is waiting for Jack and he wants Jack's ring. How will Jack get
himself out of this mess?
In the second story, Jack and his group of friends head to Veto
castle to help the orcs. The orcs are being kicked out of their
kingdom by a mean troll who has claimed the throne. Ironically, Veto
castle and the surrounding land is Jack's kingdom. He just doesn't
want it. Jack's friends Dunk and Big Rock are arrested by the troll
guard. To free them and save the orcs, Jack must wrestle the new
king. Unfortunately, Jack's ring has been stolen. This ring helps
him turn into a troll. How will he beat a troll in a wrestling match
without it? The Wresting Troll stories are fun and entertaining and
highly recommended for readers aged 7+. The characters are quirky
and the adventure moves quickly. They are easy to read and new
readers don't have to read them in order as each story is separate
from the previous one. The wrestling troll theme is a great way to
engage reluctant readers who are wrestling fans.
Kylie Kempster
Seven days of you by Cecilia Vinesse
Hachette, 2017. ISBN 9781510200395
(Age: 13+) Seven days of you is a beautiful story about
Sophia's last week in Tokyo before her big move back to the United
States. This move was always planned and Sophia and her sister were
accustomed to flying back and forth between their mother and their
father throughout their childhoods. But this move was different for
Sophia, from the first instant that she set foot in Tokyo a couple
of years before, she knew that she'd find some sort of a home here.
Through the years, Sophia became friends with Mika and David and
they were the anchors within her life in Tokyo, lasting up until the
week Sophia is set to leave. Mika's old best friend James is set to
return from an American Boarding school exactly seven days before
Sophia departs. After some complications at the last time they saw
each other, Sophia is less than pleased to be seeing him again.
Through some significant events within the lives of all the friends,
enemies become allies and best friends become distant strangers. How
much will change in the last seven days leading up to Sophia's
flight from Japan, and who will still be there for Sophia when she
needs it the most? Seven days of you really captures the poetry of everyday life
as Cecilia Vinesse writes the story of Sophia's last week in Tokyo
so vibrantly and with so much emotion that the reader can imagine
the city streets. The characters that Vinesse has created are all
individual, each have a unique personality and take on life that
allows readers to be able to relate with the novel. Seven days
of you is aimed for a young adult audience (13+) as the
characters struggle with the concepts of love, friendship, loss and
family. Seven days of you is a sweet and memorable story
that imparts the importance of relationships and friendships that
are made in unexpected circumstances.
Sarah Filkin
The apprentice witch by James Nicol
Chicken House, 2017. ISBN 9781910655153
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. When we doubt ourselves we lose
confidence. When others seem to succeed more than us we doubt
ourselves. Arianwyn doubts her abilities as a witch. Her school
enemy, Gimma, has berated Arianwyn throughout school and now
Arianwyn has failed her witch evaluation while Gimma has succeeded.
Arianwyn is still an apprentice but thanks to her grandmother's
position in the community, Arianwyn has a chance to develop her
skills and face re-evaluation when she is ready. Arianwyn is sent to
Lull, a small village, on the outskirts of The Great Woods. The town
hasn't had their own witch for many years and she has a lot to do.
Arianwyn's self doubt doesn't lend itself to a successful first week
but over the months her confidence improves and her skills are
evident. The arrival of Gimma seems positive but will Arianwyn be
able to overcome the past? Will she remember to not let Gimma get
under her skin? Why does Arianwyn keep seeing a forbidden glyph?
Arianwyn will develop an amazing friendship, courage and will put
others before herself despite the danger and possible disaster. The apprentice witch is a lovely story of courage,
friendship, a passion for a calling and building confidence and
belief in yourself. Watch Arianwyn develop, creating an amazing role
model for young girls as she reminds us all to believe in ourselves.
This story is easy to read and has adventure, magic and funny
moments. The magical events are descriptive, creating great images
in your mind as you read. These descriptive moments would be great
read out loud in the classroom and are great models for developing
writers. This book is highly recommended for readers aged 9+.
Kylie Kempster
Antoinette by Kelly dePucchio and Christian Robinson
Simon and Schuster, 2017. ISBN 9781481457835
(Age: 4-8) Recommended. Paris. Bravery. Family. Dogs. A charming
tale of being yourself, of following your heart has Antoinette,
despairing of her place in the household, where her three brothers
are known for their strengths. Rocky is clever, Ricky is fast and
Bruno is strong, but she has nothing to compare with them. Mum
reassures her that she has a special gift but it is not yet
apparent. One day while in the park, Mrs Bulldog notices that one of
the poodle pups is missing. Antoinette sees her brothers try out
their special gifts, but they cannot find Oo-La-La. She decides to
try for herself and follows the scent after the others have given
up. Her nose takes her across the park to the Louvre, and despite
being chased by a guard, she finds Oo-La-La in a most perilous
position and rescues her. Her bravery and tenacity is apparent for
all to see and later she becomes a famous police dog.
The stylish naive illustrations give the impression of block prints
with slabs of acrylic colour used as the background to the story.
The reduced pallet of colour compliments this impression, making the
story stand out against a pared back setting, while the dogs have a
collage appearance, which children may like to emulate after reading
the book. I loved the setting with images of Paris on several pages.
Readers, like me, will have a great time recognising iconic images
of Parisian life and its buildings: the Louvre, an artist, poodles,
a beret amongst others along with some French words to further pique
interest.
Fran Knight
A tragic kind of wonderful by Eric Lindstrom
Harper Collins, 2017. ISBN 978008183011
(Age: 14+) Themes: mental illness, bipolar disorder, friendship, family, love. Mel Hannigan's has bipolar disorder, diagnosed after a period of traumatic events, requiring a period in hospital. Her best memory is of the day her brother Nolan encouraged her to wag school and they had an amazing day of doing crazy things together. But this memory is closely tied to her worst memory, one she won't allow herself to contemplate, an ability she describes as her 'superpower'. We soon find out that Nolan died and this precipitated her parent's divorce, requiring Mel and her mother to move in with her aunt. On her first day at a new school Mel was bullied by a group of girls but rescued by Annie, Zumi and Connor who soon became best friends. After her breakdown Mel is reluctant to tell her friends about her illness and the friendship suffers. She is not the only one in her family to suffer this mental disorder, HJ, her aunt prefers to enjoy the highs and endure the lows rather than take medication, and it is pretty obvious that her brother's death happened while he was in the grip of a manic episode. We find that the disorder manifests itself in a wide spectrum of symptoms and Mel keeps track of her own symptoms by keeping a mood diary which helps when adjusting her medication. At school Mel describes herself as an antisocial underachiever but she works at a retirement home where she is in demand for her empathy and cheerful assistance, there she meets David, the grandson of one of the residents and they have immediate rapport. The normal highs and lows of teenage life (including mood swings with the onset of menstruation) are complicated by Mel's disorder and her unwillingness to share knowledge of it with her friends. When problems with her friends become traumatic, coinciding with a crisis in her mood, things go terribly wrong. Packaged up into a readable story about friendships and first love, readers are introduced to what it must mean for a teen to live with bipolar disorder in a way that is both detailed and insightful. Following on from Lindstrom's Not if I See you First and joining a number of recent stories about mental disorders, this novel is sure to find an enthusiastic readership especially from year 9/10 girls.
Sue Speck
The Great Shelby Holmes girl detective by Elizabeth Eulberg
Ill. by Matt Robertson. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408871478
(Age: 8-10) Recommended. Shelby Holmes is a feisty nine-year-old
girl detective who loves to solve mysteries in her local
neighbourhood. She lives upstairs in Apartment 221B Baker Street
Harlem, New York City, with her family, Mrs. Hudson their
housekeeper and Sir Arthur their English bulldog. Shelby is a
well-known and liked figure in her neighbourhood, where she uses her
logic and skills of observation to solve crimes.
As eleven-year old John Watson and his mother move in downstairs, a
loud explosion startles them. A rather dishevelled Shelby comes down
to apologise for the commotion and she totally surprises them with
her astute observations. She deduces that John has diabetes, that
his parents were recently divorced and Mrs. Watson had been an Army
doctor in Afghanistan. John's observations and feelings are openly
shared with the reader; his relationship with his father, who does
not keep in contact, his mother's concerns about his diabetes and
his friendship with Shelby. He expresses his feelings through
journal writing recording his feelings and daily adventures with
Shelby.
Shelby takes John under her wing and they venture all over, meeting
a diverse mix of shopkeepers and neighbourhood characters. Their
first mystery to solve together involves a stolen dog, dog trainers
and culminates at the Dog Show. Along the way, John meets some new
friends and becomes closer to Shelby. The scenes at the Dog Show are
humorous, as John sneaks Sir Arthur on to the subway train and has
to handle the British bulldog in the ring.
Matt Robertson's fun drawings are entertaining; there is Shelby's
frizzled hair after the explosion, the paw embellishments, Sir
Arthur's poses and the colourful front cover. Author Elizabeth
Eulberg has creatively woven characters and elements of the Sherlock
Holmes novels into The Great Shelby Holmes Girl Detective.
With themes of friendship, solving mysteries and overcoming worry
and anxiety, this is an enjoyable novel suited to ages 8-10.
Rhyllis Bignell
I don't know what to call my cat by Simon Phillip
Ill. by Ella Bailey. Simon and Schuster, 2017. ISBN 9781471124136
(Ages: 3-5) A new pet brings joy, happiness and a few problems for
the new owner. Where will it sleep? What to feed it and where to
feed it - not the high chair as there will be food everywhere. The
biggest problem of all of course, is what to name the kitten, maybe
not Kitty. It may be difficult to call 'Kitty', when all the cats in
the neighbourhood turn out for tea! The little girl tries Princess
High and Mighty, but the cat definitively did not like the princess
outfit. She tries everything from Pat, Tricia, Tracey and Betty but
nothing seems right. Of course, at the vet's, she discovers an
important fact - her kitten is a boy!
After trying Rocky, Arnie and Mr. Maestro, her cat tires of dressing
up and of being called names that do not fit his character, so he
leaves in a huff. She looks everywhere, even putting up Missing Cat
posters all over the zoo. There on a zoo bench she meets Steve the
gorilla, who follows her home and cheers her up. He messes up her
room, enjoys painting banana pictures, and he even accompanies her
to the Museum and a cafe. Unfortunately, the Bureau for Naughty
Animals takes him away in the BNA van. To the young girl's surprise,
her grey tabby cat returns home with a collar and a name Tricky!
Emma Bailey's delightful digital illustrations are visually
appealing; they lift this simple story and bring the characters to
life. She engages her young audience with her use of fresh modern
colours, wide-eyed creatures and humorous scenes. Look for Tricky
hiding in the gorilla scenes, carefully placed in the Egyptian room,
the cafe and disguised as a BNA agent.
Simon Phillip's picture book story loses its purpose towards the
end, when Steve the Gorilla enters the scene and takes over as the
little girl's pet. Fortunately, the tale gets back on track when the
lost cat returns home, appropriately named Tricky and prepared to be
a great friend to the little girl.
Rhyllis Bignell
