Heir of Fire - Sarah J Maas

Heir of Fire by Sara J Maas

Review by Little M

(originally published on Manchee & Bones)

Heir of Fire is the third instalment in Sarah J.Maas's series with Celaena Sarodthien as the main character in a magical kingdom. I highly recommend this series. As this is the third novel in the series I haven't included much of a synopsis because it could be a huge SPOILER!

Celaena Sarodthien is an unbeatable assassin and the King of  Adarlin's Champion. She is continuing her quest to fulfil her dying friend's wish and to find the dark secrets her king is hiding from everyone. Celaena is put to the test. She is pushed to her limits both physically and mentally. She gains a couple of friends along the way and one of them will stay with her forever.

I love this series by Sarah J.Maas; it is high on my favourite books list (the whole series). I loved Chaol in the first two novels but Rowan is now my favourite character with his dry sense of humour and witty comebacks. This third novel really turns the whole story around. This is positive as some books put a plot twister in, which doesn't quite fit. However, this book just made me want to keep reading and reading!

I would definitely recommend Heir of Fire to those who have read Sarah J.Maas and possibly fans of Harry Potter. It is a magical, thrilling novel, which most fantasising teens may like. Well, I did and so do many of my friends. The writing style is pretty straight forward, like many teen novels. Although, there is the odd phrase, which is used far too often. This could be slightly annoying for some but it didn't put me off. Altogether, this is a highly recommended magical series, which teens like me may like.

Publication Details: 11 September 2014, Bloomsbury, London (originally New York)

This copy: digital review copy from the publisher

Bone Jack - Sara Crowe

Bone Jack by Sara Crowe

 

Review by M

 

Bone Jack is wonderful storytelling: an engaging plot, lifelike characters and absorbingly atmospheric settings and language. I had Saturday morning breakfast in bed so that I could finish it.

Ash is fifteen and has outrun all the other local boys to become the ‘stag’ in the upcoming stage chase, where he must race across the hills and return uncaptured by the ‘hound boys’ who will chase him. There are lots of local myths and folklore about the stag chase, and when Ash starts to ‘see’ dark things out on the hills and in the woods, he feels threatened and can’t decide what he should do.

This debut is a compelling and atmospheric read about a teen boy who takes on something bigger and darker than just being the ‘stag’ in the local Stag Chase. Bone Jack shows great care for the living land that we inhabit and pass through.

Likeable and complex characters, thrilling suspense, chilling scenes and thoughtfully intriguing subplots boost this novel. Alongside the main plot, different kinds of absent (but loving) fatherhood; conflicting loyalties between friendships and foot-and-mouth ravaged farmlands; and post-traumatic stress disorder, are all easily woven through the novel.

Genrewise, Bone Jack is light fantasy or perhaps magical realism, where the story takes place in a real, recognisable world but the characters can’t figure out if they’re ‘seeing things’ or not. If you’ve read Patrick Ness’ A Monster Calls, it’s a similar mix to that novel (but the stories are not alike at all).

The publisher’s age guidance for this novel is 12+. I suspect slightly younger readers, who’re emotionally mature enough to deal with questions about the taking of life, may enjoy this novel too.

As a debut, Bone Jack has set the bar high for Sara Crowe’s second novel.

 

Publication details: Andersen Press, April 2014, London, paperback.

This copy: review copy from the publisher

 

Fortunately, the Milk - Neil Gaiman

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman

 

Review by M

Little M’s read Coraline and still remembers it being scary. We have The Graveyard Book and Chris Riddell’s illustrations mesmerisingly frighten us away. We read Neil Gaiman’s poem in the A Little Aloud, For Children anthology – it was marvellous. Fortunately, the Milk came along and now I’ve read my first Neil Gaiman novel. Fortunately, the Milk is also fully illustrated by Chris Riddell. Fortunately, for me, these illustrations are dazzlingly fun. Fortunately, the Milk is too.

It is funny in a laugh out loud way (yes, I was on a train, which probably made me laugh for even longer!). It is preposterous in either a ‘eyes wide open’ or ‘I don’t believe you’ way depending on your gullibility, disposition to enjoy or propensity to question. It introduces all sorts of concepts like quantum thought and superpositions, international invasions and colonisations, and the history of language. Do not read this book if you want the bedtime light turned off soon after reading because there will be questions. Lots of them. Expect to be challenged throughout the story and possible footstamping in response the ending.



An inside page illustration by Chris Riddell

The scenario is this: mum’s gone away and dad’s in charge and of course they’ve run out of milk for breakfast (and tea!). So off he goes to the shop. When he returns, ages later, what a yarn he spins about what took so long. A time-travelling, galactic and maybe even extra-galactic adventure story. Fortunately, there is milk, a dinosaur, a grundledorfer, ponies, gloop, a sandwich box and much more.

A book that would suit almost or newly independent and curious readers, and it is a must for reading out loud.

Unfortunately, the only downside is that the dedications page is too full of clues so make sure to skip that until after reading....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviewed by M

Publication details: Bloomsbury, 17 September 2013, London

This copy: uncorrected digital proof received for review from the publisher.

 

Neil Gaiman: photo credit: Kimberly Butler 

 

 

Ghost Hawk - Susan Cooper

Ghost Hawk by Susan Cooper

Review by M

Ghost Hawk is an unusual, inspiring and sad story about two friends, a clash of cultures and ghosts. I loved it.

Little Hawk is a Pokanoket Indian. John is a British immigrant in America. They live different lives in different, and sometimes conflicting, cultures. A couple of chance encounters mark their friendship and seal both their fates. Coincidentally, at age eleven, they both go on different journeys. John’s journey becomes a story that he must keep secret or risk being branded a witch. The narrative combines both John and Little Hawk’s stories but is told just from Little Hawk’s point of view.

The friendship between Little Hawk and John is so vivid and beguiling, you can almost touch it. It is a fictional friendship that I will remember for a long time: in some ways, it gives the poignancy of Code Name Verity’s Maddie and Queenie’s relationship a run for its money.

A fantastical story about an unlikely and tricky friendship, Ghost Hawk is also a story about early British settlement in North America and how something as simple as living together – be you beast, human, or earth - can be so complicated and devastating. The novel is set in the mid 1650s around the time when the first British people started to settle in North America. It draws on a large amount of historical research and some of the subsidiary characters’ names are taken direct from history.

The first two sections of the novel are its strongest and my favourite. The first section is good and exciting and interesting and then – shockingly! - it changes. An anticipation for what is to come falls beautifully into place for the reader and the story starts to weave many strong threads together. The last few sections draw the stories to their necessary and neat closes.

Themes in the novel include the way we treat the earth: as a resource or as its own living entity; cultural clashes; colonialism; religion and beliefs; and friendship. There were plenty of lines in the novel that made me stop and think. Things like the need to extend warmth to those who live beyond the family. But, above all that, Ghost Hawk is glorious storytelling.

The tone of the novel is gentle and reminiscent of ThingsFall Apart. In many ways, it reads like a Things Fall Apart tale for current day children and pre-colonial America. The intertwined histories will also likely appeal to many fans of Nick Lake’s In Darkness. There is death and a few violent scenes (though not gratuitous or entertainingly enhanced) in Ghost Hawk but the graphic violence is not as vivid nor as sustained as In Darkness, making it more suitable for a younger audience too.

I added a ‘you should read this’ tag when I highly recommended this novel to Little M. It’s one of the best stories I’ve read for a long while. Whether you like history, epic adventure, great characters or light fantasy, this is an enthralling story whichever way you look at it.

 

Publication details: Bodley Head, 29 August 2013, London, hardback
This copy: received for review from the publisher

Yellowcake - M's review

Yellowcake by Margo Lanagan

 

Yellowcake is very good and I’d highly recommend it to a variety of people of all ages. It’s a fantasy collection of ten short stories.  They’re all a bit weird, thought-provoking and rumbling. I’ve heard some readers say they enjoy fantasy because it provides a form of escapism. Yellowcake is quite the opposite and forces you to look at biological human life and social associations in a very non-sentimental, yet richly magical, consideration of mortality. As a whole, the collection seems to explore relationships through all of the seven senses and gets stuck right into the stickiness of our living, decaying and judged physicalities. Anyone interested in inclusion and diversities should take a look at this anthology.

If, like me, you’re neither a short story nor a fantasy fan but enjoy a good story and are curious, Yellowcake will probably appeal to you. The stories are short enough for quick dips. And now, I may return to reading Lanagan’s novels because her writing is gorgeous and her ideas are both playful and daring: I started reading her novel, The Brides of Rollrock Island, a while back, and while the writing was atmospheric and compelling it was a bit too discomforting for me. The short stories in Yellowcake are similar – atmospheric and compelling – and they push you: but because they’re short they let you go from the detail quicker than a novel and I really liked that. But of course, short stories leave so much unsaid leaving you to fill in lots and lots of gaps – if you dare.

 

My favourite stories included 'Ferryman' (living people who ferry the dead), 'Night of the Firstlings' (based on a biblical story) and 'The Point of Roses' (altogether unusual and if you can’t smell roses while readers it...!). My least favourite story was 'An Honest Day’s Work' (all about dissecting a creature).

Yellowcake has nothing to do with yellow, cake or nuclear production. Once you’ve finished reading, make of the title what you will – Lanagan has confirmed it has nothing to do with any of the stories but that each of her short story collections has a colour in the title.

 

Reviewed by M

 

Publication details: David Fickling Books, June 2013, Oxford, paperback (originally published in Australia, 2011)

This copy: received for review from the publisher

Oksa Pollock: The Last Hope - Little M's review

Oksa Pollock: The Last Hope by Cendrine Wolf and Anne Plichota

 

Review by Little M

Oksa Pollock: The Last Hope is a fantastic novel. You would never guess that it was translated from French. Yes, I know that may seem strange because why would anyone want to translate a French novel when you have millions of other books already in English? But, it's definitely worth it.

The novel is about the Pollock family and their daughter, Oksa, who finds out her family come from somewhere that's not on maps or known by ordinary people. She realises that she can fly, move objects without touching them and produce fireballs from her hands, which is not what teenagers normally do! Oksa's gran creates weird ointments and remedies and her math's teacher is not quite what she thinks he is. Whilst living her life in the French speaking English school, her family are trying to get back to their world, which they have been trapped out of.

I loved this book and I really hope they translate more of this series because it had me totally hooked.

All the characters are believable but I think some of them can be a bit cheesy. My favourite character is Oksa's best friend, Gus. Gus was adopted and he has no special powers but Oksa makes sure he is never left out which is really nice. He is also incredibly brave!

I think the funniest things in this novel are the plants and creatures that Oksa's gran keeps. I will not say anymore about them because it will be a spoiler!

The style is brilliant but I won't go into much about that because it is translated. But the translation is really good.

Altogether, this is a fabulous novel which makes me want to read more by Cendrine Wolf and Anne Plichota. I can't wait for the next one! Whoo hoo!

Publication details: Pushkin Press, 4 June 2013, London, hardback, translated from French bySue Rose
This copy: Uncorrected proof received for review

Railsea - M's review

Railsea by China Mieville

 

Reviewed by M

Railsea is a swashbuckling adventure about a boy who is an apprentice doctor on a moletrain pummelling across the railsea in search of monster-sized, human-eating moles. You’ll meet captains in search of philosophies, marauding pirates in search of treasures, orphans in search of answers, monstrous underground creatures, and a boy in search of something. Plus, the novel is a playful metafiction.  Railsea is a cavorting frolic and I enjoyed it immensely.

Railsea by China Mieville

From page one (atually three), Mieville, or the narrator, or both, are playing with you, the reader. He makes it clear that this is metafiction: a story about a story. Throughout Railsea, the narrator pauses the story to talk to you. I love this but as the novel progresses, it becomes infuriating.

All along, I had the feeling that the narrator was smiling and chuckling – at me, at himself and at his characters. He likes his main character, Sham ap Saroop. He likes Captain Naphi with all her multiple flaws. Indeed, I think he likes many of his characters and there are some interesting relationships between Sham and a number of other characters: Daybe the daybat, Naphi and Caldera.

As with most fantasised fiction, Mieville’s world building is taxing on readers (especially those of us more accustomed to more realist fiction). Forget ships and water waves, here we have trains on tracks traversing a sea of rails. The names of the characters are a mouthful too. Sham ap Saroop is our lovely main character.

Of course, Mieville also plays with language and style. Mieville uses plenty of made-up words in a made-up world. He also throws in lots of not made-up words that were challenging enough for me to have a dictionary close at hand. He uses ampersands (&) in sentences instead of using ‘and’.  You might ask why the ampersands. I did. Of course, they’re not there just for fun. They signify a concept. I think there’s usually a reason behind everything in Railsea – even if it’s just to have a laugh  - or even just ‘why not’?

I loved the way Mieville personifies ideas. In Railsea, a major one for me was ‘chasing your philosophy’. Anyone who’s ever been searching for ‘the one’ or who devoutly follows a hobby, lifestyle or interest will recognise themselves in these pages.  Academics and fisherwo-men especially. And if you’re neither of these, you’re sure to recognise someone you know.

Thematically, the novel also carries many underlying thoughts about nation-states and governance in a time of capitalism, and possibly about the end of the world and the afterlife. In some ways, it is a bit of a steampunk dystopia. There is no gender stereotyping in Railsea (and I’ve marked it as one for the ‘feminist’ fiction list). Animal cruelty is a strong thread in the novel. Storywise, if you’ve read Moby Dick or Treasure Island (I haven’t read either), I've heard you may spot overlaps.

A few years ago I tried to read Kraken by China Mieville, one of his adult novels. I couldn’t get into it: it was a bit too horrific in its detail for me. Likewise, this YA cover for Railsea and its plot are everything that I avoid reading. Zero appeal. But, everything else about Mieville that appeals to me is in there and the story took me way beyond its cover and the surface of the plot.

Wonderful and highly recommended for fun-loving and curious readers of any age.

 

China Mieville

 

Publication details: April 2013, Pan Books, London, paperback (first published in hardback, May 2012)

This copy: YA paperback edition received for review from the publisher

Midwinterblood - M's review

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick

Midwinterblood has been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal 2013.

Midwinterblood is the only title on this year’s Carnegie shortlist that I have read after its shortlisting was announced. This puts it at an unfair advantage or even disadvantage in the way I’m going to review it, especially since I reviewed some of the others before the longlist was even out.

The cover on my copy

So, Midwinterblood. I didn’t pick it to read from the longlist – mostly because of the cover. Also, from what I’d seen, Marcus Sedgwick was mostly a horror-fantasy author, genres I usually avoid now (although maybe not when I was a teen). If it is horror-fantasy that you’re after, Midwinterblood delivers. However, it offers up something much more than chills or gore (thankfully for me, the latter was not in undue abundance) and I was very pleasantly impressed.

Note the different covers: I think the newer cover (see below), not the one on my copy (see left), fits my interpretation of the novel better.

Midwinterblood is an unusual novel and quite different from anything I remember reading for teens (there is plenty that I have not read though). Quite simply, it tells the story of Eric Seven and Merle and how they know each other. But, it is much more exciting than that and it is also not quite as straightforward as that. Inspired by a real painting (which features in the novel), the story is divided up into eight parts and told in chronological reverse. Each part tells a separate story that can be read on its own. But together, the stories work to weave together what might be seen as something akin to a folkbook.

New cover; I prefer this one.

The novel’s blurb and other reviews have identified strong themes of love and sacrifice in the novel.  Of course yes, they’re there in many guises. After reading Part 1, I thought Midwinterblood might follow similar plotlines to Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler’s Wife – love that builds and endures against the odds against and through time. In some ways, it does, but in many ways it doesn’t and it certainly isn’t as romantic (in my view).

The themes and ideas that stood out for me most were personhood, permanence/longevity and roles. What is a person? If you change one thing, like their sex, are they the same person? The novel certainly delivers many discussion points.

Midwinterblood also defies some of the suggested criteria that we’ve been using for shadowing. This either marks the novels strengths or its weaknesses.

I think it is weak on narrative and feels more like a collection of stories that read like different interpretations of fairytales (or myths) over time and space, enveloped by the original frame story in Part 1 and Part 7. But, the Epilogue belies what I’ve said and indicates that there is a narrative (in my mind, only just a weak one). Although only chronologically reversed, the narrative development is still non-linear – I couldn’t spot real plot or character growth. Did I miss it? However (again!), the narrative and plot structure are also possibly the novel’s key strength.

(Careful: for some people there may be a very small SPOILER in the following paragraph: I don’t think it is but some might.)

Sedgwick’s writing style is sparse. He doesn’t overly describe anything, which I like. But I think this also contributed to weaker characterisation. I didn’t empathise with any of the characters. Perhaps too, this was the point of the novel: we are not just one individual, we are many people. This bit is interesting because the characters take on different relationships with each other throughout the novel and that in itself addresses many taboos about acceptable relationships. The change in narration is also interesting to consider in terms of how that might affect characterisation: the novel is written in the third person, other than Part 6.

(End of small SPOILER. You may proceed without fear.)

Midwinterblood is an allegorical novel. Its inspiration comes from a painting (which is featured in the novel – there’s a whole part centring on it) and there is plenty of symbolism and allegory in the novel that could point curious readers to ideas about philosophy and religion (like Nietzsche and eternal return) as well as literature. When I was reading, there was always a sense that the novel was following, considering, contemplating, pointing me to something else. I’d expect this novel to prompt further questioning and research enquiry by the most curious of readers.

I read Midwinterblood quickly and I wanted to read it. It wasn’t so much that I was absorbed into the story but rather that I was curious to see how it would all pan out. This novel has many talking points, not least of which are its form and readers’ expectations. In my mind, it scores many bonus points for doing that.

For suggested teens reads, Midwinterblood offers a wonderful thought-provoking alternative to Twilight. It is also a quick read. For educators, talk about a novel that is both popularly contemporary yet cuts easily and effortlessly across the curriculum.....history (Vikings, World Wars, cyclical/linear, architecture), art, geography, religion and philosophy, literature, science, citizenship: they’re all there.

 

It is probably more suitable for Year 7 plus although advanced (and interested) readers in Year 6 might enjoy it.

If you enjoy the interlinked his-stories of Midwinterblood, you may well like  Nick Lake's In Darkness (another Carnegie shortlisted title!) or Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (an adult novel with mixed and much more dense writing styles).

 

Publication details: Indigo, 2011, London, paperback

This copy: given to us as a prize.

PS. You can win a copy of Midwinterblood with the new cover over here if you are in the UK and enter before 19 May 2013.

Lance of Truth - Little M's Review

Lance of Truth by Katherine Roberts

Lance of Truth by Katherine Roberts

 

Lance of Truth is the second book in Katherine Roberts' Pendragon Legacy series. The novel is still about Rhianna Pendragon and her trying to get her father, King Arthur's, soul back. But this time she is on the search for her mother and the lance of truth. The lance of truth is no ordinary weapon. It is like Excalibur, magical and one of the four magic lights. Will she find it before her dark magicked cousin does? And will her mother really love her the way she is?

A brilliant second Pendragon Legacy book. I really liked the way Katherine Roberts' writing magnetises you towards the pageturning adventurous novel. Definitely a good book.

I think Lance of Truth is better than Sword of Light by a mile. This time the author has put in more magic and mysteries. It is a good carry on to the Arthurian legend. It does remind me of the TV programme called Merlin (so sad that ended).

I think Rhianna develops a lot in this book, just like in the first book when she comes from Avalon to the world of men.

I really hope this book gets listed for the Carnegie or for another award. I think Lance of Truth deserves it.

When I had finished Sword of Light, I went straight on to this book, and when I had finished this I was all sad and "oh no, I've finished it!" So bring on the third one!

You can read my review of Sword of Light (Pendragon Legacy #1).

Publication details: 2012, Templar, Surrey, hardback
This copy: uncorrected proof received from the publisher

Sword of Light - Little M's review

Sword of Light by Katherine Roberts

Sword of Light has been nominated for the Carnegie medal 2013. This review forms part of our shadowing of the Longlist.

Sword of Light by Katherine Roberts

Sword of Light is about King Arthur’s daughter, Rhianna Pendragon. She grew up in Avalon with the Avalonians who have magic. She thinks she is just a normal girl from the world of men. But when Merlin, a half druid-half man, comes with a dead King Arthur, he tells Rhianna something and her life changes for good.  Now she must fight Mordred (her cousin) and control the sword of light all with the help of Elphin and the knights of Camelot. Will she be able to return Arthur’s soul?

I really thought this book was going to be boring because other books about the Arthurian legend I’ve read (not many) are dull. But, I enjoy the TV programme, Merlin. But when I started to read Sword of Light, I couldn’t put it down.

When we got the book, I thought that I would struggle to read it because I thought the text size would be too small but when I opened the book the text was quite big. That was brilliant.

Hooking, adventurous, magical - that is exactly what this book is. Anyone who likes adventure, magic and novels to do with the Arthurian legend might enjoy this.

Sword of Light is the first book in the Pengradon Legacy series. When I finished it, I went straight to the second book in the series, Lance of Truth.

 

 

Publication details: 2012, Templar, Surrey, hardback & paperback

This copy: uncorrected proof received from the publisher for reviewing the Carnegie 2013 longlist.

A Boy and a Bear in a Boat - M's Review

A Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Shelton

A Boy and a Bear in a Boat has been longlisted for the CILIP Carnegie and the Kate Greenaway medal 2013 and shortlisted for the 2012 Costa Children’s Book Award. This review has been written from a 'reading for leisure' perspective but consideration was given to some of the judging criteria set for the CILIP Carnegie medal.

To begin, the cover for this book is mesmerising – at least, it is to adults. Its dustjacket looks old and tatty with a tea cup stain on it. I keep picking it up and moving it around to look at it. Very big brownie points to the design and print team who have pulled this cover off. There are also lots of beautiful illustrations throughout the book.



A Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Shelton

Storywise, A Boy and a Bear in a Boat is a wonderful tale that many parents and young children are sure to take great delight in sharing at bedtime (or other times: like maybe on a boat when they’re not lost at sea – joke). Equally, younger readers new to chapter books may enjoy it too. It’s a story about a boy and a bear in a boat. The bear is rowing the boy somewhere and the boy is trusting but equally a bit impatient to get there. The story is all about this little adventure that takes place in not-quite-the-middle-of-nowhere. You’ll find that a lot of ‘not much’ and also a lot of ‘much’ happens. The developing banter and camaraderie between the boy and the bear is especially delightful.

We don’t know the boy’s name. We don’t know the bear’s name. So the main characters could be anyone and children will either take great delight in this – or query it. But we do know the name of the boat. This is one of those books where even the least curious of readers and listeners are sure to ask questions.

The boy is an average boy, primary school age probably – maybe a bit younger. He’s a bit brave going on a journey by himself but he behaves as if this is something he normally does. Typically, he gets bored easily. Who wouldn’t after all that time on a boat? I liked him. The bear is like a cuddly grown-up who is calm and in charge, but maybe also just a little bit dipsy.I liked him too. I loved the little details that Dave Shelton provides throughout the story. The lunchboxes are wonderful but my favourite bits really are about the maps and the on-board entertainment. My least favourite chapter was the one with the sea monster. I don’t like monsters.

While the journey starts straight away, the story builds up slowly. The pleasure in the book is the slow pace, and the detail that this affords. Also, that bear is in no rush to get anywhere. There is a lot of dialogue but there is also a lot of description. There is a lot of attention to small details, the kinds of details that young children are very curious about. For me, a calm and tranquil mood was created – for most of the time (although I think some younger readers may get quite excitedly frenzied in some parts where there is...some action!).

Dave Shelton's A Boy and a Bear in a Boat left me feeling happy – and a little bit curious.

 

 

Publication details:

2012, David Fickling Books, Oxford, hardback

 

This copy:

Received for reviewing the Carnegie longlist from the publisher

A Monster Calls - M's Review

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

 

A Monster Calls is about thirteen year old Conor whose divorced mother has terminal cancer. He has to sort a lot of things out for himself, there are bullies at school, and he has a controlling grandmother. On top of all this, Conor has a recurring nightmare but one night this is replaced by a new (but slightly less awful) nightmare. In this nightmare, a huge monster comes to him in the guise of a walking tree. The ‘Monster’ says there are four stories to be told before he can go away. 



A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness

Despite all the rave reviews, A Monster Calls didn’t appeal to either of us. We didn’t like the cover and we didn’t like the premise. And then it won the 2012 Carnegie medal. It still didn’t appeal to us but then Walker republished it with a different cover (the one pictured) and I thought we should give it a go.

I’m glad I did. I bought it and read it in one go. It was beautifully and cleverly written. From pretty much the start right through to the finish, this is a poignant read with quite a few chokers in it (however, the premise  does lend itself to tears so perhaps there is some borderline sentimentalism and some readers may find it a bit cloying). For me, I think that one of the charms of good middle grade fiction is that there are multiple layers so that the stories usually offer an innocence that is almost light-hearted but offers older readers poignant depth.

While this novel is very much about a young teenager having to deal with the implicit issues of living with a single mother who is battling with terminal cancer, the little issues about making mistakes, true friends, living with family and facing up to fears also come into play. Conor is a wonderful character from the very first pages. The ‘Monster’ and the telling of Four Stories provide a fairytale structure for the novel which didn’t appeal to me at first but might appeal to young readers or fantasy fans. And it does work quite well (some people will say it works beautifully). My two favourite paragraphs in the book are: an early one about what a grandmother should look like and how she should behave, and a later one featuring a note that Conor’s friend Lily sends to him.

I can see why this novel won the Carnegie. Like RJ Palacio's Wonder, this novel will appeal to young and old alike.

 

Publication details:

2012 edition, Walker, London, paperback

 

This copy: our own

Obsidian Mirror - M's Review & Book Giveaway

Obsidian Mirror by Catherine Fisher

Jake is holed up in a Swiss boarding school paid for by his godfather, Oberon Venn. But Jake doesn’t plan to stay there for very long. His father is dead and he thinks Oberon killed him. Jake is on a mission to confront Oberon but little does he know what he’s getting himself into. Is that a tap, tapping on the window….?

A wonderful example of teen fiction, Obsidian Mirror is quite a feast in all sorts of ways.

Obsidian Mirror by Catherine Fisher

There’s a black mirror, black holes, a great big house, a murder suspect a lot of people who’re not telling things exactly how they are, a few blasts from the past, and a wood that you really should not enter. It’s a mash-up of action, adventure, fantasy, magic, science fiction, perhaps a hint of steampunk, and a good story.

The cast of characters is plentiful. It includes a marmoset, wolves, starlings, black cats, servants, queens, Swiss boarding school teachers, missing parents, journeyers, reclusive and strange godfathers. And of course, teenagers: Jake Wilde, Sarah, Rebecca and Gideon. I didn’t become especially attached to the characters but I was riveted by the actual plot. Surprisingly, it’s not that fast-paced but the plot is packed full of surprises and disguises. It’s one of those stories where you just want to know what happens next.

While the ending for me is a bit unsatisfying (I'm hard to please) it’s not a real cliffhanger and that shouldn’t put you off reading it. If it is part of a trilogy, it is one that I will be following.

Obsidian Mirror is very entertaining and, set around Christmastime, it would be a very atmospheric winter or Christmas read for confident readers of any age (but there is a bit of Summer in it too!!). I think many 12 year olds would love it and I highly, highly recommend it. For me, it’s a shining example of what I hoped teen fiction would be: a little bit of all good sorts.

This is the first novel I’ve read by Catherine Fisher  but she’s definitely on my radar now for older tween and teen readers. Next on our reading list from her is her previous and highly acclaimed novel, Incarceron. Some of you might even have read it!

Publication details:

Hodder Children’s, October 2012, London

This copy: uncorrected proof received for review from the publishers.

Book Giveaway - UK only

Thanks to Hodder, you can win yourself a copy of Obsidian Mirror just in time for Christmas. Now that's a really good idea.....

To be in with a chance, simply leave a comment and a way for us to contact you if you win (you can e-mail your details to us if you prefer but please leave a comment to be included in the giveaway).

If you're under 13, please get your parent's or guardian's permission to enter. Or they can enter on your behalf.

The competition closes at 5pm on Friday 19 October 2012. The winner will be chosen at random. 

Best of luck!

M's Review - The Terrible Thing That Happened To Barnaby Brocket

The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne

The Terrible Thing That Happened To Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne

The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket is a delicious romp of a story suitable for the oldest of readers right down to reading out loud to the youngest of not-yet-readers. The more I think about it, the more I enjoyed it.

Barnaby Brocket is born into the most ordinary of families in Sydney, Australia (although they’re actually quite remarkable in their ordinariness). But the arrival of baby Barnaby gives them quite a shock because he just can’t keep his feet on the ground. Barnaby floats. 

Then a really, really terrible thing happens to him. It really is terrible but it also opens up a world of possibilities for him and he heads off into all sorts of wonderful adventures. Along the way, he meets a host of marvellous characters.

Readers of all ages and levels will grasp the not-so-hidden theme of how tough it is when people won’t accept you and allow you to be who you are – or who you want to be. But John Boyne’s simple and humorous narrative carries layers of light and dark in the depth of this message so that individual readers may follow a slightly different reading journey as the story progresses.

The story also says a lot about relationships between children and their parents, and particularly father-child relationships: Barnaby and Alastair, Alastair and his wannabe-actor dad, Palmira and Thiago, Joshua and Samuel. All of these characters have dads who’ve let them down or not let their children be ‘themselves’. Food for thought for some people, perhaps….. But there are also plenty of characters with big hearts and some who openly display their loving loyalty to Barnaby. I think my favourite characters have got to be Ethel and Marjorie, and Captain W. E. Johns!

This edition is enhanced with illustrations by Oliver Jeffers. I particularly adored the postcards.

While the terrible thing is really terrible and one way or another, I bet the ending will make you shed a small tear, this is also a very funny, very heartwarming and very enjoyable story. Barnaby Brocket, the dear boy, is an absolute delight.

Publication details:

Doubleday (Random House), 2 August 2012, London, hardback

This copy: received for review from the publisher

*****

This review is part of our world of stories series for August which celebrates children's classics and reading across generations. To find out more about this series and to win a book, hop over to this competition post.

Another John Boyne novel, the acclaimed The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas has been included in the new Vintage Children's Classics series.

The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

Another contemporary classic that has been included in the Vintage Children's Classics list for teen readers is Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-Time. It has a new cover (thank goodness!!!) and you can read our earlier review of it here (I didn't like the cover then but highly recommend the story).



The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Our review of it is here.

Little M review - Maximum Ride #1

“These kids don’t need broomsticks to fly.”

Maximum Ride took me on an adventure of a life time going from being in cages to fighting Erasers.

Max, Iggy, Fang, Nudge, the Gasman and Angel are on the run (aged from 6-14). They never want to be put back in cages or be tested on. They only want to be free.

These kids are 98% human and 2% bird. They grew up in dog cages in a lab, which is quite hard to imagine. Max and the rest of the flock now have to save the world whilst Max keeps getting a voice in her head which leads up to a meltdown.

Maximum Ride by James Patterson will make you cry and laugh like when Iggy tries to unlock Max’s wardrobe that has six locks and when Angel gets kidnapped. You will just want to keep on turning page after page. When I first started to read Maximum Ride I just couldn’t put the book down, so I ended up reading it in about 5 days.

Iggy was my favourite character because he is blind but at the same time he has the best hearing and can be extremely funny. Max is my second favourite character because she could keep the flock under control if they started to be a bit out of control. She is the leader of the flock and has an extremely strong will, so if an Eraser tried to get Max to come with him she would just give him a broken rib and maybe a broken jaw too.

This is the first book in about eight. The second book is called Maximum Ride School’s Out Forever. At the time of writing this review, I have just finished the second book and am looking for the third one. It is called Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports.

Published in paperback in 2006

London, Headline

Pages: 468

My copy:  Got it on my birthday in a restaurant.