How to Write Your Best Story Ever! - Christopher Edge

I am a browser and sometimes I find something that takes me by surprise. And so I happened upon Oxford University Press's How To Write Your Best Story Ever, which was published earlier this month. When I was a child, there was never as much guidance on developing your talents like there is today, and so I'm quite unfamiliar with fiction writing guides for 7-13 year olds. So I took a close look.

How To Write Your Best Story ever is not an activity journal, which is what I was expecting. There is no place intended for you to start scribbling down ideas. No. In keeping with OUP's dictionaries, How To Write Your Best Story Ever is definitely a reference book to prompt you, inspire you and help you along the way in, well, writing your best story ever with whatever writing instruments you choose.

It's a busy book (perhaps a bit busy for my eye, but I was 7-13 a long time ago!) full of colour, illustrations and chunked tips and guidance. Succinctly, it uses double spreads to tell you about the intricacies of the elements that make up a good story - and how you can get there. One of the things I liked most (there were a few), was that it devotes a few pages to writing all the different genres including Scripts and Mash-ups. It offers vocabulary to inspire you - and to challenge you - in crafting these different types of stories.

A couple of the other things that I really liked: quotes from a variety of different novels and authors (as well as Christopher Edge, who authored this book and some jolly good novels) are included as real examples of how to apply the suggestions so that you can see what the language looks like in a real live (and published) setting; and, all the way through it gives friendly reminders about the basic elements of the English language and how to identify and use them to improve your writing.

Really nice.


Publication details: January 2017, Oxford University Press, Oxford, paperback
This copy: received from the publisher for possible review

A Boy Called Christmas - Matt Haig & Chris Mould

A Boy Called Christmas

When I first read the blurb: "You are about to read the true story of Father Christmas" and I saw that it was authored by Matt Haig, I knew I wanted to read this. From the very first page, I was smitten.

A Boy Called Christmas is rollicking good fun, full of laughs for child and adult alike on every page, (and Haig has taken the opportunity to poke fingers at the state of the international nation). It's also an adventure quest story, perfect for shared bedtime reading - or cosying up under the Christmas tree. And Chris Mould provides plenty of illustrated pages.

For anyone who's been wondering how to chat about the way we treat outsiders to young children - without getting all politicised - this could be a fun place to start.

If you believe in Father Christmas - the old man dressed in white and red, whose reindeers like Donner and Cupid and Blitzen (okay, Cupid might not be mentioned in this book!) fly him through the night delivering gifts to children who've been good; if you believe in the potential of humanity to be a generous and giving species; if you believe in the possibilities for little boys and girls to go out and become who they want to be; and if you really like a bit of mischievous fun about how things came to be, chances are you'll love this little book.

There is an elf swear word in the novel: impossible.


A Boy Called Christmas has been nominated for the 2017 Carnegie medal.


Publication details: 2016, Canongate, Edinburgh, paperback
This copy: received for review from the publisher

Dreaming the Bear – Mimi Thebo

Dreaming the Bear - Mimi Thebo

Dreaming the Bear is a quick read about a teenage girl, Darcy, who’s recovering from pneumonia after begrudgingly moving to Yellowstone National Park in its deep winter snow. She stumbles across an injured bear and things get a little more complicated.

Darcy seemingly moves in and out of bodily consciousness and this is interestingly written and quite atmospheric too. Her narration of the overwhelming and consuming tiredness that can accompany debilitating illness is conveyed very convincingly. Her relationship with the bear is an interesting one. It provides a storyline with heartstring-pull moments (oh yes, I did cry) and explores worthy questions about wildlife habituation but I didn't feel this was as richly conveyed as Darcy's consciousness was, perhaps because the novel is quite short. 

Characterwise, Darcy, perhaps justifiably, is a whinger. Yes, she is ill but she’s very spoilt too: it’s in her tone, in her thoughts and in her shopping behaviour so I struggled to warm to her. Sometimes that matters when I read a book. In terms of character development, she does change and she does become more aware of the different ways of life around her. 

The cover and the size of the book made me think this was a middle grade novel but I think the interest level is perhaps for readers older than 9 or 10 years, and definitely for teens too.

Dreaming the Bear has been nominated for the 2017 Carnegie Medal.

Publication details: Oxford University Press, 2016, Oxford, paperback

This copy: received for review from the publisher

Close To the Wind - Jon Walter

Close to the Wind by Jon Walter

Review by M

 

Close to the Wind came to me as the first book proof from the newly independent (not newly established) David Fickling Books. Being a ‘fan’ of their previous novels and authors, I have waited in anticipation for this ‘launch’ title – and it’s a good all rounder!

Close to the Wind is about a boy and his grandfather who are seeking refuge from a war torn country. The peacekeepers are coming and Malik and Papa will need to catch a ship – but they don’t have tickets yet. Quietly and warmly told, this debut novel had me holding my breath, closing my eyes, smiling, rooting and crying.

Using an occasional light touch, Close to the Wind deals sensitively with big and traumatic issues and themes, like lies and truth, and sacrifice. An adventurous story is delivered that will delight readers from about age 8 upwards. This is a middle grade novel that deals in hope and is not afraid to reward the reader with it. Gorgeous.

 

Publication details: 3 July 2014, David Fickling Books, Oxford, hardback

This copy: uncorrected proof from the publisher (& dedicated, signed and embossed!)

 

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And here are some pics of that very special book proof 1!

 

The whole package

 

Reverse of the card

 

 

 

Embossed page: DFB Where Good Stories Begin


 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's Bake - Cathryn Dresser

Let’s Bake by Cathryn Dresser

Review by Little M (+ thoughts from M)

Baking is a fantastic thing to do. There are those down times and those joyful, ecstatic moments – especially when you finally bring the fresh smelling bread out of the oven, the scent drifting through the house.

Cathryn Dresser’s Let’s Bake recipe book has wonderful looking sweet and savoury bakes. Of course, when deciding to review this recipe book, we’d agreed to make some, though that might seem quite obvious. Let’s Bake is a colourful, well-presented and easy to read book. The recipes are straight forward and, if in doubt of a technique, there is a helpful guide on how to do it.

Each individual recipe is spread out over four pages. On the first two pages there are the ingredients lists, the equipment needed, the prep and bake times, and a little anecdote from the author. There is also a finished product picture too. For the other two pages there is normally a ‘how to do it’ page in text and pictures to illustrate.

Whilst flicking through the book, we came across three recipes which we decided to make. We made this amazing butter from double cream, a delicious chocolate cake loaf and also some easy white bread. All these recipes were a success.

I truly recommend this recipe book by Cathryn Dresser. It is brilliant for your first time baking or for those who just love to do it. It is suited to young children as it talks about sharp knives and ovens. However, it would be brilliant for the whole family.

Making bread

And some further thoughts from M:

Making butter! My teacher did this at school when I was about seven and it fascinated me. One of those rare moments where I still remember some fine detail about the ‘lesson’. I’ve always wanted to do it myself but…haven’t. And then, there it was! How to do it in a baking book. We did this one together and it was huge, huge fun (and a wee bit messy too).

I also made the dippy baked eggs for breakfast and although it tasted delicious, the yoke went hard (eggs!). Of course, the book points out that practice (and changes) make perfect so we tried a little alternative and it worked. I like the way the book encourages experimentation – and that it’s notion of ‘baking’ is broad (there’re recipes for accompaniments to baked goods, like easy jam, houmous and, of course, butter).

Little M is the baker in our house. But I was also hugely impressed with this as a baking book, whether for an older child, an adult or a family. Thick and chunky, some unusual and nostalgic recipes, uncoated paper (great for ‘showing’ that you used the recipe), and not patronising in any way. Big thumbs up.

Homemade Bread & Butter

PS. No pictures of the chocolate cake loaf - we were too busy oohing & aahing, sniffing and eating.

Publication details: Orion Children’s, May 2014, London, hardback

This copy: for review from the publisher

Jamaica Inn - Daphne du Maurier

Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier

Review by M

 

This novel counts towards the Classics Club Challenge

 

I read Rebecca when I was a young teenager and loved it. It’s down as a reread for me and number five on our original Classics Club list of fifty. But, I’d never owned a copy so I bought it. It came as part of a Virago Modern Classics’ du Maurier bundle that included Jamaica Inn.

So, instead of a Rebecca reread, I started Jamaica Inn, not sure if it would be my sort of read (whatever that is!). I flitted between it and a number of other books (mostly review copies that I felt obliged to prioritise). Then, I saw a television trailer for a forthcoming BBC adaptation of it. This also prompted a renewed media interest in the ‘literary’ legacy of du Maurier with some sides hailing her as a popular and iconic storyteller while others question her literary merits. Remembering that my working definition of ‘classics’ is written stories that carry across generations (for any reason), my Easter reading plans were altered.

Jamaica Inn is a gothic romance which isn’t typically my sort of thing for all sorts of reasons (but mostly because of unhealthy gender relationships), so I haven’t read many. You realise from the first few pages of Jamaica Inn what you’re in for: an ever darkening story in an ominous setting with some nasty characters – but surprisingly some lovely ones too.

 

Twenty-three year old Mary Yellan’s mother has died and she has moved to live with her aunt Patience who lives at Jamaica Inn with her violent husband, Joss Merlyn. Nobody stops at or visits Jamaica Inn and something sinister, criminal and maybe even evil is going on. As a murderous story about smuggling cartels unfolds, Mary struggles with her own inner conflicts about trust, loyalty, gender and romantic feelings for an awful man.

As a gothic romance, Du Maurier’s writing  gets the balance right. Jamaica Inn is chilling and dire without being horrificly graphic, and there's a not-too-sweet dose of a properly infuriating romance too. While Jamaica Inn’s story is generally predictable (but other reviewers say differently!), the final pages surprised and ultimately disappointed me (more thoughts on this below because of spoilers).

From a gender perspective, Jamaica Inn is interesting. The roles of men and women, while mostly taken for granted (the setting is the 1820s), are also speculated about particularly by Mary Yellan and possibly by Jem Merlyn (the writing/publication is 1930s). This is also enhanced by contrasting parallels between the behaviour and gendered demeanours of Joss and Patience with those of Jem and Mary. Patience is acutely passive and scared witless in contrast to Mary Yellan who is headstrong and determined, but blames much that is wrong with her life on being a woman (of course, there is some truth in this). Because of this, she connects personal independence with being a man (some things still haven’t changed) and she anguishes about gendered identities, emotions and bodies.

Compared to Wuthering Heights, I do think Heathcliff comes off better than Jamaica Inn’s Joss Merlyn, Cathy comes off worse than Mary, and the plot and ending for Jamaica Inn (for me) is preferable to Wuthering Heights.

Classics Verdict: Gothic romance still isn’t doing it for me but  it's growing on me. Du Maurier’s novel is convincingly atmospheric and much better done than the BBC’s television adaptation. Would I unhesitatingly recommend it to the next generation? For me, it’s not a must read but for readers who enjoy this sort of thing, perhaps yes. Also, it reminded me that at heart, I am a bit of a romantic.

 

Publication details: 2003, Virago Press, London, paperback (orginal publication 1936, Victor Gollancz)

This copy: own

 

 

Spoiler alert! Spoiler alert

 

Further thoughts (contains SPOILERS!!)

 

The ending confused me and either I’ve missed something or the characterisation was a bit off. For much of the novel, Jem seems besotted with Mary and makes some big decisions and sacrifices for her sake. Why then does he stubbornly thwart her? Does he think that putting her off is actually better for her because he is not able to give her what he thinks she will want? And then, when she gives up her wish to return home in order to accompany him, why does he not change his direction and concede that to her? Is this about gender power relations and maintaining the masculine status quo for Jem? Is this about Mary giving in to her body’s ‘weakness’ or about choosing what she wants for herself? Is it about a dark cycle of bad relationships taking Mary down a similar path to her Aunt Patience (or is Jem much more wholesome than Joss – and will he remain like that)? I'd have gone with Jem.

 

 

 

 

 

End of spoiler!


I finished reading Jamaica Inn minutes before I watched the recent BBC adaptation. I don't think I've ever been so freshly close to as text as this when viewing a screen adaptation. That may have influenced my response to the BBC's version, but many important plot and characterisation elements were changed to the extent that much of du Maurier's Jamaica Inn was lost. The novel is far more subtle and explores Mary's conflicts in much greater depth. I much preferred du Maurier's novel.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We Were Liars - E Lockhart

We Were Liars by E Lockhart

Review by M

There’s been a lot of pre-publication hype around this novel and it deserves it. We Were Liars is a small book (just over 200 pages) and it’s a quick and thoroughly entertaining read.

We Were Liars is narrated by Cadence, the eldest teen granddaughter of the Sinclair family. An old New England family, they spend their summers on their private island. And then Cadence has an accident.

From the get go, we know that this is unreliable narration. The writing is stylised and interweaves all sorts of clues and red herrings to create a tragic modern day fairytale.

I highly recommend it and think there’s every chance of awards, commercial and cult success. Book groups will love it too.

Liar, liar, liar, liar.

 

PS. There’s a strong language content warning on the book. The f expletive appears a few times.

 

Hot Key Books is hosting a We Were Liars live read on Saturday, 17 May 2014 on Twitter. Starts 1pm UK time. #liarsliveread

 

Publication details: Hot Key Books, May 2014, London, paperback

This copy: received from the publisher for the live read

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

 

Dead Ends - Erin Lange

Dead Ends by Erin Lange

 

Review by M

 

Dead Ends is a story that is as much about bullying, friendship and family as it is an unusual teen road trip adventure with plot threads and themes aplenty.

An unusual and forced relationship is at the heart of the story. Dane (the violent bully with a single mum who frames winning Lottery cards), is wisely chosen by Billy D (the new kid on the block who also has Down syndrome) to be his protector in school. As Billy D holds all the cards, a heartwarming (and frequently comic) friendship develops as he reels Dane in on a journey to find both their dads.

The novel cleverly intertwines an exploration of different relationships (and power). The obvious relationship is that of bully and bullied but teenage friendship and being a good and ‘real’ parent are also prominent. Both Billy D and Dane live with their mothers but their fathers are curiously absent. Another character, however, has two fathers who are gay - and neither one is her biological father.

While Dane is a bully and a very violent one, the novel’s tone is fiercely warm. Lange manages to paint Dane as a sympathetic and believable character - but she doesn’t let him entirely off the hook. She paints a very interesting view of bullying.

While friendship and family are at this novel’s heart, Dead Ends will also likely appeal to clue-finding road trip fans. These elements add charm and action but neither of them dominate the novel. What could have become a ludicrous storyline actually works out to be enjoyable, believable, and quite moving.

Publication details: 6 January 2014, Faber and Faber, London, hardback

This copy: uncorrected proof from the publisher

Geek Girl - Holly Smale

Geek Girl by Holly Smale

Guest Review by Alice (14)

A funny book with lots of interesting facts, I was crying because I was laughing so hard!

It is about a teenage girl called Harriet Manners, who is a geek. No-one seems to like her at school, then she gets the chance to remake herself and become a new person. Holly Smale is an author who can write a good book and draw readers into the plot quickly.

A book full of personality and inspiration, I would definitely recommend Geek Girl to anyone who enjoys random but fun bits of trivia and a good laugh. I rate this book ten out of ten because it is something unique and I love it! A book for anyone over the age of 12 who also likes a bit of romance thrown into the funny and fun facts brew!

Publication details: 2013, HarperCollins Children’s Books, London, paperback

This copy: review copy from the publisher

PS. Recommended age on the back cover is 11+.

Bird - Crystal Chan

Book Review: Bird by Crystal Chan

Review by M



...Bird, with a feather bookmark

Bird is a lovely and gently heartbreaking novel. It’s a fairly quick and easy read with big themes and a surprisingly pageturning plot.

Twelve year old Jewel was born on the day her brother, Bird, died by jump-flying off a cliff. It was all Grandad’s fault and he has never spoken since. Jewel is a good girl but try as she might, she feels unloved and unwanted by her family. And then she meets someone and things go a little topsy-turvy, secrets are revealed, ‘guppies’ are everywhere and tempers flare.

Woven through this solid story about grief are parallel threads about race, identity and spirituality. Jewel is mixed race/ethnicity (Jamaican-Mexican) and lives in a small town in Iowa, USA (whose population is not very Jamaican-Mexican). Her family have different religious beliefs, among themselves and in contrast to the local community. The novel gently explores questions of identity and belonging in both the familial and community contexts.

For anyone who has even fleetingly felt a little bit lonely (or unloved), Bird will resonate. And if you have never felt like this, it may help you empathise with others. Most of the characters get things wrong. Bird may appeal to David Almond fans.

I found it hard to put down and stayed up until the early hours to finish it. Tissues recommended.

I know they're more expensive and can be awkward to hold, but here are a few words in favour of the UK hardback: It’s nice to look at and lovely to touch. The hard cover is soft to touch and nice to stroke. It’s the ‘short’ size hardback which makes it easy to hold, easy to shelve and makes it look thicker than it really is. To my eye, this is charming and it’d probably be a good one for those newly confident readers who want to tackle a BIG THICK book.

Publication details: 30 January 2013, Tamarind, London, hardback

This copy: review copy from the publisher

Rooftoppers - Katherine Rundell

Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell

Review by M

Rooftoppers has been nominated for the Carnegie 2014 medal.

Rooftoppers is unusual and it is wonderful; the kind of novel that lights you up inside.

There’s been a lot of high praise for Rooftoppers but the initial story premise didn’t grab me. I pushed the novel towards the front of my review books mostly because of Katherine Rundell’s tweets. I’m glad I did because the book’s as good and interesting as her twitter account.

A baby girl, Sophie, is orphaned in a shipwreck, and found floating on a cello case at sea. Charles Maxim, an eccentric intellectual takes her in, home educates her and battles with social services who think it inappropriate for a single man to raise a girl.  The thing he teaches her the loudest is never to ignore a possible....and so the story opens up.

In Rooftoppers, Rundell combines social observations and criticisms with the beautifully fantastical in a tone that bears charming wit. The imagery she uses is both funny and enchanting and her characters are wholly endearing and I think Charles Maxim, Sophie’s guardian, will sit alongside Atticus Finch as one of my favourite ‘fathers’ in literature. I found delight in nearly every page (though I did raise an eyebrow at the need to include a fight scene – but hey).

Rooftoppers is perfect for slightly older fans of Pippi Longstocking or Frances Hardinge’s character, Neverfell (A Face Like Glass). It’s full of the elements I love to find in children’s fiction and it’s a book I suspect might get passed along the generations.

Publication details: 2013, Faber, London, paperback

This copy: review copy from the publisher

She Is Not Invisible - Marcus Sedgwick

She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick

 

Review by M

 

The cover, feel and shape of this book makes it aesthetically one of my favourites this year. I’d be tempted to buy it just for that.....

She Is Not Invisible is about sixteen year old Laureth who takes her seven year old brother to New York in search of her author father whom she suspects has gone missing. Her situation is fraught with potential mishaps that are substantially multiplied when you realise that there is something unusual about Laureth and there’s something unusual about Benjamin, her brother, too. Actually, the whole scenario is compellingly unusual, and it’s also funny and it’s warm.

The basic plot is a mystery but Sedgwick weaves in a number of mysteries and games of his own which will delight many readers – especially the last page! Clues of all sorts are placed throughout the pages and I liked that.

Essentially, the novel is about the different ways we see things and how we act upon our perceptions. The novel also explores the subject of coincidences and so it’s not surprising when coincidences pop up in the novel (whether they’re sometimes used as plot devices or not could make for an interesting debate; I was a little unsatisfied and things came together too easily for me).

The novel is a quick read and on the whole, it’s a lot of fun and easy. Although published by a teen/young adult imprint, younger readers may also enjoy the challenge of some of the concepts raised (but I found some of the details on the theoretical aspects of coincidence and synchronicity a bit dull – even though it’s actually quite interesting!).

Like Sedgwick’s Midwinterblood, She Is Not Invisible is a story that wants you to play and examine things within and beyond the novel.

If you enjoy this novel, I think you will love reading novels by Rebecca Stead, like When You Reach Me or Liar & Spy.

 

 

 

PS. I haven't acted on the last page yet - I'm saving it!

PPS. I have a thing with a number too: 32
PPPS. Richard Parker sure gets around in literature. So much for shipwrecked!

  

Publication details: Indigo, 2013, London, hardback

This copy: review copy from the publishers

 

North of Nowhere - Liz Kessler

North of Nowhere by Liz Kessler

Review by Chutney* (12)

North of Nowhere has been nominated for the Carnegie Medal 2014.

 

Publisher’s summary:

The sleepy seaside village of Porthaven hides a mystery....

Mia’s grandad has vanished and nobody knows why. When Mia and her mum go to support her grandma, Mia makes friends with local girl, Dee. But why does Dee seem to go out of reach? Why does she claim to be facing violent storms when Mia sees only sunny skies? And can Mia solve the mystery and find her grandad before time and tide wash away his future?

North of Nowhere was inspired by the real village of Hallsands, South Devon, that collapsed into the sea one stormy night in January 2017.

 

 

 

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Our reviewer, Chutney (age 12), used North of Nowhere to complete a school reading report. Here are her responses:

Genre: mystery, adventure

I chose to read this book because I found the cover interesting and attractive. The storyline caught my attention and it is the most recent book I have received. The story was situated in Porthaven, a fishing village where Mia tried to find the grandad.

I would give Mia an award for her determination to solve the mystery of her grandad’s disappearance. I learnt from the story that with bravery and hope you can conquer anything. I would like to invite Peter over to my house. I would invite him because there are many questions I would like to know the answers to.

There is nothing that I would change about the book because the storyline was interesting, the pace was perfect for me, I enjoy the idea of time travelling and the story captured my mind throughout.

 

Publication details: Orion Children’s Books, 2013, London, hardback
This copy: review copy from the publishers

 

*Chutney is a nickname!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Such Wicked Intent - Kenneth Oppel

Such Wicked Intent: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein 

by Kenneth Oppel

 

Book Review by Little M

Such Wicked Intent is the second novel in Kenneth Oppel's prequels to Mary Shelley's classic book, Frankenstein. The first novel is This Dark Endeavour: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein. I haven't read Shelley's Frankenstein but I assume that Kenneth Oppel created part of the books around it.

Oppel has written this novel with a sixteen-year old boy, Victor Frankenstein, as the main character and narrator. After the death of Konrad Frankenstein, Victor and the Frankenstein household suffer terribly. The novel shows how Victor grows an obsession for resurrecting his twin brother, Konrad, from the dead. Victor is madly in love with his headstrong, distant cousin, Elizabeth. However, Victor knows that Elizabeth and Konrad were together but he will not stop till he gets what he wants. Victor, Elizabeth and their best friend, Henry, search for ingredients to help Victor bring Konrad back from the dead. Though, what they find will change their perspectives on life altogether.

I loved both of these novels written by Kenneth Oppel though my favourite is definitely the second novel, Such Wicked Intent. I find the characters change a lot more and they grow a lot more as a person. Even though I prefer Such Wicked Intent I really did love This Dark Endeavour otherwise I might not have read the second novel.

I really love Oppel's style of writing in these novels. It is very different to another book I have read by him, Half Brother. Both series/books are exceedingly different and I didn't realise they were written by the same author as the style of writing is very different and also the novels are in completely different genres. I think the Frankenstein prequels would be in the Gothic genre as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was a Gothic novel but I also think it would be in the YA category. I think the Half Brother novel would come under contemporary fiction or realistic fiction. Half Brother I think is written for younger readers than the Frankenstein prequels however I have recommended Half Brother to M (who is my mum).

 

I have read three books by Kenneth Oppel and I have loved all of them. He is definitely one of my favourite authors. I would definitely recommend him to readers of H.M Castor because Oppel’s writing style reminds me a lot of VIII.

 

Publication Details: David Fickling Books, Oxford, 2012, hardback but this edition 2013, paperback

This copy: Received for review from the publisher