What a great story! This leads on from Gathering Storm, and it might be confusing if you haven’t read the previous stories. There is more wonderful weWhat a great story! This leads on from Gathering Storm, and it might be confusing if you haven’t read the previous stories. There is more wonderful weather magic for Stella to learn, but she is also making her own decisions – rightly or wrongly.
This story mixes in some norse folklore to name things like the Kraken, and involves Stella’s parents in their oceanographic research, leading to a dangerous situation for all. It’s fast-moving, but takes time to smell the flowers on the way. I loved this story, and while it completes the plot laid down in the first book, I hope there will be more to come in this world, perhaps featuring the other weather weavers and cloud keepers.
(PS, I hope the librarians change the cover to the right book soon)...more
Although this took me a little while to get into, it turned into a fantastic and wonderfully written adventure, even better than Ghostcloud.
I rememberAlthough this took me a little while to get into, it turned into a fantastic and wonderfully written adventure, even better than Ghostcloud.
I remembered Luke, of course, and his adventures with, er, Alma. But Jess, ah yes, and Ravi, okay, but who are all these other people? I suffered a bewilderment about who was who and, most importantly, which of the many characters introduced as potential goodies or baddies were essential to the plot. It turns out that one of the minor ones was, and most of the ghosts and ghouls weren’t.
Of course, younger readers will have better memories than me and probably no trouble keeping up. But it was a relief when they left London on their quest, and we settled to a less frantic existence.
Less frantic for the reader, maybe, but Luke and his friends are heading straight into mortal danger. Again. I loved their attitude; ‘we didn’t have a plan last time and it worked out okay.’ Yes, it suited them down to the ground, although I think as a former project manager I should side with Jess on this one and say they need a plan, even a rough one! But the number of things that just happened to be hanging around just when they needed them… well, it was well planned by the author. And they did not emerge unscathed!
It’s a delightful story, beautifully rounded off. I wonder if there will, in fact, be more…...more
Rosa is an experienced time traveller who appeared in the excellent Sons of the Sphinx, and I think she was responsible for giving Jerome an ankh to kRosa is an experienced time traveller who appeared in the excellent Sons of the Sphinx, and I think she was responsible for giving Jerome an ankh to keep in touch. For Jerome, the idea of time travel is, well, screwy. So despite his joy at a holiday with Rosa to a Greek island to see his grandfather, when he starts experiencing odd events he dismisses them – apart from the weird people who seem to want to break into grandfather’s house. Like a good adventurer, he decides to track them down.
That leads grandfather to reveal the secret of the Five Feathers… and the adventure takes off, with secret signs, hidden caves, journeys in the dark, rock falls, and baddies around every corner. And the statue of an Atlantean horse with an all-too-knowing look in in its eye.
This is an excellent adventure, and will lead even the most reluctant reader onwards to discover the location of the next feather – and who will turn up to try to prevent Jerome and Rosa from finding it. Cheryl Carpinello writes exciting contemporary language for the more reluctant older middle grader. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series!...more
This is a well thought-out future world, if only our governments would move this fast. Thirty years hence, wilderness lands have full protection, oil This is a well thought-out future world, if only our governments would move this fast. Thirty years hence, wilderness lands have full protection, oil and other fossil fuel projects no longer exist. But it seems the world’s desire for more electricity hasn’t gone away. Sufficiency didn’t get into the sustainability paradigm, obviously.
Rory (a girl, which confused me – is it common in the US to use traditional boys’ names for girls?) is more her father’s child than her mother’s. She loves the outdoors and wilderness things. But Dad lives isolated in the wilderness, and Mum works for a new corporate determined to extract oil in a biodegradable way. And Mum and Dad may not be formally together any more anyway. This is one of the things Rory is battling against. She also strives to settle among the hostile indigenous population, who did not leave when the wilderness was ‘cleared’ as the politicians would have it. They are still there, living in the remains of the settlement surrounded by ghosts. Figurative ghosts of course. Anything else must be a figment of Rory’s overstretched and overstressed imagination. Mum is really stressed of course.
Beyond the Frozen Horizon is a well-written suspense story, full of the flavour of Arctic Svalbard if a little off on some of the detail. The characters are extremely well drawn, and ring true, not only in their mixed emotions towards friendship to newcomers, but also in their antagonism to the oil company. It’s not just the big business ousting the locals, it’s more the protection of their pristine land, and the need for it to remain so. In fact underlying the whole story is a warning that even if we get big business to act now, we can’t rely on them to stay acting in the earth’s interests if their profits are at stake.
It’s a really good envisioning of one aspect of a climate changed future that most people could do with reading, let alone middle grade readers. I just had to dock half a star because of the Svalbard mistakes; the author did her research at the wrong time of year. But at least she did some research....more
When I first started reading Looking For Emily, I was reminded of other books where a city kid has moved to a small seaside town, and hoped it wasn't When I first started reading Looking For Emily, I was reminded of other books where a city kid has moved to a small seaside town, and hoped it wasn't going to be much the same. Nothing is further from the truth. The 'one-of-a-kind mystery' lives up to its billing!
Fiona Longmuir brilliantly recreates the hidden depths of an old smuggling community, complete with false fronts and secret passages. It's the ideal setting for a thrilling mystery that takes many twists before it all turns out well. But there are still more secrets that emerge in the end.
It's beautifully written; I loved the changing attitudes of Lily - and her friends Sam and Jay - who are pretty much the village oddities themselves, until Lily turns up.
With a complex plot skilfully executed, it may well be one of the best middle grade books of 2022 - but it has a lot of competition, even in my lists! ...more
I have mixed feelings about You Go First. In fact, I had very mixed-up feelings throughout this book and was very grateful for a positive outcome for I have mixed feelings about You Go First. In fact, I had very mixed-up feelings throughout this book and was very grateful for a positive outcome for all.
It’s incredibly well written. Ms Kelly brings everyone in this book straight into your heart, whether for good or bad, in case of the thumping bullies. I love the premise of two introverts becoming friends through online communication. ‘How unusual!’ (irony) That should tell you a lot more about what I felt about it!
What I found difficult was the whole idea that these kids were somehow ‘different’. Yes, they’re brainy, and interested in other things from most of their peers. They follow their own plan. Someone might even tell me they are on one of those spectrums we hear so much about – or at least those of us that don’t have school-age kids hear about – others have to deal with the paperwork. The trouble is, I found it so terribly, terribly easy to identify with both of them. A bit more Ben, especially with his bright idea of becoming a student rep, and his campaigning. And then with Charlotte, except I did off-load half my name and insist on the ‘friendlier’ part — and taking a trip to a museum to solve my question would be just my thing…
So what this book did for me was to awaken all sorts of anxieties, probably nearer the surface than they need be after lockdowns and moving put the stress levels up. But I become outraged the way people bully kids and treat them like they’re different. Thank goodness Magda is of the same ilk. She’s a keeper, is Magda....more
This book proudly carries the Blue Peter Award for the Best Story (2019). That should have made me realise before I started it, that it’s a UK productThis book proudly carries the Blue Peter Award for the Best Story (2019). That should have made me realise before I started it, that it’s a UK production. How refreshing. And how topical.
If you don’t live in the UK, or Europe, you probably haven’t noticed that the arrogant leaders of this Isle think we’re something special, far too good to accept any old riff-raff entering our shores and taking British jobs (and welfare state handouts, pitiful though they are). Sorry, I may need to censor this review for Goodreads.
The book: how a refugee from Syria found himself on a chair at the back of the narrator’s class. How his story, both his history and what the locals do to help him, comes out.
I live on the south coast. Our coastguards and lifeboats are alert to rescue people in open boats crossing the superhighway of tankers and freighters–La Manche, or the English Channel. That’s at the risk of encountering Royal Navy warships on alert to keep the people out and turn them back. I told you it was disgusting.
Onali Q Rauf knows the details of this only too well. The story she has crafted holds all the pathos of families fleeing for their lives, yet a straightforward development of friendship between young people regardless of the politics. Although some parents are free with their political views. So it’s a wonderful mix of great story telling, and information for kids that they will hear (and repeat) in their own playgrounds.
The plot has a slight swerve into the mawkish, but then gets out of it, with some excellent advice for youngsters who inadvertently become celebrities.
Does it matter that it’s UK based? No, I think not: the plight of Central/South Americans trying to escape warlords in their own countries and reach America is well known. Virtually all the countries of Europe, south west Asia, and north west Africa are involved in the refugee crisis (the latter in addition to their own drought problems).
And what started as escape from war will get worse as people seek new homes not devastated by climate change. This is just the start. If you want to consider where it might go, see The Survival Game, which I read a couple of years ago.
It’s a brilliant, engrossing story. It also presses my buttons....more
This (aka WaffleHeart) is a wonderful, warm-hearted story for all ages. Other than to make tea, I couldn’t put it down! I absolutely adored it. Such aThis (aka WaffleHeart) is a wonderful, warm-hearted story for all ages. Other than to make tea, I couldn’t put it down! I absolutely adored it. Such a refreshing change to have a small town where everybody knows each other, yet the kids still get up to tricks that, frankly, would make me laugh even if I was a parent there. It seems to belong to an earlier era, but I suspect that in a Norwegian fjord village, this is probably still a life they recognise. Maybe with more television.
There is real heartache from Trille on many occasions, and even Lena is not as immune as she makes out. Beautifully built characters.
I thought the translation was very good (by Guy Puzey), but I’m interested to hear whether the US version has a different translator, as some of the idioms in the first couple of chapters (e.g.popping one’s clogs) maybe need a different translation, not just a different title ...more
Ghostcloud has a lovely premise to it, and it's quite a surprise for the reader to find the hero shovelling coal in the bottom of a dystopian BatterseGhostcloud has a lovely premise to it, and it's quite a surprise for the reader to find the hero shovelling coal in the bottom of a dystopian Battersea Power Station at the start of the book. Dickensian with a futuristic note. And right from the start I was suspicious of the Golden Tickets awarded for the 'best' kids of the week. After twitching a few times at future London's ruins that would not have existed in the past, I settled into going with the flow of an alternative world.
As with many books I've read this year, I found it enjoyable, but easy to put down. I even left it for a while and came back to it: it's easy to pick up and the characters stay with you. That's very good, if even my overworked brain is remembering them! And like many of those others, when I got back to it a third time (before 50%), I couldn't put it down and read straight through to the exciting finish.
This is a really well imagined world, even if Tabitha Margate does tend towards the Cruella DeVille. Michael Mann brings forward some truly innovate ghosts and ghost mechanisms, some that even Neil Gaiman would be proud of, I'm sure.
All in all, Ghostcloud is a thoroughly enjoyable book, a worthy first publication from the author, and I look forward to seeing what Michael Mann comes up with in the future....more
I still haven’t quite decided whether I enjoyed this book. Maybe the feeling of The Woman in White that followed me as I read the first part unsettledI still haven’t quite decided whether I enjoyed this book. Maybe the feeling of The Woman in White that followed me as I read the first part unsettled me. In a fairly predictable opening, Bela arrives at the uncle’s house to find everything far from rosy. The servants or assistants behave in a strange way towards her. But as a spunky girl heroine should, she overcomes her fears and starts exploring. By now we’ve learnt enough about her father’s disappearance to suspect what’s happening. Sure enough, Bela manages to get herself back in time to meet her half-sister. I don’t think that’s a spoiler as it’s in the blurb.
The story about how they turn from mutual dislike to sisterhood is reasonably believable, since they tackle many difficult tasks together, with some assistance from spirit world people and birds. It’s well-written, and the story should have peaks of excitement enough to keep a younger reader turning the pages. It didn’t do it for me, though, and whenever I put it down it took me ages to remember to pick it up again. And it was easy to do so–no difficulty remembering the plot, or who was who. Am I expecting too much?
I’ve given it a generous four stars on Goodreads, because I think it deserves more than three, for the world-building and characterisation alone. But there are plenty of four star books I’d prefer. ...more
Goodnight Mister Tom had already seeped into the recesses of my brain as a children’s book to match the credentials of those such as the Wind in the WGoodnight Mister Tom had already seeped into the recesses of my brain as a children’s book to match the credentials of those such as the Wind in the Willows. The story of an evacuee from the East End of London to the wilds of somewhere, it could be predictable. In some ways, though, it set the pattern for other books that followed.
At the same time, the glory of the writing stopped any hint of the mundane. The prose sweeps along, heightening the senses, deepening the pain, excruciating the agony. Having started, I wanted to finish. But I needed the space to sink myself in this world, so marvellously brought back into reality.
It is a tour de force of settings as a character. The village, the city, the countryside, can only be that time and that place. Kids in the countryside could roam free of many parental controls, to run and laugh–and walk for miles to school. That was the way it was. Poor city kids were sewn into their underwear for winter–padded with newspaper to keep them warm. The whole contradictory range of kindness, pettiness, ‘jobs-worth’, and blind bravery. And all this while waiting for Hitler to do something, and then Dunkirk, and then the Blitz.
The spirit of the book changes as the war progresses. Will and his friends start growing in a different direction–kicking against the old world, coming to terms with the new, in which anything is possible. Even girls going on to gain scholarships to the High School (school change at age 11-12)!
I wondered what all the fuss was about with this book. Now I’m in on the secret, and it’s wonderful. If you haven’t read it, grab this anniversary copy, with some nice extras at the back. It’s like Wind in the Willows for another generation....more
Several things happened at the start of this story which made me wonder why this was considered a children’s book. The author even thought it was suitSeveral things happened at the start of this story which made me wonder why this was considered a children’s book. The author even thought it was suitable for under 8s. I also wondered why it was awarded so many prizes. I think the answer is, because by the time it ends, you forget how awful the start is.
Lots of good things happen in this book, once you get past the first 40% or so. Possibly slightly before. Maybe I was still reeling from them. Maybe I’m sensitive to the huge numbers of once-loved family animals that have been abandoned during the Covid crisis. This book seems to normalise abandonment. I find it wholly abhorrent that a children’s book should not even consider for a moment rehoming or sending to a rescue. You know, a line like ‘I phoned the rescue, but they won’t take him’ would at least indicate some possibility other than ‘dump your pet at the side of the road in the woods, and let him fend for himself (he doesn’t know how and has always lived indoors).’
And it is incredibly confusing to have a war coming from the west in what is definitely north America, and the fighters relying on some sort of mine as a defence. I have no idea what period this is set in, and it doesn’t help.
So, having considered abandoning the book, I read the reviews, found several people of a similar frame of mind to my own among the dozens of gushing 5 stars, and carried on.
It’s not a bad story. It’s a little predictable. The writing is very nice, and the animal personas well done. Vola, the lone human who lives in the woods, carves puppets and tries to work out life one step at a time, is a breath of fresh air. But there are several tropes, and the bus ‘going the right way’ solved a huge number of plot problems. How convenient.
But an award-winner? Not in my book. Maybe I’m just jaded....more
Delightful adventure for Max the Tonkinese cat through the time travelling book by mistake. Max encounters a magician, a lamp, and some new friends toDelightful adventure for Max the Tonkinese cat through the time travelling book by mistake. Max encounters a magician, a lamp, and some new friends to help him find his way home...but they seem to think they'll meet again. A short story from the magnificent Shadows from the Past series by Wendy Leighton-Porter!...more
As usual, Wendy Leighton-Porter brings history alive in the best possible way, as Jemima, Joe and Charlie take the time-travelling journey to the pastAs usual, Wendy Leighton-Porter brings history alive in the best possible way, as Jemima, Joe and Charlie take the time-travelling journey to the past. They are a bit slow on the uptake once again, but soon find themselves rescued by a kindly lady. She instals them in her house, and fabricates a story of them being her long-lost cousin’s children, in need of her care.
Charlie is well-prepared for this journey, having smuggled modern maps through the portal to help him find his way. I wonder how much this influenced Christopher Wren’s plans for the future? The author takes a few liberties with which famous people are in London at the same time, having arguments and debates in London’s coffee houses, but it’s all for good reason.
And for the first time, we cross the path of the children’s lost parents, and discover (although I think we’d guessed) why they can’t get back to their own time.
I was really looking forward to this book, and I wasn’t disappointed. The time, the event, and the sights and sounds of London of 1666 are brilliantly created and used by Leighton-Porter in Shadow of the Great Fire. And Max plays an essential role, once more. Even if he is a bit of a wuss otherwise!...more
The blurb certainly tells you all about the plot. Payal Doshi has written a beautiful book. She contrasts the atmosphere of an Indian village, with anThe blurb certainly tells you all about the plot. Payal Doshi has written a beautiful book. She contrasts the atmosphere of an Indian village, with an amazing otherworld. Everyone will be familiar with the back-biting and competitiveness of the schoolkids.
Rea and Leela make an excellent pair. First they get over the hurdle of 'a girl like her would hardly want to be friends with me.' Then they make a really good team. Rea's moods and temperament swing about a great deal, but this is understandable, given the situation she's in. Leela's steadfast friendship is just what she (and the reader) needs.
I loved the contrasts in Astranthia, a civilisation based on the flower world. The deep black dungeons of the castle against the lively, outwardly carefree locals. But underneath they are careworn and frightened of their queen. Rea barges in all guns blazing, metaphorically, and only later wonders how she could have done such a thing!
The unveiling of the truths surrounding her was somewhat confusing at times. In this case, everyone has two names, one for Astranthia and one for India. But a more alert reader than me would take this in their stride.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a breath of fresh air, even with all the smells from the dungeons...more
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