Who doesn't love a hole in a book? I love the idea of the hole, and I do wish it were possible to make the holes part of every illustration! I'm sure the illustrator would probably find that rather restrictive, but even so, I delighted in each picture that used the hole in some way. Petu Pumpkin: Tooth Troubles What if you really need a football and the only person who can get you one is the tooth fairy? And then, what if the tooth fairy bargains with you and says that a football is worth at least two teeth and not just one? I chuckled as I read Petu Pumpkin: Tooth Troubles and could picture so much of it as the kind of cartoon I would have watched as a child! The very correct, very polite letters to the tooth fairy; the joy of a fallen tooth; the conviction that a tooth deserves some sort of payment ... What fun the book was! TitlePetu Pumpkin: Tooth … [Read more...]
Top Ten: Young Adult Books
Being a young adult is to inhabit a complex and confusing world. When books address this phase of life beautifully, they can be breathtaking. Here are my top ten YA books of 2019. Stargirl Writer: Jerry SpinelliPublisher: Laurel Leaf Thinking about Stargirl makes me smile, for the character of Stargirl is impossibly sweet, impossibly wonderful. Leo loves her, but unlike her, he is bound by this world. He seeks the approval and acceptance of people around him and he wants Stargirl to be normal, even though he assures her that he loves how not-normal she is.For a while, Stargirl tries, for she loves Leo too. But that is not who she is. How can Stargirl be normal? In a different context, I could ask, how do you keep a wave upon the sand? Read my review of StargirlBuy Stargirl Wolf Cry Writer: Julia GoldingPublisher: Frost Wolf From an author I love comes … [Read more...]
Top Ten: Middle-Grade Books
Narrowing down to my top ten middle-grade books is always the hardest of all! Some of these books are younger than others, as always, because age ranges are hard to define. A few of these would be borderline chapter books; a few would be borderline young adult. The Racehorse Who Wouldn't Gallop Writer: Clare BaldingIllustrator: Tony RossPublisher: Penguin UK As a child, I loved the Animal Ark series so much that I longed to be a vet. When I learned that studying medicine involved cutting things up, I balked. Yet, animals were special to me, and I would go as far as to say that they are special to most children.The Racehorse Who Wouldn't Gallop is a charming story of love for animals. It is a tale of friendship and grit: friendship among animals, people, and animals and people. Once more, it is a story that explores the idea that children can do … [Read more...]
Top Ten: Chapter Books
Calling all the books that I've listed here 'chapter books' is perhaps unfair. Some are quite a bit longer than others. I'm uncomfortable defining books on the basis of age too, as reading levels differ widely even within one school, let alone across schools, areas and countries. I think, broadly, this list comprises books that I enjoyed reading as an adult and would probably have loved when I was eight or nine. Me and Mister P Writer: Maria Farrer Illustrator: Daniel RieleyPublisher: Oxford University Press What can I say about the delightful Mister P? Though I read Me and Mister P almost a year ago, it is one of those timeless books that stay with you, a classic.When Arthur discovers a polar bear at his doorstep, the warmest of friendships begins to blossom. Mister P does not say a word, but something special is born out of those wonderful bear hugs and the … [Read more...]
The Racehorse Who Wouldn’t Gallop
Ooh! That's Polly! Let me wave out to her!Oops. I'm at an auction and I just ended up buying a horse for a thousand pounds. No, I'm not quoting, but this is the lovely premise of a heart-warming story of a racehorse who refuses to gallop. Ten-year-old Charlie Bass loves horses, but she has only ever ridden a cow on her farm. When she accidentally bids for a racehorse that her father must now buy, Charlie is determined to make the purchase of Noble Warrior the best decision ever, even if it means additional expenses on Folly Farm for a while. Charlie ropes her brothers Harry and Larry in and, as a team, they begin to train Noble Warrior, aka Noddy, to become the next winner of the Derby. The Racehorse Who Wouldn't Gallop is a story about friendship - between a horse and a palomino pony, and among the humans in the story. Most of all, though, more than all the … [Read more...]
After Tomorrow
Flawed narrators make me squirm. When I read a story from the point of view of a character who does not make the right decisions, I often don't know whether to read on. Fictional friends are important to me as a reader. I read to befriend the characters. What if the protagonist doesn't seem like the kind of friend I would like to have? I read After Tomorrow slowly for exactly that reason - it made me uncomfortable. However, the point is that the story is supposed to make me uncomfortable, for it's dystopic, set in a time when the pound is worthless and no one has food. The only thing Matt and his family can do is to try, somehow, to move out of the UK and into France, which is, at least for the time-being, allowing a few refugees in. But Matt resents everything that comes his way. He does not want to learn French; he thinks it is pointless. His stepfather Justin is nowhere near as … [Read more...]
The Island at the End of Everything
Amihan lives with her nanay on Culion, the island at the end of everything. Unlike most of the others - who came by boat to this beautiful, lush green island with blue skies - Ami was born on the island, an island of lepers. Except that they don't use the word 'leper' on Culion; instead, they say that the people there are Touched. Ami's mother, her nanay, is her world, her everything. But Mr Zamora, a government official, has other plans, founded on segregation. Everyone on Culion is to be tested for leprosy. Those who carry the disease must live separately from those who are 'clean'. Worst of all, children under 18 who are not Touched will be taken to an orphanage on another island. And so, Ami, who is not Touched, must leave her mother and go with the evil Mr Zamora to a place she has never visited. She must learn how to make friends and worst of all, she must learn to live as an … [Read more...]
The Boundless
The Boundless starts slowly; I almost did not read it. But that's what made me realise once again how important reviews are: I read on only because Katherine Rundell was quoted as having said, 'WHAT A BOOK!' And though there were parts I skimmed over, and parts that irked me (like the tiny peculiar sentence in Hindi), I have to agree - The Boundless is a phenomenal book in many ways. It's wild, imaginative and breath-taking, full of the kind of danger and adventure that keeps you reading on and on, however much you may skip on the way. The Boundless is the greatest train in history, but for young William Everett, it turns out to be much more than that because several people intend to rob the funeral car, which carries the body of the rail baron and some of his treasures. From sasquatch to the hag of the muskeg, William encounters all kinds of strange creatures during his journey in … [Read more...]
Pig Heart Boy
Cameron's heart is weak. He does not know how long he has to live. But there's a doctor who believes that a heart transplant from a pig will give him a chance. And Cameron decides to take the chance. Pig Heart Boy is an incredible story, overwhelming me with all the ideas it encompasses. Life and death, family, friendship, betrayal, economic hardship, incomprehensible greed, animal rights ... The nuances of the story took my breath away. Cameron's parents fight all the time, and the thirteen-year-old boy hates it, especially as he knows he is central to many of their quarrels. Even when it comes to the idea of going through a 'procedure' and getting the heart of a pig, his mother isn't convinced, unlike his father. Worse, the entire procedure has to be hush-hush because Dr Bryce knows only too well that a transplant of this sort would attract unnecessary attention. Cameron realises … [Read more...]
Making Millions
Nicholas wants to go for a masterclass, but his parents refuse to shell out the money he would need. What do real friends do when a friend is in need? Even though Cass thinks that yet another class is strange, this masterclass is what her friend Nicholas wants. So, of course, Cass and the Bubble Street Gang need to make money - and quickly. While they're at it, they decide to become millionaires - there's no need to keep their dreams small, is there? And so, that's the Bubble Street Gang's next project - making millions. Making millions is not the only project that Cass has on her hands. She has a mystery to solve. There is an invisible boy in her class, and no one seems to believe her when she says that. She must get Invisible Boy to reveal himself, and she's determined to do so. Making Millions is a hilarious, heart-warming story, and I loved everything about it. As a child, … [Read more...]
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