Dragon Mountain - Katie & Kevin Tsang (Released September)

Sometimes a book comes along and, when you first pick it up, you don't realise just how good it's going to be.  Well, for me, Dragon Mountain was one of those books.

Billy has left his family behind in the states and is reluctantly heading to China to spend the holidays at a summer camp improving his Chinese.  There are only 11 others at the camp and Billy is teamed up with Dylan, Charlotte and Ling Fei for their activities.  Things, however, quickly take a dramatic turn when they discover four dragons trapped in an ancient mountain - dragons who need their help to save the Dragon Realm from the Dragon of Death and the nox-wings. 

Whilst Billy is the main character, it's Dylan who wins me over with his touches of self-deprecating humour and wit (he kind of reminds me a little of Ron Weasley!).  And the girls: Charlotte will initially be favoured by many I suspect as she's self-confident, assertive and a dominant force; however, Ling Fei's timid and gentle persona hides a strength of character I really admire.  Then there's the dragons (how can I not mention the dragons?!), all with their own wonderful characters from the start, even before they are given their names, they have such presence and made me want one myself - Buttons without doubt was my favourite, although I also liked the relationship between Billy and Spark.

This book is just full of everything you could want: a host of great characters (both human and non-human); excitement and gripping adventure; bravery and daring; plot twists and an edge of your seat ending that will make you hungry for more!

This is an original plot and a book that will appeal to so many; with elements of myths as well as a strong theme of friendship, it will make you want to head off on your own adventure, will leave you yearning for your own dragon and will give you the most serious book hangover!  I'm counting the months until book 2 so I can find out what happens next.  Dragon Mountain is an utterly unputdownable book that will leave you craving more!

The Wild Way Home - Sophie Kirtley (released July 2020)

Charlie lives on the edge of Mandel Forest and, with friends Beaky & Lamont, the trio spend much of their time there. However, everything changes on Charlie's 12th birthday with the birth of Charlie's baby brother, Dara, who is ill and requires an immediate heart operation.  From feeling excited, Charlie is suddenly resentful and scared - so Charlie runs ... and runs ... back to the forest to hide but comes across an injured boy.  Charlie tries to go for help, only to discover that Charlie has run all the way back to the Stone Age where the boy, Harby, needs help to find his missing sister, Mothga,  And so begins a race to save 2 babies separated by thousands of years.

This is a great book which crosses wonderfully from modern day life to the Stone Age.  The story is easy to get into and is a gripping read - I found myself saying, 'Just one more chapter' and then finding the end of the chapter being such a cliff-hanger that I had no choice but to read on! (hence why I read it in under 24 hours!).

Charlie is impulsive but finds that life changes so suddenly, it's difficult to comprehend what's happening (something I'm sure many children will have experienced at the minute with the changes to our everyday lives).  What was supposed to be a joyous occasion suddenly turns on its head and Charlie's jealousy erupts from nowhere and takes over which is what causes Charlie to run.

You may have noticed that I've used Charlie's name a lot in this review and I haven't used any pronouns and there's a deliberate reason for that: whilst I was reading, I realised that Charlie's gender is never revealed - a deliberate move by Sophie I found through our Twitter conversation and one I particularly like as I think it will help more readers to identify with Charlie (although, I take my hat off to Sophie: I've had enough trouble writing this blog without pronouns so I can only imagine how hard an entire book must have been!).

I very much noticed that nature runs right through this plot in its descriptions and the way nature links the past and the present.  The beginning very much feels like it's taking us back to a time when children spent their summer holidays heading off for long days of exploring and having adventures, a time that was care-free and this contrasts so well to the upset Charlie faces and as well as with Harby's life which is clearly much more difficult and dangerous.  The bond forged between the pair is heart-warming and shows us that language really isn't a barrier - they learn so much from each other and I think, in turn, we can learn so much from them.

The Wild Way Home is a story about family, courage and keeping those we love safe.  It's an adventure through time and nature that will have you gripped.

Sky Pirates - Alex English (Released date: July 2020)

Echo lives in Lockfort with her pet lizard Gilbert and her friend Prince Horace, and as an orphan, is being looked after by the king. It is believed that nothing exists outside the kingdom of Lockfort except the Barren (wasteland).
        One evening, whilst Echo is in her bedroom, an airship piloted by Professor Daggerwing crashes into the castle and Echo comes to the rescue.  He claims to come from a land beyond Lockfort and has with him a map of everywhere that reportedly exist outside the city walls. Is this the key to discovering what lies beyond the Barren and does a hair-pin hold the answer to the truth about Echo's family?

This is such a great book, full of adventure and great inventions (I now want a slideway in my house!), and host of great characters: Echo is a feisty young lady with a whole heap of determination and an apparently fearless nature; Horace is keen to follow the rules but also wants to support his friend, and then there's Professor Daggerwing (what a great name!) who's a wonderfully eccentric and affable person and somebody you'll definitely want to get to know.  Oh, and I can't forget Gilbert: who's a quirky lizard with a wonderful ability to say so much without uttering a word - he was my favourite character, an adorable side-kick and a true friend to Echo.

The worlds that are created are vivid and full of wonderful inventions and I felt I was wandering around them with the characters as I journeyed through the pages of the book; particularly in Port Tourbillon with all its unusual foods and inventions to discover.

This is a gripping page-turner, full of adventure and daring-do, explorations and journeys into unknown lands, and is perfect for fans of Vahsti Hardy, Abi Elphinstone and Peter Bunzl.

March Round-up

Well this really has been the strangest (& longest) of months, hasn't it?  O and I are both getting used to the idea of remote learning (as so many others are); but one things does remain constant in our lives and that's book.  When everything else is topsy-turvy, I find it reassuring that I can still escape into a book - I think it's something we all need right now. 

Here's our round-up of the books we've read this month...

K's books:

Dust Road - Tom Huddleston

Having loved FloodWorld, I was thrilled to receive a copy of DustRoad from Nosy Crow and wasted no time diving in.
Kara and Jo are back in London and we catch-up with them exactly where we left them at the end of FloodWorld where they are still determined to destroy the Mariners and their adventure leads them to the United States where they meet up with some old friends as well as a few new enemies.  
The book is straight into the action and is a page-turner of a read.  The characters are gritty (as they should be under the circumstances) and the strength of the females again were great to see.  After the cliffhanger of an ending, I'm looking forward to seeing where the adventure takes us in book 3!

The Vanishing Trick - Jenni Spangler (Release date: 30th April)

Leander is an orphan, hiding out in the great house where his mum worked, living hand-to-mouth in order to survive.  When he stumbles across the mysterious Madame Pinchbeck, his life changes for ever ... and all he has to do is hand over the only possession he still has: his mother's locket.  Now his soul is trapped for ever within the locket, along with his new friends, Felix and Charlotte, destined to be used to convince people that Pinchbeck is communicating with the dead,  vanish into their Cabinets when she commands.  But can they escape Pinchbeck's control?

This is a book set in times when seances and communicating with the dead was popular and is a dark and mysterious tale with a sinister main character and three determined children, each with their own agenda.  With eerie plot twists and chapter titles that lure you in, The Vanishing Trick is a gripping read.

The Ghost Garden - Emma Carroll.  (release date: 15th July)
I love Emma Carroll's books and also love the way Barrington Stoke adapt their books so to get a Barrington Stoke book written by Emma Carroll is just the icing on the cake!

Fran lives on the grounds of Langbarrow House and when she finds a bone in the grounds, she thinks nothing of it until Leo breaks his leg.  Whilst she is wheeling him round during his recovery, several more strange things occur, but are they just coincidences or is the garden trying to tell them something?

Emma Carroll writes the most wonderful historical fiction and this novella is no exception: in just 78 pages, she manages to capture the essence of pre-WWII Britain whilst creating a tension that must have been felt by the entire country.  With two spirited main characters to get to know, this is a great read with the most poignant and fitting last line of a book.

Orla and the Serpent's Curse - C. J. Haslam (Release date: 2nd April)

Orla, her brothers, her mum and her pet dog, Dave, are beginning a week's holiday on the Cornish coast in what appears to be a shack.  When they first arrive, Orla goes exploring and discovers a necklace when a giant oak tree is uprooted ... and it appears she may have discovered an ancient witch's curse, one which is poisoning the land and everything it touches.  But can she stop the curse?

Orla is a strong character with a determined nature and a keen drive to follow her own path - she's happy going off on her own and she certainly isn't afraid of danger.  However, there are a host of other great characters, from the mysterious goth Raven, to Orla's brohters Richard and Tom whose roles grow as the book develops.  But it's Dave the dog who creeps up and steels the show - he really is a star!

Full of sinister magic, this is a great mystery with plenty of twists in the plot and a host of great characters, this is a great book and then end in particular will have you gripped.  Orla and the Serpent's Curse is perfect for fans of Michelle Harrison's books. 

Amelia Fang and the Barbaric Ball - Laura Ellen Anderson.
Amelia is a vampire who lives in the world of Nocturnia; she and her friends go to Catacomb Academy and love goblin tag.  Her parents are about to host their famous Barbaric Ball which is the event of the year but it's one Amelia never looks forward to as it's full of grown-ups; however, this year, she gets excited when she hears the king and his son will be coming ... that is until she discovers that Prince Tangine is spoilt.  How will Amelia cope>  Especially when she discovers all is not what it seems.

What a great book this is!  Full of wonderful characters and a nocturnal world I'd love to visit.  Definitely the perfect pick-me-up at a time when we need cheering up!  I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series and can't believe it's taken me so long to read the first one!

Bloom - Nicola Skinner.

I have to admit that I'd looked at this book several times when I saw it on the shelves but hadn't got round to buying it so I was pleased when Harper Collins sent me a copy to celebrate the paperback release and now, having read it, I'm kicking myself for not having read it earlier!

Sorrel Fallowfield lives with her mum in a cottage in Little Sterilis, and she's a good girl; such a good girl, in fact, that she's convinced she'll win the schools competition to be the 'most amazing Grittysnit star of the entire school and Little Sterilis' despite the many strict rules about obedience and conveying the norm that govern the place.  But then Sorrel discovers a packet of 'Surprising Seeds' hidden below the patio of her house and all sorts of strange things begin to happen, but can Sorrel and her friend, Neena, figure out exactly what's going on?

Sorrel is a wonderful character: convinced she knows who she is and that being a good girl, and fully obeying every rule is always the right thing to do.  She believes it's her responsibility to make her mum happy and so it's great to watch her as she battles with the challenges she faces through the story.  And then there's Neena who's a little bit feisty and determined to be her own person - despite what anybody else thinks.  I like her spirit and her love of science.  Together they make a great pair in this rather wonderful book. 

Bloom is a wonderful story about finding nature, the power of nature and the wonder that it holds.  It's about finding yourself and being true to who you are, and it's about the power of just a little bit of magic.

Agents of the Wild Operation Honeyhunt - Jennifer Bell and Alice Lickens.

Agnes Gamble lives with her uncle of the 26th floor of an apartment block but she loves nature and wildlife, and longs to be closer to it.  So, one day, when an elephant shrew called Attenborough (Attie for short) arrives in her bedroom insisting she go with him, how could she refuse?  Suddenly she is plunged into the world of SPEARS (the Society for the Protection of Endangered & Awesomely Rare Species) where, after being trained, she is sent on a mission to rescue a bee named Elton from the Brazilian rain forest.

With a host of brilliant animal characters (I particularly like Elton and his love of dancing!) and a determined main character in Agnes, this is a great book that is perfect for children in lower KS2.

O's Books:

Kevin Pietersen Autobiography

This man is one of the best English cricketers, and whilst he polarised opinion more than any other, he is considered as one of the most talented batsmen ever to wear the three lions. This is his story, from his upbringing in South Africa, through to Natal and then his journey through the Birmingham League and county cricket with Notts and Hampshire, all the way to England and the IPL. Even through Textgate and the clique in the dressing room, he was an amazing batsman, from the 2005 Ashes match at the Oval, to the 2013-14 Ashes series. A true legend and his story is amazing.

Shakespeare's Sonnets
This is a book with all 154 of Shakespeare's sonnets in. Simple as that. I have always loved Shakespeare, and this is no exception. He is amazing and I love reading his work.







Noughts and Crosses - Malorie Blackman (YA)

Callum is a nought. Sephy is a cross. They can't be seen together, but they are best friends and when Callum gets a chance to go to Heathcroft, Sephy's cross school, he can't wait. But it's not as simple as that. Noughts are fighting for their independence and crosses are trying to contain them. How will they find a way?

This is an interesting book that covers a lot of themes, from the racial divide between noughts and crosses, to the young love story. I loved how Callum never gives up fighting for the greater good, and the writing style shows this as well. I found it interesting that Blackman wrote the novel from two voices, and therefore two perspectives, and that helped show the different lifestyles.
This is a very interesting book, and I would recommend it to people who want a good read, and to people who enjoy well written books. I loved it.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
This is the story of the Earth being destroyed, and one man (Arthur Dent) being left to remember it. He will have to travel with his friend (Ford Prefect), who is writing about Earth for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which is a book within the book. They journey across the galaxy, hitching rides from many different creatures, and they make friends along the way. This is a very funny book, and I loved the story and the main characters. A really funny and interesting book, I loved it.