Brilliant Books For Blizardy Weather.

Brilliant Books For Blizardy Weather.

What a week! The Beast from the East has had us well and truly in his icy grasp whilst storm Emma has also made her presence known; it's certainly been a fun-filled time with inches of snow falling, causing havoc everywhere we turn. In fact, it's now Sunday morning and, as we sit typing this, it's snowing again!

There seemed no question, therefore, as to the books we chose to review this week:

Sky Song - Abi Elphinstone

Set in the kingdom of Erkenwald, amongst icebergs, the Nevercliffs and in the shadow of Winterfang Palace, we find Eska trapped in a music box, held captive by the evil Ice Queen whose sole aim is to become immortal and to rule the lands.  Eska is a feisty and determined character who manages to escape the music box (with the help of Flint) and then sets out to try to defeat the Ice Queen and to free all the tribe-members imprisoned within Winterfang Palace. With Eska's determination and Flint's magical inventions, they embark on the adventure of their life-time ... but can they succeed or will the Ice Queen steal all the voices (including Eska's most powerful voice) before the midnight sun rises?

K's opinion: I have to admit that I was a little tentative when I began reading this as I'm not a huge fan of books set in mythical lands; however, I have had my opinion well and truly changed by this book!  This is a beautifully written novel which uses vocabulary so wonderfully to paint its pictures that I found myself quickly drawn into the plot and to rooting for Eska and for Flint and his sister.  This is a novel about belonging - Eska has no memories of her past when Flint rescues her from the music box and, in a world where tribes are everything, she is desperate to find herself and her tribe; however, she quickly discovers that tribes come in all shapes and sizes and that belonging can mean so many different things. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, especially as I finished it whilst the snow fell this week. I also love the fact that the main character is an independent female.

Favourite lines in the book: 
" 'I don't think you have to fight with weapons to be a warrior,' Eska whispered, 'You could fight with love and tears and inventions instead.' "

" 'I think gentleness is a mighty word because you have to be strong of heart to be kind.' "

They sum up the book for us and are lessons we could all do with learning.

O's opinion:  The characters made this book come to life for me. Eska's inability to remember anything about her past made her an interesting character. Flint was my favourite character as he is very adventurous and he showed me that I am allowed to be different to everyone else around me. 
This book was amazing to read and I would read it again and again.
I would recommend this book to children aged 9-13, in particular fans of books like The Hobbit.
I'm looking forward to Abi Elphinstone's next book.

Below Zero - Dan Smith.

12 year old Zak Reeves and his family have travelled to Outpost Zero (a station in Antarctica, for eight families who are training for life on Mars); their St Lucia holiday dramatically cut short so that his parents can fix a problem with the spider drones they invented.  It's supposed to be a quick visit before heading back home so that Zak can start treatment for his brain tumour.  Nothing is supposed to go wrong ... but then they crash land on arrival, all the lights are out and not a soul is to be found. From the second they arrive, they realise something is wrong, very wrong, and it quickly falls to Zak and his strange visions to discover what's happening, what is hiding below the ice, where everybody is disappearing to and to try to save everybody in time.

K's opinion: From the very first page, this book had me gripped! It's fast paced and full of suspense and action. I often find that suspense in books comes in waves, giving the reader rest-bite in between, but not this one - and I liked that!  There are hints and clues dropped as to what is actually beneath the ice but you are kept guessing.  
As a class, we always read during afternoon registrations and that includes me as the teacher.  During one registration, whilst reading this book, I looked up to discover that none of the class were reading but, instead, were watching me gesticulate to the book in a state of panic about what was happening!  From that instant there was a queue of children desperate to get their hands on the book as soon as I was done and they have loved it too! 
A definite recommendation for Y5&6 children, I think this would appeal to more reluctant readers as well as bookworms as the action and suspense will carry them along.

O's opinion:  I loved the original idea of the story and the characters, and by 10 pages in I couldn't put the book down! The characters were so interesting in their perspective and how they conquered the challenges they faced, in particular, Zak who was determined to do his best to save everybody and not to let his brain tumour get in the way. He's not scared of dying so I think this meant that his tumour helped him try to come to the rescue. 
This story is full of adventure but scary at times. I liked the setting as being in a big empty space meant that nobody else was going to come and help. 
This book should empty the shelves in minutes. Below Zero is truly a great success!