Spellstoppers - Cat Gray

Whenever Max touches anything electrical, it explodes ... something that causes quite an inconvenience in his life!  At the beginning of the book we see him using a wooden spoon to switch things like the kettle on; however, when he manages to destroy his the new electric car his mum has just won (knocking himself out in the process), he is sent to spend the summer in Yowling with his grandfather.  It his here that he discovers that he is, in fact, a spellstopper just like his grandfather.  This means he can fix items that are enchanted and behaving in an unusual way.  Relieved that he isn't alone, Max sets about trying to learn this new skill.  Whilst doing this, he meets his grandfather's assistant, a young girl called Kit who introduces him to the village which is an unusual place on the coast.  Things seem to be improving for Max but then his grandfather is kidnapped and Max believes it's up to himself to rescue him.  

I absolutely loved everything about this book!  Great characters, the idea of the village on the sea, the thought of cakes that can be enchanted (you would have trouble getting me out of that café!), the thought of being a spellstopper, the idea of a village full of magic that's just there and full of magical people who happily accept each other for who they are... I could go on!

The village itself is small and sounds like it could be idyllic if it weren't for Leander, and somewhere I could live (without Leander!).  She terrorises everyone and 'rules' with hatred but I feel it is more fear that drives her: she is isolated and can't leave; I began to almost feel sorry for her ... almost. 

Max is a rather wonderful main character who is confused and sacred by what he can do (as I would be too!); he is frustrated but has adapted (the wooden spoon, the wellies and the rubber gloves).  I like that things take time for him when he gets to the village and that he has to be resilient.  Kit makes a perfect friend for him as, although she is quietly resigned to the situation, there is a strength there that was lovely to read.   I have to mention Bram too: as a grandfather he is caring and strong but I'm glad I've never had to taste his cooking!

Out now, Spellstoppers is an enchanting read with a thrilling ending that will have you gripped.

Alex Neptune Dragon Thief - David Owen

 

Alex lives on the coast with his father, sister and grandfather; however, he won’t go near the sea, for he truly believes that it is his enemy.  So when an octopus befriends him and insists on going home with him, he is somewhat bewildered.  He names the octopus Kraken and then discovers that Kraken wants him to head to the abandoned aquarium at the top of the hill.  Here he discovers the sea dragon that is a celebrated legend in the town is actually being held captive.  Along with his friends Zoey and Anil, as well as a bunch of incredibly cute otters and a mischievous seagull, they decide they have to try to save the sea dragon before its too late.  But can they do it and how on earth do you begin to steal a dragon?

Can I just say from the start that this is just a fabulous book!  I read it whilst on a sunbed on holiday and it’s the perfect holiday read.  In addition to the seaside setting (who doesn’t love a book set at the coast?), it’s full of adventure, excitement and just the right amount of humour.

The characters are perfectly formed and readers will delight in loving or hating them.  Alex makes a wonderful main character as his fear of the sea is apparent from the start and sets him up as a rather unlikely hero of a book based around water.  He doubts himself but is utterly determined to do the right thing and help the dragon.  Zoey makes a quirky side-kick as her confidence (especially in tech) is a perfect contrast to Alex; she is strong and independent and I love that about her.  Readers will delight in hating the bad guys but, for me, it’s the creatures who really make this story: Kraken is the most wonderful octopus who, at times, feels more human than octopus; the otters who are loveable and huggable, and the seagull is a cheeky chappy who will happily steal anything from anyone – they are a delightful bunch and the book just wouldn’t be the same without them.

Released on the 4^th August and with family history and legends colliding in this adventure which looks a friendship, being brave and doing the right thing, Alex Neptune is the perfect summer holiday read.

The Dangerous Life of Ophelia Bottom - Susie Bowers

 

Ophelia Bottom lives an unconventional life with her parents who are Shakespearean actors.  Together, the family travel around the country in their ancient and rather rickety van (Pantechnicon), performing rather disastrous plays as Bottom’s Travelling Theatre.  Ophelia longs to be like other children and then, one evening, during a particularly disastrous performance, Ophelia’s father is injured, which forces the family to stay in the town of Stopford for several weeks.  This means that Ophelia is given the chance to go to school and to live like a ‘normal’ child.  However, she finds the school’s motto ‘Plastic is fantastic – different is dangerous’ is strange and the longer she is there, the more she believes that there is something not quite right about Stopford and she is determined to get the bottom of things.

Ophelia just wants to feel like any other child, to live in a house, to go to school and to go a day without being embarrassed by her parents (it’s our job as parents to embarrass our children, isn’t it?!) but the joy of Ophelia is that she is wonderfully different and unique and this, for me, makes her rather brilliant in my mind.  Even when she gets the opportunity to get her dream and to be like other children, she finds herself not quite fitting in with the seemingly perfect school.  I would like to say at this point that I would have happily throttled Miss Smith, Ophelia’s teacher at numerous points during the book – she was definitely a character that enjoyed hating and I even found myself shouting at the book at her! 

Ophelia’s parents were a pleasure to read and quite opposite to each other.  Her father is larger than life and reminded my very much of Brian Blessed with his loud voice.  It is clear that he loves his family and cares in his own way.  Her mum, on the other hand, is more sensible and is very keen for Ophelia to have a conventional education.  She worries about the practicalities like money and food is the parent who keeps them on an even keel.  The pair compliment each other well. 

I have to also mention Professor Potkettle who really made me shudder.  He is a truly evil villain but his bumbling speech masks a lot of what is going on.

The Dangerous Life of Ophelia Bottom is a joyous read that deftly combines messages of the environment, plastic damage, friendship, family and being true to yourself.  I particularly love the messages about being an individual, which is something I encourage my son and the children in school to be.  Due to be released on the 4th August, this will definitely be heading in to school next term.

The House of Shells - Efua Traoré

 

Having loved Efua’s debut novel, Children of the Quicksands, I was thrilled when Chicken House sent me her latest novel, The House of Shells.

Kuki has just moved house to live with Dr D, her mum’s fiancé.  Whilst her heavily pregnant mum is preoccupied with the upcoming birth, Kuki is dealing with the difficulty of trying to fit in at her new school.  Finding things tough, she heads for a walk one evening and discover, an abandoned beach house where, hidden amongst the shadows, she meets Enilo and the pair quickly become friends.  This is just what Kuki needs but Enilo seems reluctant to meet any of Kuki’s family and will only spend time at her house if nobody knows she is there.  Why is Enilo being so secretive? 

It is clear from the beginning of the book that there has been a lot of change in Kuki’s life of late: she has moved in with Dr D, her mum is imminently expecting a new baby, she has had to move to a new school – it’s now wonder she is finding everything strange and stressful.  She is a shy person who is finding it difficult to fit in so when Moji befriends her she sees this as a chance to fit in, however, it soon becomes apparent that Moji is a bully who just wants to take advantage of Kuki.  As in so many cases, Kuki is scared to speak up and, instead, chooses to put up with how she is being treated (as a teacher, I have to say that staying quiet is never the right thing to do – always, always speak to somebody if you find yourself in this situation).  The timing of Enil’s arrival is perfect and she very quickly becomes her best friend: the pair have so much in common and enjoy each other’s company so I can understand why Kuki finds it strange that Enil won’t meet any of her family.

Meanwhile, Kuki is also dealing with Dr D’s sister who is hugely superstitious and is very worried for Kuki – this causes huge amounts of tension in the house which just adds to everything Kuki is dealing with.  Enil is the perfect escape and Kuki is glad she has found her.

The House of Shells is a story of family, friends, bullying and standing up for yourself.  Modern life and Nigerian folklore weave together perfectly to produce a compelling and, at times, haunting tale. 

Dragon Destiny - Katie & Kevin Tsang

 It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I have been a massive fan of the Dragon Realm series since gobbling up Dragon Mountain in one sitting during the first lockdown.  So, seeing the final book in the series available to read was met with mixed emotions: excitement at the thought of finding out what happens next (Dragon Rising left me wanting to know more immediately!) and sadness that this would be the final one.  And so it was, I began Dragon Destiny whilst sat around the pool on holiday in Crete (by the way, there was a child there who was reading Dragon Mountain at the same time!) 

The book begins only five days after we left Billy, Dylan, Charlotte , Liu and their friends at the end of Dragon Rising and Billy is being grilled by the British prime minister, American president & the Chinese president (with the support of his friends) during a meeting in Buckingham Palace in order to help them try to deal with the new situation in which they find themselves.  Although Billy and his friends are adamant that dragons are friends, the authorities are not convinced and tensions between humans and dragons is rising.  Things become worse when it becomes apparent the British government are once again using TURBO technology to catch dragons, and the Dragons of Dawn have declared that they do not need humans and are gathering increasing numbers of dragons to their ranks in order to mark out their territory on Earth.  Can Billy, his friends and their dragons find a new home for the dragons before it's too late?  And will Glorious Old be prepared to help them with their mission?  And if they don't succeed what will the future hold?

The world as we know it has changed with dragons and humans now trying to get used to their new lives; however, as you would expect, there is uncertainty on both sides and tension is building from the very beginning of the book.  The team decide to take action to see if they can find  solution that will help everyone but involves a dangerous mission that could end in disaster.  It is this journey that becomes the thrilling and unputdownable finale of the series.

It has been a pleasure to have watched Billy and the team grow as the series has progressed, and from having a huge secret in their dragons in book 1, their expertise is now very much in demand.  But, despite their knowledge, the world leaders still only see them as children and aren't prepared to listen, especially when Billy is clearly feeling uncomfortable in the situation.  It is this that leads them to taking things into their own hands. 

I like that we see layers to the characters: their worries and concerns as well as their strengths and confidences are seen, each character is unique and children will be able to see themselves in one of the team.

The world building is spectacular again and being able to visualise each part of their journey is a feast for the senses.  I have loved journeying through the different worlds with Billy and his friends and this time was no exception.

Dragon Destiny is a heart-stopping, thrilling adventure from the very first page that will have you spellbound (I took my phone out to dinner on holiday whilst reading the book as I couldn't put it down!)  There were moments when I was almost scared to read on and I found the ends of chapters only made me want to read more (which made the 'just one more chapter' phrase a little difficult to uphold!).  This is a series that has got better with every book and has been a huge hit in my school.  I know that there will be huge excitement at the release of Dragon Destiny in school come September and and also sadness that series one has come to an end.  However...

Released on the 29th September, Dragon Destiny is a book you just have to pre-order.

The Secret of Rangar's Gold

When Joe's dad gets the chance to spend half-term in a castle, Joe is absolutely thrilled; however his mum has other ideas.  Determined not to spend the week at home with his nan, Joe calls the rest of the After-School Detective Club and invites them to join him (forgetting to tell them the small detail that there will be no grown-ups).  Soon Joe, Charlie, Max, Lucy and Sherlock the dog are living out their childhood fantasies in the castle, with swords and four-poster beds to keep them entertained.  It isn't long before they uncover a box containing a gold coin which leads them to investigate the origins of the coin and the legend of the treasure of Rangar the Viking. But danger lurks around the corner and there's a demon hound on their trail - can the team get to the bottom of the mystery?

This is the second book in the After-School Detective Club series and, after the first book, I was very excited to dive into this.  It was great to be back with the team and I was thrilled to see the relationship between them developing further as the book progressed; they are a team that you find yourself routing for very quickly and become invested in their journey.  It is Joe who leads the team to the castle, lying to everyone to make sure they have their half-term adventure (lying sounds harsh when I write it here; when you read it, it definitely feels more like bending the truth or simply eliminating some of the facts).  The team are an independent crew and, between them, they are self-sufficient in the castle - I can imagine many children who read the book will imagine themselves in a similar scenario.  

As the mystery unfolds, the adventure picks up and I found myself unable to put the book down.  The nearby forest and the local church, as well as the castle, help to create an eeriness to the plot that I enjoyed and would make a perfect read as the nights draw in.  With twists that will keep you guessing and illustrations to add to the excitement, this is a brilliant second book in the series and I can't wait to see what they get up to in They Mystery of the Marshes - I'm just not certain I can wait until January to read it!   

Once Upon A Fever - Angharad Walker

Sisters Ani and Payton Darke live with in St Jude's hospital where their father is a methic and their mother is a patient.  Everything in the world changed after the Turn, where people grew sick due to having excessive feelings.  When their mother became unwell, falling into an eternal sleep, the family moved from their home to the hospital where their father spent his time searching for a cure.  The sisters are also intent on helping their mother but have very different ways of approaching this: Payton spends her time shadowing methics, sneaking into lectures and reading about medical practice so she can one day become a methic herself; whilst Ani prefers to look at remedies that have been used in the past.  When Ani discovers Kitt who has Midas-fingers, being held under the hospital, she worries about what is happening.  Determined to help him, she heads back down to see him but ends up embroiled in a medical demonstration which creates huge amounts of tension between the family.  This leads Ani to run away, with Payton in tow desperately trying to change her mind; however, when the pair become split, their lives take on very different journeys and, separately, they begin to discover that things might not always be as they seem.

Having loved the darkness Angharad created in The Ash House, I was thrilled to be delving into her second book and I wasn't disappointed.  Once Upon A Fever is a set in a gothic world that Walker creates fabulously.  Based in Lundain, the story is largely set in two very different hospitals: St Jude's and Queen Cleo's and the images built create vivid pictures in the mind of a dystopian world where society feels divided and where life has changed quite considerably since the Turn.  I know that Walker began writing this before COVID and the premise of the illness is different, but the despair and the sense of helplessness I feel is definitely there.  Lundain itself seems very cut off for the sisters at the beginning of the book and they appear to be leading a very sheltered life within the walls of St Jude's, hidden away from many of the realities of what is happening, especially the notion that many people in the city are struggling to survive.  It's a hard time where people seem to have forgotten the natural world which is cut off and inaccessible.

This is a world based on the idea that feelings are bad for us and that any feelings that are perceived as negative should be eliminated.  People are dissuaded from feeling an excess of anything (happy, exciting, angry, jealous, sad...) and control plays a big part in the book: control of emotions, self-control as well as control of others in various different guises.  There is very much an expectancy of being restricted and not letting go (and I wonder whether that reflects the time in which the book was written).  Whilst we all need to know how to read other people's emotions, the idea is very much taken to a new level in the book and again reflects the control that runs through the plot.

As I type this, it is Mental Health Awareness Week and it feels appropriate to be writing a review for this book now.  I can't imagine a world where feelings have to be suppressed and controlled.  Indeed, I spend a lot of time as a teacher (and as a mum) encouraging people to share and embrace their feelings, that no feelings are bad for you and acceptance of our feelings is a good thing.  I cannot imagine living in a world where feelings have to be suppressed in such a way.

There is a darkness that lurks within the pages Once Upon A Fever, hidden beneath the surface, rather like the feelings that are so desperately attempting to be squashed, and it is expertly woven into the plot so you do not always realise it is there whilst you are reading; it's only once you stop and mull over what is happening that you begin to appreciate  the layers that the book contains.  However, in contrast, there are also great big dollops of hope, love, friendship, strength and perseverance that shine through the plot.  All of which will tug at your emotions (the ones you really shouldn't be having!).   

It is a book that will make you think (whilst you are reading it and long after you have finished the last page), and (hopefully) it is a book that will make you grateful for every single emotion you have, after all, 'There is no cure for your feelings.' 

Released on the 7th July, Once Upon A Fever is a deliciously compelling story of control, love and hope that readers won't be able to put down - I know I couldn't!