Speedwheels 3000: A Race Against Crime - Jenny Pearson

Evie feels that her dad doesn't have time for her and that he spends his life preparing for or taking part in the Speedhweels 3000, a car race across several European countries that is guaranteed to test your nerves.  It's not for the faint hearted but this year, Evie has a plan: she's going to stow away in the boot of her dad's car so she can finally spend some quality time with him.  However, things don't quite go according to plan and they find themselves in their car, dangling over the edge of a cliff with £4 million worth of gold in their boot!  Can Evie get them out of trouble and back in the race so they can be crowned champions.

Jenny is a wonderful writer and regular readers of my blog will know that she has the ability to make me laugh out loud and cry simultaneously! She visited school last December and was a huge hit with the school and, unsurprisingly, her books are hugely popular there too.  

I was part of a group of bloggers lucky enough to be able to reveal the cover for Jenny's new book, Speedwheels 300: A Race Against Crime, recently and also hugely privileged to be able to read the book months before its release.  I sat down this morning to begin reading with my mug of hot chocolate and I have to say that I barely moved until dinner time, gobbling the entire thing in one delicious sitting!

Evie is desperate for her dad's attention and is prepared to do almost anything to get it.  You see her parents lost their son, Timmy, before Evie was born and whilst her mum has thrown herself into campaigning for animal rights, her dad has devoted himself to Speedwheels and Toots, his car.  Evie is an incredibly persuasive character and has her arguments ready as to why she should join her dad, but when all else fails, she feels the only option left to her is to hide in the boot until they reach France and then jump out and be the best navigator ever.  From the beginning of the book, you know that things go awry, with them dangling off a cliff in Italy with a boot full of gold bullion, and the book slowly reveals exactly how that happened in an unputdownable way. 

Oh My Knickers, this is a brilliantly funny and emotional rollercoaster of a book.  I genuinely hadn't intended to read the entire book in one sitting but I just couldn't put it down!  A 3000 mile race across several European countries with wacky tasks to do at the checkpoints (think paddling pools and table cloths!), but the contestants are ruthless and will stop at nothing to get ahead of the competition. The book is a wonderful blend of adventure, daring-do, humour and peril, with serious messages about parental grief and how families cope with the death of a child woven in superbly.  It brought a tear my eye seeing the relationship between Evie and her dad develop as the book progresses and there's one particular moment as the car is perched on the cliff that brought a real lump to my throat.

With a wonderful map, top trump style cards to introduce the main racers and the rules of the race explained at the beginning of the book, readers will be gripped even before they start reading!  I know there is going to be huge amounts of excitement when I tell my class about this book tomorrow morning, and equal measures of frustration when they realise that I read an electronic copy so they can't borrow it yet!

Publishing 13th February, Speedwheels 3000: A Race Against Crime  is Wacky Races meets The Cannonball Run.  Guaranteed to fill your heart with joy and put the biggest smile on your face, this is a book you absolutely need to pre-order. 

The Boy Who Cried Ghost - Ian Eagleton

 

When Richard and his mum move into his grandma's old home, he thinks that there's a ghost hiding in the wardrobe.  Richard deals with the situation in the only way he knows how, by checking the doors are locked, checking the rope is wound round the handles and checking the chair is propped against the door.  And he does this over and over again.  But when Richard's mum's friend, Tony, thinks he's being helpful and opens the door, the ghost escapes and now Richard is desperate to get rid of it for good.  But how is he going to do this?

The Boy Who Cried Ghost is a simply wonderful, heart-warming story about a boy with OCD and how he goes through his daily life.  We see first hand how this affects his daily life and it's written sensitively in a way that shines a light on a mental-health condition that is often hidden from others.  Reading Ian's author's note at the end lets readers know how personal this book is for him and the authenticity of Richard's character shines off the pages.  The book really allows readers to understand what OCD and how it manifests itself both internally as well as externally.  I have to say that I also loved Quinn and his sense of humour, which brought a lightness to the plot, as did Tony with his dad jokes that really made me chuckle.

The ghostly element of the novel creates tension and adventure, and also enables Richard to develop friendships.  As things progress, the eeriness of the ghost grows and is thrilling to read - perfect for this time of year!  

The Boy Who Cried Ghost is a a book full of love, friendship, heart and determination.  It takes bravery to write a book from personal experience but I'm truly grateful for Ian's inner strength and his writing for this is a book that will help so many children to see themselves and to understand that they are not alone.

That'll Teach Her - Maz Evans

 

Claudia Stitchwell is the headteacher of St Nonnatus CE Primary School and it's fair to say she is not liked, so when she dies suddenly from a severe nut allergy at a school event, the parents are quick to suspect that all is not what it seems.  With four people emerging as suspects, clues need to be pieced together amongst the gossip to discover who the murderer is.

OH. MY. GOD. THIS. BOOK. IS. BLOOMIN'. BRILLIANT.

I feel that the eight words above sum up everything that needs to be said about this book but I feel the brilliance that is Maz Evans deserves more.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I adore Maz and her writing; she's a genius when it comes to writing comedy that combines deeper messages and That'll Teach Her is another perfect example of this.  After her first novel for adults, Over My Dead Body, was released last year (you can read my review here ), I was giddy with excitement when I discovered I could read an early copy of That'll Teach Her.  The start of half-term proved to be the perfect opportunity, especially as I needed a new book for my flight to a bit of sunshine.  

From the very beginning, this book is a work of genius: the combination of letters to parents from the school, parents WhatsApp group messages, police reports, newspaper articles and narrative all help to weave the plot perfectly.  The WhatsApp group chats, in particular, made me laugh out loud with the perfect mix of characters and gossip.  When my son was at school, I was one of his teachers and avoided the parents' WhatsApp groups like the plague, so being able to get an insight into them here gave me so many laugh out loud moments I was just pleased it was my husband sitting next to me on the plane!  Maz's observations and attention to details are spot on and, whether you're a parent or a teacher, I guarantee you will find yourself giggling and nodding away!  

In amongst the laughs, there is a murder to solve and it's the parents in the WhatsApp group who are determined to get to the bottom of things.  The drama and the plot are unpredictable, with twists that create intrigue and will keep you guessing until the end, but in true Maz style, she also weaves more serious themes through the book that will draw on readers' empathy.  

That'll Teach Her publishes 27th February and is a book you absolutely need to buy.  It's clever blend of humour and  murder makes the book an utterly compelling read.  I have just one question: does anybody know this week's spellings?!

The Great Fox Revealed - Justyn Edwards

 

Flick and Charlie are back in the final trilogy of the The Great Fox series with Flick determined to finally find her father.  When the police accuse him of stealing the Crown Jewels, she is determined to prove his innocence and finally find him.  However, with old foes chasing them and The Great Fox also on their case, can Flick find her father and the Bell System before somebody else does?

It's really no secret that I've been a huge fan of this series since the very beginning (you can read my reviews for the first two books here: The Great Fox Illusion ; The Great Fox Heist ) and I have adored the illusional magic that it's based around.  I've been excited about finding out how the series ends so when I collected my copy, I had to use all my willpower not to dive in immediately; however, I knew that waiting until half-term when I could gobble it up in large chunks would be worth the wait, and oh my goodness I was right!  From the start, the book is a rollercoaster of an adventure with twists and illusions that are guaranteed to keep you guessing right until the end. 

Flick has been determined from the start to find her father and the police accusation of theft gives her what she needs to get closer to her goal.  With Charlie by her side, the pair show, once again, what an unstoppable force they can be; however, things get heart-racingly tense in this final book and danger is a real threat - Flick really needs to ask whether find her father is worth the risks she is going to have to make.  

I promise The Great Fox Revealed is a brilliantly fitting and unputdownable ending to a simply fabulous series, but the big question is: will we see more from Flick in the future?

The Last Boy - Eve McDonnell

Brewster is a chimney sweep who spends his days risking his life to clean chimneys for cruel Master Wyer who bought him from his mother.  However, Brewster has a hidden talent: he has a unique way with numbers that allows him to predict a storm of stars.  When his talent comes to the attention of an influential Lady, Brewster hopes that his way with numbers will help him to achieve his wish to be the last boy to ever have to climb a chimney.

Oh my goodness, I read The Last Boy on the terrace in Spain over half-term and finished it with tears streaming down my face! What a powerful story this is of love, fate and determination. The book itself is enough to tug at even the hardest heart, but then reading the author's note at the end and realising that it's based on a true story makes the whole book even more poignant. 

 

George Brewster was a truly remarkable character whose love for those around him shines off the pages. His compassion radiates in everything he does and he's a character I won't forget in a hurry.  He lived in a time that was truly awful for children whose families couldn't afford to keep them. Fiction is a brilliant way of showing children today what life was like in the past and The Last Boy does this perferctly - I can see this book being a brilliant addition to any classroom as a daily read or to accompany a Victorian topic.  

Eve has a wonderful way of bringing the past to life in the most vivid way through her books and each one has provoked strong emotions in me for different reasons.  The Last Boy is a triumph of a novel that will be read by children for many many years to come.