MY BROTHER IS A SUPERHERO bu DAVID SOLOMONS, Review by Penny Dolan

 I have to hurry with this book review, as I have promised to send the copy down to a certain nine-and-three-quarters year old boy. I'd bought the book to review, he started reading while we were staying with them - and he’d really like it back so he can continue. Which, in its way, is the best kind of review.

Eleven year old Luke Parker, comic book enthusiast and “ordinary” hero, gets down from their garden tree-house because he needs a wee – which is why Luke misses the moment when a good alien power visit Earth and bestows a blast of superpowers on his shy, studious fourteen-year-old brother Zak, as well as a row of three stars across his chest.

At first, Luke – the narrator - is outraged by the unfairness of this choice. Zak knows nothing about the world of comics! He refuses to wear anything more noticeable than a dark hoodie, spurning the star-patterned bathroom curtain Luke offers him as his superhero cape. Zak even needs Luke’s help to discover what his Superpowers might be:

The burning question was, could he fly? In my opinion, a superhero who can’t fly isn’t in the Premier League. So that evening I decided to find out.

          “Hey, did you just try to push me out of the tree house?” said Zack, teetering on the edge of the doorway.

“No,“ I said. “Well, maybe a bit. I just wanted to know. Aren’t you curious?

“Not enough to jump out of a tree fifteen feet off the ground.”

I peered out investigatively. “You’re right,” I said. “It’s not nearly high enough.” I glanced across to the house. “We should go up on the roof.”

“Are you trying to kill me?” said Zack, backing away. “I bet that’s it. You’re still jealous that I got to be a superhero and you didn’t.”

He was right, I was still jealous and always would be. How could I not be? My brother was living my fantasy.

When Zak, as STARLAD, saves a toppling bus, Luke starts to worry about how long he can keep his brother’s other identity a secret, especially when STARLAD gets involved in more and more rescues. This situation is made worse when nosy Lara Lee, the would-be-journalist from his own class, starts a quest to unmask the new Superhero. Luke, still cross and jealous, has to pretend to join in her quest for the truth. 

Luke, who knows how the superhero genre works, decided he must discover the identity of NEMESIS, the person from whom Zak is destined to save the world. A villain soon arrives: Christopher Talbot, who is the owner of the Crystal Cave comic book store chain and also a suspiciously over-ambitious robot inventor. Could Talbot be Zak's NEMESIS? Luke, Lara and his friend Serge think he must be, because Talbot certainly wishes to be the most powerful person on earth. He certainly won't want his schemes undone by STARLAD.

Just as we enter a  world of Scooby-Doo-like intrigues, mad machines and mysteriously secret settings, the true NEMESIS appears: a giant asteroid, destined to strike Earth. Will Talbot’s mighty fire-power stop the asteroid before - or as - those same weapons destroy the planet? And will STARLAD be free in time to fulfill his mission . . ?

Of course, the answer is obvious, but the title is more than a triumphant ending. One of the reasons I liked this book was because, among the jokes, the pace and the adventures, Solomons builds in a friendly, good-hearted feel to many of the "real" relationships. Luke, Zak and their parents live together as an ordinary family, getting along despite their grumbles and odd ways and annoyances. Luke and Zak do look out for each other (despite the Superpower thing) and Luke and his French friend Serge enjoy a quiet but trusting friendship, based on a sharing of each others interests and skills.

There is a boy/girl dimension: Luke and Zak are both aware and wary of girls. For example, Luke finds it simpler to explain Lara as a going-out-together girl-friend than to say the pair are working together - despite his mother's cooing reaction - while poor, love-struck geek Zak can’t even manage to speak to her big sister Cara Lee despite being STARLAD. Behind the joking and joshing, there's a kindness about the way Solomons shows all the personal conflicts, and there's a welcome thread about the building and rebuilding of relationships.

Later on, when the huge asteroid NEMESIS is about to hit Earth – which some readers might find quite scary – Solomons’ offers touching, almost reassuring descriptions of how many people behave on the Last Day, especially Luke’s family, keen to be loving to each other and to appreciate all the good things about their family life.

This book has, as well as the planets, robots and adventures, what I’d call a good soul, and that’s a fine thing for young reader to come across. there are also plenty of gentle superhero references, jokes and wordplay, such as when Luke disparagingly alters the name of “Zorbon the Decider” because he is in such a rage at his lost destiny. Of course, there's some silly toilet humour in the telling too, but it felt quite well balanced for the age of the reader: the plot was definitely more important.

Why did I opt for this particular title? I chose MY BROTHER IS A SUPERHERO because of what one could call literary osmosis. I half-heard something about a book about a boy who loves comics and was instantly alerted as its a love shared by certain young people I know. Only when I picked up the last copy in the shop that weekend did I discover the book had just won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2016.

I was even more pleased when I found out that the story was set in the London suburb of Bromley, not only because I'd once lived near there but because of my very slight grudge against sudden “bestselling books” over here that turn out to be “best selling books from over there”, i.e. America. 

I also feel fairly happy admitting this viewpoint as, towards the end of MY BROTHER IS A SUPERHERO, Solomons’ own scriptwriting background seems to feed into this view. 

There’s a section where Luke, the younger brother (and ordinary hero) explains that he is telling the reader the true story of what happened. He knows the reader could be confused because when STARLAD's adventures became a movie, the American film company set it totally in the USA. Moreover - and one can almost hear Luke’s resigned sigh - he didn’t even appear on screen: the film company replaced him as his brother's side-kick with a cute puppy dog!

Luke is definitely a much wiser boy and the brothers are much better friends at the end of this enjoyably comic “Superhero” adventure and that’s how it should be. There’s also a great twist in the final scene.

That’s it, my review done, and I’m speeding off to the Post Office now, without even slipping on my starry curtain cape.

Happy reading! 

Penny Dolan

MY BROTHER IS A SUPERHERO is illustrated by Laura Ellen Anderson. Published by Nosy Crow.Solomon’s next title, offering more adventures for Luke and friends, is MY GYM TEACHER IS AN ALIEN OVERLORD, out this July. 

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Shakespeare and his Stage by Marchette Chute review by Lynda Waterhouse

I was intending to review one of latest books about the bard ; Michael Rosen’s or Andrew Donkin’s The Weird World of William Shakespeare but my heart kept tugging me back to Marchette Chute’s Shakespeare and his Stage and so Hamlet-like  I changed my mind.

I love Horrible Histories and I know literally hundreds of children who do but my serious inner ten year old child also craved something else.

I had stumbled upon Shakespeare and his stage a few weeks ago in the Amnesty Book shop in Newcastle. My copy had once belonged to Whitley Bay South County Primary School and was the third impression from 1964.

The blurb on the cover of this slim volume sets out its stall; the aim of this lively book is to recreate for the reader the Elizabethan world of the theatre in which Shakespeare lived, and for which he wrote his plays.

The book is written in chapters and reads like a novel. There is only one illustration in the book but the power of Chute’s prose and her ability as a storyteller paints a vivid picture of the theatre and Shakespeare’s life and work.  The book also provides a description of his plays, poems and songs.

‘In that age of great singing voices, Shakespeare’s was the greatest. And even at the close of his career, with its weight of experience and knowledge of evil, he could still write like a young poet who had never known anything but spring.’

Shakespeare and his Stage by Marchette Chute was published by University of London Press 

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MIXED FEELINGS, edited by Miriam Hodgson. Reviewed by Ann Turnbull.

This collection of short stories about mothers and daughters was first published in 1992 and is still just as lively and relevant today, despite the absence of such things as mobile phones and selfies.

The themes are timeless. Ten favourite authors explore those early teenage years when girls grow up quickly, to the alarm of their mothers, and begin to form their own ideas and tug at the constraints of home.

In Anne Fine's opening story, the unnamed narrator begs her mother for a story she's heard many times before: how her mother came to be born. It's a brilliantly funny and involving story that tells much in a few pages, and it touches on the timeless themes that echo throughout the book: birth, first love, independence, finding out who you are and where you came from, and the unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters.

Here we have rebellious daughters (from the first nudges of independence shown by Berlie Doherty's Jenny to the desperate struggle of Jamila Gavin's Nasreen), unconventional and embarrassing mothers, schoolfriends, boyfriends, people in the workplace. Above all there is the tension between the powerful urge to fly the nest and the pull of home.

The authors are Anne Fine, Berlie Doherty, Vivien Alcock, Jamila Gavin, Marjorie Darke, Gwen Grant, Annie Dalton, Monica Hughes, Jean Ure and Jacqueline Wilson. All great storytellers - and the book is still in print!

Mammoth, 1997.


www.annturnbull.com



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A LOTTIE LIPTON ADVENTURE: THE EGYPTIAN ENCHANTMENT by Dan Metcalf. Reviewed by Saviour Pirotta

Title: A Lottie Lipton Adventure: The Egyptian Enchantment
Author and illustrator: Dan Metcalf
Publisher: A&C Black
Publication date:  11 Feb 2016

9 year old Lottie Lipton is a plucky girl who lives in the British Museum with her Great Uncle Bert, a curator with a passion for ancient history. Lottie is an investigator extraordinaire and the exhibits in the world famous museum provide all sorts of opportunities for sleuthing and derring-do with a magic twist. The Egyptian Enchantment is the third title in a series of four.

When Lottie accidentally reads a spell, she makes a gang of newly delivered ancient Egyptian shabtis come alive. Shabtis were little figures of baked clay that people in ancient Egypt buried with their loved ones to act as servants and slaves in the afterlife. The lot in this story are over the moon at being set free from their bondage and proceed to wreak havoc all over the British Museum. Lottie must use all her skills and ingenuity to capture them and get the situation under control before a delegation of important people arrive for a conference. Will she do it? And will the bumbling Uncle Bert and the hapless janitor Reg help or hinder her?

The 7 year old kids I read this too absolutely loved it, especially the bits about the sniggering shabtis going berserk all over the museum.  Dan Metcalf keeps the language simple, making the story easy to follow and a pleasure to read. There are wonderful characters, some nice plot twists, lots of humour, great line drawings and puzzles to solve too. The last was especially popular with my testers. They had not read any of the other Lottie Lipton adventures before but that didn't hinder the enjoyment of the story. Each book in the series works as a standalone. And they were eager to get their hands on the other three books, which we are going to get from the library.

A winner all round!

www.spirotta.com
@spirotta

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The Art of being Normal by Lisa Williamson

Reviewed by Jackie Marchant

This is a well-written, entertaining read, deserving of its shortlisting/award success.  

It’s about David, who has always known he’s a girl, but has told no one but his two best friends, who are now going out with each other.  He has understanding parents, yet he still can’t bring himself to tell them, let alone the rest of the world.  And, following a cringingly brilliant bullying scene, it’s easy to see why.  Now enter Leo, the new ‘hard’ kid who is rumoured to have been expelled from his tough school for assaulting a teacher.  He is the last person you’d expect to befriend David, let alone be sympathetic  to his plight, but he has a secret of his own that causes the relationship to develop in an unexpected way.

The story is told in alternative points of view and, although the fonts differ accordingly, I did find myself following the wrong character at times.  That’s really the only tiny complaint I’d have in an otherwise extremely engaging book with characters I can believe in and sympathise with.  The plot paces along nicely, leading up to a fitting climax, after which David settles into realising that, despite the title of this book, it’s OK to be normal – in fact, it’s preferable.

There is no doubt that, all these years after I left school, there is still this culture of ‘normal’ and trying to fit in.   But, if this is a true reflection on what it’s like to be a teen in school today, then I can only be encouraged by the scene where the head teacher informs the whole school during assembly one of their pupils has transitioned and there is to be absolutely no bullying in the matter.  That would never have happened in my day and I can only imagine what it must have been like to keep something like this a secret.  So, I was happy to leave this book knowing that, although she has a tough road ahead, Kate (nee David) will be able to be exactly who she is.

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THE GIRL IN THE BLUE COAT by MONICA HESSE, reviewed by Pauline Francis

It was the prologue that made me decide to review this recently published novel. 

It begins: “A long time before Bas died, we had a pretend argument about whose fault it was that he’d fallen in love with me.”

 

The story opens in occupied Holland in 1943, in Amsterdam. Clever, because I immediately think of Anne Frank and that steep, claustrophobic climb to her hidden attic. So I fear for Hanneke, the protagonist, Hanneke is a finder. She used to find coffee and chocolate. Now she finds and sells extra potatoes and meat to the wealthy people of Amsterdam. One day, she’s asked to find a person.

‘‘The missing girl is Jewish,’ Mrs Janssen says. ‘ I want you to find her before the Nazis do.’

Hanneke can’t refuse because of her own grief about Bas, who died as the Germans invaded.  

Now I’m ready to read non-stop. ‘Why and how did Bas die? Who is this Jewish girl called Mirjam, who was wearing a blue coat when last seen? And how on earth will Hanneke find her in an occupied city, before she can be transported to a concentration camp - even if she wants to? The tension is heightened by the fact that that almost three quarters of the Jewish population of Holland died during the war, so I know that Mirjam’s chances of survival are slim.

There are ghosts everywhere in Hanneke’s quest: Bas’s ghost as his older, serious and less engaging brother, Ollie, helps Hanneke; the ghosts of the already transported Jews; the ghost of a once happy city. The rare flashbacks with Bas are sensitive and tense – the first time I saw Bas; the last time I saw Bas etc.

Then just as I’m settling into the quest (which is condensed into a few days), Hesse presents me with another one. Half-way through the novel, Hanneke says: ‘I’m to blame for Bas’s death. I only got him killed.’ I’m on full alert as I race to the end.

There are so many layers to this book: history, mystery, war, duty, danger, pretending in order to stay safe, morality in war. Ollie is a member of the resistance, but when he questions helping Mirjam. Hanneke quickly asks: ‘Ollie, if the good you’re working so hard for is one that won’t work to rescue a fifteen-year old girl, then is it worth it anyway?’

There are as many twists and turns as the old city centre, but Hesse never leaves her reader behind. The Girl in the Blue Coat a sensitive and tender book that leaves nothing untold about what it’s like to be on the run in an occupied city. Hesse herself calls it “ the story of small betrayals in the middle of a big war.”

The best advice I can give you before you read this book is Hanneke’s own thought on page 299: “Nothing in this war is what it seems.”

Pauline Francis www.paulinefrancis.co.uk

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THE HOUSE OF EYES by Patricia Elliott .....reviewed by Adèle Geras

Once again, full disclosure. When I review a book, I often have to confess to knowing the writer. In this case, it's even worse. I first met Patricia when she was a student on a Ty Newydd writing course which I taught jointly with the much-missed Jan Mark. Even back then, and it was a long time ago, Patricia was obviously going to be a successful writer and since then, she has gone on to produce many wonderful books,  my favourites of which are MURKMERE and  THE DEVIL IN THE CORNER.

In HOUSE OF EYES, the intended audience is younger. It's what the Americans call Middle Grade. Any good reader of about eight and up would love it and there are not enough books being written for this age group.  Because I'm passionate about introducing younger readers to historical fiction and because I'm convinced that reading historical fiction at an early age can have nothing but good effects, I'm happy  to be able to welcome Connie Carew, our intrepid heroine, who will, if the promise of the title is fulfilled, be having lots of mysterious adventures in the future. This is reassuring. If there's one thing that avid young readers like, it's the idea that the books they enjoy are part of a series of stories which isn't going to run out any time soon. 

This first story is enjoyable from beginning to end. We start with a plan of the house in Alfred Place West, where Connie lives with her aunts Dorothea and Sylvie and her horrible step-uncle, Harold Thurston. Connie wants to be an archaeologist and is forever trying to visit the British Museum. Her horrible step-uncle is Up to No Good...we suspect  this almost from the beginning,  but it takes Connie some time to reveal the depths of his nastiness, in a climax which is most satisfying and exciting.

There's a tragedy in the background here. Ida, Dorothea's daughter,  disappeared when she was very small and is assumed to be dead. Dorothea is bereft and the story begins when she visits a medium in order to get in touch with her dead daughter. Shortly after that, a young woman called Ida turns up looking for a housemaid's job at Alfred Place West....is she the real Ida, miraculously restored, or is she an imposter, after the fortune that awaits her?

 There is romance here, and excitement and even though the story is for younger readers, Elliott doesn't gloss over the nastier side of Victorian exploitation of the bereaved. The whole world of mediums and charlatans is very well evoked. All the characters who interest us are brought vividly to life, especially the aunts and nasty uncle Harold with his creaky whalebone corsets. 

Elliott writes so well that it's hard to pick out any passage to quote. She has a light touch and there's humour everywhere in this book. Here she describes Connie's  rather sceptical reaction the séance:
"Aunt Sylvie  was sitting up half the night to watch for a ghostly girl to float in through her bedroom door. But to Connie the girl had seemed very much alive, despite her strangely luminous frock." That 'despite' is a period touch  of the lightest possible kind.

Connie's piano teacher, Arthur, is described thus: "He had long thin fingers and the rest of him was long and thin as well......his ankles and wrists protruded, knobbly but elegant." Arthur is visible to every reader and we love him, because of that subtly-placed "elegant" and which contrasts humorously with  "knobbly." It's very high quality writing indeed and it pervades the whole book.

I hope this novel reaches the audience it deserves. It's funny, exciting, well-written and has a proper plot and structure.....not something you can depend on finding in a book,  but which is immensely satisfying whenever you find it. This is a delightful book  which I enjoyed enormously.   Do try it!


Published by Hodder Children's Books in paperback.
ISBN: 9781444924695
£6.99

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Don't Call Me Choochie Pooh! by Sean Taylor and Kate Hindley, reviewed by Pippa Goodhart

This is a delight of a book.  A small dog in a big pink bow is fed-up with being called Choochie Pooh or Ickle Pickle Woof Woof or Incy Wincy Cupcake, and being carried about in a handbag.  After all, she's 'an ordinary, proper dog'.  It's so embarrassing to be seen being kissed and called those silly names!  But the other dogs, 'barking, getting muddy and doing proper dog things' let Choochie Pooh join in.  It's all going so well ...



... until her owner calls for her, "Off we go Oopsie Boopsie Choochie Pooh!"  How will the other dogs react?  After all, they'd never get called such silly names ... would they?


The glory of the story is the essential truth in it that any child will recognise; the embarrassment that a parent/owner can be, but also the fact that we've all got to suffer them!  And the pictures by Kate Hindley are full of action, beauty and comedy.  Highly recommended for children ... and for 62 year old husbands.  Mine loved this as a Valentine's present.  And, no, I don't call him Choochie Pooh!

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THE D'EVIL DIARIES by Tatum Flynn: Reviewed by Tamsin Cooke

One of the funniest middle grade books I've read in a long time!

Most parents would be pleased if their child’s school report said that they paid very careful attention, obeyed all their teachers, and worked extremely hard. But not Jinx’s dad. He is furious. 

‘What kind of half-term report do you call this, hmm? I wouldn’t mind if you failed because you were playing truant, or chasing girls, or trying to set fire to your teacher with a flame thrower.’

Then again, Jinx’s dad isn’t just any old dad. He is Lucifer. And poor Jinx is a red skinned two-horned demon, who wants nothing more than to win his dad’s approval. But however hard he tries to be bad, good things always happen. He’s sent away to be corrupted by the vilest creatures found on earth – Blackbeard and Dracula – but somehow his goodness rubs off on them.  Fearing for his future and feeling like an utter disappointment, Jinx runs away. Soon he finds himself in the middle of a fantastic adventure where the whole of Hell is at stake.  

The D'Evil Diaries is possibly one of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time.  I was laughing from start to finish.  But Tatum Flynn manages to incorporate all this witty humour without once detracting from the adventure story. There are heart stopping moments, twists and turns, and treachery.

The characters are well thought out. Jinx is incredibly likeable. Tommy, a girl he meets (who shouldn’t be in Hell) is strong, brave and feisty. There’s Loiter – the Patron Demon of Sloth or Laziness who might actually be my favourite character. I even like Lucifer – something I never thought I would say!

The D’Evil Diaries is the sort of story you can read together as a family. There is something in it for everyone. Children will love seeing how badness is rewarded and goodness is frowned upon. And grown-ups (if they are anything like me) will love the witty asides and pop culture references. Just to give you a taster – 

To set the scene: Jinx is listening to Lucifer on the phone to God. 

‘I wondered absentmindedly what the voice of God sounded like. A thousand angels singing? Thunderbolts and lightning, very, very frightening? Morgan Freeman?’

There are fabulous black illustrations throughout the book that bring the story even more to life.

Book two, Helles Belles has just come out, and it is definitely on the top of my TBR pile!

Tamsin Cooke

www.tamsincooke.co.uk

twitter: @tamsincooke1

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FIRE GIRL by Matt Ralphs: reviewed by Penny Dolan

This magical fantasy - is set in an alternative 1661, supposedly “twelve years after the end of the Witch War”. Cromwell’s merciless Witch Finders have been destroying the witches of England, and the old friendship between ordinary people and the Healers seems to be over. Many witches have become no more than piles of ashes on pyres but some – both good and bad, male and female – remain in hiding or in disguise.

As the start of this story, Nicolas Murrell, the former “King’s Chief Minister of Magic and Witchcraft”, forces his way into the home of blind Mary Applegate, asking for information about Hecate Hooper. He restores the old witch’s sight but only to show her the foul demon Rawhead, a “skinless beast of flesh and sinew”, ready to consume Mary unless she answers . . . 

The outcome will not be good and makes it clear that the writer, Matt Ralphs, will be creating scary scenes and a variety of demons, ghouls and nasty characters for his readers.

Because of this, Fire Girl may not be the best night-time story for the younger pre-teen, but for those who don’t mind good dollops of menacing evil, foul slime and bad magic alongside the heroine’s quest and a creature of sarcastic cuteness, Fire Girl could well be just the right adventure.

The young heroine, red-haired Hazel Hooper, has lived a secluded life in the forest, her home protected by an enchanted hedge. Twelve-year-old Hazel fears she has no witch-like skills but when her mother is abducted, Hazel’s latent power is unleashed. She will be a Wielder, a witch able to generate streams of flame, but for now she is a fire-child, unskilled in managing the powers that surge through her body. Ralphs likens the strong emotion of rage to the dangers of fire: a power that Hazel must learn to control.

Hazel sets off into the world, deciding the best way to find her mother is by employing the services of Titus White, a drunken Witch-Finder and David Drake, his handsome Apprentice. She starts out on  a quest that will lead her to the new master of evil, Nicolas Tyrell himself but unfortunately, along the way, Hazel reveals her magical powers. David, horrified, cannot accept a witch as a friend: he now sees her as a deadly enemy who must be caught. There are now dangers on all sides . . .

The short, fast-paced chapters travel through classic fantasy settings:  deserted cottages, unfriendly towns, unholy fogs and forests, all leading to the malign turrets of Ravenspike castle and spooky church where Tyrell’s foul accomplices gather for the climax: Lilith the pale Frost Witch with her bloated spider, the wizened Petrov, Rawhead and worse. Hazel finds her mother, of course, but the story does not end quite as clearly as Hazel would have wanted . . .

I have emphasised, so far, the scarier aspects of the book, but must add that the mood is often lightened by one particular charming thread: Hazel’s relationship with Bramley, a dormouse who has become her loyal familiar. His grumpy mutterings and remarks coax Hazel through many difficulties and the warm affection between these two brave companions lets the reader know that all will be well, or at least partly all right. 

The final part of the story – or is it? - won’t arrive until Matt Ralph’s sequel, FIREWITCH, which his website suggests will be published in July 2016. 

Ps. An aside: Please be patient if I end with a bit of grumpy muttering - and do note that my complaint is not specifically about this book, which I enjoyed, or this particular publisher. It’s about my reaction to something as a reader.

As a big fan of story (and an occasional storyteller myself) I can’t help feeling disappointed when a book’s ending starts to lead towards a sequel, not to the full rounded conclusion I’m expecting for that particular plot, especially for young readers. 

I know, I know! This niggly response might just be me - and if so, I apologise - but I’ve come across the twist of the “sudden sequel” a couple of times recently and it’s never delighted me, even when the book itself has done. It's almost as if I hear enthusiastic "marketing" voices hiding under the pages

I do wish that, somehow, sometimes, publishers would just let one story “be” before another was so obviously started, rather than this practice of combining the two - or else find a way to indicate this expectation on the cover. 

Harumph! Grump over.

Penny Dolan

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More of Me by Kathryn Evans - reviewed by Dawn Finch

First the blurb....

Teva is sixteen. She goes to school, studies for her exams and spends time with her boyfriend, Ollie, and best friend, Maddy. To the rest of the world, she’s normal. But when she goes home, she’s anything but. Because at home there are twelve other Tevas – nearly one for every year she’s been alive. Because once a year, Teva separates into two, leaving a younger version of herself stuck at the same age, in the same house…watching the new Teva live the life that she’d been living.

More of Me is a beautifully original concept - each year Teva separates and another Teva tears herself into the world to live out her life. The first-person narrative takes us further and further into Teva's complicated existence as she is forced to take her place with her predecessors, becoming cut off from the world while yet another Teva quite literally steps into her shoes.

Evans handles this complicated plot with ease and delivers a novel that is at once gripping and fascinating. Teva is instantly likeable, and yet she is legion and we are pulled back and forth with her tangled lives. Each version of Teva is subtly different from the next, manifesting all of the personality facets within our own lives. As Teva ages she steps outside the child she once was and moves on, until the time she knows that she can't keep doing this for the rest of her life.

The story twists and turns and we feel torn as we identify with Teva and the emotional wrench she faces each time she has to let the new Teva take over her life. For a while we feel that there can't possibly be a way of resolving this story......  but don't worry, trust the writer on this one!

More of Me is Kathryn Evans' first book, and if this is the standard we can expect from her I'm sure that there will be many more. Teva's story is so well rounded that it is a very accomplished story and I am very much looking forward to reading Evans' future books.

More of Me by Kathryn Evans is published by Usborne on 1 Feb 2016
ISBN - 978-1474903028

Reviewed by Dawn Finch
President CILIP, Children's author and librarian
www.dawnfinch.com
New book - Book of Worth

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Railhead, by Phlip Reeve: reviewed by Sue Purkiss

Philip Reeve is a remarkable writer, with an imagination the size of one of the many planets he writes about in this book. I've read several of his Mortal Engines books, and also his Larklight series, for sightly younger readers: and I've been lost in admiration after reading all of them, at his exuberance and inventiveness and the sheer range of his characters and the worlds they explore.

Railhead is set in this universe, but far into the future. There are knowing and funny nods back to our time; Casablanca is referenced, and ancient earth languages, including Ancient Geek and Klingon. (Who knew?) In this 'world', travel among the planets takes place by means of trains. But these are no ordinary trains: these are trains with souls, which feel joy, love, sorrow and anger. And they are not the only sentient forms which Reeve creates. There are also the Hive Monks: hybrid beings made up of lots of beetles which somehow coalesce around a flimsy framework to form the simulacrum of a human being - and the Motoriks, dismissively known as 'Wire Dollies'. These are androids, not meant to be individuals with feelings - but one, Nova, is very individual indeed. Her quest for a soul is indicated by her creation of freckles to spoil the perfection of her 'skin'; like all of the characters, human or not, she is multi-layered and we come to care for her, to respond to her warmth and complexity.

The hero of the story is - at the beginning - a small-time thief called Zen Starling. He, like many a fantasy hero, soon finds out that he has a back-story and a destiny of which he has been hitherto unaware. He is plucked from obscurity by an ambivalent master-criminal named Raven, because he is uniquely qualified to infiltrate a powerful family called the Noons and steal from them something that Raven very much wants. But, being a hero, he is not inclined to meekly fall in with anyone else's plans, and everything goes horribly wrong.

This is a beautifully written book with a story that moves along with the pace of a high-speed train. The characters are complex and varied; there is humour, there is pathos, there is love. And all this in a world which Reeve has constructed with dazzling aplomb. In his 'ThankYou', at the end of the book, Reeve pays tribute to Sarah McIntyre, with whom he has written books for much younger readers: he says that she 'made me want to write more stories at a time when I felt ready to give up.' We must be very thankful to Sarah for this - because if this writer gave up, it would be a desperate waste of an extraordinary talent.

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THE NOWHERE EMPORIUM by Ross MacKenzie: reviewed by Gillian Philip

Every town has at least one: that little row of shops that you barely even look at, that you almost forget about till you need a pint of milk late on a Monday. You always think of them behind a haze of grey drizzle – so imagine if you were driving by one day and one of those shops, though built of midnight-black bricks, was suddenly glittering and sparkling in the light. What's more, it's the one that wasn't there before. Because weren't there four shops there yesterday? So how come there are now five?

Ross MacKenzie has created a delicious and fantastical concept in his Nowhere Emporium, a shop that travels through space and time and (much like that other famous Time Machine) is a lot bigger on the inside. In fact, since it's powered by pure imagination, this particular store interior would appear to be limitless. 'Bring Your Imagination!' demands the invitation – presented in glittering fireworks in the sky above the shop – and that is the only price of admission: a little piece of each customer's imagination, and one that will eventually grow back. So where's the harm?

Daniel Holmes isn't sure. An orphan who stumbles upon the Emporium while being chased by bullies from the children's home, he is immediately entranced by both the shop and its owner, the mysterious Lucien Silver. When Silver offers him a job, he barely hesitates; there's no competition between a magical travelling emporium and his grim and loveless life in Glasgow.

All the same, he's the kind of boy who asks questions. Lucien Silver has taken him on (a little reluctantly) because Daniel clearly has gifts, among them a vivid and extensive imagination. So Daniel is dangerously curious about the potential of the shop – where a new room is created for every flight of imagination in a magical book – and about the price required to keep it in existence. Who is Lucien Silver running from? Why is he so afraid, he simply vanishes into thin air one day? And who is the girl who haunts the rooms of the Emporium like a ghost?

There's an abundance of mystery, excitement and magic as Daniel hunts for the answers. Any young hero worth his salt is going to make a few mistakes along the way, and Daniel's errors of judgement have quite terrifying consequences – but there's never any doubt he has the nerve and the determination to see the adventure through. Even when the Emporium itself becomes a crumbling, deadly trap...

In The Nowhere Emporium, Ross MacKenzie provides everything it takes to keep a young reader enthralled – magic, mystery, an intrepid hero, his colourful allies, and – best of all – a chilling and lethal villain. A magnificent cover by Manuel Sumberac is bound to entice the reader: once you're through that cut-out entrance, as with the magical gates of the Emporium itself, there are wonders enough to fire any imagination.

I can't help giving that ordinary little arcade of shops a second glance on my way home, though. After all, it's not as if I'd remember...


The Nowhere Emporium by Ross MacKenzie; Kelpies, £6.99

www.gillianphilip.com



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Zippo The Super Hippo, by Kes Gray and Nikki Dyson - Reviewed by Damian Harvey

The life of a hippopotamus can by quite a simple one; splashing in the mud, sploshing in the river and plodding about, but Zippo the Hippo has one wish. Zippo wants to be 'super'. His friend Roxi tells him that she thinks he is already super, but Zippo has something else in mind. Zippo wants to have a super power. Although Zippo is good at the things he does every day, he agrees that they are not really that super. When Roxi suggests flying, Zippo knows she is right. "If I could fly, I could get a super cape and some super boots and I could fly around the world being Zippo the Super Hippo!" declares Zippo.

Roxi takes her big friend under her wing and off they go for his very first flying lesson. Zippo launches himself from the top of a "very high waterfall", a "very tall tree" and a "very steep cliff"... I'm not spoiling the story in telling you that Zippo the Hippo fails to take to the air like a bird, but his super power is clear for all to see.  

Zippo the Super Hippo is a lot of fun. Kes Gray's text is, as always, perfect for reading out loud and Nikki Dyson's illustrations are 'super', giving children lots to look at with each re-reading.

Any picture book that includes the word 'bottom' is guaranteed to be a roaring success with a class-full of children and this picture book deserves to be just that - a roaring success. For me, this is a  'wish I'd thought of this idea' book.


Damian Harvey
www.damianharvey.co.uk
Twitter @damianjharvey

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The Shadow Keeper by Abi Elphinstone, Reviewed by Tamsyn Murray

The sequel to The Dreamsnatcher.

Moll Pecksniff is on the run. Desperate to stay hidden from the evil forces that seek her, she's taken refuge in a secret cove with the closest thing to a family she has. But the Shadowmasks are closing in and they'll stop at nothing to get hold of her. The only way to escape is to beat them and to do that, she'll need another amulet. The Oracle Bones tell her she'll find it in a smugglers' den along the coast, so Moll risks her life to follow their lead. The trouble is nothing is what it seems. The trouble is Moll isn't the only one seeking the amulet. The trouble is the Shadowmasks are always one step ahead...

I've been looking forward to the second book in this series for a while and it didn't disappoint. There's a tang of sea-salt in the air as Moll and her friends escape to the coast and do battle with smugglers and mer ghosts and kelpies. They're pursued throughout by owls with feathers that could slice you apart in seconds and find respite in unexpected places. As with the first book, Moll is inseparable from Gryff, her wildcat; their relationship is beautifully drawn and I was excited to discover a little more of Gryff's past. I liked the introduction of smuggler girl Scrap and found her a welcome addition to the little band of desperate adventurers. I also loved the riddle aspect of the story (although I failed to answer one correctly) and think this will appeal to readers. But it was Alfie who caught my eye the most - my heart ached for him as I read. I liked him in the first book and am very much intrigued to find out the rest of his story.

I devoured The Shadow Keeper in two sittings, despite my plans to savour it and take my time. Like the finest Turkish Delight, it's just too good to linger over - you'll want to cram it in as fast as possible too. I know the first book in the series has been popular at my Patron of Reading schools and I can tell they'll love this one too. It's an assured follow-up full of thrills and heart-stopping adventure - I can't wait for the next part of Moll's journey.

The Shadow Keeper is suitable for readers aged 9+. Published by Simon and Schuster, available from 25th February 2016.

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The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield review by Lynda Waterhouse

The cover of this magical picture book shows a large red velvet theatre curtain opening to reveal a bear dressed in an evening suit in the spotlight. He is completely absorbed in playing the piano. As you look closely you notice that there is a forest in the background. This is the story of the Bear and the Piano.

One day in the forest a young bear cub finds a mysterious object. It is a piano and at first it makes an awful noise. As he grows big and strong and grizzly so his playing develops. Every night a crowd of bears gathers to listen to the wonderful sound.

A girl and her father discover bear and tell him about the city where, ‘You can play grand pianos in front of hundreds of people and hear sounds so beautiful they will make your fur stand on end.’

Bear wants to explore the world and to play better so he leaves. In the city he is a huge success and becomes famous. Something tugs at his heart. He misses his friends and his home. But will his friends have forgotten him? Or are they angry with him for leaving them behind?

This is David Litchfield’s first picture book and I’m pretty sure it won’t be his last. The artwork is a delight. Each page is infused with light. Bear is a gentle creature who is transformed by his creativity and talent. I loved the slightly muted colour palate that fills the story with atmosphere and warmth.

The moment when bear realises that he has not been forgotten is really moving; ‘the bear realised that no matter where he went, or what he did, they would always be there, watching from afar.’

ISBN 978-1-84780-718-2 published by Francis Lincoln

www.francislincoln.com

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PRINCE OF WOLVES - Book 1 of The Legend of Genghis Khan - by Katherine A Roberts. Reviewed by Ann Turnbull.

Any new book by Katherine Roberts is a cause for celebration, and this one is extra special because Katherine has written, designed and published the entire three-book project herself. Prince of Wolves is the first of three novellas, each narrated by a different character: Temujin (the man who became known as Genghis Khan), his wife Borta and his blood brother Jamukha.

Based on Mongol legends, this is a story of rival clans battling for power. Nine-year-old Temujin is betrothed to Borta, the daughter of a neighbouring chief, in fulfilment of what their fathers believe to be a prophecy in which a wolf will mate with a deer and create a great nation. The two children seem to be the pair in the prophecy - but are they? Someone throws a stone during the betrothal ceremony and, soon after, Temujin's father is murdered by rival tribes and his wives and children forced to flee to the mountains. There Temujin meets Jamukha, who becomes his blood brother.

Many trials await Temujin in the years to come before the Mongol Alliance calls him Khan and his enemies are reduced to "ashes blowing in the wind". He knows he must find followers and raise an army if he is to avenge his father and keep his family safe. But who can he trust?

This is a short, action-packed story that is hard to put down. Told in Temujin's first-person narrative, it's full of images that conjure up the landscape and people: the horse-skull violins carved and played by the shamans; the beautiful sable fur that Borta brings as her dowry; the "trembling silence" that stretches between Temujin and Borta "like the rope on a wild horse". Temujin is as violent and ruthless as a Mongol leader needs to be, and yet he remains a sympathetic character, vulnerable in his relationships with those he loves.

Anyone who liked I am the Great Horse would enjoy this book, though it's for a slightly older readership. Book 2, out soon, is Borta's story, and Book 3 Jamukha's. Available now as a Kindle e-book, Prince of Wolves will shortly be available to read on all devices, and a POD paperback may follow.


www.annturnbull.com






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QUEEN OF THE SILVER ARROW, by Caroline Lawrence. Reviewed by Saviour Pirotta

Title: Queen of the Silver Arrow
Author: Caroline Lawrence
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
Publication Date: 15 January 2016
Format: paperback

Caroline Lawrence has probably done more than any other living author to popularise ancient Rome in children's fiction. Her Roman Mysteries series starring the indefatigable Flavia Gemina needs no introduction.  It sold over a millions copies, was turned into a television series for the BBC and spawned a second series for younger readers called The Roman Mysteries Scrolls.

Her latest historical adventure goes back in time to the founding days of Rome and is based on sections from Virgil's Aeneid. It's the story of Camilla, a princess of the Volsci tribe. According to legend, and Virgil, her father Metabus was hounded out of his realm by his own people who were angered by his continous taxation. Coming to the banks of the Amasenus with the infant princess in his arms, he binds her to a spear and hurls her across the river. The baby Camilla lands safely on the opposite bank but must remain faithful to the goddess Diana for the rest of her life.

When the king dies, the growing child has to fend for herself in the forest, becoming a fearless hunter. Until one day she is befriended by a group of girls from the nearby city of Laurentum who treat her as a living legend and draw her out of the forest and on to the battlefield...

Lawrence can always be relied on to bring ancient history to life and this book hums with excitement. The authentic details of life in the ancient world, the bonding among the girls and the battles scenes with the invading Trojans are all brought brilliantly to life. This is great, fast-paced stuff that will leave the reader breathless for more.

Barrington Stoke specialises in dyslexia friendly books which also appeal to reluctant readers aged 12+. But Queen of the Silver Arrow will also find favour with more able readers of any age.  Princess Camilla forever!

Saviour's latest book, THE GHOSTS WHO DANCED - SPOOKY STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD is out now.
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MORE OF ME - by Kathryn Evans

Reviewed by Jackie Marchant

First of all, a confession.  The author is a good friend of mine, and this review may well be thoroughly biased.  But I am being absolutely honest when I say I love this book, because I’ve been with it for such a long time, since Kathryn first tentatively asked her writing buddies (of which I am very glad to be one) to have a look at this mad idea she had for a novel.  I’ve been with it since I suggested that it was indeed mad but, if she could pull it off, it would be brilliant.  Of course, I didn’t doubt her for one moment . . .

And now I have the wonderful joy of reviewing the actual, published, much talked-about brilliant debut book! 

More of Me is about Teva, a sixteen year old girl with a very unique condition – every year she splits from herself and a new Teva emerges. That is, a whole new person, while the old one is left behind – whole.  While the new Teva goes out into the world to lead the life, the old one is left behind at home with all the other Tevas, shut away with their mother, who will do all she can to keep their secret hidden from the world.

If that wasn’t enough, the new Teva is faced with a couple of problems.  One is that her old self, now called Fifteen, does not want her near Ollie, the boy she began a relationship with, while the new Teva has her own inherited feelings for Ollie.  Then there is this constant feeling that there is a new Teva waiting to emerge, one that will confine existing Teva to the prison of home while living the life she should be leading. 

The conflict between Fifteen and Teva drives the narrative along with a conflict like nothing else I’ve come across.  At the same time, the real living younger versions of herself are perfectly portrayed, a bunch of identical siblings, each a year apart.  Then there is the mystery of how they came to be like that, and the dark secret that their mother is hiding.  But, as the Tevas grow older, the questions start demanding attention.

Along with shades of gruesomeness about splitting from your own self, there are moments of great warmth and humour in this book.  Teva is/are immensely likeable, which makes their situation all the more difficult to bear, until the dramatic ending when the truth is revealed. 

I don’t think I’m being biased when I say this is a witty, original, refreshing read – but you could always grab a copy to find out.  You won’t be the only one – I think this book is going to be hugely popular.

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