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'''Read [[:Category:New Reviews|new reviews by category]]. '''<br>
 
'''Read [[:Category:New Reviews|new reviews by category]]. '''<br>
 
'''Read [[:Category:Features|the latest features]].'''<!-- Remove -->
 
'''Read [[:Category:Features|the latest features]].'''<!-- Remove -->
{{newreview
+
}{{newreview <!-- remove 5/8 -->
|author= John Bude
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|title=Eye Spy II
|title= Death Makes A Prophet
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|author=Tessa Buckley
|rating= 4.5
+
|rating=4
|genre= Crime
+
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary= Two pages into this ''Crime Classic'' I had to check the first publication date. Reading the first two pages, it could easily have been written in 1967, or '87, or even (possibly as a pastiche) in 2017. Given that Bude's witty caper originally came out in 1947, it's slightly criminal that it's taken this long to resurface.
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|summary=Fresh from the success of solving its first case, Eye Spy Investigations is certainly up for another. So twins Alex and Donna jump at the chance to investigate the strange things happening at the Priory, home to school friend Jimmy Devlin. Alex doesn't believe in ghosts and he is very keen to persuade Donna that they don't exist.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0712356916</amazonuk>
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|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1788032667</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{newreview <!-- remove 4/8 -->
|author= Michael Morpurgo and Shoo Rayner
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|author= Geoffrey Arnold
|title= Mudpuddle Farm: Alien Invasion
+
|title= Hunted
 
|rating= 4
 
|rating= 4
|genre= Emerging Readers
+
|genre= Science Fiction
|summary=This collected edition contains two stories from Mudpuddle Farm: ''Alien Invasion'' and ''Mum's the Word''. When the bees swarm the animals panic over a new creature that appears in the farm. In the second story that greedy goat has vanished and when he returns something darned odd happens…
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|summary=Tullia learns about survival in the bush when she is taken hostage and later saves a youth's life during a hunt. Adopted into a Bushman family and the tribe, her presence stirs disparate feelings amongst the young men and women, a mixture of awe, desire, fear and hate. Living a very different life, Qwelby, Tullia's twin, is deeply shocked by the violence on Earth. As he is rescued by his four best friends from the Pit of Despair, he experiences his first feelings for Tamina, a girl he has known for years. Feelings which become much stronger for another girl he tries to help during a violent attack from his own world as he and Tullia seek to restore their telepathic link. Forming a connection with the twins during the attack, the girl, Xaala, is charged by her master with monitoring their attempts to mentally reconnect – and to prevent them. Xaala is torn between her mixed feelings for the twins and obeying her orders. Meanwhile, on the planet Vertazia and in secret, Quelby's family and friends build what they hope will be the first ever inter-dimensional transport. On a short test run, the village where he is staying is discovered. When Quelby finds out he is being watched, he flees from the village...
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007275137</amazonuk>
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|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1785891855</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author=Tamsin Cooke
+
|author= Ed McDonald
|title=Stunt Double
+
|title= Blackwing: The Raven's Mark Book One
|rating=4.5
+
|rating= 4.5
|genre=Confident Readers
+
|genre= Fantasy
|summary= Finn wants to be actor but, when his first ever lines in a film are cut, he's happy to settle for stunt-double. He has all the skills for this demanding role: he's a natural dare devil with a karate black-belt (almost). The only downside is the person Finn has to double for: Finn and teen-star Blake have history and a relationship of mutual hatred. Pretty soon, however, this is the least of Finn's worries. The eccentric film director, Novak, pushes him to the limits with increasingly dangerous stunts, manipulating Finn into doing the stunts without safety gear. But that seems tame when they transfer to film on location in a remote part of Papua New Guinea and Finn discovers what Novak really has planned for him.
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|summary= Perfect for fans of Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie and Mark Lawrence, this dark adventure is gripping and bloody; it is a twisted story that spins a web of deceit. Nothing is as it seems, as ageless powers manipulate and control the lives of the characters. The world is a staging ground, all leading to one dramatic confrontation that has been a century in the making.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>019274982X</amazonuk>
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|amazonuk=<amazonuk>147322201X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author= Simon Puttock and Daniel Egneus
+
|author=Jeff Brown and Rob Biddulph
|title= The Thing
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|title=Flat Stanley
|rating= 5
+
|rating=4.5
|genre= For Sharing
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|genre=Emerging Readers
|summary= One day ''the Thing'' falls from the sky and four strangers stumble across it. At first they are confused. What is ''the Thing''? What does it do? What is it for? Then the four of them decide to work together to look after and care for '''the Thing''. Soon word spreads about ''the Thing'' and others come from far and wide to find out more. Gradually a media circus builds up around ''the Thing''. Throughout all of this ''the Thing'' remains silent. Then just as suddenly and silently as it arrived ''the Thing'' departs.
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|summary=''Stanley was four feet tall, about a foot wide, and half an inch thick.''
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405283718</amazonuk>
+
 +
Yes, there's proof that this is the original text of this classic children's book – at least it's not been updated to metric. So while the illustrations are new, we get the real deal, with the young Stanley squished one night, to such an extent he can limbo under shut doors, get airmailed to America to visit relatives, become a kite for his younger brother to play with, and more. But then you don't need to update perfection.
 +
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405288108</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author=Thomas Flintham
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|author=Kate Ellis
|title=Around the World Colouring Book
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|title=The Mermaid's Scream (Wesley Peterson)
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
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|genre=Crime
|summary=Colouring books are a useful way for children to relax, develop manual dexterity and explore colour, but in the dash to appeal to the child so many miss the opportunity to be gently educational ''and'' to still appeal to the young.  The two are not mutually exclusive!  Look for instance at this colouring book: it's got page upon page of pictures to colour (with just a little narrative to set the scene) with the added attraction of four pages of stickersYou'll see grey shapes - and that's the signal to get stickering!
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|summary=In 1884 a wealthy young woman became infatuated with the man who ran a travelling puppet show.  We'll follow the story of John Lipton's courtship through excerpts from his journal.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1788000005</amazonuk>
+
 
 +
In August 2016 Zac Wilkinson was writing the biography of the reclusive novelist Wynn Staniland.  It's not easy work as Staniland isn't inclined to give more away than he has to and is unwilling to discuss the one thing which the public will want to know about: his wife's suicide which seemed to follow a scene from his most famous bookWilkinson is doing his best to drum up interest in the forthcoming book: he does talks at local libraries which are well attended and he was seemingly on his way to one of these talks when he disappeared.
 +
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0349413118</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author=Various Authors
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|author= Naoki Higashida and David Mitchell
|title= A Change Is Gonna Come
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|title=Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight: A Young Man's Voice From the Silence of Autism
 
|rating= 5
 
|rating= 5
|genre= Teens
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|genre= Reference
|summary= ''A Change Is Gonna Come'' is an anthology of stories and poems interpreting the theme of change by twelve BAME writers. It's Stripes Publishing's response to the under-representation of BAME authors in the UK. And it's a great response.
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|summary=Naoki Higashida was only 13 years old when he wrote the international best-seller ''The Reason I Jump.'' The book was popular because it gave a rare glimpse into the workings of the autistic mind, as told from the unique perspective of a teenager with non-verbal autism. Naoki communicates by using an alphabet grid, or by tracing letters on the palm of a transcriber. Despite this slow and laborious method of writing, he has published several books in his native Japan, and manages to give public presentations to raise awareness of his condition. ''Fall Down 7 Times Get up 8'' reintroduces us to Naoki as a young adult in his 20s and explains how his perspectives on life have changed since writing his first book.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847158390</amazonuk>
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|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444799088</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author= Andrew Shvarts
+
|author= Caz Frear
|title= Royal Bastards
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|title= Sweet Little Lies
|rating= 5
+
|rating= 4.5
|genre= Teens
+
|genre= Thrillers
|summary= A group of teens witness something that they shouldn't and find themselves hunted by half the kingdom. Royal plots, magic, adventure and a rich culture to immerse yourself in. Can the pack of bastards make it to safety before the vicious warriors chasing them catch them?
+
|summary= In 1998 a girl called Maryanne disappears in Ireland. In 2017 a woman called Alice is found dead in London. In both cases, Detective Constable Cat Kinsella is coincidentally close by, but she's more worried by the fact her father is too. And he cannot be trusted.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1484767659</amazonuk>
+
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1785763350</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author= Matt Stanton
+
|author= Mayim Bialik
|title= Funny Kid for President
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|title= Girling Up
|rating= 5
 
|genre= Confident Readers
 
|summary=Max Walburt has a real problem with his teacher and nothing seems to make it better. Running for class president seems like a good way out of his problems but inevitably it doesn't run smoothly.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0008220166</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Emily Clarkson
 
|title= Can I Speak to Someone in Charge?
 
 
|rating= 4.5
 
|rating= 4.5
|genre= Politics and Society
+
|genre= Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=''Can I Speak to Someone in Charge?'', blogger Emily Clarkson's debut book, is a fierce, witty and laugh-out-loud funny ode to feminism. In a series of open letters, she addresses the issues faced by every modern woman, discussing everything from dealing with body hair to being made to feel uncomfortable in the gym, as well as more personal issues, like her experiences of being 'catfished' and sent abuse online. This is a vital read for any girl born in the 1990s, tackling some very serious social injustices beneath its fun exterior.
+
|summary= Aimed at teenagers, this book focuses on growing up as a girl, or ''Girling up'' if you will, and what it means to transition from school girl to grown up, via that hideous detour of teenage years.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1471156907</amazonuk>
+
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0399548602</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author= Riley Sager
+
|author=Philippa Pearce and Cate James
|title=Final Girls
+
|title=The Ghost in Annie's Room (Little Gems)
|rating=4
+
|rating=4.5
|genre= Thrillers
+
|genre=Dyslexia Friendly
|summary=A 'final girl' is the last girl alive at the end of a horror movie, a gruesome description which has defined the life of Quincy Carpenter, as much as she tries to persuade you differently. Quincy, the sole survivor of a teenage massacre, has spent her adult years trying to put the past behind her. But when another 'final girl' dies, the media, who have always been obsessed with the girls' dark glamour, swarm upon her. And to make matters worse for Quincy, the other 'final girl' a survivor from another massacre, who has been in hiding for years, appears on her doorstep. Suddenly, Quincy is not only able to move past her past, her past starts to intermingle with her present and she is drawn back in. Was the first 'final girl's death an accident? Why has the  second 'final girl' come out of hiding? And what isn't Quincy telling us about her own massacre?
+
|summary=Emma is on a family holiday in an older relative's seaside cottage, where she is to sleep in the room in the attic. Her brother has passed on what he says he has overheard – that it is haunted. But even with the mementos of the person that once lived there all around her, and with a strange feeling of being watched, even with the stormy winds knocking tree limbs on to the window – Emma can sleep through it all. But that's not to say things will forever be that way…
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1785034022</amazonuk>
+
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781126852</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|title=No Filter
+
|author=Svetlana Alexievich, Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (translators)
|author=Orlagh Collins
+
|title=The Unwomanly Face of War
|rating=4
+
|rating=5
|genre=Teens
+
|genre=History
|summary=Em - Emerald - has led a pretty privileged life. Her wealthy parents have sent her to a posh private school. She's friends with all the right people, as her social media accounts will attest. Everything is sweetness and light in Em's world. Or is it? Equivocation over covering up bullying has put Em in the crosshairs of the school's cool girl pecking order. Friends are suddenly less friendly. There are secrets at home about to turn from secret to open crisis. And when Em's mother overdoses, the dominoes start to topple.
+
|summary=''War'', says Svetlana Alexievich, ''is first of all murder, and then hard work. And then simply ordinary life: singing, falling in love, putting your hair in curlers…''. This extraordinary book is a collection of first-hand accounts by Russian fighting women in the Second World War. A million women joined Russian military forces as soldiers of all ranks, medics, pilots, drivers, snipers, cryptographers. Most were very young, little more than girls of 18 or 19. They were passionate about defending their homeland and often extremely keen to join up, returning again and again to recruitment offices until someone could be persuaded to take them. Their ambition was to help their brothers, fathers, husbands to fight the terrible invader. They were trained and sent to the front, where they were greeted at first with disappointment and disgust by fighting men, who had hoped for reinforcements of able-bodied men. The women had to prove themselves.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408884518</amazonuk>
+
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0141983523</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|title=Kid Normal
+
|author= Alison Jay
|author=Greg James and Chris Smith
+
|title= Alison Jay's ABC
|rating=4
+
|rating= 4.5
|genre=Confident Readers
+
|genre= For Sharing
|summary=Murph Cooper is fed up. He and his mum have moved house. Again. This means another new home to get used to. This means another new school to get used to. This means another set of friends left behind. And if that weren't enough, this time he doesn't even have a new school to go to. Everywhere is full. Eventually, a place is found - at ''The School'', a strange place hidden away in a back street. ''The School'' is a school unlike any other. It caters for children with superpowers. But Murph doesn't have any superpowers and is soon consigned to the socially undesirable super zeroes gang. The kids with superpowers are not kind to the super zeroes...
+
|summary= At first glance, this is a beautiful but fairly standard alphabet book: one letter per page with a nice big picture of an apple or a panda front and centre - after all, the ABC format is pretty restrictive, isn't it? And truth be told, that's all most small people will see first time round. But look a little closer . . .  
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408884534</amazonuk>
+
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1787410196</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author= Max Brooks
+
|author=Anna Kovecses
|title= Minecraft: The Island
+
|title=Opposite Things
|rating= 5
+
|rating=4.5
|genre= Confident Readers
+
|genre=For Sharing
|summary= Max Brooks perfectly captures the experience of playing Minecraft without instructions or assistance from the random punching stage through to building towers that touch the sky. Just as schools around the world are using Minecraft to teach computer science and other skills Brooks uses his novel to demonstrate how valuable life lessons can be learned from this online phenomena.
+
|summary=Rearing a child is not a competition, but have a conversation with a certain type of parent and they won't agree.  Their child can speak four languages.  Their child wrote their first sonnet at the age of three.  Their child can be seen wistfully looking into the middle distance just wanting to play on the bouncy castle.  For me, I am happy, if my child is happy; be that doing sums, or eating play-doh. However, even with a relaxed attitude to educating your kid, it can be fun to learn a little, especially when a book is as fun as Little Mouse's ''Opposite Things''.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>178089774X</amazonuk>
+
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1786030381</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author= Hayley Long
+
|author= Michael Morpurgo and Shoo Rayner
|title= The Nearest Faraway Place
+
|title= Mudpuddle Farm: Hee-Haw Hooray
|rating= 4.5
+
|rating= 4
|genre= Teens
+
|genre= Emerging Readers
|summary= On Griff's thirteenth birthday, he and his brother's lives change forever when their entire family is caught up in a road accident. ''The Nearest Faraway Place'' is told from the point of view of his brother, Dylan, as they both try to come to terms with the end of their world as they know it.
+
|summary=Two collected stories from Mudpuddle Farm series – ''Nowt to Worry About'' and ''Tickety-Boo''. How will the animals react when the sky goes strange and horrifying noises abound? Changes are afoot that could mark the end of Mudpuddle farm; or is it just a new beginning?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1471406261</amazonuk>
+
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0008241988</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{newreview <!-- remove 1/8 -->
|author= Charles Harris
+
|author=Stephan Santiago
|title= The Breaking of Liam Glass
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|title=Returning Home
|rating= 3
+
|rating=3.5
|genre=Crime
+
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|summary= A flawed but reasonably entertaining swipe at modern media. There's plenty here to like, and plenty not to. But good structure and scramjet pace keep this one flying to the final page.
+
|summary=[[:Category:Stephan Santiago|Stephan Santiago]] has experienced life in a way that's led him to believe we're all on a soul journey back home – that place we inhabited before we were born.  This book is a guide as to how we can optimise this journey for ourselves, those around us and our children.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1908943823</amazonuk>
+
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1504305272</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author=Michael Bond and R W Alley
+
|author=Julia Blackburn
|title=Best-loved Paddington Stories
+
|title=Threads: The Delicate Life of John Craske
|rating=4
+
|rating=4.5
|genre=For Sharing
+
|genre=Biography
|summary=With the sad passing of Michael Bond there is no time like the present to revisit some of the adventures of his most iconic creation; PaddingtonAs the character has proved so timeless regular re-issues of the books have appeared and ''Best-loved Paddington Stories'' brings three of these stories togetherDoes this collection really reflect the best that the bear has to offer or are they just three random tales stuck together with marmalade?
+
|summary=John Craske was a fisherman, from a family of fishermen, who became too ill to go to seaHe was born in Sheringham on the north Norfolk coast in 1881 and would eventually die in the Norwich hospital in 1943 after a life which could have been defined by ill health.  There were various explanations for what ailed him, what caused him to sink into a stupour, sometimes for years at a time and he was on occasions described as 'an imbecile'.  But John had a natural artistic talent, albeit that his work had to be done on the available surfaces in his home.  Chair seats, window sills, the backs of doors all carried his wonderful pictures of the seaThen he moved on to embroidery, producing wonderful pictures of the Norfolk coast - and, most famously, of the evacuation at Dunkirk.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0008245037</amazonuk>
+
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0099582198</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author= Jane Johnson
+
|author= M J Tjia
|title= Court of Lions
+
|title= She Be Damned
|rating= 5
+
|rating= 4
|genre= Historical Fiction
+
|genre= Crime (Historical)
|summary= Kate Fordham arrived in the sunlit city of Granada a year ago. In the shadow of the Alhambra, one of the most beautiful places on earth, she works as a waitress serving tourists in a busy bar. She pretends she's happy with her new life – but how could she be? Kate's alone, afraid and hiding under a false name. And fate is about to bring her face-to-face with her greatest fear. Five centuries ago, a message, in a hand few could read, was inscribed in blood on a stolen scrap of paper. The paper was folded and pressed into one of the Alhambra's walls. There it has lain, undisturbed by the tides of history – the Fall of Granada, the expulsion of its last Sultan – until Kate discovers it. Born of love, in a time of danger and desperation, the fragment will be the catalyst that changes Kate's life forever.  
+
|summary= London, 1863: prostitutes in the Waterloo area are turning up dead, their sexual organs mutilated and removed. When another girl goes missing, fears grow that the killer may have claimed their latest victim. The police are at a loss and so it falls to courtesan and professional detective, Heloise Chancey, to investigate. With the assistance of her trusty Chinese maid, Amah Li Leen, Heloise inches closer to the truth. But when Amah is implicated in the brutal plot, Heloise must reconsider whom she can trust, before the killer strikes again.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1786694336</amazonuk>
+
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>178507931X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author=Lauren Elkin
+
|author= Sarah Powell
|title=Flaneuse: Women Walk the City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice and London
+
|title= Search and Find: Pride & Prejudice: A Jane Austen Search and Find Book
|rating=4
+
|rating= 4
|genre=History
+
|genre= Emerging Readers
|summary=Lauren Elkin is down on suburbs: they're places where you can't or shouldn't be seen walking; places where, in fiction, women who transgress boundaries are punished (thinking of everything from ''Madame Bovary'' to ''Revolutionary Road''). When she imagines to herself what the female version of that well-known historical figure, the carefree ''flâneur'', might be, she thinks about women who freely wandered the world's great cities without having the more insalubrious connotation of the word 'streetwalker' applied to them.
+
|summary= Search and find books are usually aimed at children. They are a good bit of fun, but they are also a good study tool for adult readers alike. Jane Austen is a fantastic novelist, but her style of writing can be daunting for those not used to such heavy prose. It is very easy to become lost in the myriad of dialogue, characters and events. I find a good plot summary helps when approaching her works, this was especially so in the case of the perplexing and long-winded Emma.  
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0099593378</amazonuk>
+
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1783708271</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author=Julie Cohen
+
|author=Patrice Lawrence
|title=Together
+
|title=Indigo Donut
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
|genre=General Fiction
+
|genre=Teens
|summary=This is a love story told backwards, in the most beautiful manner, so that we know from the very beginning that Emily and Robert love each other enormously, and that he is about to break her heart in the most dreadful way in order to protect a secret that they've lived with for decades. Seeing their love unfold in reverse is beautiful.  We get to know them once they have already gotten to know each other, and it makes for an unusual and interesting structure. The secret they hold is referred to throughout, but it isn't revealed until very late in the book. I'm guessing very few readers will figure it out.  Even once you know, you want to go back and read the whole story again in the light of the information you now hold.
+
|summary=
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1409171744</amazonuk>
+
''In Bailey's opinion, Indigo didn't look like she needed a hero. One by one, she looked Mona, Saskia, Betti and Kay in the eye. Then she gave them the finger: slow motion. Headphones on again, she sauntered off towards the science wing. Hell. That was... She was...''
 +
 
 +
That's Indigo for you! Indigo is seventeen. And on her umpteenth school. Pitt Academy is a last chance for Indigo and her foster mother Keeley is anxious that she makes it there. But it's not easy for Indigo - her reputation for kicking off always precedes her. And that's the least of it - because someone always finds out about her past: that ''she'' is the tiny little girl who was found by the body after her father killed her mother.
 +
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444927183</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author= Heather Pindar and Sarah Jennings
+
|author=Bethan Woollvin
|title=Wishker
+
|title=Rapunzel
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
|genre= For Sharing
+
|genre=For Sharing
|summary= Mirabel is a small girl who wants rather a lot from life and is sadly frustrated when everyone says no to her. Then a stray cat appears in her garden. He's a rather special cat with wish-granting whiskers. All Mirabel's problems will be instantly solved. Or so she thinks…
+
|summary=Ah Rapunzel, how well we all know about her long golden hair and her difficult-to-escape tower!  Here, however, the story is told with a twist, because there is no handsome Prince who comes riding by to save Rapunzel from her incarceration. No, instead we see Rapunzel is smart enough to figure her own way out, defeating the witch, and going on to a successful witch-hunting career.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>184886244X</amazonuk>
+
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1509842675</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author=Guy Griffith and Michael Oakeshott
+
|author=Catherine Barr and Hanako Clulow
|title=A Guide to the Classics: Or How to Pick the Derby Winner
+
|title=10 Reasons to Love an Elephant
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
|genre=Sport
+
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=It's not often that you get a glimpse into the personal, youthful interests of one of the greatest Conservative philosophers of the twentieth century, but ''A Guide to the Classics'' co-authored by Michael Oakeshott is a light-hearted look at how to pick the Derby winnerOriginally written in 1936 it is, amazingly, as relevant today as it was then. In fact, the techniques and analysis employed by the authors were way ahead of their time and have only come into general use relatively recently.
+
|summary=Ten reasons to love an elephant, eh?  Well, personally, I've never needed ten reasons as they've always been my favourite large animal, the gentle giants of Africa and India, but it was good to find out more about them.  Perhaps the most surprising fact which I discovered was that they live in herds headed by their ''grandmothers''.  Female elephants and their calves stay together and the oldest female elephant is the one in charge as she knows where to find food and water - and she knows her herdShe remembers about people too.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>184540937X</amazonuk>
+
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>184780943X</amazonuk>
 +
}}
 +
{{newreview
 +
|author= Andrew Lacey
 +
|title= The English Civil War in 100 Facts
 +
|rating= 4.5
 +
|genre= History
 +
|summary= The '100 Facts' series is now sufficiently well-established as a guarantee of useful introductory histories. This latest addition, recounting the struggle between King and Parliament, is no exception.
 +
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1445649950</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author=Stuart Neville
+
|author=Peter Cottrill
|title=So Say the Fallen (DCI Serena Flanagan)
+
|title= Terrible True Tales from the Tower of London
|rating=4
+
|rating= 5
|genre=Crime
+
|genre= Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=Harry Garrick had been a successful businessman until the car accident which cost him both legs and left him bedridden and beholden to his wife for even the most intimate functions, so there was not a ''lot'' of surprise when, six months later, he seemed to have taken his own life. One sachet of morphine granules, mixed in a pot of yoghurt had given him a good night's sleep. Garrick appeared to have crunched ten sachets of granules, if the empty packets were anything to go by.  It seemed obvious that the case should be closed quickly: who would dispute a finding of suicide?  Even DCI Serena Flanagan was just about convinced: it was just that the widow, Roberta Garrick, and the local clergyman, Peter McKay seemed suspiciously close. Perhaps a few loose ends needed tidying up before the case was closed?
+
|summary=The history of the infamous Tower of London is full of gore and death. Its rich history dates back to the eleventh century and since then it has played host to many famous figures, many of them ill-fated prisoners. The history of the Tower is told within this book's pages, only this time it's told by the ravens that live there. They are the Tower's guardians who reside there permanently due to an ancient legend that all of London will fall should they be removed, and after centuries of watching over the Tower they have their own version of history to tell.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1784703036</amazonuk>
+
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406376884</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author= Fred Van Lente
+
|author= Cara Black
|title= Ten Dead Comedians: A Murder Mystery
+
|title= Murder in Saint-Germain
 
|rating= 4
 
|rating= 4
|genre= Humour
+
|genre= Crime
|summary= Nine comedians are invited to a remote Caribbean island under the guise of working with Dustin Walker, a comedic legend. Each fits neatly into one of the archetypal comic stereotypes: Steve, the washed-up has-been who has fallen far from his early days; Zoe, the rising female star with a new stand-up special coming soon; Dante, who went from being a kid on the streets to the hardest working road comic in the business; Oliver, the child-like prop comic who can't get any respect from his peers; Janet, the insult comic who is past her prime;  TJ, the nightly variety show host with a reputation for harassing his female colleagues and guest acts; Ruby, the ultra-feminist YouTuber and Blogger with a chip on her shoulder; and William, whose redneck character ''Billy the Contractor'' is a far cry from his real personality as a posh millionaire. Of course, all nine agree because ''when God almighty walks down on a beam of light and asks for your help, what the hell else are you going to say?''
+
|summary=Who is Aimee Leduc? I have to be honest and say that though this novel may be seventeenth in series from the best-selling Cara Black, it is in fact my first outing with the deft Parisienne detective. And so, if I'm honest, I wasn't sure what to expect. How does a character with so many investigations under her belt retain the gusto we've come to expect from all good literary detectives? Moreover, how does an author with so well established a character as Aimee Leduc keep her interesting enough for those of us coming late to the party? After reading ''Murder in Saint-Germain'' I would suggest that Black manages it quite easily.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1594749744</amazonuk>
+
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1616957700</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author=Judith Kerr
+
|author=Pierre Lemaitre and Frank Wynne (translator)
|title=My First Mog ABC
+
|title=Three Days and a Life
|rating=4.5
+
|rating=4
|genre=For Sharing
+
|genre=Crime
|summary= There are few children's series that have been as long lasting as Judith Kerr's ''Mog'' books and even though the cat may no longer be with us, there is a huge back catalogue of old stories and images that could be repurposed.  In the wrong hands reusing old Mog images would seem like a crass cash in, but done right, they could still hold the same sentimental appeal that the daft old cat has for so many peopleWhich way does ''My First Mog ABC'' fall?
+
|summary=Christmas week, 1999, and Antoine hasn't got the best of situations.  Some of his friends have parted company with him because of the new-fangled Playstation, which his mother refuses to let him waste his time on.  He's built a treehouse all by himself, and decided it was solely to woo the girl next door that he loves, but she's rejected it.  And his best company, the dog from the other house next door, was injured in a hit and run, and shot to be put out of its misery.  In the process of angrily demolishing the treehouse, he's visited by his very friendly and adorable neighbour, the dog's six-year-old owner, and Antoine's swung some of the wood at him – and killed him with one fell and very foul sweepAs the title suggests, there will be a very tense few days and nights while the guilt amasses with the lad – and/or a lifetime of living on a knife-edge, where any false move could lead to him being found out…
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0008245509</amazonuk>
+
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>085705662X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author= Quentin Mouron and W Donald Wilson (translator)
+
|author= Hendrik Groen and Hester Velmans (translator)
|title= Three Drops of Blood and a Cloud of Cocaine
+
|title= The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83¼ years Old
|rating= 5
+
|rating= 4.5
|genre= Crime
+
|genre= General Fiction
|summary=Paul McCarthy is a man of simple pleasures; Sheriff in a small town, a good husband father and neighbour, he moves through life buoyed by his faith, in both God and justice. The brutal murder of old Jimmy Henderson rocks this simple man's tenuously ordered life and drags him to the edge of the abyss. McCarthy is tasked with leading a fractured investigation whilst managing his own soul-searching questions about morality and the nature of existence. Into this quagmire steps Franck, a private detective with a shadowy agenda, a raging cocaine habit and a twisted sense of morality. As McCarthy tries to solve this apparently motiveless crime, Franck acts as a perverse Jiminy Cricket, dripping immorality and depravity into his ear with a kiss and a wink.
+
|summary= As the old adage goes, to walk a mile in someone else's shoes is to gain some understanding of what it is to be that person. Admittedly, Hendrik Groen isn't much up for long walks any more, but he does acquire a swish mobility scooter to zoom around in; one could say that we get to zoom a mile in Groen's shoes, and oh, what fun shoes he wears!
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1908524839</amazonuk>
+
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405924004</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author= Kate Mildenhall
+
|author= Cathy Scott-Clark and Adrian Levy
|title= Skylarking
+
|title= The Exile
 
|rating= 4
 
|rating= 4
|genre= General Fiction
+
|genre= Politics and Society
|summary= Kate and Harriet are best friends growing up together on an isolated Australian cape. As the daughters of the lighthouse keepers, the two girls share everything, until a fisherman, McPhail, arrives in their small community. When Kate witnesses the desire that flares between him and Harriet, she is torn by her feelings of envy and longing. An innocent moment in McPhail's hut then occurs that threatens to tear their peaceful community apart.  
+
|summary= An account of the fate of Al Qaeda and the Bin Laden family since the events of 9/11, ''The Exile'' plunges into the murky waters of international terrorism, espionage and politics. Detailed and meticulous, the book tackles the subject from all angles, providing a panoramic view of the subject and acting to enlighten and inform the reader.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1785079239</amazonuk>
+
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408858762</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author= Sarah Stovell
+
|author=Jo Cotterill
|title= Exquisite
+
|title=A Storm of Strawberries
|rating= 4.5
+
|rating=4.5
|genre= Thrillers
+
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary= I was looking forward to reading ''Exquisite'' ever since I first heard about it, and it didn't disappoint. It's a murky, suggestive thriller about two very different women who find themselves fascinatingly connected; it's a compulsive, attention-grabbing read that had me hunched up in bed till 1am, desperate to finish it as soon as I could. It's clever, excellently-paced, and uncannily realistic.
+
|summary=Darby lives on a strawberry farm with her mum, big sister, step dad and step brother. She loves music, dancing, chocolate egg hunts and her big sister Kaydee.  She is warm and funny, and she has Down's syndrome. The story looks at the events of one weekend in Darby's life when the farm is threatened by a tornado, and her family is threatened by the revelation of a closely-guarded secret.
It's just a pity that I managed to figure out the ending about a quarter of the way in.
+
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848126166</amazonuk>
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1910633747</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
|author= Jeffrey James
+
|author= Sarah Franklin
|title= Ireland: The Struggle for Power: From the Dark Ages to the Jacobites
+
|title= Shelter
|rating= 4.5
+
|rating= 5
|genre= History
+
|genre= Historical Fiction
|summary= The 'Irish troubles' go back over many centuries. When I and doubtless many others of my generation studied History at school, the Emerald Isle barely intruded on our consciousness, apart from brief references to the Battle of the Boyne and maybe the Easter Rising. This book therefore does us, and the country, a service in helping to fill a very large gap.
+
|summary=Connie Granger has escaped her bombed-out city home, finding refuge in the Women's Timber Corps. For her, this remote community must now serve a secret purpose.<br>
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1445662469</amazonuk>
+
Seppe, an Italian prisoner of war, is haunted by his memories. In the forest camp, he finds a strange kind of freedom.Their meeting signals new beginnings. But as they are drawn together, the world outside their forest haven is being torn apart. Old certainties are crumbling, and both must now make a life-defining choice.<br>
 +
What price will they pay for freedom? What will they fight to protect?
 +
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1785762990</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
}}

Revision as of 19:30, 27 July 2017

The Bookbag

Hello from The Bookbag, a site featuring books from all the many walks of literary life - fiction, biography, crime, cookery and anything else that takes our fancy. At Bookbag Towers the bookbag sits at the side of the desk. It's the bag we take to the library and the bookshop. Sometimes it holds the latest releases, but at other times there'll be old favourites, books for the children, books for the home. They're sometimes our own books or books from the local library. They're often books sent to us by publishers and we promise to tell you exactly what we think about them. You might not want to read through a full review, so we'll give you a quick review which summarises what we felt about the book and tells you whether or not we think you should buy or borrow it. There are also lots of author interviews, and all sorts of top tens - all of which you can find on our features page. If you're stuck for something to read, check out the recommendations page. We can even direct you to help for custom book reviews! Visit www.everychildareader.org to get free writing tips and www.genecaresearchreports.com will help you get your paper written for free.

There are currently 16,084 reviews at TheBookbag.

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Reviews of the Best New Books

Read new reviews by category.
Read the latest features.

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Eye Spy II by Tessa Buckley

4star.jpg Confident Readers

Fresh from the success of solving its first case, Eye Spy Investigations is certainly up for another. So twins Alex and Donna jump at the chance to investigate the strange things happening at the Priory, home to school friend Jimmy Devlin. Alex doesn't believe in ghosts and he is very keen to persuade Donna that they don't exist. Full review...

Hunted by Geoffrey Arnold

4star.jpg Science Fiction

Tullia learns about survival in the bush when she is taken hostage and later saves a youth's life during a hunt. Adopted into a Bushman family and the tribe, her presence stirs disparate feelings amongst the young men and women, a mixture of awe, desire, fear and hate. Living a very different life, Qwelby, Tullia's twin, is deeply shocked by the violence on Earth. As he is rescued by his four best friends from the Pit of Despair, he experiences his first feelings for Tamina, a girl he has known for years. Feelings which become much stronger for another girl he tries to help during a violent attack from his own world as he and Tullia seek to restore their telepathic link. Forming a connection with the twins during the attack, the girl, Xaala, is charged by her master with monitoring their attempts to mentally reconnect – and to prevent them. Xaala is torn between her mixed feelings for the twins and obeying her orders. Meanwhile, on the planet Vertazia and in secret, Quelby's family and friends build what they hope will be the first ever inter-dimensional transport. On a short test run, the village where he is staying is discovered. When Quelby finds out he is being watched, he flees from the village... Full review...

Blackwing: The Raven's Mark Book One by Ed McDonald

4.5star.jpg Fantasy

Perfect for fans of Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie and Mark Lawrence, this dark adventure is gripping and bloody; it is a twisted story that spins a web of deceit. Nothing is as it seems, as ageless powers manipulate and control the lives of the characters. The world is a staging ground, all leading to one dramatic confrontation that has been a century in the making. Full review...

Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown and Rob Biddulph

4.5star.jpg Emerging Readers

Stanley was four feet tall, about a foot wide, and half an inch thick.

Yes, there's proof that this is the original text of this classic children's book – at least it's not been updated to metric. So while the illustrations are new, we get the real deal, with the young Stanley squished one night, to such an extent he can limbo under shut doors, get airmailed to America to visit relatives, become a kite for his younger brother to play with, and more. But then you don't need to update perfection. Full review...

The Mermaid's Scream (Wesley Peterson) by Kate Ellis

4star.jpg Crime

In 1884 a wealthy young woman became infatuated with the man who ran a travelling puppet show. We'll follow the story of John Lipton's courtship through excerpts from his journal.

In August 2016 Zac Wilkinson was writing the biography of the reclusive novelist Wynn Staniland. It's not easy work as Staniland isn't inclined to give more away than he has to and is unwilling to discuss the one thing which the public will want to know about: his wife's suicide which seemed to follow a scene from his most famous book. Wilkinson is doing his best to drum up interest in the forthcoming book: he does talks at local libraries which are well attended and he was seemingly on his way to one of these talks when he disappeared. Full review...

Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight: A Young Man's Voice From the Silence of Autism by Naoki Higashida and David Mitchell

5star.jpg Reference

Naoki Higashida was only 13 years old when he wrote the international best-seller The Reason I Jump. The book was popular because it gave a rare glimpse into the workings of the autistic mind, as told from the unique perspective of a teenager with non-verbal autism. Naoki communicates by using an alphabet grid, or by tracing letters on the palm of a transcriber. Despite this slow and laborious method of writing, he has published several books in his native Japan, and manages to give public presentations to raise awareness of his condition. Fall Down 7 Times Get up 8 reintroduces us to Naoki as a young adult in his 20s and explains how his perspectives on life have changed since writing his first book. Full review...

Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear

4.5star.jpg Thrillers

In 1998 a girl called Maryanne disappears in Ireland. In 2017 a woman called Alice is found dead in London. In both cases, Detective Constable Cat Kinsella is coincidentally close by, but she's more worried by the fact her father is too. And he cannot be trusted. Full review...

Girling Up by Mayim Bialik

4.5star.jpg Children's Non-Fiction

Aimed at teenagers, this book focuses on growing up as a girl, or Girling up if you will, and what it means to transition from school girl to grown up, via that hideous detour of teenage years. Full review...

The Ghost in Annie's Room (Little Gems) by Philippa Pearce and Cate James

4.5star.jpg Dyslexia Friendly

Emma is on a family holiday in an older relative's seaside cottage, where she is to sleep in the room in the attic. Her brother has passed on what he says he has overheard – that it is haunted. But even with the mementos of the person that once lived there all around her, and with a strange feeling of being watched, even with the stormy winds knocking tree limbs on to the window – Emma can sleep through it all. But that's not to say things will forever be that way… Full review...

The Unwomanly Face of War by Svetlana Alexievich, Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (translators)

5star.jpg History

War, says Svetlana Alexievich, is first of all murder, and then hard work. And then simply ordinary life: singing, falling in love, putting your hair in curlers…. This extraordinary book is a collection of first-hand accounts by Russian fighting women in the Second World War. A million women joined Russian military forces as soldiers of all ranks, medics, pilots, drivers, snipers, cryptographers. Most were very young, little more than girls of 18 or 19. They were passionate about defending their homeland and often extremely keen to join up, returning again and again to recruitment offices until someone could be persuaded to take them. Their ambition was to help their brothers, fathers, husbands to fight the terrible invader. They were trained and sent to the front, where they were greeted at first with disappointment and disgust by fighting men, who had hoped for reinforcements of able-bodied men. The women had to prove themselves. Full review...

Alison Jay's ABC by Alison Jay

4.5star.jpg For Sharing

At first glance, this is a beautiful but fairly standard alphabet book: one letter per page with a nice big picture of an apple or a panda front and centre - after all, the ABC format is pretty restrictive, isn't it? And truth be told, that's all most small people will see first time round. But look a little closer . . . Full review...

Opposite Things by Anna Kovecses

4.5star.jpg For Sharing

Rearing a child is not a competition, but have a conversation with a certain type of parent and they won't agree. Their child can speak four languages. Their child wrote their first sonnet at the age of three. Their child can be seen wistfully looking into the middle distance just wanting to play on the bouncy castle. For me, I am happy, if my child is happy; be that doing sums, or eating play-doh. However, even with a relaxed attitude to educating your kid, it can be fun to learn a little, especially when a book is as fun as Little Mouse's Opposite Things. Full review...

Mudpuddle Farm: Hee-Haw Hooray by Michael Morpurgo and Shoo Rayner

4star.jpg Emerging Readers

Two collected stories from Mudpuddle Farm series – Nowt to Worry About and Tickety-Boo. How will the animals react when the sky goes strange and horrifying noises abound? Changes are afoot that could mark the end of Mudpuddle farm; or is it just a new beginning? Full review...

Returning Home by Stephan Santiago

3.5star.jpg Spirituality and Religion

Stephan Santiago has experienced life in a way that's led him to believe we're all on a soul journey back home – that place we inhabited before we were born. This book is a guide as to how we can optimise this journey for ourselves, those around us and our children. Full review...

Threads: The Delicate Life of John Craske by Julia Blackburn

4.5star.jpg Biography

John Craske was a fisherman, from a family of fishermen, who became too ill to go to sea. He was born in Sheringham on the north Norfolk coast in 1881 and would eventually die in the Norwich hospital in 1943 after a life which could have been defined by ill health. There were various explanations for what ailed him, what caused him to sink into a stupour, sometimes for years at a time and he was on occasions described as 'an imbecile'. But John had a natural artistic talent, albeit that his work had to be done on the available surfaces in his home. Chair seats, window sills, the backs of doors all carried his wonderful pictures of the sea. Then he moved on to embroidery, producing wonderful pictures of the Norfolk coast - and, most famously, of the evacuation at Dunkirk. Full review...

She Be Damned by M J Tjia

4star.jpg Crime (Historical)

London, 1863: prostitutes in the Waterloo area are turning up dead, their sexual organs mutilated and removed. When another girl goes missing, fears grow that the killer may have claimed their latest victim. The police are at a loss and so it falls to courtesan and professional detective, Heloise Chancey, to investigate. With the assistance of her trusty Chinese maid, Amah Li Leen, Heloise inches closer to the truth. But when Amah is implicated in the brutal plot, Heloise must reconsider whom she can trust, before the killer strikes again. Full review...

Search and Find: Pride & Prejudice: A Jane Austen Search and Find Book by Sarah Powell

4star.jpg Emerging Readers

Search and find books are usually aimed at children. They are a good bit of fun, but they are also a good study tool for adult readers alike. Jane Austen is a fantastic novelist, but her style of writing can be daunting for those not used to such heavy prose. It is very easy to become lost in the myriad of dialogue, characters and events. I find a good plot summary helps when approaching her works, this was especially so in the case of the perplexing and long-winded Emma. Full review...

Indigo Donut by Patrice Lawrence

5star.jpg Teens

In Bailey's opinion, Indigo didn't look like she needed a hero. One by one, she looked Mona, Saskia, Betti and Kay in the eye. Then she gave them the finger: slow motion. Headphones on again, she sauntered off towards the science wing. Hell. That was... She was...

That's Indigo for you! Indigo is seventeen. And on her umpteenth school. Pitt Academy is a last chance for Indigo and her foster mother Keeley is anxious that she makes it there. But it's not easy for Indigo - her reputation for kicking off always precedes her. And that's the least of it - because someone always finds out about her past: that she is the tiny little girl who was found by the body after her father killed her mother. Full review...

Rapunzel by Bethan Woollvin

4star.jpg For Sharing

Ah Rapunzel, how well we all know about her long golden hair and her difficult-to-escape tower! Here, however, the story is told with a twist, because there is no handsome Prince who comes riding by to save Rapunzel from her incarceration. No, instead we see Rapunzel is smart enough to figure her own way out, defeating the witch, and going on to a successful witch-hunting career. Full review...

10 Reasons to Love an Elephant by Catherine Barr and Hanako Clulow

4star.jpg Children's Non-Fiction

Ten reasons to love an elephant, eh? Well, personally, I've never needed ten reasons as they've always been my favourite large animal, the gentle giants of Africa and India, but it was good to find out more about them. Perhaps the most surprising fact which I discovered was that they live in herds headed by their grandmothers. Female elephants and their calves stay together and the oldest female elephant is the one in charge as she knows where to find food and water - and she knows her herd. She remembers about people too. Full review...

The English Civil War in 100 Facts by Andrew Lacey

4.5star.jpg History

The '100 Facts' series is now sufficiently well-established as a guarantee of useful introductory histories. This latest addition, recounting the struggle between King and Parliament, is no exception. Full review...

Terrible True Tales from the Tower of London by Peter Cottrill

5star.jpg Children's Non-Fiction

The history of the infamous Tower of London is full of gore and death. Its rich history dates back to the eleventh century and since then it has played host to many famous figures, many of them ill-fated prisoners. The history of the Tower is told within this book's pages, only this time it's told by the ravens that live there. They are the Tower's guardians who reside there permanently due to an ancient legend that all of London will fall should they be removed, and after centuries of watching over the Tower they have their own version of history to tell. Full review...

Murder in Saint-Germain by Cara Black

4star.jpg Crime

Who is Aimee Leduc? I have to be honest and say that though this novel may be seventeenth in series from the best-selling Cara Black, it is in fact my first outing with the deft Parisienne detective. And so, if I'm honest, I wasn't sure what to expect. How does a character with so many investigations under her belt retain the gusto we've come to expect from all good literary detectives? Moreover, how does an author with so well established a character as Aimee Leduc keep her interesting enough for those of us coming late to the party? After reading Murder in Saint-Germain I would suggest that Black manages it quite easily. Full review...

Three Days and a Life by Pierre Lemaitre and Frank Wynne (translator)

4star.jpg Crime

Christmas week, 1999, and Antoine hasn't got the best of situations. Some of his friends have parted company with him because of the new-fangled Playstation, which his mother refuses to let him waste his time on. He's built a treehouse all by himself, and decided it was solely to woo the girl next door that he loves, but she's rejected it. And his best company, the dog from the other house next door, was injured in a hit and run, and shot to be put out of its misery. In the process of angrily demolishing the treehouse, he's visited by his very friendly and adorable neighbour, the dog's six-year-old owner, and Antoine's swung some of the wood at him – and killed him with one fell and very foul sweep. As the title suggests, there will be a very tense few days and nights while the guilt amasses with the lad – and/or a lifetime of living on a knife-edge, where any false move could lead to him being found out… Full review...

The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83¼ years Old by Hendrik Groen and Hester Velmans (translator)

4.5star.jpg General Fiction

As the old adage goes, to walk a mile in someone else's shoes is to gain some understanding of what it is to be that person. Admittedly, Hendrik Groen isn't much up for long walks any more, but he does acquire a swish mobility scooter to zoom around in; one could say that we get to zoom a mile in Groen's shoes, and oh, what fun shoes he wears! Full review...

The Exile by Cathy Scott-Clark and Adrian Levy

4star.jpg Politics and Society

An account of the fate of Al Qaeda and the Bin Laden family since the events of 9/11, The Exile plunges into the murky waters of international terrorism, espionage and politics. Detailed and meticulous, the book tackles the subject from all angles, providing a panoramic view of the subject and acting to enlighten and inform the reader. Full review...

A Storm of Strawberries by Jo Cotterill

4.5star.jpg Confident Readers

Darby lives on a strawberry farm with her mum, big sister, step dad and step brother. She loves music, dancing, chocolate egg hunts and her big sister Kaydee. She is warm and funny, and she has Down's syndrome. The story looks at the events of one weekend in Darby's life when the farm is threatened by a tornado, and her family is threatened by the revelation of a closely-guarded secret. Full review...

Shelter by Sarah Franklin

5star.jpg Historical Fiction

Connie Granger has escaped her bombed-out city home, finding refuge in the Women's Timber Corps. For her, this remote community must now serve a secret purpose.
Seppe, an Italian prisoner of war, is haunted by his memories. In the forest camp, he finds a strange kind of freedom.Their meeting signals new beginnings. But as they are drawn together, the world outside their forest haven is being torn apart. Old certainties are crumbling, and both must now make a life-defining choice.
What price will they pay for freedom? What will they fight to protect? Full review...