Difference between revisions of "Book Reviews From The Bookbag"

From TheBookbag
Jump to navigationJump to search
(41 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)
Line 14: Line 14:
  
 
{|class-"wikitable" cellpadding="15" <!-- INSERT NEW REVIEWS BELOW HERE-->
 
{|class-"wikitable" cellpadding="15" <!-- INSERT NEW REVIEWS BELOW HERE-->
<!-- Fischel -->
+
<!-- Durrant -->
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
[[image:0192763822.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0192763822/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
+
[[image:147360835X.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/147360835X/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
  
  
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
===[[Walls by Emma Fischel]]===
+
===[[Take Me In by Sabine Durrant]]===
  
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:GENRE|GENRE]]
+
[[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Thrillers|Thrillers]]
  
When Ned's parents decide they can no longer stay together they come up with what they think is an ingenious plan, which is to divide their house in two, so that there will be a mum side and a dad side, and the children can spend a week on either side at a time. Whilst his parents hope this will be less disruptive, Ned is incensed by the walls that spoil his beautiful home and stop him from moving through the house as he used to.  The walls make him angry, and that anger grows and grows until one day, Ned suddenly discovers that the walls are no longer important because he can walk through them! [[Walls by Emma Fischel|Full Review]]
+
It's not pleasant, the first time Marcus and Tessa meet Dave. They've taken their toddler, Josh, to Greece on holiday and in the blink of an eye something awful happens. Tessa isn't there, Marcus isn't looking, but Dave steps in and disaster is averted. Just. They're grateful to him, of course they are, but after the usual hand shakes and weeping hugs and the offer to buy lunch for everyone, they're a little relieved to return to their villa and live out the rest of their week in peace. Just a tight little 3-person family unit. Because although Dave is a nice chap, and although of course they owe him a great deal, he is a little, well, intense. [[Take Me In by Sabine Durrant|Full Review]]
  
<!-- Syson -->
+
<!-- Elisabeth Hyde -->
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
[[image:Syson_Peacock.jpg|left|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1785761862/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
+
[[image:1473679737.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1473679737/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
  
  
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
===[[Mr Peacock's Possessions by Lydia Syson]]===
+
===[[Go Ask Fannie Farmer by Elisabeth Hyde]]===
  
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category: Historical Fiction|Historical Fiction]], [[:Category:General Fiction|General Fiction]]
+
[[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:General Fiction|General Fiction]]
  
On a remote volcanic island off the coast of New Zealand, a family of settlers struggle to make such an unforgiving place a home. When a ship appears, they feel that their wishes have been granted and their community reinvigorated – but high hopes are swiftly dashed when a vulnerable boy disappears. As both settlers and newcomers come together in the search for the child, they uncover far, far more than they were looking for – discovering dark secrets about both the island and those who inhabit it. [[Mr Peacock's Possessions by Lydia Syson|Full Review]]
+
Eighty-one-year-old Murray Blaire hoped for the best when he waited for his three children to arrive one Friday night.  He might be a retired lawyer, a state legislator, elected congressman and now an amateur farmer but he knew that there could be trouble when Ruth and George arrived.  Ruth, a corporate lawyer, would find fault and want to talk about him going into a retirement home. George, a nurse, would argue and Lizzie, a professor of English Literature, who lived locally and kept and visited him regularly, would be unpredictable.  Murray hoped that all would go smoothly, but that simply wasn't going to happen. [[Go Ask Fannie Farmer by Elisabeth Hyde|Full Review]]
  
<!-- Grimwood -->
+
<!-- Ramirez -->
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
[[image:Grimwood_Berlin.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0718181581/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
+
[[image:0192766333.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0192766333/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
  
  
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
===[[Nightfall Berlin by Jack Grimwood]]===
+
===[[Riddle of the Runes by Janina Ramirez]]===
  
[[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Thrillers|Thrillers]]
+
[[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Confident Readers|Confident Readers]]
  
I have heard it said that the best way to begin to tell a story is to create a multi-dimensional character, imbued with compelling layers of detail - be it backstory, character quirks or behaviours. The point seems to be that in creating a character in such a way you begin to reflect the truth of life wherein people are by definition multi-dimensional and thus, you bring your story to life. In Major Tom Fox, Grimwood has successfully created just such a character. In one man he gifts us an exciting and honourable figure who somehow simultaneously manages to present as damaged and flawed. Grimwood provides some character history for Fox which clearly informs the actions of the character but I would suggest that rather than any written history provided for Major Fox, it is in the way he interacts with the other characters and drives the action of the story that we come to know him.  [[Nightfall Berlin by Jack Grimwood|Full Review]]
+
The name Janina Ramirez is well known: her television programmes on cultural history, especially of early medieval times, are both lively and informative. She shares her extensive learning with a light hand (and a frequent giggle) and her enthusiasm encourages students and viewers alike to explore further the subjects she discusses. But how will that translate into children's fiction? Will her academic desire for accuracy make the story dull and fact-packed? Will she hold up the action to display her considerable knowledge? Nope, not a bit of it! [[Riddle of the Runes by Janina Ramirez|Full Review]]
  
<!-- Paul Hughes -->
+
<!-- French -->
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
[[image:1544085133.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1544085133/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
+
[[image:0356511642.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0356511642/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
  
  
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
===[[Beginning to End by Paul Hughes]]===
+
===[[The Grey Bastards by Jonathan French]]===
  
[[image:3.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crime|Crime]]
+
[[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Fantasy|Fantasy]]
  
Sir Mark Wright, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, based at New Scotland Yard was aware that the Met was riddled with corruption, but in 1967 times were changing and Wright was determined that he was going to upgrade the service by ridding it of corrupt officers and bringing in new technology.  Unsurprisingly, there were a lot of people against him: some were making very good money on the side and quite a few of the old-timers weren't too keen on all this technology nonsense.  They didn't think walkie-talkies would really work and computers would never really catch on.  One of Wright's first actions was to bring in some new blood: what came to be known as 'the trained brains' - people with qualifications in specific areas who could introduce new ideas, whilst being mentored by the older, more experienced officers. [[Beginning to End by Paul Hughes|Full Review]]
+
''The Grey Bastards'' is an absolute triumph! Fantasy, action and adventure cleverly wrapped around a super plot and well written characters, this book is so much fun. A word of caution though, this is not suitable for all readers. As the tittle suggests there is a lot of bad language, a LOT of bad language, thrown around all the time in general speech. In addition to this there is also some sex and sexual language too, there is some violence but this is not actually very explicit and not as constant as the language and bawdy jokes. If this bothers you then this is not the book for you. For anyone who doesn't mind then this is an absolute must read. [[The Grey Bastards by Jonathan French|Full Review]]
  
<!-- St John -->
+
<!-- Dahl -->
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
[[image:1509871225.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1509871225/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
+
[[image:0451491793.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0451491793/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
  
  
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
===[[Kat Wolfe Investigates (Kat Wolfe 1) by Lauren St John]]===
+
===[[The Boy at the Door by Alex Dahl]]===
  
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Confident Readers|Confident Readers]]
+
[[image:3.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Thrillers|Thrillers]]
  
Kat Wolfe lives with her mum, a vet, in London and following a break-in they decide that the time has come to move out of the city. Kat, a confirmed animal lover, is delighted when her mum accepts the offer of a job on the idyllic Dorset coast as the job comes with one special condition. They must agree to adopt the previous owner's cat. However this presents a problem that Kat had not foreseen for the cat is a wild Savannah who resists all Kat's attempts to sooth and tame him. Furthermore when she starts a pet-sitting agency to make pocket money Kat's problems mount up. The owner of her first charge disappears leaving a series of mysterious clues behind him.  What started out as a promising escape from city life quickly escalates into a mystery that deepens and becomes steadily more dangerous. Luckily Kat has her new friend Harper to support and help her. Although Harper is laid up with two broken legs thanks to a horse riding accident she is not about to let that stop her getting involved. Harper is a language and coding whizz and she and Kat are determined solve the clues and make people listen to them. Even if they can't do that by themselves they know that they have their animal friends to help. Can the team work together to save the day? [[Kat Wolfe Investigates (Kat Wolfe 1) by Lauren St John|Full Review]]
+
Cecilia is picking her daughters up from swimming when the pool's receptionist asks a quick favour of her – to drop off a little boy from the class as his parents seem to have forgotten to collect him. The pool is about to close, and it's not a big ask although Cecilia is somewhat put out that it will interrupt her routine. But, minor inconvenience isn't really a good enough reason to say no so she agrees and bundles the boy whose name is Tobias into the car with her girls. This is a decision that will change her life, and that minor inconvenience quickly becomes something much larger that will haunt her every waking moment. [[The Boy at the Door by Alex Dahl|Full Review]]
  
<!-- Parkin -->
+
<!-- Jean Ure -->
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
[[image:1787198405.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1787198405/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
+
[[image:0008164541.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0008164541/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
  
  
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
===[[Underwater Breathing by Cassandra Parkin]]===
+
===[[Showtime (Dance Trilogy) by Jean Ure]]===
  
[[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:General Fiction|General Fiction]]
+
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Confident Readers|Confident Readers]]
  
A tumble-down Edwardian house that will sooner rather than later tumble down the mud cliffs and away into the sea is where we meet Jacob and Ella.  They share a bathroom in the turret, old and cold and not really supposed to be used…but this is where they hide away from the shouts of their parents' argumentsHere they play the Underwater Breathing game, submerging themselves in the water holding their breath for as long as they canFor sixteen year old Jacob it's just a way of drowning out the arguments…but for Ella it is more than that.  She is terrified of the sea, of the fact that it will come and swallow their house. She needs to know that she can survive under water. She has to practice. [[Underwater Breathing by Cassandra Parkin|Full Review]]
+
Second years.  The girls couldn't believe that they'd made it through the first year - in fact they'd all made it, all eight of them, which was most unusualUsually some were thrown out - they might have grown too tall, didn't look right or didn't have the commitment requiredMaddie felt a bit nervous when she thought about that last bit as there'd been a point when she might have been thrown out for that reason.  She's now determined that she ''really'' does want to be a ballet dancer, except... [[Showtime (Dance Trilogy) by Jean Ure|Full Review]]
  
<!-- Glendinning -->
+
<!-- Dard -->
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
[[image:0715652915.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0715652915/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
+
[[image:1782272011.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1782272011/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
  
  
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
===[[The Butcher's Daughter by Victoria Glendinning]]===
+
===[[The Gravediggers' Bread by Frederic Dard and Melanie Florence (translator)]]===
  
[[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Historical Fiction|Historical Fiction]]
+
[[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crime|Crime]], [[:Category:Thrillers|Thrillers]]
  
The Tudor era is often chosen for historical fiction because it has such a wealth of intrigue, plots and machinations. The regular cast of courtly characters are usually rich and powerful, with so many to choose from that the well never seems to run dry and the characters are often those high up in the circles of power, or those prepared to do anything to get there. This book, however, is totally different. Set in the mid–to–late 1500s we see the world through the eyes of Agnes Peppin, a young, poor woman. As a woman she can either marry, or join a convent. Since Agnes has disgraced herself then she has no choice at all, and she is sent to join the nuns of Shaftesbury Abbey. [[The Butcher's Daughter by Victoria Glendinning|Full Review]]
+
Blaise is at a loose end, for having left Paris on a wild goose chase for a job, which was his friend's idea, he's stuck outside a call box waiting to report back before he gets the train. The woman in the post office using the payphone finally finishes her business, and leaves him with a strong impression – as well as a wallet dropped to the floor containing several days' good money, and, when he tracks her to the village funeral directors', signs of her infidelity. Lo and behold he is given a job as the woman's husband's assistant, although she also starts to employ him in sending messages to her amour, her childhood love before circumstances changed. Blaise is of course deeply in love with the woman by now, and hates the two obstacles preventing him from being with her. One is the lover, a brutish bloke with little prospects and a bad case of epilepsy. Surely he will not fall by the wayside, and surely the brick wall of fate keeping Blaise from his intended destiny will remain two men tall? [[The Gravediggers' Bread by Frederic Dard and Melanie Florence (translator)|Full Review]]
  
<!-- Koomson -->
+
<!-- Baron -->
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
[[image:178089600X.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/178089600X/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
+
[[image:0008267014.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0008267014/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
  
  
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
===[[The Brighton Mermaid by Dorothy Koomson]]===
+
===[[Boy Underwater by Adam Baron]]===
  
[[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:General Fiction|General Fiction]]
+
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Confident Readers|Confident Readers]]
  
In 1993, two teenagers stumble across a horrific scene on the beach as they're sneaking home after an un-authorised night out: a body of a young woman, partially stripped, totally deceased. The find hits the girls in different ways. Nell becomes obsessed with finding the identity of the girl – who she calls ''the Brighton Mermaid'' because of a distinguishing tattoo – whereas Jude just wants to forget it ever happened. Fast forward 25 years and Nell is still haunted by what happened that night. With few leads to go on, the Police closed the case without cracking it, and so it remains one of those unsolved mysteries that become part of local folklore, but Nell struggles to let sleeping dogs, or even sleeping mermaids, lie. As for Jude, well no one knows if the discovery still haunts her because no one knows where she is. Shortly after that fateful night, she too disappeared, never to be seen or heard from again. There's more to Brighton than Stag Dos and Gay Pride, it seems. [[The Brighton Mermaid by Dorothy Koomson|Full Review]]
+
Cymbeline Igloo (yes, that’s his real name!) is nine years old, and he has never been swimming, and this wouldn’t be a really big problem except for the fact that the school bully has somehow got the impression that Cym is actually an amazing champion swimmer, and has challenged Cym to a race at their very first school swimming lesson!  He tries to research swimming on the internet, but there’s an accident at the pool that, initially, sees Cym embarrassed in front of the other kids, but that results in his mum having a breakdown. Why has she never taken Cym swimming?  And why does his accident at the pool create such devastation in Cym’s life? [[Boy Underwater by Adam Baron|Full Review]]
  
<!-- Martin Walker -->
+
<!-- Laurain -->
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
[[image:1786486113.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1786486113/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
+
[[image:1910477540.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910477540/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
  
  
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
===[[A Taste for Vengeance (A Bruno, Chief of Police Novel) by Martin Walker]]===
+
===[[Smoking Kills by Antoine Laurain and Louise Rogers-Lalaurie (translator)]]===
  
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crime|Crime]]
+
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:General Fiction|General Fiction]]
  
Bruno Courreges is now the police chief for the whole of the Vezere valley, but the promotion is not without its drawbacks, as the chain of command is not quite as clear as it was when he knew that he worked for the mayor. Still, on a cool, damp Sunday afternoon in spring he had other things on his mind: he was watching the St Denis women's rugby team playing in the regional final. One player stood out: Paulette was the daughter of the local florists and she was the best player that Bruno had ever trained, male or female. He had hopes of her making the national squad, but there might be a cloud on the horizon - Paulette had been sick and had fainted in the showers. [[A Taste for Vengeance (A Bruno, Chief of Police Novel) by Martin Walker|Full Review]]
+
Meet Fabrice Valantine. He's a headhunter, and a successful one too, in an office in Paris. All around him however his world is changing – yes, there is a new ban on smoking in all workplaces. Goaded by his non-smoking wife, even though they met over an ashtray, of sorts, he sees a hypnotist who had success with a mutual friend in stopping their nicotine habit. The session seems to have been successful, however he faces the prospect of having such a change to his own personality, his imbued habits and lifestyle, with fear, when he realises it will never again grant him any pleasure. He needs this pleasure when further changes at work come about – but it's what he replaces the habit with that will surprise the most. [[Smoking Kills by Antoine Laurain and Louise Rogers-Lalaurie (translator)|Full Review]]
  
<!-- Deary -->
+
<!-- Cullen -->
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
[[image:1472929489.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1472929489/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21
+
[[image:0718189140.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0718189140/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
]]
 
  
  
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 +
===[[The Lost Letters of William Woolf by Helen Cullen]]===
  
===[[The Silver Hand by Terry Deary]]===
+
[[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:General Fiction|General Fiction]], [[:Category:Literary Fiction|Literary Fiction]]
  
[[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Confident Readers|Confident Readers]]  
+
William Woolf is a letter detective, working in the Dead Letters Depot in East London. He spends his days deciphering smudged addresses, tracking down mysterious people and reading endless letters of love, guilt, death, hope, and everyday life. [[The Lost Letters of William Woolf by Helen Cullen|Full Review]]
  
Aimee like languages. She's particularly keen on Latin and enjoys a sparring session or two with her teacher. Aimee would like nothing better than to have her head stuck in a book all day every day. But that's not possible when it's 1918 and you live in the town of Bray - captured and recaptured by the Germans and the British during WWI. The Germans are advancing and Aimee's mother decides it's finally time to tell her daughter that she is part of a secret spy ring, helping the British. Aimee is desperate to help. And help she does, soon uncovering a traitor in the British camp. [[The Silver Hand by Terry Deary|Full Review]]
+
<!-- Conaghan -->
 
 
<!-- Lean -->
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
[[image:0008165815.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0008165815/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
+
[[image:140887153X.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/140887153X/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21
 +
]]
  
  
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
  
===[[The Sand Dog by Sarah Lean]]===
+
===[[The Weight of a Thousand Feathers by Brian Conaghan]]===
  
[[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Confident Readers|Confident Readers]]  
+
[[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Teens|Teens]]  
  
''Grandfather had been gone for two years but I never thought it would be an ordinary day he'd come back, like a Monday or a Tuesday... I always knew he'd return across the water, triumphing over a few monsters on the way, I just didn't known when.''
+
''Funny how no one ever uses the word 'love' when discussing my case. I do what I do because she's my mum. That pure and that simple.''
  
Azi lives on a Mediterranean island. Since his grandfather left, he has been living with his irascible uncle who owns a busy tourist restaurant. Azi helps out as much as he can and he goes to school and works hard at his lessons. But he isn't really interested in Uncle's restaurant or playing with his classmates. Azi is interested in two things: the sea, and the return of Grandfather.
+
Bobby Seed's mum has MS and it's getting worse. Bobby, who is seventeen, shoulders most of her care. And he also keeps house and also looks after his little brother Danny. He gets some help from his best friend Bel, who has her own reasons for spending as much time as possible not at home, but it's still a slog. But Bobby doesn't mind because he loves his mum and they have a wonderful relationship, mostly based on taking the mickey out of each other. Bobby also attends a support group for young carers. It's a bit daft with all the role play exercises and the like, but it's nice to meet other kids in the same boat as you. Especially Lou, the American boy with the weird way of speaking and the Vespa and the air of cool. Bobby can barely keep his eyes off Lou.
[[The Sand Dog by Sarah Lean|Full Review]]
+
[[The Weight of a Thousand Feathers by Brian Conaghan|Full Review]]
<!-- Penaflor -->
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
[[image:0062673653.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0062673653/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
 
  
  
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
+
<!-- Waites -->
 
 
===[[All of This Is True by Lygia Day Penaflor]]===
 
 
 
[[image:3.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Teens|Teens]]
 
''Undertow'' is the latest YA novel to hit the best seller lists. It's a study in grief and Miri is its biggest fan. So, when author Fatima Ro comes to Long Island for a book signing, Miri is determined to meet her and takes her friends along. Soleil has writing ambitions of her own and so she is overjoyed when Fatima takes the group of friends under her wing. Penny wants to be noticed and will do anything for Fatima, who notices. And Jonah? Well, Jonah has secrets and Fatima loves secrets... [[All of This Is True by Lygia Day Penaflor|Full Review]]
 
<!-- Longridge -->
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
[[image:1788034503.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1788034503/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
+
[[image:1785764314.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1785764314/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
  
  
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
===[[Silence in the Desert by David Longridge]]===
+
===[[The Old Religion by Martyn Waites]]===
  
[[image:3.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Historical Fiction|Historical Fiction]], [[:Category:Thrillers|Thrillers]]
+
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crime|Crime]]
  
As the shadow of the Second World War descends upon the planet, four people are explored in a tale of love and friendship. Henri, fulfilling a family tradition in joining the Foreign Legion, Bill, arriving at Cambridge on an RAF scholarship, Leo, struggling to align his beliefs with those of his upbringing, and Elisabeth, crossing continents and changing names are all brought together by strife and turmoil. As the war rages, these men are tested like never before, with trust, loyalty and love leading to decisions that affect both their lives and those all around them. [[Silence in the Desert by David Longridge|Full Review]]
+
The Cornish village of St Petroc isn't on the tourist trail: there's nothing particularly pretty, or historic, or interesting about it, which might be one of the reasons why Tom Killgannon is there.  He had been an undercover policeman, but something had gone badly wrong and now he's in witness protection and working in the local pub.  St Petroc feels safe and it's put a good deal of distance between him and some very violent people. He's got an on-again, off-again relationship with the local policewoman, with the on-again bits coinciding with the times when her husband's away.  It's not an exciting life, but right now it suits Tom just fine. Until he meets Lila, that is. [[The Old Religion by Martyn Waites|Full Review]]
  
<!-- Gregory -->
+
<!-- Owen -->
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
[[image:1408883619.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1408883619/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21
+
[[image:199999650X.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/199999650X/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21
 
]]
 
]]
  
Line 196: Line 185:
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
  
===[[Skylarks by Karen Gregory]]===
+
===[[The Dragonfly Story: Explaining the death of a loved one to children and families by Kelly Owen]]===
 
 
[[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Teens|Teens]]
 
 
 
Joni is halfway through her A levels. But she has a lot more than A levels to think about. Life is pretty tough at the moment. There isn't much money about, the family is behind on bills, Dad's back is getting worse and worse, and little brother Jack has a school trip coming up that needs to be paid for. Older brother Jamie got the sack from his dream job and, although he found somewhere else to work, is a big ball of resentment. To make matters worse, the charity that runs the housing on their estate is running out of money and thinking of selling up. But Joni has a great group of friends and a lovely mum and dad and a teacher who thinks she could get into university. [[Skylarks by Karen Gregory|Full Review]]
 
 
 
<!-- Almond -->
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
[[image:1444919555.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1444919555/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21
 
]]
 
 
 
  
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
+
[[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]]
  
===[[The Colour of the Sun by David Almond]]===
+
''The Owen family were feeling sad. There used to be five of them. There was Mum, Dad and three children: Abi, Jenny and Joe. But then Abi died. Now there were only four of them. Life felt very strange without their sister, and they were all very unhappy.''
  
[[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Teens|Teens]], [[:Category:Confident Readers|Confident Readers]]  
+
How does a family cope with the loss of a beloved child and sibling?
 +
[[The Dragonfly Story: Explaining the death of a loved one to children and families by Kelly Owen|Full Review]]  
  
''This book... explores what excites and mystifies me about the nature of being young, and dramatises the joys and excitements of growing up. And I guess it embodies my constant astonishment at being alive in this beautiful, weird, extraordinary world.''
+
<!-- Laura Solomon -->
 
 
This is what David Almond says about his latest novel for young people, ''The Colour of the Sun''. And, having now read it, I see what he is saying so clearly. This is a story of being young - both older than you used to enjoy being and younger than you aspire to be. And it's a story of finding strangeness in ordinary things.
 
[[The Colour of the Sun by David Almond|Full Review]]
 
 
 
<!-- Hogan -->
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
[[image:1473668999.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1473668999/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
+
[[image:1979217440.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1979217440/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
  
  
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
===[[The Particular Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan]]===
+
===[[Marsha's Deal by Laura Solomon]]===
  
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:General Fiction|General Fiction]]
+
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Short Stories|Short Stories]], [[:Category:General Fiction|General Fiction]], [[:Category:Fantasy|Fantasy]]
  
Masha's son Gabriel died some years ago.  She'd been a single parent with help from her friend, Edward, who had grieved as much as Masha and whilst Edward has moved on (his boyfriend moved out in the immediate aftermath of the drowning, but there's now a new love interest) Masha is still stricken, feeling that it would somehow be disloyal to Gabriel if she was to be happy.  An independent, rebellious woman has somehow been diminished. [[The Particular Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan|Full Review]]
+
Marsha didn't have an easy ride in life the first time around.  She'd been afflicted with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibrodysplasia_ossificans_progressiva fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva], a rare disease which turned parts of her body to bone when they were damaged.  Finally she was unable to stand her life any longer and went to Dignitas, the Swiss euthanasia clinic.  She'd thought that would be the end, but after cremation her body went straight to hell and she found herself face-to-face with the devil.  And that was when she made the pact.  In exchange for details about some of those who had been close to her - their strengths and weaknesses - she would be reborn on the same day to the same parents, but would live her life free of disease. [[Marsha's Deal by Laura Solomon|Full Review]]
  
<!-- Weir -->
+
<!-- Winthrop -->
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
[[image:1472227670.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1472227670/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
+
[[image:Winthrop_Mercy.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/147367249X?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=147367249X]]
  
  
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
===[[Six Tudor Queens: Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir]]===
+
===[[The Mercy Seat by Elizabeth H Winthrop]]===
  
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Historical Fiction|Historical Fiction]]
+
[[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Historical Fiction|Historical Fiction]]
  
When it comes to Jane Seymour, the third wife of Henry VIII, popular opinion is divided. Some see her as a scheming marriage-wrecker from an ambitious family who would stop at nothing to gain favour in the king's eyes. Others view her as a pious and God-fearing woman who brought calm and stability into Henry's life following his turbulent marriage to Anne Boleyn. Perhaps both sides are true, to an extent. In ''The Haunted Queen,'' the third book in the ''Six Tudor Queens'' series, author and historian Alison Weir puts flesh on the bones of a Queen haunted by the shadow of a formidable predecessor. [[Six Tudor Queens: Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir|Full Review]]
+
In an isolated Louisiana town, a young black prisoner sits in his dingy cell, staring at the shadow of the window bars cast onto the concrete wall by the evening's dying sun rays. At midnight, he will be dead; strapped to a chair and electrocuted for the rape of a white girl, who later committed suicide. He is resigned to his fate; it is futile to protest his innocence or to expect anyone to believe what really happened; after all, love between a black man and a white woman was never going to have a happy ending in a small town filled with small-minded people. [[The Mercy Seat by Elizabeth H Winthrop|Full Review]]
  
<!-- Jackson -->
+
<!-- Unsworth -->
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
[[image:1785763911.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1785763911/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
+
[[image:1788541677.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1788541677/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
  
  
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
===[[Don't Make a Sound by David Jackson]]===
+
===[[The Girl Who Thought Her Mother Was a Mermaid by Tania Unsworth]]===
  
[[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Thrillers|Thrillers]]
+
[[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Confident Readers|Confident Readers]]
  
Malcolm and Harriet are a little odd. That much is clear from the start, from the way he is around her, the way he prepares things in such a way as to make her happy. It's a nice sentiment, but something is off. We meet their daughter Daisy and again, it all seems nice enough but there's a vibe, a hint of a feeling that all is not what it seems. Just how bad things are, though, is yet to be revealed. [[Don't Make a Sound by David Jackson|Full Review]]
+
Stella's mother died when she was a little girl. Stella is growing up in a house with her dad, who is often away, and her grandmother, who is starting to experience the onset of dementia.  This is all hard enough for a young girl, but at the same time Stella finds that she feels like rather an oddball, struggling to fit in at school, and as her grandmother begins to lose her grip on reality, Stella struggles with feeling very alone. When Stella's only school friend suddenly moves away, Stella struggles even more.  She is desperate to find out what happened to her mum and to uncover her family's secrets. [[The Girl Who Thought Her Mother Was a Mermaid by Tania Unsworth|Full Review]]
  
<!-- Vodolazkin -->
+
<!-- Dixen -->
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
[[image:1786072718.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1786072718/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
+
[[image:1471406849.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1471406849/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
  
  
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
===[[The Aviator by Eugene Vodolazkin and Lisa Hayden (Translator)]]===
+
===[[Ascension by Victor Dixen]]===
  
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Literary Fiction|Literary Fiction]]
+
[[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Teens|Teens]], [[:Category:Science Fiction|Science Fiction]]
  
Innokenty Petrovich Platonov wakes up in a hospital bed with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. He is tended by a single doctor, Doctor Geiger, who gives him a pencil and notebook and encourages him to write down his observations and memories. The notebook is thick, like a novel. How can Innokenty fill it if he cannot remember anything? But slowly the memories start to return, memories of childhood holidays at the beach, of life in the dacha, of the airfield and the aviators...and the island...it seems like some memories may be better left buried. He remembers that he is the same age as the century, born in 1900. But if that is the case, how is he still a young man when the pills by his bedside are dated 1999? [[The Aviator by Eugene Vodolazkin and Lisa Hayden (Translator)|Full Review]]
+
Six girls, six boys. Each in the two separate bays of a single spaceship. They have six minutes each week to seduce and to make their choices, under the unblinking eye of the on-board cameras. They are the contenders in the Genesis programme, the world's craziest speed-dating show ever, aimed at creating the first human colony on Mars. Leonor, an 18 year old orphan, is one of the chosen ones. She has signed up for glory. She has signed up for love. She has signed up for a one-way ticket. Even if the dream turns to a nightmare, it is too late for regrets.  [[Ascension by Victor Dixen|Full Review]]
  
<!-- Major -->
+
<!-- Kermani -->
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
[[image:168369015X.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/168369015X/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
+
[[image:1788039971.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1788039971/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
  
  
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
===[[Manfried the Man: A Graphic Novel by Caitlin Major and Kelly Bastow]]===
 
  
[[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Graphic Novels|Graphic Novels]]
+
===[[The Toad Who Loved Tea by Faiz Kermani]]===
 
 
In a world where cats stand on two feet, go to work at call centres and have diminutive human beings for pets, is Manfried. He's a typical frisky but shy pet – forever getting into scrapes, demanding more food than he can suitably eat, but at the same time being the perfect companion for his owner, Steve Catson. To such an extent that Steve, who is getting known for his man-oriented thinking, is actually having nightmares about becoming the neighbourhood ''crazy man cat''. But when a window gets left open by mistake, and Manfried goes missing, the only thing for it is a massive and energised man-hunt… [[Manfried the Man: A Graphic Novel by Caitlin Major and Kelly Bastow|Full Review]]
 
 
 
<!-- Dalrymple -->
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
[[image:140886553X.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/140886553X/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
 
 
 
 
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
===[[In Gold's Name by Marcus Dalrymple]]===
 
  
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Historical Fiction|Historical Fiction]]
+
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]]
  
It was about 1509 when a series of mystical events foreshadowed the end of the Aztec Empire and the inhabitants were to some extent conditioned to accept the pale faces who arrived many years later with their deer-without-antlers. Some thought the Spaniards were gods.  Antonio Vega was no god, but he was essentially a decent man, particularly by the standards of the time. He was the finest marksman with his harquebus on the force, but at the age of twenty three he believed that the expedition in October 1520 was to establish trade links and to convert the local inhabitants to Christianity from the local religions which required human sacrifices. He'd joined the army from a seminary and whilst you wouldn't call him naive, he'd failed to appreciate that 'establishing trade links' meant finding and removing the Aztec gold and that any conversion would not be by winning hearts and minds but by threats and torture. [[In Gold's Name by Marcus Dalrymple|Full Review]]
+
Tungtang is not like other toads. She can't sit still, tongue protruding, and wait to catch a fly. Tungtang needs to be on the move. Sometimes, she even hops right the way over to the rotten tree stump in her community of Muddy River. And she loves to regale her fellow toads with stories of her exploits. That is, until a mean old crow comes along and tells Tungtang that a real adventure would take her a lot further than a tree stump by a bridge everyone knows. Infuriated by the crow and inspired by her grandfather's stories of humans and ancient toad prophecies, Tungtang decides on a Real Adventure and heads off to the town of Little Cobblestone... [[The Toad Who Loved Tea by Faiz Kermani|Full Review]]
  
 
<!-- DO NOT REMOVE ANYTHING BELOW THIS LINE -->
 
<!-- DO NOT REMOVE ANYTHING BELOW THIS LINE -->
 
|}
 
|}

Revision as of 11:19, 25 June 2018

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.

There are currently 16,084 reviews at TheBookbag.

Want to find out more about us?

Reviews of the Best New Books

Read new reviews by category.

Read the latest features.

147360835X.jpg


Take Me In by Sabine Durrant

link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews Thrillers

It's not pleasant, the first time Marcus and Tessa meet Dave. They've taken their toddler, Josh, to Greece on holiday and in the blink of an eye something awful happens. Tessa isn't there, Marcus isn't looking, but Dave steps in and disaster is averted. Just. They're grateful to him, of course they are, but after the usual hand shakes and weeping hugs and the offer to buy lunch for everyone, they're a little relieved to return to their villa and live out the rest of their week in peace. Just a tight little 3-person family unit. Because although Dave is a nice chap, and although of course they owe him a great deal, he is a little, well, intense. Full Review

1473679737.jpg


Go Ask Fannie Farmer by Elisabeth Hyde

link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews General Fiction

Eighty-one-year-old Murray Blaire hoped for the best when he waited for his three children to arrive one Friday night. He might be a retired lawyer, a state legislator, elected congressman and now an amateur farmer but he knew that there could be trouble when Ruth and George arrived. Ruth, a corporate lawyer, would find fault and want to talk about him going into a retirement home. George, a nurse, would argue and Lizzie, a professor of English Literature, who lived locally and kept and visited him regularly, would be unpredictable. Murray hoped that all would go smoothly, but that simply wasn't going to happen. Full Review

0192766333.jpg


Riddle of the Runes by Janina Ramirez

link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews Confident Readers

The name Janina Ramirez is well known: her television programmes on cultural history, especially of early medieval times, are both lively and informative. She shares her extensive learning with a light hand (and a frequent giggle) and her enthusiasm encourages students and viewers alike to explore further the subjects she discusses. But how will that translate into children's fiction? Will her academic desire for accuracy make the story dull and fact-packed? Will she hold up the action to display her considerable knowledge? Nope, not a bit of it! Full Review

0356511642.jpg


The Grey Bastards by Jonathan French

link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews Fantasy

The Grey Bastards is an absolute triumph! Fantasy, action and adventure cleverly wrapped around a super plot and well written characters, this book is so much fun. A word of caution though, this is not suitable for all readers. As the tittle suggests there is a lot of bad language, a LOT of bad language, thrown around all the time in general speech. In addition to this there is also some sex and sexual language too, there is some violence but this is not actually very explicit and not as constant as the language and bawdy jokes. If this bothers you then this is not the book for you. For anyone who doesn't mind then this is an absolute must read. Full Review

0451491793.jpg


The Boy at the Door by Alex Dahl

link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews Thrillers

Cecilia is picking her daughters up from swimming when the pool's receptionist asks a quick favour of her – to drop off a little boy from the class as his parents seem to have forgotten to collect him. The pool is about to close, and it's not a big ask although Cecilia is somewhat put out that it will interrupt her routine. But, minor inconvenience isn't really a good enough reason to say no so she agrees and bundles the boy whose name is Tobias into the car with her girls. This is a decision that will change her life, and that minor inconvenience quickly becomes something much larger that will haunt her every waking moment. Full Review

0008164541.jpg


Showtime (Dance Trilogy) by Jean Ure

link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews Confident Readers

Second years. The girls couldn't believe that they'd made it through the first year - in fact they'd all made it, all eight of them, which was most unusual. Usually some were thrown out - they might have grown too tall, didn't look right or didn't have the commitment required. Maddie felt a bit nervous when she thought about that last bit as there'd been a point when she might have been thrown out for that reason. She's now determined that she really does want to be a ballet dancer, except... Full Review

1782272011.jpg


The Gravediggers' Bread by Frederic Dard and Melanie Florence (translator)

link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews Crime, Thrillers

Blaise is at a loose end, for having left Paris on a wild goose chase for a job, which was his friend's idea, he's stuck outside a call box waiting to report back before he gets the train. The woman in the post office using the payphone finally finishes her business, and leaves him with a strong impression – as well as a wallet dropped to the floor containing several days' good money, and, when he tracks her to the village funeral directors', signs of her infidelity. Lo and behold he is given a job as the woman's husband's assistant, although she also starts to employ him in sending messages to her amour, her childhood love before circumstances changed. Blaise is of course deeply in love with the woman by now, and hates the two obstacles preventing him from being with her. One is the lover, a brutish bloke with little prospects and a bad case of epilepsy. Surely he will not fall by the wayside, and surely the brick wall of fate keeping Blaise from his intended destiny will remain two men tall? Full Review

0008267014.jpg


Boy Underwater by Adam Baron

link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews Confident Readers

Cymbeline Igloo (yes, that’s his real name!) is nine years old, and he has never been swimming, and this wouldn’t be a really big problem except for the fact that the school bully has somehow got the impression that Cym is actually an amazing champion swimmer, and has challenged Cym to a race at their very first school swimming lesson! He tries to research swimming on the internet, but there’s an accident at the pool that, initially, sees Cym embarrassed in front of the other kids, but that results in his mum having a breakdown. Why has she never taken Cym swimming? And why does his accident at the pool create such devastation in Cym’s life? Full Review

1910477540.jpg


Smoking Kills by Antoine Laurain and Louise Rogers-Lalaurie (translator)

link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews General Fiction

Meet Fabrice Valantine. He's a headhunter, and a successful one too, in an office in Paris. All around him however his world is changing – yes, there is a new ban on smoking in all workplaces. Goaded by his non-smoking wife, even though they met over an ashtray, of sorts, he sees a hypnotist who had success with a mutual friend in stopping their nicotine habit. The session seems to have been successful, however he faces the prospect of having such a change to his own personality, his imbued habits and lifestyle, with fear, when he realises it will never again grant him any pleasure. He needs this pleasure when further changes at work come about – but it's what he replaces the habit with that will surprise the most. Full Review

0718189140.jpg


The Lost Letters of William Woolf by Helen Cullen

link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews General Fiction, Literary Fiction

William Woolf is a letter detective, working in the Dead Letters Depot in East London. He spends his days deciphering smudged addresses, tracking down mysterious people and reading endless letters of love, guilt, death, hope, and everyday life. Full Review

140887153X.jpg


The Weight of a Thousand Feathers by Brian Conaghan

link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews Teens

Funny how no one ever uses the word 'love' when discussing my case. I do what I do because she's my mum. That pure and that simple.

Bobby Seed's mum has MS and it's getting worse. Bobby, who is seventeen, shoulders most of her care. And he also keeps house and also looks after his little brother Danny. He gets some help from his best friend Bel, who has her own reasons for spending as much time as possible not at home, but it's still a slog. But Bobby doesn't mind because he loves his mum and they have a wonderful relationship, mostly based on taking the mickey out of each other. Bobby also attends a support group for young carers. It's a bit daft with all the role play exercises and the like, but it's nice to meet other kids in the same boat as you. Especially Lou, the American boy with the weird way of speaking and the Vespa and the air of cool. Bobby can barely keep his eyes off Lou. Full Review


1785764314.jpg


The Old Religion by Martyn Waites

link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews Crime

The Cornish village of St Petroc isn't on the tourist trail: there's nothing particularly pretty, or historic, or interesting about it, which might be one of the reasons why Tom Killgannon is there. He had been an undercover policeman, but something had gone badly wrong and now he's in witness protection and working in the local pub. St Petroc feels safe and it's put a good deal of distance between him and some very violent people. He's got an on-again, off-again relationship with the local policewoman, with the on-again bits coinciding with the times when her husband's away. It's not an exciting life, but right now it suits Tom just fine. Until he meets Lila, that is. Full Review

199999650X.jpg


The Dragonfly Story: Explaining the death of a loved one to children and families by Kelly Owen

link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews For Sharing

The Owen family were feeling sad. There used to be five of them. There was Mum, Dad and three children: Abi, Jenny and Joe. But then Abi died. Now there were only four of them. Life felt very strange without their sister, and they were all very unhappy.

How does a family cope with the loss of a beloved child and sibling? Full Review

1979217440.jpg


Marsha's Deal by Laura Solomon

link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews Short Stories, General Fiction, Fantasy

Marsha didn't have an easy ride in life the first time around. She'd been afflicted with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, a rare disease which turned parts of her body to bone when they were damaged. Finally she was unable to stand her life any longer and went to Dignitas, the Swiss euthanasia clinic. She'd thought that would be the end, but after cremation her body went straight to hell and she found herself face-to-face with the devil. And that was when she made the pact. In exchange for details about some of those who had been close to her - their strengths and weaknesses - she would be reborn on the same day to the same parents, but would live her life free of disease. Full Review

Winthrop Mercy.jpg


The Mercy Seat by Elizabeth H Winthrop

link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews Historical Fiction

In an isolated Louisiana town, a young black prisoner sits in his dingy cell, staring at the shadow of the window bars cast onto the concrete wall by the evening's dying sun rays. At midnight, he will be dead; strapped to a chair and electrocuted for the rape of a white girl, who later committed suicide. He is resigned to his fate; it is futile to protest his innocence or to expect anyone to believe what really happened; after all, love between a black man and a white woman was never going to have a happy ending in a small town filled with small-minded people. Full Review

1788541677.jpg


The Girl Who Thought Her Mother Was a Mermaid by Tania Unsworth

link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews Confident Readers

Stella's mother died when she was a little girl. Stella is growing up in a house with her dad, who is often away, and her grandmother, who is starting to experience the onset of dementia. This is all hard enough for a young girl, but at the same time Stella finds that she feels like rather an oddball, struggling to fit in at school, and as her grandmother begins to lose her grip on reality, Stella struggles with feeling very alone. When Stella's only school friend suddenly moves away, Stella struggles even more. She is desperate to find out what happened to her mum and to uncover her family's secrets. Full Review

1471406849.jpg


Ascension by Victor Dixen

link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews Teens, Science Fiction

Six girls, six boys. Each in the two separate bays of a single spaceship. They have six minutes each week to seduce and to make their choices, under the unblinking eye of the on-board cameras. They are the contenders in the Genesis programme, the world's craziest speed-dating show ever, aimed at creating the first human colony on Mars. Leonor, an 18 year old orphan, is one of the chosen ones. She has signed up for glory. She has signed up for love. She has signed up for a one-way ticket. Even if the dream turns to a nightmare, it is too late for regrets. Full Review

1788039971.jpg


The Toad Who Loved Tea by Faiz Kermani

link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews For Sharing

Tungtang is not like other toads. She can't sit still, tongue protruding, and wait to catch a fly. Tungtang needs to be on the move. Sometimes, she even hops right the way over to the rotten tree stump in her community of Muddy River. And she loves to regale her fellow toads with stories of her exploits. That is, until a mean old crow comes along and tells Tungtang that a real adventure would take her a lot further than a tree stump by a bridge everyone knows. Infuriated by the crow and inspired by her grandfather's stories of humans and ancient toad prophecies, Tungtang decides on a Real Adventure and heads off to the town of Little Cobblestone... Full Review