Difference between revisions of "Newest Confident Readers Reviews"
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| + | |author=Andrew Prentice and Jonathan Weil | ||
| + | |title=Black Arts | ||
| + | |rating=4.5 | ||
| + | |genre=Teens | ||
| + | |summary=London, 1592. Jack successfully completes a test with a local crime family and becomes a "nipper" or cutpurse thief. But Jack's first victim accidentally brings him into contact with a London even more dangerous than the one he already knows - one where magic is real and the fight between good and evil can have fatal consequences. Jack returns home to find his mother murdered by Nicholas Webb, a charismatic Puritan preacher currently whipping up the London crowds against demons and witches. | ||
| + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0385615132</amazonuk> | ||
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
|author=Saviour Pirotta and Cecilia Johansson | |author=Saviour Pirotta and Cecilia Johansson | ||
Revision as of 13:06, 20 March 2012
Confident readers
Black Arts by Andrew Prentice and Jonathan Weil
London, 1592. Jack successfully completes a test with a local crime family and becomes a "nipper" or cutpurse thief. But Jack's first victim accidentally brings him into contact with a London even more dangerous than the one he already knows - one where magic is real and the fight between good and evil can have fatal consequences. Jack returns home to find his mother murdered by Nicholas Webb, a charismatic Puritan preacher currently whipping up the London crowds against demons and witches. Full review...
Grimm's Fairy Tales: Rumplestiltskin by Saviour Pirotta and Cecilia Johansson
Rumpelstiltskin is one of the better known of the tales from the Brothers Grimm and a perennial favourite. The poor miller shows off in front of the king about the abilities of his beautiful daughter - she can apparently spin straw into gold. The king insists that the girl be sent to the palace and when she arrives tells her to get a load of straw spun into gold - or suffer the (fatal) consequences. The girl is saved by the appearance of a dwarf who works his magic in return for the girl's necklace; on the second night it's her ring she gives up and on the third it's the promise of her first-born child. Full review...
Grimm's Fairy Tales: Twelve Dancing Princesses by Saviour Pirotta and Cecilia Johansson
There was once a king who had twelve beautiful daughters. Frightened that they would sneak out and go dancing he locked them in a big bedroom at night, but each morning he would find their satin shoes danced to pieces. As he couldn't work out how they escaped he issued a proclamation to all the young men of the land. Any prince who worked out how they escaped could marry one of the daughters and would inherit the kingdom. But - if after three nights he hadn't discovered the secret, he would lose his head. Full review...
The Demon's Watch by Conrad Mason
We're the Demon's Watch, son. Best you don't think of us as the good folk. More like the dangerous folk.
Joseph Grubb lives in Fayt, a busy port between the Old and the New Worlds. In Fayt, humans, elves, trolls, ogres and fairies live together in relative peace. But it's not all harmony. The League of Light is threatening the port, wanting to force back into the Old World way of segregation and persecution of the fey folk. And there is suspicion of multiculturalims even in Fayt itself - Joseph is a half-goblin and an orphan. His goblin father was murdered for marrying a human woman and Joseph now lives and works at a tavern owned by an uncle who despises him and calls him Mongrel. Full review...
Chomp by Carl Hiaasen
Wahoo isn't a cool kid. He can't play sports, and he doesn't have the latest gear. But no one at school bullies him because Alice, the twelve-foot alligator who lives in his dad's zoo, accidentally bit his thumb off one day. The other kids reckon if he can walk away from an ordeal like that, then he must have something going for him. And by the time this story is over, he'll be up to his ears in street-cred. Full review...
Titanic: An Edwardian Girl's Diary 1912 by Ellen Emerson White
Margaret Anne Brady had been at the orphanage for several years when one of the Sisters told her that she'd been asked to accompany a lady who was crossing the Atlantic. This was a dream come true for Margaret as he only relative - her brother William - lived in Boston and he'd been trying to save up her fare so that she could join him in the USA. Mrs Carstairs is wealthy and she and Margaret will be travelling First Class - on the maiden voyage of RMS Titanic. All Margaret's dreams seemed to be coming true at once. Full review...
The Paradise Trap by Catherine Jinks
When Marcus's mum has to economise over their holidays, it means just the two of them, revisiting a campsite she herself knew as a child, in a grotty old second-hand caravan. It's a greasy, shabby, squeaky little closet of a caravan, and no-one can agree on what the awful stink pervading it reminds them of. But when the trip is hyped up as a great time for both, it seems to have a chance of coming true, for a bizarre cellar to the caravan leads everyone to their dream trip - if only, unfortunately, one way... Full review...
The Flask by Nicky Singer
Twelve-year-old Jess is dealing with a lot. Her beloved Aunt Edie has just died. Her mother is expecting twins - but these new babies will be Jess's half-brothers and will complete Jess's mother's marriage to her stepfather. But will they complete Jess's family? Will they even survive? Because the twins are conjoined. And in 70% of separations, only one twin lives. And if this weren't enough in the way of trials and tribulations, Jess's best friend Zoe is moving towards a relationship with a boy. Does this mean she will leave Jess behind? Full review...
Cows in Action: The Viking Emoo-gency by Steve Cole
The future world's balance between cows and humans is a lot different to our own, as the bovine species has evolved into something a lot more intelligent; so much so that in order to gain the upper hand, both parties are using time travel to snatch advantages in other times and places. In this episode of the series, it's a robotic ter-moo-nator and a fundamentalist scientist who have gone back to Viking times, leaving just three special cows from the current age with the task to go back and sort things out on the side of a happier, human-friendly existence. Can they succeed, or will much of what we know of since the Viking era be re-moo-ved from our history books? Full review...
The Witch of Turlingham Academy by Ellie Boswell
Boarding school, midnight feasts, a crowd of best friends and cute boys to gaze at (though mostly from a safe distance): what more could you ask from a story for girls of twelve and under? Well, how about throwing a bit of magic into the mix? Perfect, huh? Full review...
Road to London by Barbara Mitchelhill
Elizabethan London, made all the more wonderful by the splendour of the court and the magic of Shakespeare's imagination, is a perfect place to set an adventure. Mysteries, plots and conspiracies abound, and the stark contrast between the lives of the rich and the poor makes for a colourful and thought-provoking story. Add to that the privileged position we find ourselves in as we follow our young hero Thomas and his good friend Alice from the stinking streets full of cutthroats and foot-pads right into the presence of the Good Queen herself, and young readers are in for a treat. Full review...
Tom Gates: Everything's Amazing (sort of) by Liz Pichon
Tom Gates, our chronicler of all that happens in Year 5, is back with more stories of all that's happening at school and at home. He and his friend Derek decide to enter Derek's dog, Rooster, in the local dog show, but they might have been just a little over-enthusiastic with the shampooing and Rooster ends up looking rather more fluffy than usual. Tom and his sister Delia are still at daggers drawn over, well, just about everything and she's not impressed by the noise that Tom and his band make when they're practicing. Still, Tom has a birthday coming up and his only worries are that some of Granny Mavis' baking might be just a little too unusual and if his Dad does DJ then the whole thing might turn into a disaster. Full review...
Tom Gates: Excellent Excuses and Other Good Stuff by Liz Pichon
Those who met Tom Gates in the first book in this award-winning series will know that the year five lad needs no introduction, but even if you missed that book there's no need to worry. This second book reads well as a stand-alone and is just as funny and entertaining. Most of the same characters appear - from Tom's Mum and Dad and his sister Delia, his teacher Mr Fullerman and class mates Marcus Meldrew and Amy Porter. It's Mr Fulleman's awards chart which is the focus of attention this time as Tom is determined to get to the top, but Marcus Meldrew is up to no good and Tom has tooth ache. It's so bad that he can't concentrate on drawing in class. Full review...
Sophia the Flame Sister (Spell Sisters) by Amber Castle and Mary Hall
Guinevere (generally known as Gwen) is something of a tomboy and she'd much rather be out doing archery practice with the boys than practicing her curtsey and brushing her aunt's hair. Will and some of the other pages are dismissive of her because she's a girl, but Arthur is a little more kindly. One day, out in the woods with her friend Flora, she discovers the island of Avalon which is in a sorry state. The evil Morgana Le Fay has imprisoned her sisters who hold the spells which keep the island as it should be and it's now up to Gwen and Flora to rescue the Spell Sisters and return Avalon to full health. Full review...
Ash Mistry and the Savage Fortress by Sarwat Chadda
Heat, colour, smell and noise assail your senses as you join Ash and Lucky in Varanasi. They have travelled from England to visit their uncle and aunt during the holidays, and despite their Asian heritage they find the atmosphere as fascinating, frustrating and thrilling as any young person brought up in west London would do. The castles and markets are intriguing, but the poverty, the constant heat, the poor roads and the dust are beginning to take their toll. The food does not agree with Lucky, and although he loves the archaeology of the region, Ash is beginning to envy his friends back home as they go swimming and indulge in day-long gaming sessions. But right from the start the culture clash carries hints of danger and mystery, until the terrifying moment when the supernatural explodes into Ash's life and changes him utterly. Full review...
The Bliss Bakery Trilogy 1 - Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood
A town with a name as ominous as Calamity Falls cries out for a shop like the one run by the Bliss family. Even before you move there you just know that if something can go wrong then it certainly will, and that however much it may look like normal small-town America on the outside, nothing short of magic will make it a happy, fulfilled place. No surprise, then, that this is where Rose lives, along with her parents, two brothers and her baby sister. And although the townsfolk don't understand precisely what goes on in the kitchen of the Bliss Bakery, they return day after day for the most delicious pastries, muffins and cakes they have ever known with a vague conviction that life is better as long as they do so. Full review...
Itch by Simon Mayo
Itchingham Lofte - cool name, cool guy, but he's Itch to you and me - is an element-hunter. Like many kids, he's a collector-magpie, but football stickers and manga-style cards aren't his thing. Itch is a science geek and he is trying to collect a sample of all 118 elements. Itch lives in Cornwall, where he has recently arrived from London, and his element-hunting doesn't carry much kudos at his school, where he spends most time dodging the bullies. At home, Itch has a tendency to formulate disastrous experiments and the latest explosion not only removed his eyebrows but also got his collection banished to the shed. Full review...
Muncle Trogg by Janet Foxley
Muncle Trogg is the smallest giant in the world. He's fed up of being upside-downed by his bigger, but younger, brother, Gritt. At school, he always falls foul of the other pupils. The teachers don't treat him too much better. He simply doesn't fit in at all. With his school-leaving exams coming up, Muncle doesn't know what he's going to do with himself. However, Sir Biblos, the King's wise man, sees a spark in Muncle, and Muncle embarks on adventures that dabble in the edges of the Smalling world. Full review...
The Prince Who Walked with Lions by Elizabeth Laird
This book is closely based on the story of a real boy, Prince Alamayu of Abyssinia, whose short life was divided between his beloved African home and Britain, the country of the people who conquered his father's kingdom. In fact, his grave can still be seen at St George's Chapel, Windsor. For his first few years he was brought up surrounded by servants, luxury and power, with a loving mother and a fierce but adored warrior father. But the king, a despotic and, some would say, reckless man, challenged the might of the British Army by chaining up and imprisoning the European envoys sent to negotiate with him, simply because he found them irritating. This action led to the attack on his lands and consequently the downfall of the Abyssinian monarchy. Full review...
The Lying Carpet by David Lucas
There is a room in a big old house where nothing moves but the insects. An empty chair sits to one side, a stone statue of a girl called, and representing, Faith, the other. In between is a tiger rug. What potential is in that for the setting of a charming book? What potential indeed... Full review...
The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon
Tom Gates is your typical year 5 lad: frequently late for school and fond of reading comics and doodling in school when he should be paying attention. Things change slightly when he's moved to sit at the front of the class between Amy - a clever girl - and Marcus who's a bit of an idiot. Tom tells us the story of his daily life, his attempts to impress Amy Porter, his favourite band and all the excuses he uses to get our of doing homework - or PE - or swimming - or for being late. He puts so much effort into doing all this that you really wonder why he doesn't just do the schoolwork. But then that would be too simple, wouldn't it? And we wouldn't have such a great book to read. Full review...
Grk and the Phoney Macaroni by Joshua Doder
The last time we met Grk (he's the dog, by the way) he was in Australia, but don't worry if you haven't read any of the seven earlier books in this series - they all read well as stand-alones. This time it might seem as though it's going to be a very local adventure with Mrs Malt taking Tim, Natasha and Max to the Natural Science Museum whilst Grk says in the car. Things are not as they look, though - for Grk is going to be dog-napped from the local park and whisked off to Italy with Tim in pursuit. On the way he's going to encounter Giovanni Mascarpone, the thirteenth Duke of Macaroni, his vicious bodyguards and quite a lot of people whose names are going to put you in mind of Italian food. Full review...
Christopher's Caterpillars by Charlotte Middleton
Christopher Nibble, a charming little guinea pig, loves gardening with his friend Posie. When they find six munching caterpillars on their plants though they decide that they cannot stay and choose to keep them as pets instead. They make a list of the things that they think that the caterpillars will need such as woolly socks and mini hairbrushes. When they visit Mr Rosetti, who runs the local café, he puts them straight and suggests that they get some clean jars, juicy leaves, twigs, and make lids with holes in them instead. They now know exactly what to do in order to look after their new pets and they do – very carefully. Full review...
Burping Bertha by Michael Rosen
It all began very innocently and, well, quite accidentally. Bertha was lying in bed looking at Tiger, her cuddly toy, when she burped - and Tiger fell over. It was the precursor of a series of events which, at their peak, would make Bertha a 'multi-multi-mega-billionaire superstar' and all as a result of what was nothing more than a lot of hot air. But it's not what happens when she gets there that matters - it's the story of how she did it and it's a brilliant tale told with all the ingenuity of Michael Rosen and accompanied by the wonderful illustrations of Tony Ross. Full review...
The Quest In A Vest (Gordon the Goblin) by Tariq Kurd and Laura Robertson
Gordon the Goblin is more than a little fed up because he is so small and not big and tough like all of the other goblins. They are all fearless hunters and go off on exciting adventures whilst Gordon is left behind. He decides that there is nothing else for it but to set out on his very own quest even though he feels very nervous at the thought of it. He approaches the chief goblin who laughs at him, before deciding to send him off to capture a dragon – not for one moment thinking that Gordon will succeed. It does look like an impossible feat especially as Gordon does lack strength and muscles. Maybe though, he will be able to use his brains and charm rather than relying on brute force. Will Gordon be able to find a dragon and actually persuade him that he wants to be captured and what will happen if he does? Full review...
Pumpkin Pie by Jean Ure
There are three children in the Penny family. Petal is the eldest and she is gorgeous - long legs, long blond hair and pretty with it. Pip is the youngest and he's the one with brains and has to be surgically separated from his computer. In the middle is Pumpkin - well, her real name is Jenny, but she's Pumpkin to the family - and she's cuddly with curly hair. Mum's the breadwinner in the family, with Dad being at home during the day as house husband and working as a chef of an evening. He's got a relaxed attitude to the home and to what the kids do: his obsession is food. He loves making it - and Pumpkin loves eating it. She's conscious about her weight but it still comes as a shock when her father starts to call her Plumpkin. Full review...
Pendragon Legacy: Sword of Light by Katherine Roberts
From the very first pages of this book we are left in no doubt about the character of Rhianna Pendragon, daughter of King Arthur. As we watch her in a horse race through the woods with her elfin companions we see that she is brave to the point of foolhardiness, stoic in pain and an excellent rider. Furthermore, as the only human on Avalon she has had to endure teasing and even pity her whole life long for her inability to perform magic, not to mention her large size and clumsiness when compared with the slight, delicate Avalonians. The experience has not made her bitter or resentful, however, but rather a determined young woman who can stand up for herself and make her own decisions. Full review...
The Sewer Demon: The Roman Mystery Scrolls by Caroline Lawrence
Fans of Caroline Lawrence's earlier series of mysteries set in Ancient Rome have enjoyed both the thrilling adventures of the four young friends, and the authentic detail which brought those stories so vividly to life. And now, with the adventures of Threptus, readers from about six or seven years of age can enjoy the same delights. Full review...
The Poodle Problem by Anna Wilson
Mrs Fudge had a big house and was rather lonely, so she decided that she would turn part of it into a hairdressing salon where people were encouraged to bring their dogs and to sample her rather delicious home baking. She met Pippa Peppercorn, aged ten and a quarter and a very self-sufficient young lady who was perfectly capable of helping Mrs Fudge by taking coats, making tea and looking after the dogs, but not by being on the operating end of the scissors, much to her disappointment. All was going well until a newcomer to the village of Crumbly-under-Edge opened a beauty parlour and it wasn't long before the competition became, well, just a little bit unfair. Full review...
Katy's Champion Pony by Victoria Eveleigh
We first met Katy in Katy's Wild Foal when she found a newborn foal on her birthday. A real bond formed between the two and the foal is now about three years old and ready to be 'backed' - or to have a rider on his back. Away from the ponies Katy is learning that even friends can be a bit thoughtless at times, that old people are not necessarily past it and she finds that she has reserves of strength and determination when it really is a matter of life and death. Full review...
Agatha Parrot and the Mushroom Boy by Kjartan Poskitt and David Tazzyman
Agatha Parrot has problems with her elder brother, James. And this is not just normal 'problems with elder brother' which every girl knows about. This is serious trouble. Just as Agatha is settling down to watch the final of her second favourite television programme, Sing, Wiggle and Shine, James snatches the television remote control and switches channels to the adverts which come on before his football programme. Without going into too much detail (Agatha will fill you in, don't worry) the results of his actions involve a large and highly decorated cake, the school fete, a birthday party and James dressing up as a mushroom. When Agatha goes for revenge she doesn't hold back. Full review...
Talina in the Tower by Michelle Lovric
Nineteenth century Venice can seem a sinister place, full of secrets, misty forgotten islands and magic, both good and 'baddened'. It does, however, have its brighter, warmer side, with cosy, comforting grannies and delicious recipes, and Talina loves it dearly. But then the mangy, rabid Ravageurs arrive, creatures part-way between wolves and hyenas, and claim the city as their ancestral home. Men, women and children are stolen away in the night, as are cats and rats, but the inhabitants refuse to believe the full horror of what is happening, preferring instead to blame a neighbouring town. Full review...
