Confident readers
Sebastian Darke: A Buffalope's Tale by Philip Caveney
Don't be too worried by what is said on the front cover: this book may purport to be buffalope Max's life story in his own miserable words, but it is, in fact, a warm and funny tale. Max is a larger-than-life character in every sense of the word: a brilliant thinker and a gifted linguist, he is quickly able to pick up the human tongue. And he is always ready to give his opinion or a piece of advice — whether it's wanted or not. Full review...
The Railway Rabbits: Wisher and the Runaway Piglet by Georgie Adams
Wisher and the Runaway Piglet is the first book in a charming series about the Railway Rabbits. The little family of rabbits are delightful creatures who enjoy life and exploring the big wide world. Lots of dangers lurk, but they always seem to come through unscathed. However, when they hear rumours of a fierce dog chasing a runaway pig, even they are a little daunted. All except Wisher that is, who feels the need to go and warn her friend Violet Vole. Along the way she is almost trapped by the buzzard and trampled over by the Red Dragon. Somehow though, she escapes major disaster and even manages to save the day. Maybe such narrow escapes and her parents' obvious relief on her return may lead her to be more cautious in the future but that remains to be seen. Somehow, I doubt it! Full review...
The Night of the Solstice: Heart of Valour by L J Smith
'Heart of Valour' is the sequel to The Night of the Solstice, where Alys, Janie, Charles and Claudia discover a strange, enchanting and terrifying world. The Guardian of the mirror-gate between the worlds, Morgana Shee, had been imprisoned by the evil Cadel Forge, and the siblings were called to rescue her. 'Heart of Valour' picks up the story a year later. Morgana has to leave the children to cope alone as she travels north to battle her arch-rival Thia Pendriel, but dangers nearer home send them off on a quest to find her. Full review...
The Golden Acorn - The Adventures of Jack Brenin by Catherine Cooper
Determined as 'The One' when he insouciantly picks up a golden acorn, Jack Brenin is thrust into a world of adventure and magic as he is given the heavy responsibility of saving the diminishing magical population of the village of Glasruhen, along with Camelin, the talking raven who provides welcome flair through his humorous dialogue. Full review...
The Secret Lives of Princesses by Philippe Lechermeier and Rebecca Dautremer
Ah, the French! They're so good at being funny in eccentric ways. This book is a perfect example. Although princesses such as Cinderella are mentioned in passing, here we are being introduced to less commonly known princesses like Princess Alli Fabette who is 'verry pritty butt she has a huje problim: she dusn't spell verry welll' or Princess Anne Phibian who is obsessed with frogs, is convinced her Prince Charming is disguised as one, and 'spends most of her time standing in ponds kissing every green creature she encounters.' Full review...
See You Later, Escalator by John Foster
Always a sucker for a good poetry anthology here at Bookbag, we've enjoyed two previous collections from John Foster. See You Later, Escalator continues in the same vein, with poems from the likes of Tony Mitton, Michael Rosen, Michelle Magorian and Brian Patten. Full review...
The Wombles by Elizabeth Beresford
A scruffy, shaggy, slightly overweight, furry creature is riding around part of South London, barely in control of his bicycle. No, not the political memoirs of the incumbent Mayor of London. Better. Far better. It's Orinoco Womble and the gang are back! Full review...
Tumtum and Nutmeg: A Circus Adventure by Emily Bearn
I'm a big fan of the Tumtum and Nutmeg stories. They always remind me of Mary Norton's The Borrowers, with the two little mice scurrying secretly around the human's house, helping the children when possible and trying to avoid being seen. So I was excited to read their latest adventure. Full review...
The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi
Tony DiTerlizzi's name will be familiar to many readers as the co-creator of the Spiderwick Chronicles, and it is entirely possible that this new trilogy will become just as popular. It is a charming tale of a young girl who has never seen another human being and who has been brought up by a kindly robot in an underground home. Right from the very first pages we suspect things are not going well: lights flicker and malfunction, machinery and furniture is chipped and scratched, and even the wheel Eva's robot mother moves around on is tread-worn. Eva is being trained to go up into the outside world to meet other humans, but there has been no contact from other Sanctuaries, as the underground homes are called, for a long time. Eva will very soon need to go out and discover for herself if there are any other humans on this strange and colourful planet. Full review...
The Tolpuddle Boy: Transported to Hell and Back by Alan James Brown
In 1834, six men from the Dorset village of Tolpuddle were deported to Australia for their trade union activities. This book, written in a very simple style for children, tells the true story of what happened to them, the politics of their arrest and deportation and the campaign by trade unionists and other supporters of trade union rights to overturn their convictions. Full review...
Raven Mysteries: Vampires and Volts by Marcus Sedgwick
It's October at Castle Otherhand. That can only mean one thing - a return to the traditional annual pumpkin hunt. Shame they're so damned elusive. But when, courtesy of a bit of unsubtle arson, a Hallowe'en Ball is redirected to be held at the Castle, and things that do more than go bump in the night gatecrash - why, they're even harder to catch. Unless, of course, you're a wry, arch, droll, antiquated old raven called Edgar. Full review...
Raven Mysteries: Flood and Fang by Marcus Sedgwick
Otherhand Castle, and all in it, is under threat, and only Edgar can save the day. Pity, perhaps, then, that Edgar is only a raven. But he's not your typical raven, for not only is he centuries old, and our narrator, but he is the only one who can see the connections between, and the danger involved in, a cellar full of rising floodwater, a horrific tail glimpsed in the vegetable garden, and some missing maids. Full review...
Glitter by Kate Maryon
You'd think, seeing Liberty Parfitt's life from the outside, that she'd be blissfully happy. She has everything money can buy, she loves life at her expensive boarding school and she has a wonderfully close friend. But she is not content. Her academic grades are not good, and her father clearly prefers her hard-working and successful older brother Sebastian, who is at the same school. He wins all manner of prizes, but the only area in which she shows any talent is music, a subject her father will not allow her to study. Her mother died when she was only nine months old, and Liberty imagines her life would be very different if she had a loving mother to balance her father's criticisms. And then utter disaster: the family loses every penny they own, she is whisked away from school without warning and taken to a dreary little flat where she has to cope not only with her own sadness and sense of loss but also with a father sinking deeper and deeper into depression. Full review...
Stories for a Fragile Planet: Traditional Tales About Caring for the Earth by Kenneth Steven and Jane Ray
Stories for a Fragile Planet is a wonderful anthology of stories from long ago and also from the present. The stories come from far and wide – from China to Alaska. They all seem to involve brave characters that care greatly about their environment and who are prepared to do things differently whether it is looking after a blackbird's nest for days until the eggs hatch or caring for a young lion cub who would otherwise die. There are ten stories in total and each one is short but self contained with a very satisfying conclusion. Each one can easily be read in a single sitting and would make ideal bedtime stories for slightly older children. Full review...
The Ring of Solomon (Bartimaeus) by Jonathan Stroud
Barty is back!
Well, he isn't actually back. But we do get to revisit him. Which is good.
I'm sure you know who I'm talking about. But just in case you don't, Bartimaeus is a sarcastic, wisecracking djinni and the star of a wonderful and best-selling series by Jonathan Stroud. Whilst tied to various enslaving magicians, Bartimaeus has had a finger in many pies of world history, particularly that of London. In fact, he's saved the day almost as many times as Doctor Who has. But Bartimaeus is no Doctor Who. He's a rude, sarcastic egomaniac and unselfish behaviour isn't his byword. But he cracks an irresistible one liner. And he usually comes through in the end. Full review...
The Orchard Book Of Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales by Martin Waddell and Emma Chichester Clark
With The Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling, The Tinderbox, The Little Match Girl, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Tin Soldier, The Swineherd, The Nightingale and The Little Mermaid, this is a must-have compendium of classic fairy tales. You can't really go wrong with Hans Christian Andersen's best, can you? Martin Waddell and Emma Chichester Clark have not just churned out the old classics, but they've given them an amazing freshness and vibrancy. Full review...
Scat by Carl Hiaasen
Nick and his friend Marta are ordinary kids. They don't look for trouble, and they don't cause it. But when an unpopular teacher punishes a difficult classmate by making him write an essay about his pimples, then trouble can't be far away. The teacher goes missing during a wildfire, and Duane (nicknamed Smoke, because he has a reputation for setting fires) gets the blame. But the evidence doesn't add up, and our young heroes decide it's up to them to discover the truth. Full review...
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
A true classic of children's literature? Check. Illustrations from a modern star with her own unique and delightful style? Check. If you're not already gurgling with delight at the prospect of a Lauren Child-illustrated version of Pippi Longstocking, then, quite frankly, what are you doing at a book review website? Buy it. Buy it now. Buy it for yourself and everyone you know. Full review...
The Familiars: Animal Wizardry by Adam Epstein and Andrew Jacobson
Meet Aldwyn, Skylar and Gilbert, three familiars to three wizards in training. Aldwyn the cat is something of an impostor however, since unlike Skylar, a vision-casting bird, and Gilbert, a prophesying frog, he doesn't have any magical powers. He is just a cat-about-town, sneaking a fish here, dodging a meat cleaver there, and he fell into the role of familiar quite by accident whilst running into a pet shop to escape a bounty hunter. Still, when the boy wizard he works for, Jack, is kidnapped along with his friends, Aldwyn and the other familiars must find a way to track them down and rescue them before they are all killed. Full review...
A Boy Called M.O.U.S.E by Penny Dolan
There seem to be a lot of Victorian adventures around at the moment: the combination of neglect, poverty and fiercely-protected social divisions typical of the age allows evil and greed to flourish, and creates wonderful situations for adventure. And this book is an excellent example of the genre, with its wide range of characters both good and bad, and its child hero who must suffer and struggle as he travels through a multitude of colourful settings before reaching his goal. Full review...
Saxby Smart: Private Detective: The Secrets of the Skull by Simon Cheshire
Saxby Smart solves mysteries brought to his office in the garden shed by friends and neighbours. So far so good, but nothing really new. What is so attractive about this series of stories is the fact that it is the reader who acts as Saxby's side-kick, playing the role of sounding-board for the young detective. Add to this exciting, complex plots and a protagonist who is warm and funny and you have a winning formula. Full review...
Frightfully Friendly Ghosties: Ghostly Holler-day by Daren King and David Roberts
After scaring all the still-alives from their house we're back with the frightfully friendly ghosties who, since it's winter, have decided that they need a holler-day. After an argument over their destination (will it be Frighten-on-Sea or Scare-borough?) they receive a postcard from their friend, Headless Leslie. He is in Frighten and has forgotten how to get back home! So, off they go to Frighten to enjoy the delights of a haunted pier and fun fair and to try and rescue Headless Leslie from whatever trouble he has landed himself in. Full review...
Secrets of Tamarind by Nadia Aguiar
The Island of Tamarind is once again under threat, from the evils of the Red Coral. Once more Simon and his sisters Maya and Penny (but mostly Simon) must save the island that only they can reach, as it lies in some exotic Bermuda Triangle. For a second book running they must breach the barriers, solve mysteries surrounding their native friend Helix's legacy, and the native magical element ophalla, and put the island to rights. Full review...
Horrid Henry Rocks by Francesca Simon and Tony Ross
Horrid Henry Rocks brings us four more stories from the delightfully horrid little boy, Henry. Here we see him battle with his sappy little brother Peter, sabotage his neighbour, Moody Margaret's, sleepover, write his autobiography and finally he's evicted by security from the Dancing Daisies children's stage show where he stands on stage singing songs by The Killer Boy Rats! Full review...
Noah Barleywater Runs Away by John Boyne
Noah Barleywater gets up very early one morning. He's eight years old and he's decided to leave home in search of adventure. Off he goes through the forest and villages until he sees a marvellous tree. As he gazes at it, he meets a friendly dachshund and a (very) hungry donkey who tell him all about the toyshop behind the marvellous tree. And so Noah opens the door and goes in. Full review...
The Dead of Winter by Chris Priestley
Michael Vyner's father died when Michael was just a baby. He was a hero, sacrificing himself to save the life of Sir Stephen Clarendon whilst fighting for the British Empire in Afghanistan. This was precious little comfort to Michael and his mother, who resented the rich man's largesse over the years, wishing for the man they lost and not the charity of the man he saved. So, when Michael's mother dies too and he finds himself all alone in the world, he is not entirely overjoyed to discover that Sir Stephen is now his guardian and has invited him to spend Christmas at Hawton Mere. Full review...
The Book of Bones: A Kit Salter Adventure by Natasha Narayan
I thoroughly enjoyed Kit Salter's previous two adventures, The Mummy Snatcher of Memphis and The Maharajah's Monkey, so I was looking forward to her latest outing. Here in The Book of Bones I read anxiously as Kit and her friends were kidnapped by their arch enemies, The Baker Brothers. The Baker Brothers tell them that one of the friends has been poisoned, but not which one, and the only way to save themselves is if they undertake a dangerous journey to China in search of an ancient book about martial arts, the Book of Bones. En route the children do battle with pirates, doctors of phrenology as well as the Emperor's army. Will they discover which of them has been poisoned, or find the magical book, before it's too late...? Full review...
Tilly's Pony Tails: Parkview Pickle, the Naughty Show Pony by Pippa Funnell
Here at Bookbag Towers we first met Tilly Redbrow in Neptune the Heroic Horse. Tilly's back home from her holiday in Cornwall and back at the Silver Shoe Riding Stables as often as she can be – which is before school, after school and every minute she can be at weekends and in the holidays. There's a lot of excitement at the stables when they find out that a new show pony is moving in. Parkview Pickle is a real beauty, although perhaps a little bit on the plump side and with a rather nervous rider and the ultimate pushy parent. Full review...
The Children of the Lost by David Whitley
Mark and Lily have left Agora and they have no idea what to expect from the land beyond the city walls. They have been brought up within a rigid system based on barter in a city where everything can be traded: goods, services, people, even emotions are up for sale. They have also been taught that outside the city walls is a wilderness, with no civilised life. Do bear in mind here that their idea of civilisation is Agora…They are ill equipped to survive, and immediately make things worse by arguing with one another. Mark is furious with Lily for her part in their banishment and his actions lead to Lily being placed in great danger. Full review...
Aesop's Fables by Aesop, Fiona Waters and Fulvio Testa
Everyone knows and loves Aesop's Fables. They're part of our literary tapestry and our everyday lives. We know sour grapes, we know the tortoise and the hare, the boy who cried wolf and so many more. Fiona Waters has retold 60 of the most famous fables in this delightful anthology. Full review...
Dread Pirate Fleur and the Hangman's Noose by Sara Starbuck
When a mysterious young girl in a barrel is fished from the sea and rescued by the pirate ship belonging to Fleur's uncle William, it seems bad news might be on the way. The girl turns out to have psychic abilities - and they're just about to hit landfall at Salem, right in time for the witch-hunts. But worse is to come. William gets captured there, and someone Fleur thought long dead starts to take his place on board instead. Fleur then has to skipper the craft herself, on a rescue mission, in a very tense domestic situation. That's hard enough when you're a mere teenaged girl, against ruffians and pirates, but when the ship has secrets of her own to be revealed... Full review...
Madame Pamplemousse and the Enchanted Sweet Shop by Rupert Kingfisher
This is not a stereotypical fantasy. Madeleine, the heroine, is not required to find mystical items or defeat evil beings in order to save the world. And although she lives in a world where magic exists, she does not have any other-worldly powers herself. She is quite simply, despite her young age, an extremely good cook. Mind you, this quaint little book is set in the centre of Paris, so to be gifted in la gastronomie probably does count as magic - the French see these things differently, after all. No, she is just a little girl who is bullied at school by someone who seems determined to humiliate and hurt her by preying on her natural shyness. The bullying is skilfully done, by emphasising Madeleine's gift for creating wonderful meals and turning it into a reason to pity her. Fortunately for our heroine, she is noticed crying in Notre-Dame Cathedral, and is comforted by a kindly sweet-shop owner, Madame Bonbon. But is this woman really so kind? And doesn't Madeleine know she shouldn't take sweets from strangers? Full review...
Rose and the Magician's Mask by Holly Webb
The cover of this book has lots of pretty gold stars and a girl with a cute round face, but don't be fooled: while young girls will love all the magic and adventure, there is a fair amount of darkness in this third book in the Rose series. A magical mask has been stolen by an evil magician, and if he wears it in Venice, on the first Sunday of the New Year, he will gain enormous power. Needless to say, Rose and the other members of the household set off to prevent this. Full review...
The Night of the Solstice by L J Smith
Claudia knew she wasn't really supposed to follow the fox - not on her own, to the old, forbidden house on the hill. But she did. And it will change everything. The fox is the familiar of Morgana Shee, powerful sorceress and only guardian of the passageway to another universe, Wildworld. But Morgana has gone missing and she must be found before the solstice, for then the gateway will be open to all, including Cadal Forge, an evil magician dedicated to conquering Earth. Claudia, and her siblings, Charles, Jane and leader Alys, must find her. And find her quickly, for everything hangs in the balance on the night of the Winter Solstice. Full review...
Cherry Crush: The Chocolate Box Girls by Cathy Cassidy
When Cherry Costello told her teachers that she was leaving Glasgow and moving to live in a cliff-top house in Somerset where her father would make organic chocolates everyone thought that it was just another of her tall tales. But this one was true. Not only was Cherry moving to Somerset the Costellos, father and daughter, were going to live with his girlfriend and her four daughters. From it just being the two of them there would be seven altogether. How will Cherry cope? And how will the Tanberry family cope with two new members? Full review...
Half a Sister by Kelly McKain
When Hannah's parents begin to have whispered, but obviously heated discussions about something her immediate thought is that they're splitting up. There's quite a bit of that at school and Hannah would hate it to happen to her. But when it all comes out the reality is rather different. Sam has just discovered that he has a fifteen year old daughter living in Paris and that her mother has been in a serious car accident. Sam sees no alternative but to bring Ellie to live with them, but Charlotte is worried about how this will affect their daughter. When it's put to Hannah she has visions of long girly chats and swopping clothes and makeup and agrees without further thought. To begin with it's everything she hoped it would be but then a darker side of Ellie emerges and life turns into a nightmare for Hannah. Full review...
The Witch's Tears by Jenny Nimmo
Theo and Dodie's cat is missing, it's snowing, their clock-mender dad is away, and Mr Oak from the village has warned Theo all about witches. It's almost impossible to detect a witch, y'know, but if by some small miracle you can get them to cry, their tears turn to crystal. When Mrs Scarum turns up at Theo and Dodie's house, Theo is incredibly wary... Full review...