One World, 2021. ISBN: 9781786077882. (Age:14+) Highly recommended.
Kirabo, longing to find the mother she has never known, turns to the blind village witch, Nsuuta, to listen to her stories of women's 'original state' a time when they were 'huge, strong, bold, loud, proud, brave, independent.' Kirabo is told that her strange out-of-body experiences are because she still retains some of that original state. She is certainly a unique and determined young person, not easily fobbed off by her elders.
Her life changes when her father finally comes to collect her from her grandparents' place, to take her to live with him. But in his house, Kirabo encounters the 'bitch', her stepmother, a woman who adamantly rejects her.
Kirabo’s quest to find her lost mother sees her caught in repeating generations of struggles between two women, firstly her grandmother and Nsuuta the witch, then her stepmother's rejection of another woman's child, and then Kirabo's own conflicts with her childhood friend Giibwa. Through Nsuuta's stories Kirabo comes to understand that women have been rendered powerless by men, and instead of uniting against that oppression they fight among themselves, like penned hens pecking each other.
This unusual story of a young girl's search for her mother, is entwined with Ugandan folk stories, and set against the threatening background of Idi Amin's murderous rule. But while it reveals women's petty jealousies, it is overwhelmingly a powerful affirmation of the strengths of women to support and care for each other; like water they adapt and flow. If men are of the land, then women are of the sea.
The central question that will keep readers engaged until the end is whether Kirabo is destined to repeat the patterns of the adults around her, or whether she can be strong enough to make her own future. Unlike folk stories, this story has no easy resolution.
During the Covid lockdown in England in 2020, Katherine Rundell, author of The Wolf Wilder, The Good Thieves and many other popular children's books decided to compile and edit a book consisting of fiction and non fiction short stories of hope in order to cheer young people. The book of hopes comprises short stories, poems and pictures that have been contributed by Rundell's selection of favourite authors - all on the theme of hope. As Rundell says, she is a "possibilityist" and these stories present as gifts of hope from each and every contributor. No story is over five hundred words so they can be picked up and read quickly but the messages contained within are full of wisdom, interest, humour and advice that could prepare children for a lifetime of challenges. These stories have never been published before and are fresh from the pen of each contributor. Originally the book was published online to help inspire children during lockdown. A donation from each print copy sold goes to UK charities including the NHS.
The book of hopes contains over 100 works. Well known and lesser known authors and illustrators have presented their works and they have been organised into multiple categories including animals, the stars, hope in unexpected places, kindnesses, cats, dogs, birds, nature, true stories, crime stories, fairytales and many more. Other works by the contributing authors are provided as a reading list at the end of the book.
When people are upset, sometimes they are only capable of concentrating for a short time. This collection of short texts and illustrations are quick bites that provide a dose of hope in easily digestible format. Beautiful, soft, calming illustrations are scattered throughout and there is much space for contemplation. Each contribution feels like a warming and heartfelt offering from a good, caring and sometimes funny friend.
The book of hope would make a great gift for a child or family to share together. For teachers and librarians it is recommended as a useful, hopeful and inspirational book to pick up and read to children at any time.
Recommended for children as young as 5 up to 12 years.
If you've watched 'Derry Girls' (available on Netflix), you'll LOVE Erin's Diary. Closely lined with the TV show, Erin's Diary gives readers an insight into the background of the characters, as well as Erin's unique point of view on the happenings around town. Filled with images from the show, posters, to do lists, images from the 90's, as well as a glossary of common Derry words or phrases, this diary is thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining. There are even letters from school, publishers and other members of the group, all helping to explain particular scenes from the show or just to add colour to the diary.
Even if you haven't watched 'Derry Girls', you'll still enjoy the grandiose of Erin's writing, believing herself to be the next great literary talent, she includes lists on who is to be invited to her future book launches and updates the list throughout the diary. She shares her self-important views on many things including school curriculum and the troubles of Londonderry. If you have watched the show, you may have deduced the meaning of a number of the terms used throughout the series, but the glossary (located at the front of the book) is incredibly useful as well as interesting. Commonly used terms include 'boke', 'cracker', 'not a baldies' and 'catch yourself on' - terms that are now making their way into my vocabulary!
Occasional swearing is found in the book (not as much as on the show), hence the recommended age is 13+.
Winner of many awards, including the 2019 Mary Higgins Clark Award and 2018 Agatha Award for Best Historical Novel, I was thrilled to read about Perveen Mistry, a young aspiring lawyer who is determined to find out the truth of the murder on Malabar Hill. Sent to execute the will of Mr Omar Farid, she explains to his three widows the meaning of their having signed over their inheritance to a charity. She is worried about the future of these women living in seclusion and the future of their children. Events escalate as she investigates just what is going on and she find herself in grave danger.
The book revolves around two stories and flicks back and forwards from 1916-1917 to 1921. Both stories are equally engrossing. In one section the reader learns of Perveen's marriage and life in a strict Muslim household in Calcutta, while in the other section, the reader follows the murder on the hill in Bombay and Perveen's delving into what is going on. In Calcutta, Perveen finds that the marriage that she thought would be idyllic is not so, some of the strict customs about women and their role in society are very difficult to bear. Meanwhile in Bombay, she is not allowed to present a case to a judge, but because she is a woman is able to talk to the three widows and work out what is going on.
In the acknowledgments at the end of the book the author states that the character of Perveen Mistry is based on the two earliest women lawyers in India, and the historical detail in the story makes it a standout. I learnt much about the social life of women in India, the customs that prevailed in the 1920's, while enjoying a well written engrossing mystery. Readers who liked the Precious Ramotswe books in the No. 1 ladies' detective agency series and those by Ovidia Yu, The Frangipani Tree Mystery and The Paper bark tree mystery, will be happy to find another series with a feisty woman investigator.
Themes Women, India - Social life and customs, Wills, Murder, Lawyers.
Fans of The infernal devices series by Clare have a treat in this new series that stars Tessa and Will's children, James and Lucie Herondale as well as Cordelia Carstairs and a host of other characters. Cordelia is a Shadowhunter who has trained since childhood to battle demons. Her father has been accused of wrongdoing and with her family she travels to London in the hope of meeting influential people and clearing her name. There she meets James and Lucie again, friends from childhood, and begins to learn about the people in London's glittering Shadowhunter society. Then demons attack London, using an unknown poison to afflict the Shadowhunters and London is quarantined. Cordelia, while hiding her love for James, joins in the hunt for a cure as the group that James leads begin to uncover their powers.
At a massive 591 pages (plus a bonus short story featuring Tessa and Will) the story is crammed with many characters and much action. Cordelia is a very appealing heroine, strong and steady, while James is fighting demons of his own as he tries to find out who his grandfather was. Secondary characters like Matthew and Alistair have secrets that beg to be revealed and kept me fascinated to find out their background stories, which may be revealed in subsequent books in the series, and I cannot wait to see Lucie bloom and grow.
Clare’s writing is compulsive; she has the knack of writing characters that the reader wants to get to know and the adventure, romance and danger that they face will ensure that the book is finished and the next one put on a waiting list to be read.
Three knights walk through the night, trying to find and dispatch the dragon their king fears.
Each scene sees them repeat one of the king's fears, and this is illustrated on the facing page. When the page is turned a different scene awaits the reader, showing a contradictory image of the words spoken. So a dragon with thick, double sided spikes becomes a warren of rabbits with their ears sticking up, the first in outline against the dark, scary night sky, the second illuminated by the knight's candle. When the king fears the dragon's long neck and flared nostrils, over the page we see a group of sleeping animals. Each illuminated illustration gives the lie to the fearful words uttered by the king, showing how words that mean one thing, can reveal something quite different in the light.
Readers will see the link between an imagined fear and a real fear: what is thought about by your imagination at night compared to the reality by the light of day. And each fear brings gales of laughter by the reader, along with snorts of derision by the knights, saying 'ha ha ho ho' whenever they see the reality of the situation they have been sent to contain. They confidently say there is no dragon as they return to the castle and their beds.
But of course the last laugh is on the knights as there really is a dragon as we find out on the last page.
Translated from, Waar is de Draal? by New York Times Best Illustrated Book recipient, Timmers, this delightful story will win hearts as the king needs to be placated by his heroic knights. But the last page shows him in an unenviable position after the knights have returned, convinced that the king is having illusions.
Eye catching illustrations will turn the heads of the readers as they take in the story and its stunning backdrop. Timmer’s use of shadows and outlines is superb, the detail arresting and the Medieval touches intriguing.
Themes Knights and castles, Dragons, Quests, Kings, Fears, Night, Knights.
Fran Knight
Early one morning by Mem Fox and Christine Davenier
With Mem Fox's succinct words forming a gentle refrain across each double page, small children will delight in the adventure of finding something for breakfast on the farm. It is early morning and the child is seen waving goodbye to his mother standing on the verandah. He wanders around the farm, looking for something that has been laid. The haystack will not do, neither does the tractor or the pig, as he strides on, confidently pursuing his quest. He checks out a range of farm implements and animals, followed the whole time by a most attentive rooster, until he finally arrives back at the farm, with a chook house nearby. Here, of course, he finds exactly what he is looking for. And he brings the eggs into his mother and they sit for breakfast, eating their boiled eggs.
This understated story sings with the sights and sounds of a farm and its environs as the lad walks around the place, pointing out the features of his farm. Young children will love seeing the different aspects of farm life, see a family during the morning routine, eating breakfast.
The charming illustrations reflect the minutia of farm life: the boy's overalls, the farm trucks, its many animals, the land it is on, the boy's relationship with the animals he sees. And all bathed in a warm morning glow of sunrise and soft hued clouds.
Children will delight in predicting what object or animals the boy will visit next, and call out that the rooster is behind him, following in his tracks, Small children will know from the word what he is looking for and offer suggestions about where an egg might be found on the farm.
For city kids this book will be a revelation of country life, and encourage their questioning about what happens there.
With Sumo Cat, Ninja Bird and Kung-Fu Worm on the case, what could go possibly wrong. These three intrepid heroes make up The Don’t Panic Gang, their promise, We Are Right Here to Help emblazoned across the rooftop near their house on top of a small apartment building, atop a pizza shop. Next door is Sumo Cat's favourite restaurant, Joe's Doughy Donuts, Sumo Cat's favourite food.
One day the trio is quietly resting when across the rooftops comes a cry for help. Without a second’s hesitation, they dress themselves in their superhero costumes: Cat pulls on his Sumo wrestler's loin cloth (mawashi), Bird grabs his disguise which covers his head and eyes, while Worm ties a red scarf around his head. They leap over the apartment buildings around them, crossing from one to another, each time coming closer to the cry for help. As the cry gets louder, their anticipation peaks, until they look over the window sill in the bathroom to assess the problem.
Children will laugh out loud at the twist in the tale, as the one calling for help is not the one children will expect at all, and a fourth member is inducted into The Don't Panic Gang
The illustrations will keep children laughing as they spy detail on each page furthering the story of our superheroes. The detail of the high street with its array of businesses, the apartment buildings of all different shapes and sizes, the detail of the superheroes' living room, all conspire to give readers a richly humorous understanding of what lies behind this outlandish team's aim to help.
Readers will love talking about what scares them and how they deal with it, what things may lurk in their house or garden which need to be avoided, and just who is the superhero they could call on in need.
This is Number 27 in the series involving the intrepid Stephanie Plum. (This reviewer confesses that this is her first introduction to this determined and feisty character, but the book is easily read as a stand-alone book.) Stephanie faces conflict head-on and with her multiple odd sidekicks is able to carry out her job as ‘bounty hunter’, bringing in those who have avoided their court appearances threatening the loss of their bond (bail surety). She is also attempting to assist her grandmother to find a ‘treasure’ that an ageing crime syndicate has hidden. Unfortunately, the clues they seek are often protected by some nefarious characters or are at risk of being lost as the ageing crooks die.
With a mix of humour and action (very much like a Lethal Weapon movie with a female lead), Stephanie leads her entourage of willing and less-enthusiastic family, friends, law enforcement specialists and new acquaintances on a thrilling chase through tunnels and side streets, and with bullets and bad guys aimed in her direction. With a movie-like action narrative, with punchy dialogue, this will appeal to lovers of US Crime drama. Stephanie is portrayed as a character with flaws, foibles and failings and is intensely likeable (and is also conflicted in her romantic life), somewhat akin to the Mel Gibson character – Riggs, from the Lethal Weapon movie series. This will be enjoyed as a great holiday-read escape for adult readers.
Recommended for adults as a light crime drama.
Themes Thriller, Suspense, Crime drama.
Carolyn Hull
The hospital dog by Julia Donaldson. Illus. by Sara Ogilvie
With a lively dog bouncing happily from one ill child to another over pages filled with colour and movement, verve and laughter, children will readily pick up and read about Dot, the hospital dog.
Her owner, Rose takes her swimming each day - then they hop onto the bus to get to the hospital where Dot spends her time being a companion in the Wallaby Ward, full of children. Rose and Dot love their work and this is reflected in the wonderful rhyming lines, impelling readers to predict the last word of each pair of lines, adding some of their own as they reread the story, while the sometimes repeated lines:
Here is a dog, a Dalmatian called Dot Is she quite ordinary? NO SHE’S NOT!
form a refrain that children can easily learn and repeat while the story is read.
The stunning illustrations show the range of children in the ward; a bored teenager, a child without hair, kids on crutches or bed bound, children in wheelchairs, kids who are unsure or unhappy, and Dot visits each helping in some way to make them smile.
I love the depiction of the hesitant mother and toddler, both wary of the dog, but seduced by Dot's enthusiasm and love. The sting in the tale where a deaf boy is about to cross the road without looking brings Dot's abilities to the fore, putting herself in the place of the boy, taken to a different sort of hospital. A wonderful resolution sees the Wallaby Ward children returning the love shown them by Dot as they visit her.
A warm hearted story, children will eagerly talk of their visits to hospital or the vet with their animals, opening the classroom conversation to illness and hospitals. For some who are hesitant about going into hospital, this book provides a model of just what a hospital is and who is in them, and shows the range of things which best children causing them to be taken into a hospital.
The illustrations depict all the sorts of things children might see in a hospital, encouraging them to talk of charts, sanitiser, doctors and nurses. The comparison with Dot in her own form of hospital, recovering from her own accident, is a great lead in to calm children’s inexperience.
But above all The hospital dog is funny and lively, entertaining and absorbing as Dot careers around the hospital, making everyone smile.
By the same author and illustrator who produced The detective dog (2018).
Themes Hospitals, Accidents, Illness, Dogs.
Fran Knight
The virus by Ben Martynoga
David Fickling Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781788452106. Highly recommended.
From the Blurb :
WHERE DID IT COME FROM, AND HOW CAN WE BEAT IT? It's 15,000 times smaller than a flea and we can kill it with a bar of soap - so how did a tiny, fragile virus change the world? Join science expert Dr Ben Martynoga and illustrator extraordinaire Moose Allain on a fascinating, sometimes funny, and occasionally scary journey through the world of viruses. Explore the science behind viruses and the COVID-19 pandemic in a fascinating story of hijacked human cells and our own internal emergency services.
In a world of misinformation this book gives students and children the information they are seeking in a fun and easy to read format.
The book has a huge range of information about the Corona Virus and viruses in general along with how our bodies become infected and how we fight the invasion of our bodies by viruses and the COVID-19 virus. The appeal of this book lies in the illustrations that show the size of the virus compared to an average teenager (1.5metres tall); there are also fabulous illustrations of what is going on inside a healthy cell and one that the virus has infiltrated. The illustrations will appeal to children and help to explain the information in an engaging way.
The book explains why we can't just eradicate all viruses even if we knew how to and shows that while it is scary and having an impact on how we live our life, the COVID-19 virus may actually benefit the world and humans in some way - think climate change and slowing down. This book aims to educate and inform both children and adults and ensures that the reader will finish the book better informed and more optimistic for the future.
The addition of a glossary at the back helps the reader to understand some of the bigger words or concepts in the book and is a welcome and necessary addition.
Mhairi Alcorn
The mysterious disappearance of Aidan S. by David Levithan
Text Publishing, 2021. ISBN: 9781922330918. (Age:12-17) Recommended.
Twelve year old Aidan shares a room with his 11 year old brother Lucas; they are not only close in age but Lucas thought they were close in everything, that is, until Aidan goes missing for six days. The search becomes more and more serious as the day pass and Lucas is subjected to intense questioning as to why his brother should have left and where he might have gone. By day five there is a sense they are looking for a body rather than a missing child, then, on the evening of day six Lucas hears a sound in the attic and finds Aidan sprawled in front of an old dresser, looking lost. When Lucas asks where he has been he says "Avienieu". Once the joy of reunion fades, the need to know where he has been takes its place. Everyone wants to know Aidan's story but a story can be real or made up and once a story is shared it can be taken over by other people and you lose control of it. Lucas resolves to record Aidan's story without judgement and we learn more about his Narnia like experience of Avienieu, a fantastic otherworld, and his complicated feelings about returning. Lucas also records how his brother is changed and seems lost, the target for the frustrations experienced by his family and the judging world we live in.
This is not a fantasy story, there is little world building, it is about the scariest thing that ever happened to this family, the aftermath of Aidan's disappearance and how they find a way to move on. The subtitle "(as told to his brother)" places the narrative firmly inside the family as they struggle to understand. There is the constant tension as we anticipate a 'true' explanation while their relationships with their community, school and each other deteriorate. It seems that when something like this happens the best we can hope for is that something more suprising will happen to someone else, to divert attention elsewhere. As for the boys, what turns out to be important is Lucas's belief, support and protection of his sibling, a positive message delivered in a fluent, engaging narrative.
Recommended for middle school students and lovers of Levithan's many other YA books.
Once again, I was rivetted by the story of Lee Westfall, as she fights against the injustices that she and the mining community of Glory face. In this conclusion Lee must survive the machinations of a powerful billionaire who is determined to destroy her little band of friends. She has finally found a place to settle and is surrounded by the misfit gang from the wagon train but is determined that the little town of Glory should be given its own charter and sets off to San Francisco. There while trying to retrieve the house that Becky Joyner’s husband had had dismantled and sent by sea, they uncover all the dishonest things that the billionaire, Hardwick, has in place to defraud the local people out of what should rightfully be theirs. Therein follow some very exciting and dangerous adventures, while a twisted complicated plot is hatched to bring Hardwick down.
The historical aspects of this trilogy are beautifully described and brought to life by Carson, who obviously has done a lot of research into early gold mining and the history of San Francisco. I could almost smell the mud and see the ship Charlotte which had been refitted to house not only Lee and her friends, but the horses as well. In this book, she also brings to light the struggle that women had, not being able to own property once they married. Becky Joyner is denied access to claiming her house because she did not have a husband, and Lee has second thoughts about marrying because it means her husband will own everything. The plight of the poor, African Americans and Indians is also examined.
Lee continues to be a strong, thoughtful leader and readers will be delighted with the conclusion to this trilogy.
Themes Strong female character, San Francisco - History, California, Gold mining, Adventure, Fantasy.
The second in the historical fantasy series by award winning Carson, sees Lee Westfall finally stopping in an area rich with gold where she can use her magic powers to seek out the rich ore and help her friends from the wagon train find gold as well. The team gradually build up a community, name their little settlement Glory and start to construct a town of sorts. Jefferson, Lee’s best friend, continues to woo her, but her Uncle Hiram is still a menace, determined to get her under his control.
Like a river glorious sees Lee's powers becoming stronger, giving the book more of an element of fantasy than the first in the series, Walk on earth a stranger. Not only can she sense gold, but she can also now draw it to her, and this ability is one that helps her out in times of danger. There is some action and adventure as Uncle Hiram sends his men after Lee, but what I found most fascinating about this book was the descriptions of life in a mining camp, the loneliness of the miners who were happy to eat Becky's poorly cooked food, the way gold was panned and the shafts built, and the treatment of the Indians and Chinese at that time.
Lee is a character I was happy to follow; she is strong and determined and very loyal to her friends. And she is also a leader, and although she is still in her teens, the group of misfits from the wagon train are happy to follow her advice and support her in her endeavours.
This is quality historical fantasy and should appeal to lovers of the historical genre as well as the fantasy one.
Themes Adventure, Gold mining, California - History, Strong female character.
This is the story of Maverick Carter, the father of Starr, whose story we read in the award-winning novel The hate U give by Angie Thomas. Concrete rose is the prequel to that book, but easily stands alone as an extremely moving story of a young black teenager struggling to come to grips with the burden and joys of unexpected fatherhood.
The setting is one of gangland battles, drug dealing, and racial profiling by the police. With the odds already stacked against Mav ever breaking free of that culture, his problems are compounded by the demands of providing for a baby. How can he ever go straight, finish school, and live up to the responsibilities of a caring father, the challenge set for him by his cousin and close friend Dre?
Thomas writes in the spoken language of the black ghetto, not unfamiliar to most readers due to the plethora of American movies, and it soon becomes a natural flow that you can hear as you read. This is one of the strengths of Thomas's writing, as a former teen rapper.
Concrete rose is an incredibly compassionate story; the love that Mav feels for a baby so totally dependent on him, the overwhelming fatigue, and the brick wall obstacles he faces, help us to empathise with the life of a single young father, a rose struggling to grow up out of the concrete. Fortunately there is a community of caring people who help him.
Themes Single parenthood, Black Lives Matter, Gangs, Toxic masculinity, Responsibility.
