Newest Confident Readers Reviews
From TheBookbag
Confident readers
Give Peas a Chance by Morris Gleitzman
I had never heard of Morris Gleitzman before reading this collection of short stories, but it seems he is a highly prolific and popular writer for children based in Australia. I can certainly see why he has a large following. He is an original writer, who makes page-turning stories, often with a twist. But I confess, what I liked most, was their old-fashioned, cosy morality and the niceness of the characters. Full review...
Sylvie and the Songman by Tim Binding
I do like a challenge – one the author sets himself. I at times agree with the phrase having writing about music being akin to dancing about architecture, and so the task here is immense. Not only has Tim Binding had to create some new and bizarre musical instruments for our heroine's father to play, but the sounds they conjure, and the effect of a host of sonic factors is on the page in a most vivid and descriptive way. Full review...
Escape Velocity (Hive) by Mark Walden
The Higher Institute of Villainous Education (H.I.V.E.) is in terrible danger. Its headmaster, Nero, has been kidnapped by a shady anti-terrorist agency called H.O.P.E. Its crack assassin, Raven, is missing, feared dead. It's all up to prize criminal student Otto Malpense to save him by breaking into MI6 and finding his whereabouts. But first Otto must escape the school itself, a fraught and dangerous task in itself, now Number One has appointed his old enemy the Contessa as its new head. He'll need every friend he's got to even begin... Full review...
Sir Bigwart: Knight of the Wonky Table (History of Warts) by Alan MacDonald
King Eggnog is looking for a suitable husband for his stroppy daughter, Marigold. Only someone who can slay the ogres of Ghostly Fell would be worthy of her hand in marriage, so he sends his bravest knight, Sir Bigwart, on a quest to conquer them. Bigwart is a coward, who has boasted of past adventures, when in reality he was tucked up in a warm bed. He's not looking forward to facing ogres for real. Full review...
Madame Pamplemousse and Her Incredible Edibles by Rupert Kingfisher
Madeleine washes dishes in her uncle's posh restaurant. She occasionally gets a chance to cook too - which she shows a real skill for. Her foul uncle feels threatened by her talent, so he treats her horribly. One day she stumbles across Madame Pamplemousse's hidden, dark, but thrilling shop, which is packed with wonderful food like sea serpent paté, giant squid eyes in balsamic vinegar, and lavender-crusted frogs' legs. Full review...
Ghostsitters by Angie Sage
When the grown-ups go on holiday, leaving Araminita and Wanda behind, they're not looking forward to their crabby great-aunt looking after them. Thankfully, Minty's cool cousin Mathilda comes to look after them instead. However, she brings two naughty ghosts along with her, which doesn't go down well with Minty, Wanda, or the other ghosts that already live in Spook House. Full review...
The Castle Corona by Sharon Creech
When Pia and her little brother Enzio find a pouch by the side of the path, they know they probably shouldn't keep it. After all, they've just seen a dark rider gallop past, chased by the King's Men with shouts of Stop thief! But keep the pouch they do; they just can't help themselves. There isn't a great deal of fun or mystery in the children's lives. They're apprenticed to a market trader called Pangini, and he works them hard and feeds them little. So they keep the pouch and its interesting contents and they enjoy their games of make believe riches. Full review...
Out of My Depth by Helen Bailey
In her second novel outing, we find Electra determined to get her separated parents back together. Unfortunately, neither of her parents are particularly keen on the idea but this doesn't daunt the undefatigable Electra. She's a girl with a mission. But even girls with missions need to think about other things occasionally, and Electra thinks about breasts (or her lack of them), snogging (or her lack of them) and laptop computers (or her lack of them). She avoids thinking about homework, housework, or any other type of work, obviously. Full review...
Bambert's Book of Missing Stories by Reinhardt Jung
Bambert was a very small man who could only walk with a stick and even that was very painful. Throughout his childhood he'd endured many painful operations in the hope that he would grow but eventually it was accepted that he would never be any taller. After his parents died he adapted the family home to suit himself. The local grocer had his shop on the ground floor, but above that the house was Bambert's and the furniture was small enough to suit him. There was even an electric chair lift to carry him right up to the attic window where he could look out at the world. Full review...
Bashertaur (Monster Makers) by Ali Sparkes
You might have worked out for yourself that there is some danger in being able to draw monsters, then bring them to life. Not only the peril caused by their stinky farts or their ability to be seen by everyone else who might wonder why electrical beasties are sapping the village's power supply, either – they might just happen to squish you. Full review...
The Joy of Spooking: Fiendish Deeds by P J Bracegirdle
Spooking – the terrible town on the hideous hill. Thus is the location of this read introduced. But that's only one point of view. A near-derelict and abandoned old settlement resting above much shinier and newer suburbs, Darlington, it appears unwelcome and unenjoyable, unless you are someone like the ironically-named Joy Wells. She is a young goth type, who once considers a leech for a pet, is trapped with annoyingly bright and glossy blonde hair, and thinks the too-plush, too-pink and too anodyne Darlings she is forced to go to school with most ridiculous. Full review...
The Haunting of Nathaniel Wolfe by Brian Keaney
Nathaniel Wolfe is his father's assistant. Never one to miss an opportunity, Cicero, a failed music hall entertainer, has tapped into the Victorian fad for spiritualism and has set up a weekly seance in which he purports to contact the dead. The hall is packed week in week out, but of course it's all a fraud. Full review...
Kenny and the Dragon by Tony DiTerlizzi
The name Tony DiTerlizzi seemed vaguely familiar to me, and when I saw the blurb on the book's front informing me he had illustrated the Spiderwick Chronicles, I knew where I had come across him before. This time around, though, the story is completely different, and DiTerlizzi has written this solo as well as illustrated it. It's a fairy tale of sorts. I say of sorts, as the conceit is that a royal chronicler is sharing this tale with us. Full review...
Priceless! (The Skateboard Detectives) by Andrew Fusek Peters
When a world-famous Faberge egg is stolen, ex-con Danny Cooper is the immediate number one suspect. And when planted forensic evidence is found at the scene, it's all the police need to make an arrest. But Danny's going straight. He's been framed. And the Skateboard Detectives are going to prove it. San can hack into anything, Ben is a peerless free-runner, Break is superb on a skateboard and Charlie, well, might be a year younger than the others, but she's a superb athlete and Danny's daughter, so she even more determined to crack the case. Full review...
The Way of the Warrior (Young Samurai) by Chris Bradford
I've always loved Japan and the Japanese, as the structure in their society and the respect they have for each other has always appealed to me. Unfortunately, I have never been able to master any of the martial arts, but I find reading about the society and their artists is a fair compromise, as I get to enjoy the excitement of being a great warrior, without needing to go through any of the hard work to actually become one. Full review...
Emerald Ball (Tiara Club) by Vivian French
This is an entry in The Tiara Club series of books written by Vivian French. It's not necessary to have read any of the other books, though after this, I am sure your own little princess will definitely wish to. Set in the Emerald Castle, this is a school where young princesses go to learn the art of being the perfect princess. All the princesses in the Daffodil Room are the very best of friends and always try to be kind, helpful and gracious. Sadly, they have a nemesis in the form of the bratty twin princesses Diamonde and Gruella. These two may be pretty princesses, but their actions speak otherwise as they eavesdrop and try to cheat their way to the top. Full review...
First Term at Silver Spires (School Friends) by Ann Bryant
On Katy's first day at Silver Spires Boarding School she meets the girls who are to share her dorm. There's Mia, who's interested in music, Grace, the very sporty one, Georgie who wants to be an actress, Jess the artist and Naomi who is an African princess. Lydia is in another dorm but wants to be closer to Naomi – Silver Spires is upmarket but there are not that many princesses around – and she's prepared to do anything to break up the growing friendship between Naomi and Katy. Full review...
Wilderness by Roddy Doyle
Grainne has hit adolescence with a bang. She hates everyone, including herself. She can barely bring herself to acknowledge the rest of her family, let alone be polite. She spends a lot of time thinking about her mother, who left when she was very small and now lives in New York. Tired of the tense atmosphere, Grainne's father suggests a holiday for Grainne's stepmother and her two half brothers, Johnny and Tom. So the little boys and their mother head off to an ice safari in Finland. Full review...
Castlecliff by Elizabeth Pulford
Jamie's mother is getting married. Hurst is a nice guy an' all, but he's large, enthusiastic and loud, a bit like an exuberant dog. Jamie is lurching into adolescence and all this happiness and jollity predictably makes him feel pressured and sulky. To make matters worse, the honeymoon has been cancelled because Hurst's grandmother has died and the house, Castlecliff, needs renovating for sale. Jamie was supposed to be staying with his friend Ritchie, but they've had a row about new kid on the block Leroy, and so Jamie's having to go along with the newlyweds. Full review...
The Resistance by Gemma Malley
We left Peter and Anna after their escape from a Surplus Hall and the surprise of becoming Legal. In Peter and Anna's world, a drug called Longevity has made death a thing of the past and children an unwanted and resource-costly surplus. Childbirth is illegal, unless you are prepared to give up your chance of immortality. And few people are. But there are some gainsayers, forced into an Underground movement to which Peter and Anna belong. It was the Underground that helped them escape from the Surplus Hall. Full review...
Weird by Jeremy Strong
Fizz is madly in love with Josh but Josh doesn't know she exists. Fizz blames her Stone Age parents and their refusal to allow to a) have contact lenses, b) change her brace to a trendy colour, and c) get a boob job. It's all so completely unfair. Josh isn't madly in love with anyone but he does have the adolescent hots for Fizz's older sister Lauren. Josh is more worried about his mother than his love life though. She takes in hordes of unwanted animals that clutter up the house, have sex on his bed, and break his precious rocket prototypes. Full review...
Hero and the Sinking Ships by Richard Hamilton and Sam Hearn
The Morgan Street Rats used to live in heaven – well, that's what it seemed like at the time. They lived in an attic above a gloriously filthy restaurant where they gorged themselves each night on the scraps that the lazy chef had left around and licked the dirty plates. All was well until the restaurant was closed down and the new owner had different standards and a cat called Snarl. Pa, Ma and the six baby rats determined that they would leave for somewhere warmer as soon as the babies were old enough to move. Pa dreamed of the tropics where there are warm sleepy lagoons, full of rotting vegetables. There is a delicious steamy heat, heavy with ripe smells. Fruit falls from the trees and rots on the ground. Full review...
Empty Quarter by Julia Golding
Darcie Lock has just recovered from her last adventure, trying to rescue her father. It's bad enough that she's had to spend the last six weeks in a wheelchair and leave her home and friends behind, but now she knows her parents are top secret agents she begins to wonder if she really knows them at all. Then she gets a letter from the grandfather she never knew she had, and he's sending her on an exclusive cruise tour of the Mediterranean – a small thank you for everything Darcie has done over the last few months. Full review...
Everything I Know About You by Belinda Hollyer
Eric can be a handful. He tells stories sometimes and does have an unusually vivid fantasy life. He's not quite hyperactive, but he does have ants in his pants and his obsessions are really, really obsessive. All in all, Eric takes up a lot of time and attention. But Lizzie and her father don't really mind. It's been difficult for all of them to deal with the death of Lizzie's mother, but at least Lizzie and her father have memories to cherish. Eric was only two when she died, so he doesn't remember much at all and what he doesn't remember, he makes up. It's understandable. Full review...
Wipe Out (Time Runners) by Justin Richards
Jamie and Anna are lost in time. They fell through a hole in time and it's as though they never existed. In limbo, they can't grow old, but they can never go back. Their families haven't simply forgotten them; they never knew them at all. Recruited by Senex, they have become Time Runners - time policemen, if you like. When things go wrong, Jamie and Anna put them right. But there's always Darkling Midknight to consider. He loves to screw with timelines, and it's never to anyone's advantage but his own. Full review...
Kid Swap (Jiggy McCue) by Michael Lawrence
Jiggy is horrified to learn that his parents have traded him in. With Dad out of work and Mum about to head off on maternity leave, the McCues are rather short of cash. So they've signed up for a reality TV show called Kid Swap. Jiggy's mother calculates that the fee will tide them nicely over this tricky financial spot. Jiggy is not impressed. He's cynical about such TV shows and with his undeniable talent for cock up, he fears he'll be set up and the camera will not love him. But his parents won't listen, and with a heavy heart, he heads off to the Nexts, while Toby Next gets comfy at the McCue residence. Full review...
Dino Egg by Charlie James
It was a rather odd-looking egg – the usual creamy colour but with a pink kiss mark on one side – but what was oddest of all was that when Ned tapped on the shell to break into his boiled egg, it tapped back. That wasn't all though. The shell changed colour and when it finally broke out crawled a baby dinosaur, complete with a pink body with purple spots, a whip-like tail and a dreadful smell. The sensible thing would have been to tell Mum and Dad but Ned's brother Bill had other ideas and when she finds out what is going on, big sister Stacey joins in too. Full review...
Waggit's Tale by Peter Howe
Every once in a great awhile a book comes from a new writer that makes me say, "Wow!". It's even more impressive when it is a children's book, and triply so when it deals with the potentially schmaltzy topic of sad hearted animals. Newcomer Peter Howe manages to pull off this mean feat, and I have to say I salute him for it. Not since reading Charlotte's Web and The Trumpet of the Swan have I felt such sincerity in a story told from the perspective of animals. Mr Howe makes the reader believe these really are the things that dogs think and say between them, and those of us who have known and loved dogs will recognise the behaviours he so ably describes. Full review...
Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer
We have not exactly seen a lot of Artemis Fowl's parents in this series so far. What with his adventures taking him to other worlds, of course, they've been left behind – and earlier times had mother ill and father hostage. Here, however, in a much more gentle and poignant way than anything before, we have a new, horrid illness keeping Angeline bedbound. Full review...
The City of Spirits by Paul Bajoria
London, the 1820s. Our main characters, Mog the tomboy, and her twin brother Nick, are returning to the city they were dragged up in – home to evil people who separated them almost at birth, and denied them their family, their birthright, their happiness. But, brought together by the first two books in this trilogy, they are a little upset to find their newly-discovered inheritance is worth nothing – an estate saddled with enough debt to mean their memories of poverty will stay with them much longer. Full review...
Island of the Phantoms by Stephen Alter
When Courtney, Orion and Ming sneak into the Carville library after hours to read from a spell book, none of them really think they are doing anything but scaring themselves. But The Compleat Necromancer isn't a joke book, and soon after they read the spell, ghosts start appearing, trapped in the pages of certain books. Full review...
Superior Saturday (The Keys to the Kingdom) by Garth Nix
Arthur Penhaligon has managed to free five of the seven keys from the Morrow Days and is thus five-sevenths of the way to restoring the Will of the Architect. But the sixth is going to prove troublesome. Superior Saturday isn't just a Morrow Day and trustee of the will - she's also the oldest Denizen and the most powerful sorceror in the House. And she has been anticipating Arthur for the past ten thousand years. She knew the Will couldn't be confined forever, and so her fortress is utterly impregnable. Full review...
