Difference between revisions of "Book Reviews From The Bookbag"
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|summary=Jo-Jo is donkey, but he desperately wishes he were something else. His is a life of hard work and little comfort. He works all day hauling melons, tormented by flies, derided by passers-by and despised by his owner. Finally he finds a friend. A kind and gentle child who looks into his sad eyes and finds beauty rather than just a shaggy old beast. The child runs out each day to buy a melon, and for a few minutes Jo-Jo knows happiness - but this is no ordinary child, this is the Doge's daughter. Sadly, the Doge does not share his daughter's ability to see the inner beauty of things, scorning Jo-Jo as a lowly beast. His daughter will not give up on her friend though, and when disaster strikes Jo-Jo repays her kindness by saving all of the people of Venice. | |summary=Jo-Jo is donkey, but he desperately wishes he were something else. His is a life of hard work and little comfort. He works all day hauling melons, tormented by flies, derided by passers-by and despised by his owner. Finally he finds a friend. A kind and gentle child who looks into his sad eyes and finds beauty rather than just a shaggy old beast. The child runs out each day to buy a melon, and for a few minutes Jo-Jo knows happiness - but this is no ordinary child, this is the Doge's daughter. Sadly, the Doge does not share his daughter's ability to see the inner beauty of things, scorning Jo-Jo as a lowly beast. His daughter will not give up on her friend though, and when disaster strikes Jo-Jo repays her kindness by saving all of the people of Venice. | ||
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405263539</amazonuk> |
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Revision as of 08:36, 5 August 2013
The Bookbag
Hello from The Bookbag, a book review 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.
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Jo-Jo The Melon Donkey by Michael Morpurgo and Helen Stephens
Jo-Jo is donkey, but he desperately wishes he were something else. His is a life of hard work and little comfort. He works all day hauling melons, tormented by flies, derided by passers-by and despised by his owner. Finally he finds a friend. A kind and gentle child who looks into his sad eyes and finds beauty rather than just a shaggy old beast. The child runs out each day to buy a melon, and for a few minutes Jo-Jo knows happiness - but this is no ordinary child, this is the Doge's daughter. Sadly, the Doge does not share his daughter's ability to see the inner beauty of things, scorning Jo-Jo as a lowly beast. His daughter will not give up on her friend though, and when disaster strikes Jo-Jo repays her kindness by saving all of the people of Venice. Full review...
The Dead Men Stood Together by Chris Priestley
A young boy lives in a harbour town with his mother. It's a happy life, but the boy misses his father, a sailor who left for the sea a year ago and died far from home. He also dreams of the sea and of adventure. So when his uncle comes to visit, full of stories of faraway lands and treasure, he is entranced. He ignores the warning from the pilot's son. How could his uncle be the devil? And, despite his mother's tears, he follows his uncle to sea. Full review...
Isabel's Noisy Tummy by David McKee
Isabel is a very good little girl with a very naughty tummy. It burbles and rumbles and gurgles loudly at school, and her teacher is not impressed. Everyone has advice on what to do to stop it making such rude noises. Her mother tells her to eat slower, but that doesn’t work. Her father suggests exercise, her doctor medicine, but still, no joy. But, one day on a school trip, Isabel’s tummy saves the day, and saves her classmates. And after that, well, no one really minds a noisy tummy any more. Full review...
Across the Pond by Terry Eagleton
Terry Eagleton is a Brit (Manchester born, no less) who now lives in Dublin with his American wife and children, so he seems well placed to write a book about the difference between us and them, there Yanks. Mid way through the pages, he even stops to tell us that in a way he had to write this, because when he wishes to read a book, he writes it. To read someone else’s, he suggests, is ‘an unwarranted invasion of their personal space’. That’s how so very British he is. Full review...
1Q84: The Complete Trilogy by Haruki Murakami
The 1Q84 trilogy is, without doubt, an impressive book. In many ways, the trilogy almost has to be read in this way as the three component books make little sense on their own. The first book in the series in particular is almost completely baffling if taken in isolation. It does, though, demand a degree of dedication, and if the prospect of a 1300 page novel in which not a huge amount happens in terms of plot and in which there is a significant level of repetition leaves you cold, then this might not be the best entry point into the wonderful world of Haruki Murakami. As often with Murakami though, it's possible to read this book at a number of levels. On the surface it's a love story set in a slightly fantastical setting with a little bit of crime thrown in. At a deeper level, he explores the thin lines between imagination and reality, life and death and what you might call yin and yang. It's a novel where balance and vacuums play a big part. It seems counter-intuitive to call a book of this magnitude 'delicate', but that's just how the story appears. Full review...
The Warrior Sheep Go Jurassic by Christopher Russell and Christine Russell
It all started so simply… Tod and his nan, Ida, were only hopping across to the Isle of Wight to lead some people in creating the world's best carnival float, but they had to demand their five rare sheep went with them. Crossing to the Isle, the motherly one, Sal, saw an advert for the Dinosaur Museum, and remembered a rare piece of sheep mythology, stating how the world needed saving from the hatching of the last dragon's egg. Still, there wouldn't be any trouble for these experienced Warrior Sheep to track it down, would there? Oh yes, what with not one but two groups of humans trying to get their hands on it at the same time… Full review...
Shine by Candy Gourlay
This is not a ghost story even though there are plenty of ghosts in it. And it's not a horror story though some people might be horrified. It's not a monster story either, even though there is a monster in it and that monster happens to be me.
Thirteen-year-old Rosa doesn't get out much. She lives with her father, a doctor, and their housekeeper-come-governess in the remote island community of Mirasol. It's always raining on Mirasol. And it's a superstitious place. People believe that if the rain stops, evil will come. And they also believe that monsters can stop the rain. Monsters like Rosa. Full review...
The Pet Itch by Elli Woollard and Elina Ellis
Most children want a pet at some point. Mossy Monster wants a pet itch more than anything else in the world. But his family (refreshingly consisting of a Granny, an Uncle and a sister) have all sorts of reasons why he shouldn't have one and his sister just seems to delight in tormenting him - as sisters do. But Sister comes though in the end with a crafty plan that will help Mossy get the Itch of his dreams, and make sure the grown ups do all the work as well. There is never a dull moment in this book with temper tantrums, rude rhymes and absolutely delightful illustrations. The best part of all though is the way the adults are so easily bamboozled. Full review...
ABC and Do by Leo Singh and Karen Wall
Being able to recognise letters is an essential aspect of emergent literacy. I know so many parents and children who feel that being able to sing their ABC's is the same as knowing the alphabet. It isn't. A child must be able to recognise the letter forms, in upper and lower cases, identify them by name and understand the sound or phoneme made by each. Learning the alphabet is something that most children will need some help with at home. No matter how good the school your child attends, it is impossible for a teacher to give each child the individual attention required to master this subject easily, and failure to do so often leads to lifelong difficulties in literacy. Full review...
Hell to Pay by Jenny Thomson
Nancy is trying to escape a naff Christmas with her naff boyfriend, but walks into a nightmare when she interrupts a burglary at her parents' home – a professional, violent, nay fatal, burglary. When she comes out of a therapeutic stay in an institute afterwards, she's seeking one thing – revenge. Her brother and his rap sheet might have something to do with those responsible, but only one thing will fire Nancy on – the need for vengeance against those who inflicted a double rape and such violence against her. Full review...
A Kind of Eden by Amanda Smyth
Martin Rawlinson has escaped from the cold dreary English weather to the exotic heat and exotic women of Trinidad. He might have a wife and a daughter back home, but home is a long way away and here is the young and beautiful Safiya. She's a journalist and could easily have just dismissed him as some sad old white guy, but somehow she didn't. Somehow they talked, and walked, and she showed him the real Trinidad and he fell in love with her, and with her home. Full review...
The Book of Fungi: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around The World by Peter Roberts and Shelley Evans
Fungi are the fifth order of the natural kingdom and it’s estimated that there are approximately one and a half million species, found throughout the world. ‘’The Book of Fungi’’ looks at six hundred of the known fungi and each is pictured at its actual size in full colour and there’s a scientific explanation of its distribution, habitat, form, spore colour and edibility. The tone of the book is academic but don’t let this put you off - before I began reading my knowledge was broadly restricted to knowing that it was better to discover fungus growing outside your house than attached to the structure inside - and I found it interesting, entertaining (which I didn’t expect) and accessible. Full review...
Bloodtide by Melvin Burgess
Set in a world only a book could inhabit - half in a post-apocalyptic future, half in the mists of the myths of the past - Bloodtide retells part of the Volsunga saga - Icelandic tales of gods and heroes and villains. Civilisation has long abandoned London to its criminals and its gang wars, going so far as to surround its borders with released halfmen, genetically manipulated creatures with a lust for violence. With the population trapped inside the city walls, Val Volson has risen to a position of power. Only King Conor is left standing in his way. But Val wants peace. He wants unity so that his people can break out of the city and prosper. Full review...
Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch
I’ve been waiting for Broken Homes to come out for months. Months. When it arrived on my doorstep, I whisked it away, cackling like Gollum over my new precious and was no use to anyone until I’d finished it. Then sat and thought about it for a while. Then re-read my favourite bits. The considered further. This is the conclusion I reached: if there are no further Peter Grant books, Mr Aaronovitch, you and I are going to have words. Full review...
Night Witches by LJ Adlington
Rain Aranoza comes from Rodina. It's a nation of science and rationality. It holds no truck with superstition and religion. And, in the tradition of all authoritarian societies, it is ruthless in stamping out traces of the Old World and its belief in witches. Rodina is controlled by a network known as Aura and Aura encourages denunciations. Control is enforced by the Scrutiners and Aura instructs citizens in even the minutiae of their daily lives. Full review...
Beneath an Irish Sky by Isabella Connor
In a hospital ward, Luke Kiernan is stirring from a tranquiliser-induced sleep following a serious car accident. His ribs and legs hurt and he has an awful feeling that his mother is dead. But who is that stranger sitting beside the bed? Surely it can’t be his father, the father who pushed his mother away twenty years ago because he was ashamed to have a gypo kid around? Luke wants answers. But more than that, he wants revenge. Full review...
Alex, the Dog and the Unopenable Door by Ross Montgomery
If there's a young reader in your life who loves mystery and adventure stories with a large dollop of the eccentric stirred into the mix, then you could do worse than point them in the direction of this silly (in a good way!) book. What happened to Alex's dad that makes him constantly run away, even when he's promised not to? Why does he think he's not human any more? Why does he keep shouting squiggles? And what really lies at the centre of the mysterious forest on the edge of town? Full review...
Not What It Seems by Pamela Fudge
Owen was a widower with two young children and Evie was recently divorced with three children of about the same age. Friends introduced them - in the way of doing a little matchmaking - but although they liked each other and the kids all got on well there was no spark between them. They both needed help though and they made a business arrangement. Until the children were old enough to leave home they would share a house and the parenting of the children but they would not be involved in a sexual relationship. Friends and acquaintances found this difficult to accept and Evie grew tired of explaining that the setup was Not What It Seems. When we meet Owen and Evie the last child has just left home and as the arrangement has come to an end they're both moving into their own houses. Full review...
Sandrine by Thomas H Cook
Sam and Sandrine Madison live the American dream. Both have jobs that they love, lecturing at the same college, an adult daughter and many memories that include a beautiful holiday in the Med. However the dream goes tragically sour. Sandrine is found dead and Sam is charged with murder despite his protestations that it was suicide. The court case begins and Sam starts a fight for his own life as the past catches up with him in unusual and unexpected ways. Full review...
A Marker to Measure Drift by Alexander Maksik
Jacqueline roams the beaches of the Greek islands offering massages for money to ward off starvation. It helps but hunger is always with her, lurking alongside the memory of a former life in Liberia and the mind's ear voice of her mother. Jacqueline is at least alive and existing, but at what cost? Full review...
Mr Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
Unemployed and desperate, Clay Jannon wants a job, any job! So, despite not having touched a paper book in years, he jumps at the chance of working the night shift at Mr Penumbra's 24 hour bookstore. Mr P is a very particular employer. The books are lent (not sold) to members of a unique club. Clay is to serve these visitors, log their visit in the smallest detail (including their mood, their choice of clothing and what they say). Oh and Clay must never open any of the books. He doesn't but he's curious. Perhaps if he realised where his curiosity would lead he'd be a little more cautious. Full review...
High Sobriety: My Year Without Booze by Jill Stark
On the first of January 2011 Jill Stark woke up with the hangover from Hell. She was no stranger to them: at thirty five she'd been binge drinking for more than twenty years and was in the dubious position of being the health reporter who wrote herself off at weekends. And by 'wrote herself off' I mean being seriously drunk on a very regular basis, having consumed vast quantities of alcohol and having regularly put herself in danger of serious illness, unwanted pregnancy and assault. But on that first day in January Stark decided that she was going to do something about it and the initial decision was that she would spend three months on the wagon. Full review...
Blinded by the Light by Joe Kipling
Some time in a near-future Britain, things look very different. The Sandman virus wiped out most of the population. The fortunate few live in one of three Neighbourhoods, each protected by the Boundary. Beyond the Boundary is Outside - a wasteland populated with infected feral Echoes. Luckily for MaryAnn, she lives in the Neighbourhood that was once known as Manchester. And she's a rich and privileged Alpha. Although her parents aren't celebrities - which MaryAnn would like, because then she'd be invited to cooler parties - they are influential in the Light, the Neighbourhood's leadership. So MaryAnn has designer clothes, servants, and nothing more to worry about than bagging a date with peer group kudos. Full review...
Pea's Book Of Birthdays by Susie Day
It’s a busy month for Pea and her family, with four birthdays! Clover has an Alice in Wonderland-themed party to celebrate her upcoming starring role in a play, Tinkerbell has a magician booked for hers, but what kind of party could Pea have? What she wants most of all is to have her long-lost father appear… could her wish possibly come true? Full review...
The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
I'll break from my usual reviewing style of starting off with a plot summary here, for reasons which will shortly become obvious, and just start by saying The Testing is an interesting dystopian read, with a wonderful narrator, which I'd definitely recommend. Full review...
Atticus Claw Lends a Paw by Jennifer Gray
Things are quiet in Littleton-on-Sea, now that Atticus is no longer the world's greatest cat burglar. All he has to contend with is a mischievous bunch of kittens that might cause trouble for the male in the human family he lives with, him being a policeman and all. But nothing breaks the quiet like an old noise, and when people learn that the previous owner of the local mansion discovered the remains of the ancient city of the Cat Pharaoh and left his secrets locally, many ears are pricked, both for good and bad. But what does buried treasure protected by curses have to do with a spate of guerrilla knitting? Full review...
Beautiful Owls: Portraits of Arresting Species from Around the World by Marianne Taylor and Andrew Perris
Owls are strange birds: because they're crepuscular and twilight isn't the best time for seeing birds with any clarity they tend to be the stuff of legend and we don't know as much about them as we might. On the other hand, they're the most recognisable of birds, perhaps because of the forward-facing eyes and would look almost human if it was not for that uncanny ability to swivel the neck to almost 360°. Marianne Taylor has gone some way towards correcting this lack of knowledge in Beautiful Owls. She gives us an overview of the species, traces them back to the earliest civilisations and shows their evolution. Full review...
His Father's Son by Tony Black
Joey Driscol and his wife, Shauna, left Ireland for Australia on a 'wet May morning in 1968'. It was supposed to be a new start. It is now 1978 and the dreams of an idyllic escape have slowly crumbled, and Joey is forced to admit that 'a fresh start cannot last forever'. Marti, their eight-year-old son, watches his parents' marriage collapse firsthand, yet he asks the same question as the baffled reader: why? But before he has had time to answer this conundrum, his mother whisks him off to Ireland. The rashness of the move ensures Joey must follow his son, and so begins his frightful odyssey back to the Old Country. You see, 'Marti was his son, the one pure and good thing in his life', and he wasn't going to let Shauna just take him. But why Ireland, a place they both hated, a place to which they vowed never to return? Full review...
The Phenomenals: A Game of Ghouls by F E Higgins
Once again, I’ve jumped right in here – going straight to the second book in a series. As it happens, A Game of Ghouls is not a bad one to do that with. You’re never left confused because you haven’t read the first one (A Tangle of Traitors) because they keep you up to date enough for it to be a fairly good stand alone. You want to find the first one though, because if it’s going to be anywhere near as good as this one it’s a book you want to read. Full review...
The Never List by Koethi Zan
Friends since childhood, Sarah and Jennifer had always admitted that they were so cautious it was daft. They'd even composed their own 'Never List'. As long as they stuck to it they'd be safe, and safe they were until that one night. The night after the college party they forgot 'Never get into the car'. They did. The next thing they're aware of is waking up in a dark cellar with two other girls; four of them altogether but only three of them will emerge. A decade later, Sarah is safe once again, living under a new name with all connections to the past wiped. But then the letter arrives; he's coming for her. It's not over after all. Full review...
The Summer We All Ran Away by Cassandra Parkin
This is a summer of running away. Davey runs away from home, beaten and drunk. He meets Priss, a sixteen year old, who is also running. Tom and Kate accept them both into a huge, mysterious house, a house that doesn't belong to any of them. Thirty years ago, Jack Laker bought the house to run away from his superstar lifestyle. Young girls, drugs, and touring had caused him to take an overdose. As his agent tries to convince him to tour with the new album he has written, Jack meets a young actress at the house party being thrown in his honour. The same party he is desperately trying to avoid. Full review...
After Flodden by Rosemary Goring
Scotland 1513: Louise Brenier believes her family to be cursed. Her father dead, her elder sister dying during childbirth as the result of an affair with King James IV and now her brother Benoit missing after the Battle of Flodden. It would be easy to believe Benoit dead too, but, whatever state he's in, Louise must know what happened. This is what drives her on a journey across a land ravaged by war, providing more challenges than answers and encounters with those for whom Flodden remains a recurring nightmare. Full review...
