Book Reviews From The Bookbag
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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Life on Air by David Attenborough
I was one of the generation who grew up when David Attenborough was a giant among presenters of wildlife programmes on television, and anything with his name attached was a must-watch. At the time, I had no idea that he was also one of the pivotal characters in the development of broadcasting, having been controller of BBC2 and director of programming for BBC TV for several years. These days, he is probably best remembered for writing and presenting the nine ‘Life’ series, a comprehensive survey of all life on the planet. Full review...
The Dance Teacher by Simon Milne and Chantal Stewart
Miss Sylvie is a dance teacher to the many girls and boys in her town. One day, a little girl called Isabelle walks through her door and says she wants to start ballet, so she joins the Saturday class. As months and then years pass, some friends come and go, and others try different forms of dancing, but only Isabelle sticks with ballet. Full review...
Edge of Eternity (The Century Trilogy) by Ken Follett
The story baton is passed to the next generation as the swinging 60s arrive for people like Dave Williams. For others such as Rebecca Hoffmann and Walli Franck, living in East Germany means other priorities and, indeed, worries. What the Hoffmann-Francks don't realise is that things are about to get a lot worse, partially due to the treacherous influence of someone they all once trusted. Meanwhile in America George Jakes has ideals and strong convictions that will take him past the metaphorical draw bridge into the echelons of a modern day Camelot. What of the Dvorkin twins in Russia? Tania and Dimka may have differing ideas on how to effect change but storm clouds are hanging over them - and the rest of the world - as an island off the coast of America gathers prominence. Full review...
Witches: James I and the English Witch Hunts by Tracy Borman
Gossip is as old as human nature, but generally harmless. It was a different matter in medieval times, when what might start as relatively innocuous tittle-tattle could breed suspicion, paranoia, and ultimately accusations against women and girls of witchcraft. More often than not, it would end in a horrible death by execution - drowning, strangulation on the gallows, or being burned alive. The unsavoury business of witchcraft trials in early seventeenth-century England was encouraged by King James I, who with his obsession with and knowledge of the black arts and his firm belief in the threat of demonic forces believed that witches had been responsible for fierce storms that had come close to drowning his future bride on her voyage by sea from Scotland to England. Full review...
Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley
The year is 1959, and a small group of black students are attending Jefferson High, a previously all-white school. Barely anyone is happy that Sarah Dunbar and her friends are going to Jefferson, and the group face a terrifying ordeal as they're surrounded by people who want to see them fail. Chief amongst them is Linda Hairston, daughter of one of the town's most vocal segregationalists. But when Sarah and Linda start working together on a school project, they start to realise they may have more in common than they think - and friendship might not be all they're looking for from each other. Full review...
Spark by John Twelve Hawks
Jacob Underwood is dead. At least, he thinks he is.
Suffering the after effects of a traumatic accident, Jacob believes he is dead, just a spark existing inside a body, but unable to fully interact with anything around him. Emotionally detached and living in a shadowy, silent world, Jacob is the ideal assassin. When a new hit is assigned to him, Jacob must prepare himself - and his journey will change both his self, and how he sees the world around him. Full review...
Harry Hill's Colossal Compendium by Harry Hill
To get by in life you have to have a system. How do you remember a celebrity’s name? You could compare them to a foodstuff; Liz Hurley/Curly Wurly, Cadburys cream egg/Mystic Meg. If this makes sense to you, you may have come across Harry Hill in his various guises. Harry has been a popular stand-up, a successful TV show host and also has series of books that appeal to kids. These have been mashed up together to create a best of; fans of oddball humour in delirium/Harry Hill's Colossal Compendium. Full review...
A Song for Ella Grey by David Almond
Claire and her friend Ella Grey are inseparable. Ella is dreamy and strange and Claire thinks she is the most beautiful girl alive. The two are part of arty friendship group who are studying literature and getting ready for university. They wear vintage clothes and drink wine together, dreaming of freedom and future lives full of art and song and creativity. And then, one day, Orpheus appears. His music entrances them all but none more than Ella. And Claire, with a cold lump of dread inside, can see her beloved friend slipping away. Full review...
A Little In Love by Susan Fletcher
Victor Hugo’s epic historic masterpiece Les Miserables, a portrait of social injustice, sacrifice, revolutionary passion and pain, has gained renown as a stage musical and movie. To attempt to adapt a novel so rich in historical detail and grandiose verbosity for a modern audience is a herculean task yet Fletcher has managed to capture the heart of the novel in simple prose. The strong willed, courageous and flawed Eponine replaces Jean Valjean as the main protagonist journeying through crime, punishment and rehabilitation towards redemption. While Hugo’s reader only catches glimpses of her life seen through other eyes, Fletcher’s reader experiences a tapestry of misery, poverty, duplicity, passion, pain, self-sacrifice, suffering and sorrow from Eponine’s perspective as she battles with the good and evil in her soul. Her character comes alive when she was merely a poignant sketch before. Full review...
Five Children on the Western Front by Kate Saunders
Nearly ten years after Squirrel, Panther, Bobs and Puss last saw the Psammead, the sand fairy returns. But the world is in a state of upheaval, and with the now grown-up children contributing to the war effort, it's left to The Lamb, a teenager, and new arrival 9-year-old Edie to look after their visitor and save him from prying eyes. In addition to the horrors of the war, there are revelations for the six siblings about their old companion's past - why has he returned, and is there a reason he can't grant wishes any longer? Full review...
How Watson Learned the Trick by Arthur Conan Doyle
There is at Windsor Castle what is probably the most famous dolls' house in the world and it was a gift from the nation to Queen Mary, wife of George V. In the library of the dolls' house is a book written especially by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1922 and Walker Books have recreated this book - handwritten by ACD - in exquisite detail. It measures just 38.5mm by 33mm (or 1.9 inches by 1.6inches for those of us who still think in old money) and it's cloth bound. Queen Mary was a keen collector (just a little too keen on occasions, one remembers) of antiques and miniatures and the gift of the house and its contents must have delighted her. Full review...
Nora Webster by Colm Toibin
Ireland - the late 1960's. After a short spell of illness, Maurice has died. Nora, his widow, is left alone with four children, and struggles to put her life back together. As time goes on, she begins work again, makes new friends, rediscovers her love for music, and watches the children grow. Full review...
Bears Don't Read! by Emma Chichester Clark
I'm a sucker for bear stories. I find that I am very rarely disappointed by a book with a bear in it. Certainly, this particular bear book is charming, with lots of appeal for both bear-lovers and book-lovers too! George is no common bear, oh no. He's the sort of bear who sits on a bench, thinking about the meaning of life. No longer wanting to do the usual bear sort of things, he feels that he needs more...but what can he do? One day he happens to stumble upon a book and, with it, the new ambition for his life. George needs to learn how to read! Full review...
Line Up, Please! by Tomoko Ohmura
I was intrigued by the beginning of this book, which starts with a sign declaring that 'the line starts here' and below that is a frog, labelled as being a from, and he also has a number 50 beneath him. What is going on? Turning the page we see that there is a queue of animals, and that each animal is named and numbered, with the numbers decreasing from 50 downwards. From the start this is the perfect book for a child obsessed with all the different animal species you can name. There's everything in this queue from moles and guinea pigs to an armadillo, a sloth and a wombat! Full review...
This Little Piggy by Bea Davenport
In 1984 I turned two years old, unconcerned by what the miners were up to and more impressed by being served two different drinks at once at my birthday party. I've seen the photos. For Clare Jackson, though, the summer of 1984 changes everything. A small town journalist, she gets the stuff dreams are made of: a murder on her patch, and the murder of a baby, no less. Set against the backdrop of the miners’ strike (the baby belongs to one of the scabs), it’s a tense time on the troubled Sweetmeadows estate and she's not the only one who needs a drink or two (like my 2 year old self) to get through it. Full review...
The Three Little Magicians by Georgie Adams and Emily Bolam
The Three Little Magicians are just that, a group of young friends who like magic and are pretty good at it, but they're nothing compared to the likes of their neighbour and magician extraordinaire, Mr Marzipan. When a mishap takes him out of the running for the important magic show at the Crystal Castle, the three friends offer their services. But will the evil Zigzag thwart their plans and steal the prize for himself? Full review...
The Cure For Dreaming by Cat Winters
Olivia Mead is strong, independently-minded and unrepentant in her beliefs, but there is a certain natural vulnerability to her personality which makes her so appealing. She isn’t a ruthless, remorseless warrior. She is a human being who simply wants to be treated like one, rather than a pet. She isn’t an elusive and daunting beauty, because this isn’t the point of her character. Her beauty lies in in her firmly held values, which she sticks by even at an age when it would be so easy to go with the flow. Full review...
Gravity, Cracking the Cosmic Code by Nicholas Mee
Dr Mee’s quest begins with raw data used by Thales of Miletus to make an accurate prediction of a solar eclipse as early as 585 BC recorded in an the account of a battle by Herodotus. Thales analysed the highly accurate data provided by the skilled observations of the Babylonians. Early theories of the heavens are explored in detail with puzzles provided to encourage the reader, for example, to grasp the importance of Galileo’s experiments, Kepler’s revolutionary theories and the towering work of Newton. Midway through this engaging account Dante and the State of Denmark have all been touched upon. This book is a determined attempt to counter the ignorance of the public about basic science, famously propounded by C.P.Snow, and to introduce them to the latest theories about black holes, string theory and to convey the beautiful links between gravity and the theory of small particles, like leptons, with the grand structure of galaxies. Full review...
Doughnuts for a Dragon by Adam Guillain, Charlotte Guillain and Lee Wildish
Doughnuts for a Dragon does pretty much what it says on the tin, with George heading off on a mission to find a dragon. In Marshmallows for Martians he built himself a spaceship in order to hunt for extraterrestrial life, but this time his plan requires a time machine - I mean, how else are you going to find a Dragon? Full review...
Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
Sam and Dave are digging a hole, and they’re sure they’re going to find something spectacular. But the more they dig, the more they keep missing all the spectacular stuff, not that they know it. This is an interesting book which requires a pretty good attention span to fully appreciate it. It has that thing that is so often missing in picture books; it is just that bit different, which I always appreciate. Full review...
Problems with People by David Guterson
Problems with People is a meandering exploration of the relationships, big and small, that we form across a lifetime. Ranging from that of parent and child to that between landlord and tenant, Guterson’s observation of the complexities and nuances involved in how we navigate these personal links is extremely sharp and true to life. Full review...
The Bookshop Book by Jen Campbell
I love a good bookshop. The smell, the feel of an old bookshop, and the wonderful feeling when you chance upon a book that appeals to you. They may be a dying breed in some places, but Jen Campbell has written a fantastic book that celebrates the bookshop and those who love them. Full review...
Faraday: 3 (Tesla Evolution) by Mark Lingane
Alert: if you haven't read the first two Tesla books, this contains spoilers. So if you'd like to come back once you've read them? Sebastian and his friends finally get out of the Hive but did he do it in the right way or has he caused a chain reaction that will destroy the world? Seb and Melanie don't have too much time to reason that out though as they travel across Australia to continue the war against the cyborgs and the mysterious Iris. Perhaps if Seb realised they were taking one of the most dangerous foes with him, they'd reconsider the passenger list? Full review...
Britain in a Perilous World: The Strategic Defence and Security Review we need by Jonathan Shaw
The 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review has stayed in the mind for the wrong reasons: rather than looking to develop a strategy, to examine the short and long term threats which the country faced, the emphasis was on cutting costs, with some cuts appearing ludicrous at first glance. In the intervening years there have been occasions when it was difficult not to wonder if the United Kingdom was poorly equipped - and without clear-cut aims - as a result of the 2010 review. The opportunity to put this right comes in 2015 and Major General Jonathan Shaw looks not at what the Review should say, but at how it should be tackled. Full review...
Pete the Cat and the New Guy by Kimberly Dean and James Dean
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons was an instant and complete hit in my household when I reviewed it for The Bookbag a few months ago, and it has continued to be so ever since. So I was very excited to receive Pete’s latest adventure, Pete the Cat and the New Guy. It is a lot longer than the last book, but this is not a bad thing and only serves to back up my opinion that these books are suitable for a wide range of reading ages. Full review...
The Paint Book by Miri Flower
Craft blogger Miri Flower challenges bored children everywhere with her lovely new series of art books, which utilise basic materials that can be found in most homes. The Paint Book outlines seventy simple projects which encourage kids to get crafty and creative with paints. It's going to get messy, so house-proud parents turn away now... Full review...
A Scarf and a Half by Amanda Brandon and Catalina Echeverri
A Scarf and a Half follows the story of Little Lionel, whose Granny just loves to knit. When she knits him a scarf for his birthday, he just can’t help but be disappointed, after all it isn’t a nice bouncy ball. But it isn’t just any old scarf, Granny loves knitting so much that it’s a scarf and a half, and luckily for Lionel his friends are on hand to show him just how many different uses it could have. Full review...
Willy The Wimp by Anthony Browne
Willy is a mild mannered chimp. He apologises even when it is not his fault, which is most of the time. In the mean streets of town, his timid manner, Fair Isle tank top and Oxford brogues mark him out as an easy target for the gorilla gang. That is until the day he spots a mail order advertisement which guarantees a transformation from wimp to loud talking, sand kicking, muscle bulging man. Willy sends off the coupon, some cash and then waits… Full review...
The Pencil Book by Miri Flower
Summer is almost over. Gone are the carefree days playing outdoors in the sunshine with friends. Here come the rainy days and dark evenings, heralding the inevitable cry of: I'm bored!. Author and craft-blogger Miri Flower (fantastic name!) comes to the rescue of harassed parents everywhere with her new series of art books which encourage children to utilise simple materials to create fun games and artwork. The Pencil Book sees the humble pencil takes centre stage, with seventy projects to keep kids engaged and amused. Full review...
Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer
I was sent here because of a boy. His name was Reeve Maxfield, and I loved him and then he died, and almost a year passed and no-one knew what to do with me.
Jam's grief for Reeve has left her paralysed. She does nothing but think of him and the forty-one days of their relationship. She's not interested in school. friends, food, family, even therapy. And so, in desperation, Jam's parents send her off to a boarding school for Kids With Problems. Full review...
Melissa's Octopus and other Unsuitable Pets by Charlotte Voake
Melissa has a pet octopus. He’s splendid, but not exactly the most suitable of pets. But what other unsuitable pets do Melissa’s friends have, and which is the most unsuitable of all? Full review...
