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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The Great Moon Confusion by Richard Byrne
Aldrin knows everything. At least he thinks he does. So when rabbit asks why the moon is getting smaller, Aldrin is to embarrassed to admit he really doesn't know. Instead he launches an investigation and quickly comes to the conclusion that the moon is being stolen. This is one of the most fun books we have read recently. You can't help but laugh at poor Aldrin and his expertise, and the beautiful illustrations make this story very easy to follow, even for the youngest reader. Before the book is finished, Aldrin will not only learn about the moon, but also about friendship, boasting, jumping to conclusions, accusations and apologies, and along the way he will stumble into one hilarious situation after another. Full review...
Bones Rock by Peter L Larson and Kristin Donnan
Most children go through a dinosaur phase, but there are always a few children who are completely captivated by dinosaurs - and everything that goes with them. This is the most detailed palaeontology book for children I have ever found. This book is written for older children, even teens who may wish to seriously consider palaeontology as a career choice. The book begins, not with dinosaurs, but with science. The book explains how science works. It presents science, not as a set of facts, but of theories and ideas that are subject to change. Science becomes a living and fluid thing rather than a stuffy set facts to memorise. Reading this book, I can almost forget how much I hated science as a child. Full review...
Butterflies in November by Audur Ava Olafsdottir
' 'It's all threes here,' she says, 'three men in your life over a distance of 300 kilometres, three dead animals, three minor accidents or mishaps… animals will be maimed… it'll wet more than your ankles… it wouldn't be a bad idea to buy a lottery ticket'.' And so an over-priced but miraculously accurate fortune-teller sets in process a narrative that provides for a very quirky read, with quite a bit of charm amongst the unusual. The lottery ticket and a loose end and a best friend stuck in hospital all conspire to make the narrator and said best friend's four-year-old son embark on a journey of discovery, all on the southern stretch of the ring road that encircles Iceland. Full review...
Call of the Undertow by Linda Cracknell
If you read a lot of books, then the fact of your life is that you are always part-way through at least one of them. You read all of the time. Over breakfast, in the bath, waiting for trains, on trains, between trains. You make a cup of tea in order to have an excuse to sit-and-read for half an hour. But even so, most of your reading is done in stolen moments – often in moments when a nagging voice from the gremlin-centre of your brain is reminding you that you should be doing something else. Full review...
A1 Annual by Dave Elliott (editor)
It's perhaps a little surprising how few comics anthologies there are on the shelves of regular bookstores. The whole world of sequential art is so fragmented the choices to be made are infinite, everyone who comes into some renown soon wishes for a self-published collection of his favourites or her friends' work, and there definitely is too much out there for anyone in the audience of comix to fully grasp without some kind of editorial spoon-feeding. One such editor is Dave Elliott, whose A1 Comics has been collating what it deems the world's greatest since 1989, but even with that pedigree it's only now that full hardbacks of their greatest hits are being launched – hardbacks such as this book. Full review...
Crow Blue by Adriana Lisboa
Having lost her mother at the age of thirteen, Evangelina embarks on a quest to not only find her biological father, but to delve into the past and discover things about her mother she never knew. Set predominantly in North America and Brazil, this novel explores Vanja's journeys, both physical and emotional, as well as her relationships with key characters, in particular, that of her Mother's ex husband, Fernando. Uprooting herself when barely a teenager, Vanja leaves her home country of Brazil to live with Fernando in Colorado, the only connection she has at her disposal to enable her to trace her roots and biological family. Narrated beautifully in the first person, the reader is propelled into the thoughts and feelings of the young but courageous, determined and, at times, very wise, adolescent girl. Full review...
Substitute Creature (Tales from Lovecraft Middle 4) by Charles Gilman
I've never been to an American middle school, so I didn't realise people held Valentine's balls at them in the middle of the morning, with classes to be had afterwards. But Robert and Glenn didn't realise they would spend the duration of the Valentine's ball balanced on a thin ledge of stonework four floors above a concrete ground, outside their school. They have had a head start, of course, with three books' adventures for them, as they discovered the truth of the singular world of Lovecraft Middle – and the demonic worlds it holds portals to. Once inside, however, things don't get any better – a nightmarish snowstorm strands Robert at the school, along with the caretaker of dubious repute, his school nurse mother, the ghost of a girl thirty years gone – and the substitute librarian, fresh from said demonic worlds. And all the while, the Old Ones are waiting underground for the time to be right… Full review...
The Iron Man (Faber Classics) by Ted Hughes
I'll start with a confession. I read a book recently, and got all the way through and still didn't realise I'd read the whole thing about eighteen months before. I mention it only to say that such a thing is impossible with The Iron Man. With the opening scene, of the behemoth on top of the cliff he is about to fall over, I was there. I was immediately transported to a much younger me, sat in the primary school library or classroom, getting the willies from the vivid description of the Iron Giant's hand helping put the whole robotic monster back together. I don't know of a better way to paraphrase the word 'classic' – but this book stayed with me for over thirty years, and it's just fine to revisit. Full review...
Magic Words: The Extraordinary Life of Alan Moore by Lance Parkin
I don't think that I ever saw Alan Moore when I lived in Northampton, and I don't think I coincided with the publication of Maxwell the Magic Cat in the local newspaper. So I missed out on the memorable frame of someone else who is six foot two, albeit a generation older and looking so hirsute he would seem to be afraid of scissors. But I certainly would not have been alone in not recognising him for what he is. How many Northampton housewives flicked past the daily panels of Maxwell in complete ignorance of who Alan Moore actually is? – With no idea that the years he spent drawing that cartoon for £10 a week – later to be £12.50 – were just him gearing up to be the biggest man of letters in the comic book world? Full review...
Doug the Bug That Went BOING by Sue Hendra
Ever found an insect in your attic or an arachnid on your roof and wondered how DID they get there? Doug the Bug c.ould tell you and you can find out too in Sue Hendra’s picture book, ‘Doug the Bug That Went BOING!’. Full review...
The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech
When Marta and John wake up one morning, there's a surprise in store. A little boy is asleep on their porch. He has an unsigned note asking the couple to care for him. And so they do. And they soon come to love him, even though he cannot talk. But they can't help but worry. Who is Jacob? Will his parents return for him? And if they do, how will Marta and John bear to give him up - this little boy who paints blue trees, rides cows and can make music from anything? Full review...
Wallace and Gromit - The Complete Newspaper Strips - Volume 1 by Nick Park
One man and his dog never had such a famous theme tune. One Man and His Dog had a piddly little melody, but the triumphal, old-fashioned and charming parp of the theme tune to Wallace and Gromit has resounded out for decades now. While Aardman moved away from the near-silent classic animations the series first gave us, the plasticine creations mutated into incredibly popular characters, which included a daily strip in the nation's biggest-selling tabloid. Here is the first lump of them, 312 daily doses of tomfoolery, collected for everyone to enjoy. Even if you thought the franchise had travelled its course a long time ago… Full review...
The Flavours of Love by Dorothy Koomson
Saffron's husband, Joel, was stabbed in the street eighteen months ago and no one has ever been arrested for his murder. It's hard for Saffron and her two children, Pheobe and Zane, to live with what happened but somehow they have to find a way of getting on with their lives; lives that no longer have Joel in them. It's hardly surprising that they struggle on a daily basis and it all culminates when Saffron is called into school to discuss fourteen year old Pheobe. Saffron doesn't know how to deal with the situation especially as her daughter won't talk to her. On top of all that, Joel's killer is still out there somewhere and that makes her scared for all her family's safety. Full review...
The Ransom of Dond by Siobhan Dowd
Siobhan Dowd wrote just four novels before she died from breast cancer in 2007. All four novels were wonderful and yet they weren't Siobhan's sole legacy to us. Patrick Ness took an idea of hers and, together with artist Jim Kay, turned it into A Monster Calls, which won both the Carnegie and Greenaway prizes. And now we have The Ransom of Dond, Siobhan's last story. Full review...
The Circle by Dave Eggers
Following a string of recent scandals, the government this month announced that secret cameras could be introduced into care homes in the hope of improving patient care. The theory being that constantly recording staff would prevent any inappropriate behaviour from those in positions of authority. Could such surveillance possibly work? And if it did would any potential rewards be outweighed by the threat to privacy of both the patients and the wholly innocent staff who become caught up in the snooping? It's this question of surveillance over privacy that is central to 'The Circle', the new novel from Dave Eggers. Full review...
Alan Turing (Real Lives) by Jim Eldridge
Alan Turing was one of Britain's greatest thinkers of the last century. He did pioneering work on computing and artificial intelligence. He was also a hero of World War II, working in the famous code-breaking community at Bletchley Park, cracking German naval codes used to lethal effect organising U-boat attacks. Turing was the man who beat the Enigma machine. Full review...
Dear Life by Alice Munro
Alice Munro has made an art form of short story writing. Dear Life is a collection of truly beautiful short stories, perfectly crafted in a way that leaves no wanting feeling, as is often an issue with short stories. Each of the 14 stories contained within the collection is just that; a story in its own right. There is no getting caught up and lost in style and literary flare, but a cool prose, a calmness of tone and good strong stories. Full review...
Twit by Steve Cole
If I asked you to name a clever animal, you’d quite likely choose an owl. After all, they are known to be the wisest of birds, aren’t they? There’s one exception to that rule, though. Meet Twit. He’s rather cute with his big round eyes, and he’s polite and kind… but he’s not very wise. Full review...
Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle
On Christmas Eve, the night of the worst storm in 50 years, Jubilee Dougal's parents are arrested after a riot over decorative houses. Sent to stay with her grandparents, her train gets stuck. She ditches the train, and ends up in a waffle house with fourteen cheerleaders and various teen boys. Three best-selling authors team up to tell the story of this Christmas in a trio of interlinked novellas. Full review...
The Last Diaries: A Blaze of Autumn Sunshine by Tony Benn
Throughout my life I've found that whilst I might not always agree with Tony Benn's politics, whatever he had to say would give me food for thought - and frequently changed the way that I viewed a situation. He's a wonderful mixture of supreme intelligence and humanity which is so rarely found - particularly in modern-day politics and it was with some misgivings that I opened this volume of his diaries, given that the slipcover speaks of the compensations and challenges of old age and the disadvantages of growing older, the loneliness of widowhood, the upheaval of moving from the family home of sixty years and the problems of failing health. I've always been relieved that Benn has never quite achieved the status of national treasure, but surely he couldn't be in decline? Full review...
How the Meteorite Got to the Museum by Jessie Hartland
This is a cumulative tale in which one small event sets off a chain of other events which are repeated throughout the story. If your child loves books like This is the House That Jack Built, this may prove a very useful addition to you home library, but this is a type of story telling which I have found some children really take to, and others do not. Full review...
Cher: Strong Enough by Josiah Howard
Having looked at the title and sub-title, the latter being no more than the two-word title of one of her latter-day hits, I assumed this was going to be a fairly comprehensive biography of the American singer. The sub-title, Strong Enough, taken from one of her latter-day hit singles, reveals nothing. Not until I had almost finished it, a little puzzled at it not being quite what I had expected, did I finally look at the blurb on the back – at which point all became clear. This was not the full story of a showbiz career which has lasted close on half a century, but for the most part an extraordinarily detailed account of her 1975 TV variety show. Full review...
Discover the Savage World by Simon Adams, Camilla de la Bedoyere, Ian Graham, Steve Parker, Phil Steele, Clint Twist and Amanda Askew
The range of subjects covered in Discover the Savage World is astonishing. The first three chapters are science related topics. The first section Earth's Power covers the birth of the universe, earthquakes, volcanoes and other natural disasters. Deadly Nature brings new meaning to the phrase acting like animals, as we see the darker side of nature, from venomous creatures, deadly carnivores and a real surprise about a very common and well known bird. Wild Science has a mixed bag of topics with dangerous elements, explosions, fireworks and exactly how a bullet works, as well as the birth of a star. Tough Machines dips into technology and innovation with an incredible variety of mechanical subjects with everything from massive transport vehicles and diggers, to robots, military vehicles, ice breaking ships, rockets, and flood control systems. The focus turns to geography with Harsh Lands show a myriad of cultures and lifestyles in inhospitable locations. Life is difficult in some regions due to nature, but man made hazards like Chernobyl and land mines occur as well. Finally we close with history and Brutal Battles. This covers ancient warfare with events such as the Battle of Marathon and the Siege of Masada right up to the Somme, the Battle Of Stalingrad with a heavy focus on snipers and the Battle of Kursk. Full review...
Canton Elegy: A Father's Letter of Sacrifice, Survival and Love by Stephen Jin-Nom Lee and Howard Webster
Stephen Jin-Nom Lee, known in his childhood as Ah Nom, was born early in the twentieth century in the village of Dai Waan in rural China. His father died when he was young and he lived with his grandmother, mother and 'Little Uncle', who was only a matter of months older than Ah Nom. They'd become friends as they grew older, but when his Grandfather returned after a long absence in America there as a distinct rivalry between the two. Then Grandfather revealed his reason for returning home - he intended to take the boys to America to be educated. It was a wonderful opportunity and Ah Nom left the village and his mother not knowing when he would see either again. Full review...
The Black Guard (The Long War) by AJ Smith
Ro Canarn is falling to the brutal conquest of the Red Knights. Duke Hector, its ruler, is on the verge of death and his twin offspring Lady Bronwyn and Lord Bromvy are on the run, outcast. However this is merely a portent of greater troubles ahead. One of the evil Seven Sisters is seen accompanying the Red Knights so if there is a secret agenda it's not a good one. Meanwhile if Ro Canarn can fall, is anywhere safe anymore? Full review...
Walter Tull's Scrapbook by Michaela Morgan
Meet Walter Tull. There's a picture early on in this book so you can do so – a young lad, with deeply inquisitive eyes, his father and four siblings arrayed around him. When he was only nine, his father – himself child to Barbadian slaves – died, leaving him an orphan, and forced to go to a Victorian children's home in London. In his downtime there Walter became quite the handsome young sportsman, and managed to get so proficient he became the English league's first coloured outfield footballer, knocking up great appearances for Spurs and Northampton and going on intercontinental tours. Glasgow Rangers beckoned just as WWI started, and instead he signed up for the Footballers Battalion. His time at the front was also going to leave him with another distinguished first, despite the official racism of the time. Full review...
Scribbles and Ink, the Contest by Ethan Long
Scribbles the Cat and Ink the Mouse are nowhere near the average cartoon cat and mouse – for one thing they are good buddies, who like nothing more than lounging around, or being creative with art supplies. When Ink finds a contest to win an adventure holiday by drawing dinosaurs, they both have a go – with unexpected results… Full review...
The Complete Short Stories: Volume Two by Roald Dahl
Having only recently read the first volume of this collection of all of Roald Dahl’s short stories I couldn’t help but think of the phrase too much of a good thing although I have never really agreed with the phrase (I could happily gorge on chocolate or whisky for days without the slightest regret) I am still pleased that this book provides yet more evidence of the inaccuracy of the expression. With stories as diverse as a butler getting revenge on his employer and a baby being brought up on royal jelly by a fanatical bee lover, these are tales of horror, humour, adventure, love and all out weirdness. Full review...
The King in the North: The Life and Times of Oswald of Northumbria by Max Adams
Born in 604 and around for only 38 years, Oswald didn't live that long but he packed a lot in. Born into Bernician royalty, Oswald the teenager had to flee with his mother and siblings when his father Aelfrith was killed at the Battle of the River Idle. Any noble wanting to beat his way to the top would naturally kill Oswald's family and so an obscure upbringing in Ireland seemed the answer. However, Oswald grows strong and bides his time until he comes home and clears his own path, ruling Northumbria for 8 years until his own untimely demise. During those 8 years he united kingdoms, helped establish Christianity and became the inspiration of writers as disparate as St Bede and Tolkien. As Oswald became St Oswald he left behind as many legends as historical events and this book seeks to separate the man from the myth while explaining the time we call the Dark Ages in the brutally separated lands that we now call Great Britain and Ireland. Full review...
You Make Me Smile by Layn Marlow
Snow, at least for us in the UK, isn’t an everyday occurrence, and for children, unbothered by traffic chaos and school closures and boilers on the brink of a breakdown, it can be rather magical. This book is about that magic. Full review...