|summary=Ada Wilson admits that his fascination with the period is what drove his work on this novel, and it is the wealth of detail and background that strikes one when reading his account of Peter Urbach, the undercover agent whose role was to act as an agent provocateur to the Red Brigade. Urbach is revealed from the outset as a plant, an undercover operative who needs to keep all events of the group 'noted and filed' for his masters. And throughout the first half of the novel we see Urbach recording the changes and developments, the complex web of political ideology, naivety and the pure egocentricity of youth which created the happening of the Baader-Meinhof gang.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1901927482</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Matthew Green
|title=Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend
|rating=5
|genre=General Fiction
|summary=Max is 8 years old. He likes Lego and Star Wars and playing with toy soldiers. He can tell you 102 words that rhyme with tree. He scarfs down grilled cheese sandwiches and chicken and rice. He does not like physical contact. He lives with his mum and dad who argue about what is best for him and why he’s not normal like other boys and girls.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0751547875</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Kathryn Erskine
|title=Mockingbird
|rating=4
|genre=Teens
|summary=Mockingbird is the story of Caitlin, an 11-year old girl with Asperger's syndrome trying to recover from the death of her brother Devon in a school shooting. With her dad struggling to cope and Caitlin no longer having her brother to explain to her things she doesn't understand, the young narrator must seek closure on the tragedy herself.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1409538583</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Sax Rohmer
|title=The Mystery of Dr Fu Manchu
|rating=4
|genre=Crime (Historical)
|summary=Dr Petrie is surprised, but pleased, to see his old friend Nayland Smith has returned to England. But this is no mere pleasure visit – the former Scotland Yard man is on the trail of Fu Manchu, a Chinese doctor with ''the brains of any three men of genius''. Petrie is immediately plunged into a headlong race against time to stop the mysterious villain from fulfilling his evil plans and leading the East to world domination!
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0857686038</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Marian Keyes
|title=Saved by Cake: Over 80 Ways to Bake Yourself Happy
|rating=4
|genre=Cookery
|summary=Right now you are probably thinking 'Marian Keyes? She writes chick-lit doesn't she? What's she doing writing a cookbook?' You'll quite probably also be looking at her and thinking that she doesn't look as though she eats a lot of the output either. Well, there's a bit of a story behind this book...
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>071815889X</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Debbie Foy
|title=Pants, Vest, Getting Dressed! (All By Myself)
|rating=3.5
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Have you ever noticed that there are certain processes which a child needs to master but which cause quite a lot of grief along the way? Most children are alright with one or two but stick on others - and they're the ones which parents come to dread each day. Getting dressed is one of these. The need for it isn't immediately obvious and - let's be honest - there's not a lot of fun in it is there? Well - that might be about to change with a series of books from Debbie Foy which inject some fun into the processes.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0750265817</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Robert Jackson Bennett
|title=The Troupe
|rating=5
|genre=Fantasy
|summary=George never knew his father, a man with whom his mother had a brief relationship when the Vaudeville - a travelling theatre company - came to town. Sixteen years later and George is following in the footsteps he believes to be his father's, by playing piano at a theatre on the circuit and hoping his father will show up. He doesn't, so George goes in search of him. The first glimpse George has of the man he thinks of as his father is at one of the troupe's shows. He is captivated not just by Silenus, but by the entire company.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0356500403</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Jim Carrington
|title=Drive By
|rating=4
|genre=Teens
|summary=It's hot. Johnny and his friends tire of the park and ride their bikes to the local shop for an ice cream. Sitting outside in her husband's car is the Poisoned Dwarf, the miserable old lady who burst their football when it landed in her garden. Armed with water soakers, the boys just can't resist. But this "drive-by soaking" has catastrophic consequences. The Poisoned Dwarf has a heart attack and is carted off in an ambulance. And a few days later, she dies. Johnny is overwhelmed with remorse but is too afraid to come forwards. But are the weird things that start happening - waking up at the same time every night, a feeling of being watched - just tricks played by a guilty conscience? Or is the Poisoned Dwarf haunting him?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408822784</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Liz Pichon
|title=The Brilliant World of Tom Gates
|rating=4.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Tom Gates is your typical year 5 lad: frequently late for school and fond of reading comics and doodling in school when he should be paying attention. Things change slightly when he's moved to sit at the front of the class between Amy - a clever girl - and Marcus who's a bit of an idiot. Tom tells us the story of his daily life, his attempts to impress Amy Porter, his favourite band and all the excuses he uses to get our of doing homework - or PE - or swimming - or for being late. He puts so much effort into doing all this that you really wonder why he doesn't just ''do'' the schoolwork. But then that would be too simple, wouldn't it? And we wouldn't have such a great book to read.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1407120697</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Joshua Doder
|title=Grk and the Phoney Macaroni
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=The [[Grk Down Under by Joshua Doder|last time]] we met Grk (he's the dog, by the way) he was in Australia, but don't worry if you haven't read any of the seven earlier books in this series - they all read well as stand-alones. This time it might seem as though it's going to be a very local adventure with Mrs Malt taking Tim, Natasha and Max to the Natural Science Museum whilst Grk says in the car. Things are not as they look, though - for Grk is going to be dog-napped from the local park and whisked off to Italy with Tim in pursuit. On the way he's going to encounter Giovanni Mascarpone, the thirteenth Duke of Macaroni, his vicious bodyguards and quite a lot of people whose names are going to put you in mind of Italian food.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1842709321</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Maureen Jennings
|title=Except the Dying: Murdoch Mysteries
|rating=4
|genre=Crime (Historical)
|summary=Victorian detective novels set in Britain are fairly common, and some of the most well-known and popular crime series fall into this category. The Murdoch stories, however, come from a different angle, being placed (for the most part) in Canada, with its snowy wastes, its logging camps and pioneering spirit. Loyalty to the Queen is as ardent here as back home in 'the old country', but there is a rawness and a sense of space to these novels which is due in large part to their setting.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0857689878</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Charlotte Middleton
|title=Christopher's Caterpillars
|rating=4.5
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Christopher Nibble, a charming little guinea pig, loves gardening with his friend Posie. When they find six munching caterpillars on their plants though they decide that they cannot stay and choose to keep them as pets instead. They make a list of the things that they think that the caterpillars will need such as woolly socks and mini hairbrushes. When they visit Mr Rosetti, who runs the local café, he puts them straight and suggests that they get some clean jars, juicy leaves, twigs, and make lids with holes in them instead. They now know exactly what to do in order to look after their new pets and they do – very carefully.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0192732315</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Elizabeth Noble
|title=Between a Mother and her Child
|rating=3.5
|genre=Women's Fiction
|summary=Maggie and Bill had a wonderful, happy family until tragedy struck, nearly a year before the story opens. The blurb on the back of the book says exactly what this tragedy was, but it's not explained until several chapters into the book. It would have made more powerful reading had I not known what had caused the family to break up.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0718155378</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=David Loades
|title=The Tudors: History of a Dynasty
|rating=4.5
|genre=History
|summary=
For several years David Loades has written and published extensively about the Tudors, individually and collectively, from almost every angle possible. This title is not a chronological biography or history of the five monarchs whose reigns gave their name to the era. As he and his publisher make clear in the preface, it is rather a study of Tudor policies.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1441136908</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Harri Nykanen and Kristian London (translator)
|title=Nights of Awe (Ariel Kafka Mystery)
|rating=4.5
|genre=Crime
|summary=
Inspector Ari Kafka (no relation to the author or, indeed, the local pawn shop owner) is half of the Jewish police officers in Finland which he's sure is due to pay levels rather than religious conviction. Ari graduated 4th in his class at police academy which surprised his mother at the time. If his brother and sister could both graduate top of their university classes, what's wrong with him? His brother is always trying to encourage his attendance at family dinners and the local rabbi has to remind him of the whereabouts of the local synagogue. All this pressure is normally water off a duck's back to Kafka, but this is about to change. When two Arab bodies are found on a railway line, he must choose between loyalties to those he loves and to those he's sworn to serve.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1904738923</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=William Nicholson
|title=The Secret Intensity of Everyday Life
|rating=4
|genre=General Fiction
|summary=William Nicholson's ''The Secret Intensity of Everyday Life'' is an ensemble story focussing predominantly on middle class and mainly middle age people living in a Sussex village. The cover of the book suggests that it is little more than a superior chic-lit style story of how Laura reacts when an ex-lover from her past appears from out of the blue to disrupt her marriage and two children, but while this is a central issue that runs throughout the book, this is only a small part of the story. It's far better than that might suggest.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>184916195X</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Polly Williams
|title=The Angel at No. 33
|rating=4
|genre=Women's Fiction
|summary=Sophie is the wife of disorganised Ollie (who watered a plastic plant for a year before realising), mother of typical little boy Freddie and she's dead. Yes, Sophie is very dead. During a wine-filled evening of moaning about her predictable lifestyle with her best friend Jenny, Sophie tries to stop a taxi in the worst way possible. The taxi stops but not quite soon enough.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0755358872</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=J D Sharpe and Charles Dickens
|title=Oliver Twisted
|rating=4
|genre=Teens
|summary=A small boy, Oliver, is brought up in a workhouse before being sent to work for an undertaker. Running away from the cruel undertaker and his wife, he finds himself in London, where he falls in with a disreputable old rogue called Fagin and his gang of thieves. Think you know the story? Think again - and add soul stealers, werewolves, and magic...
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405258179</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Victoria Lamb
|title=The Queen's Secret
|rating=3.5
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=It was July 1575 and the court had left the unpleasant atmosphere of London for its annual progress round the homes of the more prominent nobles. It was to stay at Kenilworth Castle, home of the Earl of Leicester (better known as Robert Dudley, the queen's favourite) for some three weeks. The expenditure on the stay was enormous, but Leicester was determined to persuade Queen Elizabeth to marry him. The fact that he was also having an affair with Lettice Knollys, wife of the Earl of Essex, was beside the point. Lucy Morgan, a black entertainer of Moorish descent, was drawn into the midst of this intrigue and found herself on the edge of a plot to assassinate the queen.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0593067991</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Anita Anand, Julian Barnes, Bella Bathurst, Alan Bennett and others
|title=The Library Book
|rating=4.5
|genre=Lifestyle
|summary=I had better begin by saying that I had a vested interest in liking this book since I am a chartered librarian myself and so am wholeheartedly in support of saving our nation's public libraries. But you don't need to be a librarian to enjoy this book. It is rich with anecdotes from some wonderful writers and makes a pleasant read whether you're keen to save libraries or not.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781250057</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Gerry Boland
|title=Marco Moves In (A Rather Remarkable Grizzly Bear)
|rating=4.5
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=
''It's not every day that a grizzly bear turns up on your doorstep.'' Yet, this is exactly what happens one night at Patrick'shouse. The grizzly bear, Marco, has escaped from the local zoo and is looking for somewhere to live. The entire town is on the lookout and a grizzly can be rather hard to hide. After a host of close calls, Patrick and Marco find the perfect place.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847172296</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=RS Russell
|title=Dead Rules
|rating=2
|genre=Teens
|summary=
Jana Webster knows that she will be with her boyfriend Michael Haynes for eternity. She even introduces herself as being part of Webster and Haynes. She knows that nothing can come between them – not even her death! So when she finds herself in Dead School, it's surely only a matter of time before Michael joins her… even if she needs to give him a helping hand.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0857386751</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Marie Lu
|title=Legend
|rating=3.5
|genre=Teens
|summary=
California. 2130 AD. The Republic of America is engaged in a vicious war with the Colonies. Life is hard for many in the Republic: plague terrorises millions in the slums while all resources are targetted at the military class. The regime is authoritarian and ruthless but the population believes that the constant struggle against a vicious enemy means that it has to be. All citizens undergo the Trial during adolescence. A high score means military college followed by privilege. A low score means life in the slums working in factories. A fail sends you to forced labour camps from which nobody ever returns.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0141339608</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Christina Jones
|title=Never Can Say Goodbye
|rating=3
|genre=Women's Fiction
|summary=
When Frankie is unexpectedly handed the reins to the shop where she currently works, she’s surprised to say the least. Current boss Rita is heading off for a new life (and love) in the sun, and leaving her home and business behind. It’s a swift learning curve to go from shop assistant to business owner, but with her friends, and most of the village, behind her, Frankie’s going to give it a shot.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0749953322</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Fiona Gibson
|title=The Great Escape
|rating=5
|genre=Women's Fiction
|summary=Hannah, Sadie and Lou have all known each other since their student days in Glasgow. That was thirteen years ago and since then, although they have kept in touch, they have not seen as much of each other as they would have liked. Sadie is married to Barney and is the mother of twin babies. She is trying to adjust to life in a country village and to fit in with all the other young mums who always appear to do things so much better than her. Lou lives in York with Spike, her boyfriend since college days. She has had to put her dreams of being a jewellery designer on hold while she supports herself and Spike (who does very little) by working in a soft play barn. She often thinks that there must be more to life but does not have the courage to break free. Hannah loves her fiancé, Ryan, but finds the open hostility from her future stepchildren hard to take and this is the reason why the imminent wedding is so daunting. They all need some time out which is why the others jump at Hannah's suggestion of a weekend away visiting their old student haunts.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847562604</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Shalom Auslander
|title=Hope: a Tragedy
|rating=4.5
|genre=Literary Fiction
|summary=Meet Solomon Kugel, who is almost universally known by his surname. He is about to join the list of kvetching Jewish heroes of comedy fiction, and at a very esteemed position in that list. He's a man who worries that by having had a kid he's betraying the boy's soul by bringing it into a world such as this. He's forced to live with his mother, who continually expects a second Holocaust and complains about suffering from the first, although she was not born then. He's faced with the eternal dilemma of not finding gluten-free matzo bread for his observances. He's moved to a rural location, and found houses like his are on the hit-list of an arsonist, but his new home has an even more unusual secret...
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1447207653</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Michael Rosen
|title=Burping Bertha
|rating=4.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=It all began very innocently and, well, quite accidentally. Bertha was lying in bed looking at Tiger, her cuddly toy, when she burped - and Tiger fell over. It was the precursor of a series of events which, at their peak, would make Bertha a 'multi-multi-mega-billionaire superstar' and all as a result of what was nothing more than a lot of hot air. But it's not what happens when she gets there that matters - it's the story of how she did it and it's a brilliant tale told with all the ingenuity of Michael Rosen and accompanied by the wonderful illustrations of Tony Ross.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849394067</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Grace McCleen
|title=The Land of Decoration
|rating=5
|genre=Literary Fiction
|summary=Grace McCleen's debut novel, ''The Land of Decoration'' paints an original, unsettling, sometimes dark and generally rather wonderful picture. Narrated by ten year old Judith, raised by her father who is a fundamental religious follower of the end of the world is nigh variety, it looks at bullying, both at school and in more general society, faith and the possible rejection thereof and the strength of childhood imagination.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>070118681X</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Rachel Aaron
|title=The Legend of Eli Monpress
|rating=4.5
|genre=Fantasy
|summary=The important thing, when reading or reviewing books, is to take them on their own terms, and not to try and make something of them that they do not claim to be. Do not seek laugh-out-loud humour from horror stories (except by accident). Do not expect picture books to discuss the ins and outs of astrophysics. And do not demand great depth from a series of fantasy novels where the hero's first action is to steal a king on the grounds that, to be perfectly honest, no one will actually miss him very much.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0356500861</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=David McKee
|title=Elmer's First Counting Book
|rating=4
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=It's a lovely board book in the ''Elmer'' series and a lovely way of introducing the youngest readers to the patchwork elephant although there's only one of him and as this is a counting book he only gets to feature on the front and back covers and the first page.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1842706306</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Alison Murray
|title=Little Mouse
|rating=5
|genre=For Sharing
|summary='Sometimes, when I am being very quiet and cuddly, my mummy calls me her little mouse'. Although mostly, Little Mouse is anything but quiet, just as you would expect from a pre-school age child; she can waddle like a penguin, eat like a horse and splash like a whale in author Alison Murray's gorgeous wander through the daytime exploits of an imaginative little girl, who likes to turn the plainest of activities into something fun and adventurous, becoming her favourite animals en route.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408316331</amazonuk>
}}
