Difference between revisions of "Book Reviews From The Bookbag"
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| + | |title=Blackberry Blue and Other Fairy Tales | ||
| + | |author=Jamila Gavin | ||
| + | |rating=4.5 | ||
| + | |genre=Confident Readers | ||
| + | |summary=We never tire of fairy tales, do we? We dream of being carried off into one. We read them over and over. We love the old ones but they do need renewing and retelling every now and again. That's what makes them timeless. And in | ||
| + | ''Blackberry Blue and Other Fairy Tales'', the wonderful Jamila Gavin gives us her own take on wicked witches, enchanted forests, talking animals and heroes and heroines who triumph against adversity. | ||
| + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848531060</amazonuk> | ||
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Revision as of 09:02, 11 October 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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Blackberry Blue and Other Fairy Tales by Jamila Gavin
We never tire of fairy tales, do we? We dream of being carried off into one. We read them over and over. We love the old ones but they do need renewing and retelling every now and again. That's what makes them timeless. And in Blackberry Blue and Other Fairy Tales, the wonderful Jamila Gavin gives us her own take on wicked witches, enchanted forests, talking animals and heroes and heroines who triumph against adversity. Full review...
Alphabet (My First Bob Books) by Sue Hendra and John R Maslen
BOB Books are designed to teach children to read through phonics. I do own several different phonics programmes, and this is one of the best. I feel it is comparable to Hooked On Phonics at a fraction of the price. Another advantage to these books is that you do not need to buy the whole programme in one go. You can buy each set as you need it, and most sets will take at least one term to complete. Full review...
The Secret Kingdom: Leopards' Gold by Jenny Nimmo
Many years after the conclusion to Stones of Ravenglass, Timoken the Red King and his wife have settled down and live with their nine children in a castle which wizards Llyr and Eri turn invisible whenever danger approaches. When the castle bellman disappears and blood is found, though, the children realise that the danger could come from inside the majestic castle. Can brothers Petrello and Tolomeo solve the mystery of the disappearance and protect their family? Full review...
The Castle in the Field (Little Gems) by Michael Morpurgo and Faye Hansen
I think all children love dens. It is almost a primal instinct for children, to find, construct and hide away in huts, dens, tents, or any other place that gives them that sense of their own private place, away from the world. Michael Morpurgo has captured the magic of a secret den perfectly in this story of three friends who find an abandoned WW2 Pillbox and make it into their own private castle. The children are not really meant to be in the pillbox. It is on private property, but they don't really have any place else to go. Two of the children are not allowed to go home until their parents finish work and the third will not leave his best friend out in the weather alone. At first the pillbox is just shelter from a storm, but it soon becomes an embodiment of all the wonder of childhood as the children transform it into a wonderful private retreat. But how long will they be able to keep their special hideout a secret? This is a lovely story with a heart warming theme of friendship, a confrontation with bullies, and the inevitable pangs of growing up. Full review...
Horrid Henry's Royal Riot (Horrid Henry Early Reader) by Francesca Simon and Tony Ross
Horrid Henry has always been popular in our house. Horrid Henry's Early's Readers will always hold a special place in my heart as the books that gave my son the confidence to break into chapter books. The Early Readers have thicker pages, less text per page, more illustrations and the illustrations are in colour. But in many cases they are the exact same stories found in the older children's chapter books. Once my son gained confidence with the early readers, he was able to move up the chapter books, and then the whole world of reading was opened up to him. Full review...
Briony Hatch by Ginny Skinner and Penelope Skinner
Meet Briony Hatch. She's a fourteen year old schoolgirl, with a few too many curves for the trendy set, and want-away hair, who is fixated on the ghost who acts as romantic male lead in her favourite series of fantasy books, about a beautiful, feisty female, swashbuckling exorcist. But when the books finish, just at the same time as her parents divorce, it looks like the beginning of the end. Mum and Briony settle into the abandoned bungalow belonging to the latter's great-uncle and aunt, only for the girl to find a horrid malaise come over her. Has the books' conclusion done so much damage as to leave her wishing to retire from life, or can she find the ghost of a hope somewhere? Full review...
Close Your Pretty Eyes by Sally Nicholls
Olivia is trapped, in a world somewhat of her own making. She is living a life of endless switching from a set of foster parents, to would-be adoptive parents, to care homes. Whenever she fetches up with nice adults, she worries too much about making mistakes, being too violent, clumsy, needy, noisy, spiteful – and prefers then to go the whole hog and make them despair of ever liking her, of losing all kind of sympathy with her. That way she can relax, knowing the truth, knowing the hatred is there – just as it was when her alcoholic mother was abusing and abandoning her and her baby siblings. Olivia is eleven. But in this one new house, with Jim, and his children, and the fostered young-mother-of-a-babe-in-arms, something is different. Something is definitely older than Olivia, and certainly more evil, and most assuredly better at getting its own way… Full review...
The Case of the Love Commandos (Vish Puri Mysteries) by Tarquin Hall
Ram and Tulsi fell in love but their different castes meant that Tulsi's family were completely against their marrying, with Tulsi's father locking her up and saying that he would hunt down Ram. The Love Commandos - a group formed to help mixed-caste couples - came to their aid, but when they liberated Tulsi, Ram was snatched from his hiding place. For Vish Puri, India's 'Most Private Investigator', it was proving to be a difficult month. He'd failed to retrieve some stolen jewels, a pickpocket had removed his wallet (and he had to depend his Mummy-ji to retrieve it) and this case just made everything worse. He could see the problem - but Vish wasn't that convinced about love matches. Then he found that his arch rival, Hari Kumar, was also trying to find Ram - but for whom? Full review...
Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield
When he was a young boy William Bellman committed one cruel act - he used his catapult to kill a rook. He didn't believe he could do it - believed until the moment that the rook fell that it would fly away before the stone hit - but the rook was dead. It can't be said that the killing worried William and as he grew it seemed that he was a fortunate man. His work satisfied him. He loved his wife and his children, but then tragedy struck and the visits from the stranger in black began. William - now 'Bellman' to most of those who knew him - had a solution. He worked harder, obsessively and he founded a business which was decidedly macabre. And that business was Bellman and Black. Full review...
Conquest by John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard
The Earth has been invaded by the Illyri, a vaguely humanoid race far in advance of humankind, who were able to conquer the planet gently by proving how futile it would be to resist. They are keen to ensure the human race remains compliant, but are mostly keen to avoid bloodshed. Humankind, however, is not a race to take conquest lying down. There is a very active resistance, particularly in Scotland, where the Scots come out of the Highlands to strike on the Illyri garrisons and power bases in cities like Edinburgh. Full review...
Dixon Grace: 1.9.7 Hamburg by Alexa Camouro
Dixon Grace is an Aussie living a complicated life in Hamburg. She juggles her live-in, ambitious, immature boyfriend with an older wealthy industrialist lover while teaching English to local company employees. But however complicated that seems, it's about to get worse. The police come for her in the early hours, although it's not till she's ensconced in the interrogation room that Dixon realises she's charged with espionage and murder. The problem is complex but the answer is simple: she must escape to prove her innocence. Having said that, 'simple' is a relative term. From the language school for which she works to the Indian corporation that keeps cropping up, nothing is what it seems, including Dixon Grace. Full review...
The Reluctant Bride by Beverly Eikli
Scarred soldier Major Angus McCartney cuts a lonely figure as he rides toward Micklen House bearing tragic news. He knows that his presence will be unwelcome and that the report he must deliver will devastate the entire household, especially the beautiful, unobtainable daughter of the family whom he has secretly been in love with for many years. Surely she will forever associate him with the bombshell that brought her world crashing down. There seems no way that she could ever love him the way that he loves her. Full review...
Eat - The Little Book of Fast Food by Nigel Slater
In my kitchen there's a battered (in both senses of the word) copy of Real Fast Food, Nigel Slater's first book. Twenty one years later he's revisited the idea and given us Eat: The Little Book of Fast Food. Now it's 'small' as any book containing over six hundred ideas for dinners (complete with lots of excellent photographs by Jonathan Lovekin) can be small - and the food is fast in the sense that you're talking about a maximum of an hour, although occasionally the cooking takes longer. I'm glad that we're moving away from the idea of getting food on the table as quickly as possible - it's not a race - as cooking can be a real pleasure and eating it an even bigger one. Full review...
Amber by Julie Sykes
Amber wakes up. And in a way, there is a case for that being all the plot summary I give you. So I'll be careful when I elaborate, and say she wakes up in a hospital, the day after a car crash, in a state where she remembers nothing. She can pick up emotions and so on, but she knows nothing about where the car was going, or who she is. And to be honest, my opening sentence is a lie. Because the girl has only two objects about her, and one is an amber necklace, she takes the word as her name – even that seems to be in the past. But she's not in the hospital for long, and even as she faces the blank slate of a new life, some things that might be deeply buried in her start to surface… Full review...
Saving Silence by Gina Blaxill
Sam moved to London fairly recently and has struggled to settle in. Imogen has never had problems making friends, she's a former head girl and a school sports star. She's tried to make friends with Sam, however, but he doesn't seem interested - until one night when he approaches her out of the blue, only for someone to speed towards him and try to knock him over. Imogen saves his life - but why would anyone try to kill him? And has she put herself in danger by getting involved? With Sam reluctantly telling Imogen a secret, the pair are left frantically trying to save themselves from some seriously nasty people. Full review...
A Heart Bent Out of Shape by Emylia Hall
Hadley Dunn is quite a fancy name for a girl like her. She has lived quite a nondescript life up until now, and even her university years look like they’ll be quite uneventful since she’s decided to live at home rather than move away. Then, out of the blue, an opportunity arises, and Hadley finds herself spending a year abroad in Switzerland. Away from the responsibilities of home, and surrounded by exciting new friends, Hadley becomes a much more appealing character. She is especially close to Danish student Kristina who is also there for a year in Lausanne, and the two soon grow close, even if each has secrets they keep to themselves and cannot share with even their closest of friends. Full review...
Wars of the Roses: Stormbird (Wars of the Roses 1) by Conn Iggulden
England in 1437: Henry VI is now old enough to take the throne after the untimely death of his father 15 years earlier. However 'The Lamb' (as young Henry is known) doesn't take after his robust, dominant father as enemies and allies alike are wont to mention. Religiously devout, peace-loving and often ill, Henry VI relies on his right-hand men to take the load. While a privileged role for people like William de la Pole (Duke of Suffolk) and spymaster Derry Brewster, it's also very dangerous. They're the final line of defence before the King can be toppled and not all the malevolent powers are beyond the English Channel. A lot of hope is pinned on Henry's marriage to Margaret of Anjou healing the rifts but unfortunately there are unforeseen effects. Full review...
The Color Master by Aimee Bender
Another parade of fascinating, unusual personalities and odd events from the author of Willful Creatures. This time out Aimee introduces us to people like Hans the fake Nazi, young William to whom all people look the same and Janet who decides to spice up her love-life with detrimental results. Among other things we also witness a less-than-altruistic anti-war demonstration and an odd occurrence in an orchard showing how odd an apple-only diet could make us. Full review...
Precious and the Mystery of the Missing Lion : A New Case for Precious Ramotswe by Alexander McCall Smith
I had already previously enjoyed Precious and the Monkeys which is one of AMS' children's stories about his No.1 Ladies Detective Agency character, Precious Ramotswe, when she is a child. So I was looking forward to this one about a missing lion. I wasn't disappointed. Once again his gentle charm shines through, and this is a delightful book to read aloud or just enjoy by yourself, however old you may be! Full review...
A Letter for Bear by David Lucas
Bear is a postman. He's a very good postman and always delivers all his letters on time. Yet when he's finished his work for the day he goes back alone to his cave, and makes himself some soup, and he wonders what it would be like to receive a letter. Full review...
How to Babysit a Grandad by Jean Reagan and Lee Wildish
It's very important to know how to babysit your grandad. You'll need to know what he likes to eat (Icecream topped with cookies or anything dipped in ketchup!) You'll also need to know how to keep him entertained (somersault across the room!) In case you've ever wondered about the best ways to look after your grandad then this is the book for you! Full review...
Black Chalk by Albert Alla
Seventeen-year-old Nate Dillingham is hailed as a hero following a horrific school shooting in which he is the only survivor. It soon becomes clear, however, that Nate has neglected to share the full extent of his involvement with the police, instead allowing others to place a more positive spin on his version of events. After recuperating in hospital and facing the interrogation of both the police and the media, Nate abandons his family and spends eight years working abroad in a succession of odd jobs. Black Chalk begins with Nate’s return to his family home, as Nate seeks catharsis by finally opening up about his experiences. Full review...
The Trap by Andrew Fukuda
The Trap is the third and final book in this sequence about a world in which vampires rule and humans are hepers, eaten almost to extinction.
We left Gene and Sissy, along with Epap and David, on the train that delivers hepers from the Mission to the City, destined for the Ruler's feast table. Gene now knows that he and Sissy form the Origin, the cure that will return Duskers to humans formulated by Gene's missing scientist father. But is that all there is to it? Where did the Duskers come from? Can Gene and Sissy end their plague? Will they all make it out alive? And what of Ashley June, newly turned to Dusker? What does she know that Gene and Sissy don't? Full review...
Shadowlark by Meagan Spooner
Lark escaped the city of her birth after being tortured and stripped of her magic by its architects. Lark's post-apocalyptic world runs on magic and there isn't enough of it about. So Renewables - people whose magic will replenish after it is drained - are in demand - not as people but as a resource. But the architects have made Lark different. She can drain the magic of others and use it herself. We last saw Lark when she escaped the Iron Wood and went in search of her missing brother Basil. Full review...
Debutantes: In Love by Cora Harrison
Poppy and Daisy Derrington leave Beech Green Manor to launch themselves in London. The pair know they need to marry well as their father is in dire financial straits - but marriage is something of a distraction to their real dreams of films and music. Can they find themselves love and happiness in the Roaring Twenties? Full review...
Slow Train to Switzerland: One Tour, Two Trips, 150 Years and a World of Change Apart by Diccon Bewes
After several years in my position in relation to the book industry (on the periphery but left a bit – and round the bend a lot) I am never surprised at what has a market. Every niche has either been filled, or is getting there. So when I found in looking into this book that the author has written several before now, all extolling the virtues of Switzerland, I was not surprised. I was only regretting he hadn't chosen a cheaper country for us to likewise fall in love with. Still, all power to the author's elbow, as regardless of any other journalism he has produced from exploring the country, here he writes about one lengthy trip around the more popular parts with fresh and new-seeing eyes, helped by those who really were seeing it for the first time, a century and a half ago. Full review...
Not In Your Lifetime: The Assassination of JFK by Anthony Summers
Originally published as The Kennedy Conspiracy, Anthony Summers has massively revised the text, updated it with the latest evidence and it's been republished as Not in Your Lifetime: The Assassination of JFK which refers to the statement made by Chief Justice Earl Warren who was asked if the truth about what happened would come out. He said that it would, but added the rider that it might not be in your lifetime. Fifty years on most of the people directly involved are now dead, but the truth has not officially emerged. In fact, it's difficult to avoid the thought that the US government would prefer that it did not see the light of day. Further documents are due to be released in 2017, but, in the meantime Anthony Summer has examined what is available, investigated on his own behalf and given us this comprehensive book. Full review...
The Story of Music by Howard Goodall
As an award-winning composer of choral music, film and TV scores and stage musicals, Howard Goodall is well qualified to write and present on the subject. Covering something which has flourished for over 40,000 years in every shape and form imaginable is no easy task, but in this book, written and published to accompany a recent six-part documentary series on BBC2, he has distilled the lot into a very enlightening chronological narrative in just over 300 pages. Full review...
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Cassie Hobbes doesn't feel like an average teenager. Average teenagers don't lose their mothers to unsolved murders. Average teenagers can't profile other people within minutes of acquaintance. Average teenagers aren't headhunted by the FBI to train as specifically-talented crimefighters. Cassie Hobbes is special. Full review...
ZOM-B Baby by Darren Shan
WARNING! If you haven't read the first book in this series, STOP READING NOW! NOW! Spoilers ahoy!
Gone? Good.
The story so far Full review...
Horrid Henry's World Records by Francesca Simon and Tony Ross
My son chose this book because he does like Horrid Henry, and he especially loves books with facts. As a parent, I have tried to supply my children with a wide choice of reading material, but I have to admit, I have leaned more towards fiction than non fiction simply because I mistakenly assumed it would be more fun. Girls do tend to prefer fiction, so I based my choices upon my own childhood reading habits. But when my sons began to beg for books a bout real things, I saw the error of my ways. Full review...
The Reindeer Girl by Holly Webb
Lotta is enjoying the holiday of a lifetime: a Christmas family get-together with her Mormor, Morfar and Oldeforelde in Norway. Nestled cosily by the fireside, watching the candles flickering on the Christmas tree, Lotta cuddles up to her beloved Great-Grandmother and listens to her fascinating stories of life as a reindeer-herder. Lotta loves the stories and can almost imagine herself there. Almost... Full review...
Education Under Siege: Why There is a Better Alternative by Peter Mortimore
Peter Mortimore's thoroughgoing analysis of the absurdities of current educational practice and prescriptions for finding a far better alternative deserves a wide readership. It is not just an organisation which is under siege but as his personal anecdotes indicate, more vigorously than his rigorously argued statistics, people are suffering. Parents are anxious, teachers badly led and burdened with confused policies and worst of all pupils are pressurised from early infancy. Reading his book you might be forgiven for wondering a) why so many young students are being abused by such distress and b) as Cicero might have asked, Cui bono, to whose benefit? Professor Mortimore outlines the positive alternatives suggested by international comparisons especially with Scandinavian methods. He argues that their procedures are more effective, that support students and produce a fairer, harmonious society. Full review...
