Difference between revisions of "Newest Confident Readers Reviews"
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| + | |title=Dunger | ||
| + | |author=Joy Cowley | ||
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| + | |genre=Confident Readers | ||
| + | |summary=There is nothing worse than two people who constantly argue, like brother and sister Will and Lissy. Well, actually there are – two people who constantly argue and who need hearing aids but carefully ignore that fact, like their grandparents. The siblings are expecting a regular trip away – fancy clothes and fancying boys for her, swotty things for him, but no – the recession means their closest approximation to a summer break is to repair and put right the oldster's bach – summer home, if you like. What's more, they'll be paid for it. But is any amount of money suitable payment for the primitive horrors to come? | ||
| + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1877579467</amazonuk> | ||
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|summary=Emil Tischbein has been given a great responsibility - to deliver 140 marks to his grandmother, who he is going to stay with on holiday. Pleased at being trusted with so much money by his widowed mother, the young boy is determined to keep it safe. But when he falls asleep on the train, he wakes up to find both the money, and the only other passenger in his carriage, a man who introduced himself as Max Grundeis, gone! Unwilling to involve the police for fear of arrest himself, as he thinks that he's wanted for painting the nose of a local monument, Emil stumbles on a ragtag bunch of children who offer to help him track down Herr Grundeis and get the money back. | |summary=Emil Tischbein has been given a great responsibility - to deliver 140 marks to his grandmother, who he is going to stay with on holiday. Pleased at being trusted with so much money by his widowed mother, the young boy is determined to keep it safe. But when he falls asleep on the train, he wakes up to find both the money, and the only other passenger in his carriage, a man who introduced himself as Max Grundeis, gone! Unwilling to involve the police for fear of arrest himself, as he thinks that he's wanted for painting the nose of a local monument, Emil stumbles on a ragtag bunch of children who offer to help him track down Herr Grundeis and get the money back. | ||
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0099572842</amazonuk> | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0099572842</amazonuk> | ||
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Revision as of 17:56, 26 January 2014
Dunger by Joy Cowley
There is nothing worse than two people who constantly argue, like brother and sister Will and Lissy. Well, actually there are – two people who constantly argue and who need hearing aids but carefully ignore that fact, like their grandparents. The siblings are expecting a regular trip away – fancy clothes and fancying boys for her, swotty things for him, but no – the recession means their closest approximation to a summer break is to repair and put right the oldster's bach – summer home, if you like. What's more, they'll be paid for it. But is any amount of money suitable payment for the primitive horrors to come? Full review...
The Forbidden Stone (The Copernicus Legacy) by Tony Abbott
If you like your fiction full of heart-stopping adventures, mysterious cults and constant danger, then you'll love this book. Codes, puzzles and ancient secrets abound, and there is no doubt that the publisher's comparison with the novels for adults written by Dan Brown is justified. There's drama and deadly peril on pretty well every page. Full review...
The Diary of Dennis the Menace by Steven Butler
Wimpy Kid-styled books, from those by Jeff Kinney right down to those by Jim Smith have always served as a bridge for the reluctant reader, taking him or her into a world halfway between a comic book and an actual novel. With careful design and a healthy picture-to-word ratio the child only used to reading speech bubbles and cartoon captions has managed a proper book before they've realised it. So it makes perfect sense for publishers to allow a franchise to cross over from one format to the other – and this example is the first one to come to my attention. Even if, when you think about it, it seems a very unlikely book in the first place… Full review...
A Room Full of Chocolate by Jane Elson
Sometimes family isn't the one you are born into but the people and pigs you collect along the way.
Grace doesn't want to leave her London home and go and live with misery guts Grandad while her mum goes into hospital to get a LUMP sorted out. Grace can't see why she couldn't look after her mum herself. After all, the LUMP was just caused by Mum dancing too much, wasn't it? WASN'T IT? But Mum won't hear of it and Grace must move away, start a new school, make new friends and miss her mum so much that even chocolate doesn't help. Things go from bad to worse when Grace upsets the resident school bully on her very first day. Full review...
Bird by Crystal Chan
Grandpa stopped speaking the day he killed my brother, John.
That was also the day Jewel was born. Birthdays for Jewel are miserable affairs during which her parents' grief for their son trump their joy in their daughter. In fact, Jewel doesn't see that her parents have any joy in their daughter at all. She's quite certain that nobody will ever love her as much as Mom, Dad and Grandpa loved John. Until, one day, she finds a mysterious boy sitting in one of her favourite trees. Grandpa doesn't like this new John, but Jewel does. She finally has someone that she can really talk to, who really understands the way her mind works. But John isn't everything he says he is. And his arrival is about to change Jewel's life forever... Full review...
My Brother's Shadow by Tom Avery
Kaia feels frozen after the death of her beloved older brother. With her mum not talking about it and both struggling to cope, she withdraws into a shell and stops spending time with her friends. Then a mysterious boy joins her school and she starts to spend time with him. Even though he never speaks, she slowly starts to come out of her shell. Can she ever rediscover happiness? Full review...
The Executioner's Daughter by Jane Hardstaff
Moss, the daughter of the Tower of London's executioner, hates her life but has no way to leave it. She seems destined to catch heads in her basket forever - but then she finds a secret tunnel and a way out of the tower. Her long-awaited taste of freedom turns sour, though, when she finds out that her life is not what it seems and an otherworldly adversary is seeking her. Can she escape? And who can she trust to help her? Full review...
My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish 3: Fins of Fury by Mo O'Hara and Marek Jagucki
When this book arrived in the post my sons both let out such cries of delight you would have thought the new Playstation 4 had arrived rather than a paperback book. I keep hearing that children don't like books as gifts, but even with the fortune I spent over Christmas, very few items got such a delighted reaction as this lovely unexpected surprise with the last of the Christmas post. Full review...
The Queen of Dreams by Peter Hamilton
Taggie and Jemima head off to spend a couple of weeks holidaying on their dad's farm. Much as the girls would like their parents to get back together, they know it's not going to happen. So they look forward to a fortnight of strawberry picking in the sunshine with their kindly, slightly eccentric father.
But things don't go to plan. Full review...
Emily Climbs: A Virago Modern Classic (Emily Trilogy) by L M Montgomery
I had been a little unsettled during my re-reading of Emily of New Moon since I found as I read that I didn't particularly like Emily. Was I too grown up now to love Emily as I had when I was younger? But coming back to Emily Climbs was like sitting down with an old, favourite friend and having a lovely catch-up. I much prefer Emily in this book. She starts to grow up a little, developing her sense of humour, learning more about herself and her writing. Emily is sent away to high school in the local large town of Shrewsbury. Unfortunately, whilst she is there, she must board with her Aunt Ruth who (much to my dismay since we share a first name) is a dreadful person to live with! She is also cornered into promising that whilst she's away at school she will write no more stories. Her Aunt Elizabeth has never been happy about her story writing, fearing it is dangerously close to writing novels - a terrible thing, in her eyes! Emily has no choice but to make the promise, but she finds it very difficult. Still, she is allowed to continue writing her diaries, and she can write as much poetry as she likes. Full review...
The Very Nearly Honourable League of Pirates: Magic Marks the Spot by Caroline Carlson
Take one Victorian finishing school for delicate ladies, full of classes on how to waltz and swoon gracefully (not necessarily at the same time), perform a water ballet and use a bow and arrow without perspiring. If you're feeling very brave, you could even (shudder) stir in a smattering (just a tiny amount, for pity's sake!) of the fine art of embroidering Improving Sayings on a sampler. Add a bunch of unruly, unscrupulous and unwashed pirates (except, of course, for the dashingly handsome and gallant ones: they're generally quite hygienic). Chuck in a substantial dollop of magic and stand well back—the result is an action-packed and wondrously silly adventure on the high seas. Full review...
When Did You See Her Last? by Lemony Snicket
At first glance, it's difficult to separate All the Wrong Questions from Snicket's first and far more famous series, A Series of Unfortunate Events. However, the further into it I read, the more I realised that I was actually reading a Film Noir. A classic detective story with all the right characters. A little less subtle than some, perhaps, more Bugsy Malone than Sunset Boulevard but that's fine given the intended audience and makes it no less enjoyable. Full review...
You, Me and Thing: The Great Expanding Guinea Pig and Beware of the Snowblobs! by Karen McCombie
'You' is Jackson, a very dim-seeming boy next door. 'Me' is Ruby, our much more intelligent, thoughtful and active narrator. Thing is – well, the thing is, Thing is a mystery – a weird sort of winged mogwai-type critter, that only 'you' and 'me' know about. All three have a den at the bottom of the humans' respective gardens, close to the built-upon former home of Thing. Oh, and Thing is also capable of some very silly, quite inappropriate and very inappropriately timed magic, so a lot of time Jackson, and especially Ruby, have to worry about keeping their secret friend a secret. As you can see by the two full adventures in this book. Full review...
Bugsy Malone - Graphic Novel by Alan Parker
One bunch of wise guys might think they have it all, but they don't. Another bunch of wise guys want it all and have the splurge guns to help them get it. Into the middle come a beautiful starlet-in-waiting, and our crafty innocent abroad, Bugsy Malone. Cue, at some incredibly random time honouring no discernible anniversary whatsoever, this reprint of the long-lost graphic novel version of the story, told for 'all those kids who find it tough reading books with just words'. Full review...
Asterix and the Picts by Jean-Yves Ferri, Rene Goscinny, Albert Uderzo and Didier Conrad
I've never been entirely certain if Asterix was written for children or adults. I am quite certain children were the original target audience, but it is equally apparent that many of the jokes are thrown in for adults as well. It does seem as if more adults are buying Asterix than children now, and comics in general have been taken over by the adult consumer, but Asterix still has plenty to offer the younger reader as well. If it is perhaps a bit more sophisticated than the average children's book today, all the better. I'm all for children's books that are light and easy to read, but I think we are doing our children a disservice by filtering out any book with a more complex vocabulary or a fair number of unfamiliar words. My children did find a few words like solidarity, fraternise and diaphanous challenging, but if we don't challenge them at all - how will they learn? Full review...
Stinkbomb and Ketchup-Face and the Badness of Badgers by John Dougherty
It's a good day, unless you're a young girl called Ketchup-Face, who doesn't like being rudely woken up by happy birds singing outside her window. It's a good day, unless you're a young boy called Stinkbomb who's just been woken up by his sister jumping on him. It's a good day until they find a piggy bank raided, and can only assume the thieves were badgers – the clue is in the 'bad' bit. So they go off to meet the king, and a song gets sung, and a major crime-busting task-force is formed, and someone eats an elephant. Yes, it's a good day. Full review...
Tales from Schwartzgarten: The Woebegone Twins by Christopher William Hill
Not many people could possibly live in the town of Schwartzgarten by choice. The mortality rate is indecently high (rather like in those English country villages inhabited by amateur detectives), and the whole town exudes an atmosphere of menace and gloom. Let's face it, even the most confident estate agent would struggle to sell a property in Poisoner's Row, never mind in the vicinity of the Glue Factory or the Cinema of Blood. Full review...
Doctor Who: 11 Doctors, 11 Stories by Eoin Colfer, Michael Scott and others
It's basic knowledge that Doctor Who has changed a lot since first being seen fifty years ago – and I don't mean the title character, but the nature of the programme. It has gone from black and white, and cheaply produced, and declared disposable, to being an essential part of the BBC, full-gloss digital, and accessed in all manner of ways. So with the celebratory programme still ringing in our ears, and leaving people pressing a red button to see a programme about three Doctors, er, pressing a red button, we turn to other aspects of the birthday bonanza. Such as this book, which has also mutated in its much shorter lifespan, from being a loose collection of eleven short e-book novellas written by the blazing lights of YA writing, to a huge and brilliant paperback collecting everything within one set of covers. Full review...
Emily of New Moon: A Virago Modern Classic (Emily Trilogy) by L M Montgomery
I think I should confess, before I write this review, that I am a true Lucy Maud Montgomery geek! I have loved her books since I was a little girl, and I have read them so many times that the covers are worn and faded and her stories live inside of me, at least in part making me who I am. I wrote my masters dissertation on her books. I went to Prince Edward Island, Canada, for a conference about her works. I came back with a bottle of red sand and a heart full of memories. If anyone ever mentions Anne of Green Gables in my presence my eyes get very large and I get very excited (and my husband rolls his eyes...) So it is with trepidation that I sit down to review one of her books. Bear with me, I will try not to geek out too much, and I will do my best to be fair! Full review...
Of Lions and Unicorns: A Lifetime of Tales from the Master Storyteller by Michael Morpurgo
Of Lions and Unicorns is a collection of short stories and extracts from Morpurgo’s most popular books. The book is split into five sections, which focus on recurring themes in his writing. Full review...
The Children of Green Knowe and The River at Green Knowe by Lucy M Boston
I vaguely remember the ‘Green Knowe books from my childhood. They were an unusual mix of adventure and fantasy with some history thrown in, written in the middle of the last century. There are six books in the series, all based in a large house called 'Green Noah' or 'Green Knowe', based on the author’s own home. Full review...
Hilda and the Bird Parade by Luke Pearson
Hilda is a young girl who has just moved from the mountainous countryside to the town of Trolberg; a major upheaval in the life of a girl who likes nothing better than to go exploring the woods and mountains and discovering magical creatures. Since moving into town Hilda’s mother is not so keen to allow Hilda out exploring believing a town to be a potentially dangerous place for a child. Soon though Hilda and her new friends manage to convince her mother to allow her out and the new friends give her a guided tour of the area and all the best places in town. Hilda seems to prefer animals to other children though and early on becomes separated from her friends and instead goes exploring with an injured bird she has befriended. Full review...
Time Trap by Richard Smith
Who was Hector Lightfoot? And why did this 19th century soldier and engineer disappear in such mysterious circumstances? And who are the two ghosts inhabiting his house in 21st century London?
Jamie and Todd are thrown into the mystery when they spend a weekend in London with Jamie's Uncle Simon who lives in the house that once belonged to Hector Lightfoot. Simon takes the two boys to see Hector's recently-discovered underground lab at the British Museum. When the building is struck by lightning, the two boys are sent back in time to the year 1862. They know that their only chance of returning home is to find Hector. But where is he? And can they avoid being sucked into a life of crime while they search for him? Full review...
A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
Being childless, I've never had reason to read books out loud to youngsters. I've never faced the challenge of having to pace the story verbally, find the very easily understood stress of the sentence for the young mind, or more importantly find the voice for each and every main character. There are a host of people who would have read this book and its sequels to their children however, and they never had to find the voice to read it out at all – for my generation, the TV version of Paddington is still firmly fixed in our minds after many a decade. But I can also remember reading a copy of this opening collection of short stories at that age as well – and everything associated with Paddington Bear is only going to bring back the firmest of warm memories. This lovely new volume will only create a host more too. Full review...
Ruby Redfort: Catch Your Death by Lauren Child
It's the life thousands of young girls dream of: kindly but improbably vague parents who rarely (if ever) ask what you're up to, a completely trustworthy best friend who would die rather than betray your secrets, and, of course, a place in the top-secret spy agency which just happens to be situated below your town. Oh, and a few super-cool spy devices to get you out of trouble, of course. What more could a girl ask for? Full review...
Horrid Henry's Christmas Play ( Horrid Henry Early Reader) by Francesca Simon and Tony Ross
Horrid Henry is one of those characters that parents either love or hate. Some parents feel Henry sets a very bad example - and at times he does, but what child doesn't love a bad example? Other parents love Henry simply because their children love him. Horrid Henry Books not only help children learn to read, they encourage them to read for pleasure, and children who read for pleasure invariably become better readers. Full review...
The Dragonsitter's Castle by Josh Lacey and Garry Parsons
When Edward finds his Uncle Morton's dragons at the door, he is quite happy to take a shift at dragon sitting, along with his little sister Emily. His parents however are far less happy, and the fact that they are recently divorced only makes things more complicated. It seems that the dragons visit was completely unplanned, and the adults are completely unprepared for the event. The story is told in letters from Eddie to his Uncle, the former detailing the dragons' latest escapade, and the latter writing about one delay after the other. Eddie's mother is getting ready to go away on a yoga retreat and Dad's new girlfriend says absolutely no dragons. What are the children to do? Dad finally gives in, taking the dragons and children to the castle he is renovating in the hopes of striking it rich. Needless to say nothing goes to plan where dragons are involved and the grown ups are in for quite a few problems, but things work out quite well from the children's point of view. Full review...
Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kastner
Emil Tischbein has been given a great responsibility - to deliver 140 marks to his grandmother, who he is going to stay with on holiday. Pleased at being trusted with so much money by his widowed mother, the young boy is determined to keep it safe. But when he falls asleep on the train, he wakes up to find both the money, and the only other passenger in his carriage, a man who introduced himself as Max Grundeis, gone! Unwilling to involve the police for fear of arrest himself, as he thinks that he's wanted for painting the nose of a local monument, Emil stumbles on a ragtag bunch of children who offer to help him track down Herr Grundeis and get the money back. Full review...
