Newest Confident Readers Reviews
House of Secrets: Battle of the Beasts by Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini
Columbus and Vizzini’s sequel to House of Secrets is action packed, cinematic and compelling. Their influences are myriad and range from the Goonies and early Harry Potter (directed by Columbus) to the fantastical and creepy writings of pulp novelist Robert E Howard, Gothic author H P Lovecraft and Ray Bradbury. The result resembles an explosion of colours from a renegade paint box of genres crossed with high octane movie plots. Fantasy, science fiction, magic, action, horror and war combine to create a curious mix of the supernatural and the historical. Full review...
Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo and K G Campbell
Holy bagumba! What a gem of a book. When Kate DiCamillo decided to tell a story featuring a crazy vacuum cleaner, a 'natural-born cynic' who loves comics and a special squirrel she probably didn't imagine the odyssey her book would take. What she has created is an affectionate tribute to the super heroes of comic books intertwined with the belief that anything is possible. It is further illuminated by the expressive, imaginative and humorous graphics of K G Campbell. There is interplay between individual full page black and white drawings and panels of sequential art as the antics of DiCamillo’s eccentric and vulnerable characters evolve. This is enhanced by the use of speech bubbles shaped like clouds and experimentation with different fonts. Full review...
The Curse of the Pampered Poodle: Mariella Mystery 4 by Kate Pankhurst
In this latest instalment of the popular Mariella Mystery series, the Mystery girls are off for a sleepover at the local museum to investigate some decidedly strange goings-on involving a stuffed poodle called Misty. If reports are to be believed, bad luck seems to follow this cursed canine everywhere, leaving death and disaster in her wake. It is said that anyone who insults Misty will hear a loud bark and then be plagued with bad luck as the infamous curse strikes again. Full review...
An Episode of Sparrows by Rumer Godden
It is post war London and in a private garden in a prosperous square someone has been digging up the earth. The formidable Miss Angela Chesney of the Garden Committee is convinced that a gang of local boys from nearby Catford Street is to blame. Her sister Olivia, a more thoughtful and kindly woman, worries about these children, ‘the sparrows’ and believes that there is more to this than petty theft. Meanwhile in Catford Street a little girl named Lovejoy Mason, abandoned by her mother to the care of restaurant owner Vincent and his wife, nurtures hopes and dreams of her own. As this story unfolds these very different lives become entangled in ways none of them could have anticipated. Full review...
Valentine Joe by Rebecca Stevens
Rose’s grandfather Brian takes her to Ypres to pay their respects to his dead brother, but while there she notices the grave of a 15-year-old boy, Valentine Joe. Tormented by thoughts of such a young lad dying so tragically, she wakes up that night and looks out of the window to see the strange sight of a 1910s town, and a soldier marching. Slipping back in time, she meets Valentine Joe himself – but why has this happened, and what will the future be for these two children? Full review...
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe and Yanai Pery
A man sits, slumped over his books and in his quite ugly pyjamas, seeking relief from grief, when he starts to be haunted by a knocking from outside his chambers. He only sees a darkness when he first opens the door – mirroring the darkness inside, for he is in mourning. When he opens the window, he is doubly haunted – both by the memories of his beloved Lenore, and the figure of a raven that enters the room and remains, with its one-word mantra of a message. We are in the world of the 1840s and of Poe, as never seen before… Full review...
Pigsticks and Harold and the Incredible Journey by Alex Milway
In a world where explorer's backpacks are able to fit pigs, hamsters, voles and ducks, sits Pigsticks, dreaming of surpassing his forepigs in their adventures. When his itchy feet get the better of him and he finds himself in need of an explorer's assistant, he finds Harold the hamster – well, angry mice don't really cut it. They make an unlikely duo, but when the Battenburg cake is packed the earth is their oyster, and in trying to find the ends of it they make for a most unlikely journey too… Full review...
Childish Spirits by Rob Keeley
Ellie and her mum and brother Charlie have moved into Inchwood Manor. Ellie's mum is going to transform the old house into a heritage visitor attraction. Ellie doesn't mind this but she does wish her dad had come too. But for some reason, he hasn't. And if Ellie wasn't texting him, he wouldn't even know how they were getting on. There's a great deal of work to be done to get Inchwood Manor ready and mum is busy with manager Marcus. Charlie is busy being fed up at being stuck in the back end of beyond. And so neither of them notice the strange things that Ellie does... Full review...
Operation Sting (SWARM) by Simon Cheshire
There are bugs and there are bugs. The latest ultra-secret British security body, SWARM, uses both at the same time – micro-robots based around the forms of a mosquito, scorpion, spider, butterfly, stag beetle, dragonfly and centipede. They're only supposed to be showing themselves off as surveillance operatives while a high-tech weapon device is transported by a sole human agent across London, when it's stolen. The dangers of it being in the wrong hands, the very fact that the demonstration failed, and the disapproval of the Home Secretary at not knowing SWARM ever was on the cards in the first place, all pile the pressure onto the tiny robots' shoulders… Full review...
Tom Gates: A Tiny Bit Lucky by Liz Pichon
It's enrichment week at Tom Gates' school, which means lessons in unlikely subjects, such as pizza cooking and film-making. It's been badly tagged onto the school's inspection period, too, so the staff – who have never been appreciative enough of Tom's ways at doodling and ways into and out of scrapes – are even more on tenterhooks. It's also enrichment week at home, with Tom's parents deciding he needs less time watching TV and more time witnessing dad get all excited about making a kite. Tom's enrichment ideas for himself involve doodling more, rocking with his school band, and eating more caramel wafers, but he's not going to get his own way – the only one who will is the new neighbourhood cat from next door… Full review...
Dead Man's Cove and Kidnap in the Caribbean: Two Laura Marlin Mysteries by Lauren St John
The first book in the Laura Marlin series was Dead Man's Cove and it introduced us to the young orphan who dreams about being a detective. We loved the story and the fully rounded and well-drwawn characters. Full review...
Arrowhead by Ruth Eastham
Thirteen-year-old Jack doesn’t believe in the local myths and legends of Norway. Until he finds the frozen body of a Norse warrior boy trapped in the ice, carrying with him an ancient arrowhead. The arrowhead bears a terrible curse, which leaves the adults struck down and nature itself turning on Jack’s town, and the rest of the world. With only his friends Skuli and Emma to help him, can Jack save the day? Full review...
The Tin Snail by Cameron McAllister
It's France at the 1938 Paris Motor Show. A wonderful new car has been unveiled: the Deux Chevaux or 2CV for short. It looks a bit odd and is nicknamed Tin Snail but this is a car for the people: functional, reliable, affordable. And its inventor is just 13 years old! But WWII is about to break out and France is about to be occupied by the Germans. The Tin Snail must face a perilous journey - to carry a farmer and his wife, a flagon of wine and a tray of eggs, across a bumpy field in a sleepy French village without spilling a drop or cracking a shell - and then go into hiding... Full review...
Mutant City by Steve Feasey
After a devastating chemical war, the world is slowly rebuilding itself. A select group had hidden away in underground bunkers and, when they re-emerged, built six cities in which the genetically pure live in luxury and comfort. But outside the city walls, everything is very different. The survivors there are mutants, fighting for survival in degrading, impoverished circumstances. Full review...
Hairy Horror by Sandra Glover
In many ways, Anna’s life changed for the better when her mum married Steve. She now has a real dad for the first time in her life, as well as a beautiful home in the countryside and a gorgeous new baby brother, Jamie. In fact, you could describe her new life as almost perfect, apart from one rather major detail: her teenage brother Hal has a Top-Secret lab in the basement and he has been working on a BIG project involving a hairy tarantula called Tula. If there is one thing that Anna can’t stand, it’s spiders and Tula is anything but an ordinary spider... Full review...
The Case of the Secret Tunnel (Maisie Hitchins) by Holly Webb
'Maisie Hitchins' is a detective series set in Victorian London centred on the adventures of our titular heroine who lives and works in her grandmother’s boarding house. In 'The Case of the Secret Tunnel', Maisie has to solve a mystery involving art smugglers, stolen washing and the London Underground. Sleuthing is hard work, but Gran won’t be pleased if Maisie neglects her chores, especially as the boarding house has a new guest, one who seems to be acting very suspiciously indeed... Full review...
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Seventeen Coffins by Philip Caveney
Poor Tom! He's barely recovered from his time-slip journey to plague-ridden seventeenth century Edinburgh when he's off again, this time to the nineteenth century. Just like on his first journey he's lost and friendless, and in deadly peril – but somehow, he ends up once again employed to feed the pigs. It seems some things never change. Full review...
Charlie Merrick's Misfits in Fouls, Friends, and Football by Dave Cousins
The world, we are told, loves a trier, and Charlie Merrick is one of the world's biggest. His only hobby and only skill is in football, but his intent is never matched by his actual talent – a statement that stretches to most of his team-mates. With several under-12s league games under their belt and with no points to their name, Charlie must try his hardest to get the squad working as a team, which is hard considering what he has to put up with, and even harder when he makes some very unfortunate decisions… Full review...
The Glass Bird Girl by Esme Kerr
Edie is a new student at Knight’s Haddon boarding school – but not just any new student. Planted there by her uncle, who can fix anything, she’s been given a mission – to investigate the problems his client’s daughter, Russian princess Anastasia is having. But what seems like it’ll be a straightforward case of schoolgirl bullying is actually much more complicated, and dangerous. Full review...
Red Shadow by Paul Dowswell
It's Moscow in 1940. Misha's life transformed when his father was offered a job in the Kremlin by his old revolutionary comrade, Stalin. Misha's life is easier in many ways than those of his peers - he lives in a spacious and comfortable flat, and he has plenty of good food to eat.
But Russia is at war - currently allied to Hitler's Germany but about to be betrayed by them. And Stalin is both paranoid and unstable - this is the time of the purges and nobody is safe from denunciation. Full review...
Marooned in Manhattan by Sheila Agnew
After her mother's death, Evie has to move to Manhattan to live with her uncle Scott, who she doesn't know too well. Initially she's convinced that she'll take him up on his offer to let her return to Ireland and move in with her godmother at the end of the summer. Between helping him out in his veterinary practice, making new friends, and getting to know the city, though, Evie starts to wonder whether she should stay in New York - but one person wants to take the decision out of her hands. Will she be able to make the choice for herself, and if so, where will she end up living? Full review...
Ash Road by Ivan Southall
The North Wind is blowing. It's churned its way across two thousand miles of Australia, and it brings with it ferocity, and an endless dryness. Above, below, to either side of it, and in front of and behind it, is heat. This is a summer in the early 1960s and the land is suffering above-century heat. Unfortunately, through pure accident, three young lads out camping in the bush have started a fire, and it's getting worse and worse under the conditions that are ideal for it. Although in the leeward side of a large reservoir, the small community of Ash Road would surely suffer if the conflagration were to become big enough to threaten them – and it is, it is… Full review...
Over The Line by Tom Palmer
Jack Cock made his debut as a professional footballer for Huddersfield Town and that fragile dream of playing for his country came just a little bit closer, but this was just before the beginning of the First World War, when there was immense pressure on young men to do the honourable thing and join the war to fight in France. Over the Line is the story of Jack's war, of joining the Footballers' Battalion, playing in the Flanders Cup, fighting in the trenches and not just surviving but being decorated for bravery. After the war he scored England's first international goal and was one of the first of the modern generation of 'professional footballers'. Full review...
Mars Evacuees by Sophia McDougall
If you want to know how the average young adolescent thinks and speaks, read this book. Yes, it's a sci-fi adventure with monsters and robots and space travel. And yes, it's a story of war to the death with invisible aliens. But kids are kids, no matter what the circumstances, and anyone brave enough to get on a ship for a week with three hundred young people and no parents is, frankly, asking for trouble. Full review...
Going Home by Cliff McNish
Ralphie, Fred, Mitch and Bessie are the ‘No-Hopers’- dogs who have been at Happy Paws Rescue Centre for so long that it seems unlikely they will ever find new homes. Bessie, a beautiful collie, has a fear of being touched; Mitch can’t stop chasing cats; Fred is depressed and despondent and Ralph is horribly disfigured. Luckily for them, Happy Paws has a policy of never putting a healthy dog down. However, when a new manager takes over the centre, the rules change and it becomes a desperate race against time to find the No-Hopers a home. Full review...
Horrid Henry's Wedding by Francesca Simon and Tony Ross
What on earth was Prissy Polly thinking? If she had wanted her wedding to Pimply Paul to go without a hitch, why, oh why had she insisted on asking her awful cousin Horrid Henry to be a page boy? One thing is for certain: when you take a certain horrid boy with a reputation for mischief and force him to wear a lilac shirt, green satin knickerbockers, tights, a pink cummerbund and white satin shoes with gold buckles, you are just asking for trouble... Full review...
Famous Five Colour Reads: A Lazy Afternoon by Enid Blyton
Perhaps the only thing better than a favourite author publishing a new book, is one of their old works that you missed first time around being re-released. The Famous Five, you see, didn’t just feature in their most well-known tales. They also had some short story adventures that were first seen in albums and magazines and whatnot, but are now being published as books in their own right. Hurrah! Full review...
Secrets of the Seashore by Carron Brown and Alyssa Nassner
This book starts in a rock pool. It’s not a boring, quiet, calm place, though, it’s bustling with life, and with every page that turns we learn more about the mysterious creatures that live within it. You might not see them at first, but with a hint of magic they appear. Full review...
The Edge of the Cloud by K M Peyton
First things first: this is a brilliant book and you could read it on its own but it's an extra-brilliant book if you've read the first book in the Flambards series. It's inevitable that there are going to be spoilers in this review so if you want to get the best out of this series, click away right now. I really won't be offended. Full review...
Flambards by K M Peyton
Christina Parsons was orphaned as a child and since then had been shunted around between various relatives, but her Uncle Russell decided that she must come and live with him and his two sons. The twelve-year-old discovered accidentally (it sounds a little harsh to mention that she was reading someone else's correspondence, doesn't it?) that the the aunt with whom she was living suspected that the plan was that Christina would eventually marry Mark, the elder son and the money (quite a lot of it actually) which she would inherit on her twenty-first birthday would be used to prop up Flambards - the Russell's country estate - which was falling into disrepair. Full review...
Scarlet Ibis by Gill Lewis
Scarlet and her half-brother Red have a dream - to watch flocks of Scarlet Ibises fly above Caroni swamp in Trinidad where her father comes from. They have a special bond. He is autistic and loves collecting birds’ feathers, feeling a sense of calm when he recites their names. She has caramel coloured skin while Red has white. They live with their mother in a flat but she has suffered from mood swings of late. Scarlet saves up to take Red on regular trips to the zoo where he feels safe. Red is fostering a baby Pigeon and waiting for it learn how to fly. Full review...
The Dark Horse by Rumer Godden
Dark Invader was a well-bred racehorse and had the looks to go with it but he was disappointing in his first season in England and his owner had better uses for the money his sale could bring. He was shipped out to India, which might sound rather extreme, but was not uncommon in the nineteen thirties and there were some benefits. The main one was that he was going to a good owner who cared for his welfare and a trainer who realised that he would get most out of his horses if they were contented. His new owner, Mr Leventine, even arranged for his lad to travel out to India with him and this was probably Dark Invader's greatest piece of luck. Ted Mullins not only loved the horse - he understood him. Full review...
Blamehounds (Little Gems) by Ross Collins
The idea began with Mr Lime’s bodily explosions (didn’t I put that nicely?) After three of them it was Norman the dog (who was entirely blameless in this matter so long as you’re willing to overlook the fact that he was having a lovely dream about dropping cats off bridges) who got the kick to speed him from the room. There were a couple more occasions when something similar happened but instead of getting a complex about what was happening, Norman saw an opportunity. A business opportunity. If dogs were going to get the blame then there should be something in it for them and he went into partnership with his best mate, Ringo (who does seem to be obsessed with sausages) and Blamehounds was born. Full review...
The Ice Bear by Jackie Morris
Long, long ago in the mists of time in an icy and barren landscape a bear gives birth to two cubs. While curled up close together the raven tricks the bear and steals one of the cubs away. The mother bear grieves and never forgets her loss. However the raven drops the bundle in the path of a hunter and he and his wife discover a longed for child. Seven years pass and the child wanders from his home and finds himself back in the land of the bears. He loves both families and both families love him so they must find a way to resolve this dilemma and learn to live together in harmony. Full review...
The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler
Alice is a little girls whose feet are planted firmly in the here and now. She's sensible. And studious. And practical. So when, one night, she overhears a conversation between her father and a vicious little fairy, she's more than a little shaken. But before she has had time to process this worrying event, Alice's father has rushed away on a business trip. Within days, the news comes that his ship has foundered and there are no survivors.
Alice finds herself packed off to stay with a mysterious uncle her father never told her about. Geryon is a strange man and his house is even stranger. Never-seen servants prepare food and clear it away. And the servants you can see are strange - Mr Black sinister, Emma an automaton. There's only one rule: Alice must not enter the Library... Full review...
Princess DisGrace: First Term at Tall Towers by Lou Kuenzler
We all know how princesses are supposed to be, don’t we? Pretty, dainty, delicate and feminine, with perfect manners and charm, of course. Unfortunately, it seems that nobody pointed this out to Princess Grace of Cragland; a scruffy, grubby, ungainly girl with spindly legs and huge feet. Her clumsiness earns her the nickname 'Princess Dis-Grace' from her fellow classmates, including her obnoxious cousin, Princess Precious. Can Grace rise to the challenge and become the well-groomed, elegant princess that she is expected to be in her first term at Tall Towers? Full review...
