Newest Confident Readers Reviews
Confident readers
Slightly Jones Mystery: The Case of the Glasgow Ghoul by Joan Lennon
There are spooks and ghouls aplenty in this story: readers avid for a delicious shiver or two will be pleased to know they appear right from the very first chapter. And in keeping with the wonderfully Victorian flavour of the book, it is body-snatchers, digging up a corpse to sell to a local doctor, who encounter the terrifying spectres. This is not a horror story, however, despite the scary setting of its opening pages: the haunted cemetery is simply one element in the complicated case of the disappearing treasures. Full review...
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg
Thirty years ago, Harris Burdick walked into a book publisher's office with samples of his work. He had fourteen stories ready for publication, but just brought one picture and caption from each. Burdick was never heard of again. The publisher spent many years trying to track down Burdick, showing the pictures to people - many of whom were inspired to write their own stories. (Shh about The rights of Chris Van Allsburg to be identified as...). Full review...
Power of Three by Diana Wynne Jones
Gair's father is the chief of their mount. Gair's mother is famous for being incredibly wise. His brother and sister, Ceri and Ayna, both have special gifts, and so it is just Gair who is left feeling ordinary and out of place. However, when a powerful curse begins to affect the livelihoods not just of his people but also their enemies, the Dorig, and the Giants, it is up to Gair to find a way for them all to survive... Full review...
The Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale by Elena Pasquali and Sophie Windham
There are three trees standing side by side on a hill. They dream together of what they hope to become in the future; one wishes to become a chest for the finest treasures, one wishes to be a ship carrying a mighty King, and the last wants to stay on the hillside quietly pointing up to heaven. The first is cut down and made into a trough, but then it turns out it is a trough in the stable where Mary gives birth to Jesus, so it becomes the manger for him. The second is made into a simple fishing boat, but then it is the boat which Jesus goes in when there is a big storm and he calms the waves. The third tree is cut down and forgotten in a yard until one day it is made into a cross. It is, of course, the cross Jesus is crucified on and becomes the symbol of hope, forever pointing to heaven. Full review...
Tales From Percy's Park: After the Storm by Nick Butterworth
One day, after a particularly wild and windy evening, Percy the Park Keeper discovers on his check around the park that an old oak tree has fallen down in the storm. All of the animals who lived in the tree ask Percy to help them find a new home. He loads them up in his wheelbarrow and, after a bit of an adventure, they finally find a new place for Percy to rebuild their homes. Full review...
Claude in the City by Alex T Smith
Claude is a sweet little dog who wears a beret and whose best friend is a sock called Sir Bobblysock. They live with Mr and Mrs Shinyshoes, and when Mr and Mrs Shinyshoes go out, Claude and Sir Bobblysock go out and have their own adventures which, in this book, involve capturing a thief in an art gallery and solving a medical mystery in the local hospital. Claude, who reminds me a little bit of Snoopy, is very endearing and it's amazing how much personality an old sock can have! Full review...
Tilly's Pony Tails: Moonshadow the Derby Winner by Pippa Funnell
We've met Tilly Redbrow before. She's of native American Indian descent but living with her adoptive family in the UK. To say that she is mad on horses is something of an understatement – just about everything she does revolves around them. This time she and her friends are having a sleepover at the Silver Shoe Stables, where – although no one is supposed to know about it – a famous racehorse is staying incognito because his history as a Derby winner means that horse thieves are after him. Full review...
S.W.I.T.C.H: Ant Attack by Ali Sparkes
It seems that Josh and Danny are about to meet their match. Despite being almost eaten by cats, birds, spiders and more when they've turned into creepy crawlies before in this series, they have a far worse foe this time - Tarquin, the snooty posh brat from up the road. How they survive him turning them into ants, and his misguided attempts to kill them, while all the time the next door neighbour's scientific research which is allowing all this transformation has to be kept a top secret, are all elements of this fourth book in the series. Full review...
Ice Angel by Charlotte Haptie
Rockscar City is controlled by the Scarspring family – or at least, its water supply is, which comes to the same thing. And the water which the citizens receive is stale and unpleasant, especially in the summer months. City authorities are obliged to spend vast amounts of money looking for new wells, but for some reason each excavation is sabotaged as soon as it is begun. So when Zack and Clovis decide to use the pure, sweet water from a secret spring high in the mountains to make and sell delicious ices, they run into all kinds of danger. Unless they're very careful, they will be made to disappear, just as their father did twelve years before. Full review...
S.W.I.T.C.H: Grasshopper Glitch by Ali Sparkes
One minute Mrs Potts is an innocent old biddy living next door to Josh and Danny, the next she's horrifying them by turning them into spiders, then bluebottle flies. But now they're working for her, trying to complete her bizarre body-swapping research. She's paying them back by driving them to school. Luckily there's not a chance that they might SWITCH while at school, or have to suffer a bully while in the shape and form of a grasshopper. Oops... Full review...
S.W.I.T.C.H: Fly Frenzy by Ali Sparkes
Josh and Danny have only recently recovered from being turned into spiders by the peculiar scientist woman next door. But however adamant they are it'll never happen again, they don't foresee a time when they're willingly taking a repeat dose of the SWITCH serum, becoming tiny flying detectives, and almost drinking up spills from the toilet rim... Full review...
The Curse of the Catastrophic Cupcakes (Boy Zero Wannabe Hero) by Peter Millett
Boy Zero Wannabe Hero has defeated General Pandemonium twice before, but as with all supervillains, he's relentless. This time, the General has come up with a wicked plan to conquer the world by making everyone float off into space by feeding them catastrophic cupcakes. Will Boy Zero be able to save the world yet again? Full review...
My Pet Show Panic! (Humphrey's Tiny Tales) by Betty G Birney
Humphrey is the classroom hamster of room 26 of Longfellow School. He's good friends with Og the frog, as well as the pupils at the school. We've met Humphrey lots of times before and thoroughly enjoyed his adventures every time. This time round, we're treated to a new series of tiny tales, for newly confident readers. Our first small adventure with Humphrey sees him being entered into a pet show, and trying not to fall foul of Clem, the big, yappy dog. Full review...
S.W.I.T.C.H: Spider Stampede by Ali Sparkes and Ross Collins
Meet Josh and Danny. Eight year old twins, both think they are taller than their brother, and both think the other is weird - Danny because Josh loves creepy crawlies, bugs and insects, and Josh because Danny doesn't. But they're about to be joined in equal amounts of terror when a mad scientific experiment turns them into spiders. Full review...
The Warrior Sheep Go West by Christopher Russell and Christine Russell
I like these Warrior Sheep, and the scrapes they get in by following their ancient prophecies and in trying to save their world. Last time they thought a mobile phone was itself a call from the gods, but still did have to save the day. Here they misread a page on the Internet - and if you can't accept Internet-using sheep, your children surely will - and decide to go to America to save their whole species. Full review...
The Demon Trappers: Forsaken by Jana Oliver
You know that old saying, 'never judge a book by its cover', I'm guilty of it. I always fall into the trap – if the cover isn't amazing I pre-judge. And that's exactly what I did when this book landed on my doorstep – I took one look at the broody vamp looking girl on the cover and thought 'emo'. How wrong I was. Full review...
Big Big Secrets by Robert Arley and Marisa Lewis
When Jake's science experiment goes wrong he isn't faced with a room full of bad-smelling chemicals and a D grade as most students would be - instead he discovers that he has shrunk his teacher to the size of a Barbie doll! His friend, Annie, gets roped in to help him take care of his newly miniaturised teacher, keeping it a secret and trying, desperately, to find a way to reverse the process... Full review...
Rose and the Silver Ghost by Holly Webb
This is the fourth volume in the Rose series, and its blend of magic, peril and excitement has proved a winning formula. Rose herself is a delightful character, combining the down-to-earth, practical qualities one would hope for in a housemaid with growing magical powers and a mysterious past. In this story, she discovers there may be a way to find out what happened to her mother a decade before, but her path is, as usual, fraught with danger and thrills. Full review...
Troubletwisters by Garth Nix and Sean Williams
Jack and Jaide Shield, twins, are living perfectly normal lives until a brief visit from their elusive father sparks an unexplainable, chaotic, reality-bending storm that destroys their home and introduces them to the mysterious world of the Wardens, a group gifted with diverse powers, and their perpetual struggle against a force known only as The Evil. As young Wardens, or Troubletwisters, just growing into their Gifts, the pair struggle to make sense of the chaos that surrounds them and discover the true nature of their heritage. Full review...
The Chronicles of Avantia: Call to War by Adam Blade
Our three heroes and their magical giant beasts are still trying to snatch the quarters of an ancient, power-giving mask from the clutches of their realm's enemy. They're not doing too well in the chase, for he has two of the bits, and even his assistant they thought dead at the end of book one is still around. Can they have any luck this third time of asking, even when their country is being ravaged, turning once-helpful villagers against their quest, and their enemies are getting stronger by the battle? Full review...
The Deathless Pirate King (Dragon Blood Pirates) by Dan Jerris
Well, after a six-book series, Al and Jack the 21st-Century boys found an ancient, treasured sword and scabbard, but they and their magic are incomplete. Four special diamonds are who-knows-where, but the first just might be found when they try to reunite a lovely, kidnapped princess with her freedom and her family jewels. Standing in the way, a near-undead pirate with sharp blades at the toes of his shoes... Full review...
The Great Cat Conspiracy by Katie Davies and Hannah Shaw
Meet the new cat. A vicious thing, it's fond of having a go at any passing human feet, and is even able to stand its ground against the neighbourhood dogs. It also has a great habit of making a mess with its kills, which comes to a head (literally) when the front end of what was the vicar's prize carp ends up on Tom's pillow. After that the cat vanishes. Has it finally met a match? Has it been catnapped - and if so, who is seeking revenge by doing so? Full review...
Lulu and the Brontosaurus by Judith Viorst and Lane Smith
Lulu is every parent's worst nightmare. She always, always gets what she wants, quite often by rolling around on the floor screaming until the light bulbs pop. She is, quite simply, a child in desperate need of Supernanny! For her birthday Lulu decides she would like a Brontosaurus. Her parents, for once, say no, and no amount of screaming makes them change their mind. So Lulu sets off into the forest to find a brontosaurus by herself. The trouble is, when she finally does find one he isn't too keen on the idea of being her pet and actually would much prefer that she became his pet! Full review...
Milo and the Restart Button by Alan Silberberg
'Starting over is like pressing the reset button on a game that makes you lose all your points and wipes out any of the good stuff you've spent hundreds of hours learning...'
Milo's restart button was pressed by the death of his mother. Since that awful day, life has not been good. His father has retreated inwards, his sister is always angry, and they've moved house several times. Full review...
The Daily Journal of Arabella Crumblestone by Sharon King and Rose King
Arabella Crumblestone was making her way along a dry-stone wall in Northumbria, courtesy of a sheep named Leroy, when she met the two human children, Faith and George. George gave her a piece of chocolate (although she didn't know that's what it was) and she was grateful. The boy had no words, but he hummed. The next day he returned to the wall with his sister who never seemed to stop talking. Arabella was lonely – but could she trust Faith and George? Hunger, cold and loneliness made her decision for her and before long she had a bed in Faith's warm pocket. Full review...
Will Gallows and the Snake-bellied Troll by Derek Keilty
Will Gallows is not your average boy. Finding out the name of the baddie who gunned down his policeman father, he takes it upon himself to get revenge, by bringing him in - even though he's the nastiest gunslinger around. Oh, and a troll with snakes coming from his belly. Will, being not your average boy, is half-elf, however, and can talk to his flying horse to help him on his way. But is there more to the story of his father's death than he thinks, and just what is it with all the earthquakes his town is suffering? Full review...
Neversuch House by Elliot Skell
Omnia is a girl who likes to know things, and when she sees something unusual she sets out to find out what is happening. It is a decision which almost kills her. Something is not right at the heart of Neversuch House, and at least one person is determined to stop her finding out what it is. Full review...
Who Stole Mona Lisa? by Ruthie Knapp and Jill McElmurry
Taking in a history of its production, as well as its theft, Who Stole Mona Lisa? is an intriguing look at La Gioconda. The story is told from the point of view of Leonardo da Vinci's painting herself, and will strike a chord with any intelligent and curious youngsters. Full review...
Spindlewood: Pip and the Wood Witch Curse by Chris Mould
Pip doesn't want to be sold to Captain Snarks as a pirate's cabin boy. He is sure he'll get sea-sick, and he would far rather continue to work at the stable yard. But the foul-breathed drunkard who runs the orphanage refuses to listen: he will receive more money for the lad if he sends him to sea. On the way to the docks Pip manages to escape, and he stows away in the rear carriage of the Stage Fright Theatre Company, charmingly described as 'dancing masters of the macabre'. Our hero remains there for many days, hidden from everyone and only occasionally sneaking out to find a bone to gnaw, until the travelling troupe arrives at its destination, Hangman's Hollow. And then Pip's troubles begin in earnest. Full review...
Take Me Home: Tales of Battersea Dogs by Melissa Wareham
Melissa Wareham always wanted a dog but her parents would never allow it and she didn't get good enough exam results for her next option – becoming a vet. Not one to be deterred she joined the staff at Battersea Dogs Home, first as a kennel maid and eventually as the head of rehoming. 'Take Me Home' is the story of some of the highlights of her life at the home and some of the dogs which she met whilst she was there. Full review...
School According to Humphrey by Betty G Birney
After six near-perfect books' worth of adventures in Room 26, the class pet Humphrey the hamster faces a nightmare at the start of term. The entire pupil population has changed, and all his friends he's got to know and love (and be loved by) have been replaced by a new intake. Here are the absurdly tall and the unfortunately short, both with the same first name; here is the girl in a wheelchair pestered by an over-attentive helper. Can Humphrey solve all their problems - as he usually does - and, is the biggest problem of all the fact that his old friends no longer have a classroom pet? Full review...
Grace by Morris Gleitzman
'In the beginning there was me and Mum and Dad and the twins. And talk about happy families, we were bountiful. But it came to pass that I started doing sins. And lo, that's when all our problems began.'
This is exactly how Grace talks because she lives with her family as part of a separatist fundamental Christian sect. She goes to a church school. The school bus driver is a church Elder because she mustn't talk to or touch an outsider as outsiders are unclean. She can't eat outsider food without purifying it first - even ice cream must be microwaved. She wears her unruly, curly hair in a bun and woe is upon her when wisps free themselves from her hairpins. Full review...
The Clumsies Make A Mess of the Big Show by Sorrel Anderson
This is the third book about The Clumsies, two small mice who live in Howard Armitage's office, and manage, whatever the situation, to make a mess! A big show is being put on at work, and Howard's boss wants Howard to sing. The Clumsies decide to intervene, in order to help out Howard, and chaos ensues... Full review...
Mouse Guard: Legends of The Guard by David Petersen
To start with, I have never heard of Mr Petersen and his Mouse Guard franchise. But I'm often up for an introduction to a fantasy cycle, and I always relish being welcomed to an author by the most esoteric, unusual, quirky and short route. My first entry to the His Dark Materials world was a collector's spin-off, and I'm just as likely to start the Twilight series, if ever, with the latest brief whimsy. And for those of a similar mind-set, this collection of tales from the pens of guest writers and illustrators, serves as an odd-shaped doorway on to this particular universe. Full review...
Horrid Henry's Thank You Letter by Francesca Simon and Tony Ross
I'm sure most of us have, at one time or another, found ourselves being forced to write a huge pile of thank you letters to distant relatives, perhaps even for gifts that we weren't all that excited to receive in the first place! This is the predicament that Henry finds himself in, and rather than knuckle down to get them over and done with he, of course, procrastinates as much as possible before coming up with an ingenious, money-making scheme! Full review...
Just William by Richmal Crompton
Whether it's a trip to the cinema, babysitting a youngster, being a page boy at a wedding, or running away from home to take a job below stairs, the 11-year old William Brown can always be relied on to create chaos and havoc wherever he goes. This short story collection (the first of 38 books) is a wonderful introduction to a classic character. Full review...
The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen, Naomi Lewis and Christian Birmingham
Kay and Gerda are dear, dear friends. However, Kay gets splinters from the Devil's shattered magic mirror in his eye and heart, changing his personality for the worse. Shortly after, he is whisked away by the Snow Queen. Everyone assumes Kay must have fallen in the river and drowned, but Gerda is sure her friend is still alive, and embarks on a magical quest to bring him home again. Full review...
The Story of Britain by Patrick Dillon and P J Lynch
Author Patrick Dillon has put together a clear, well-written and beautifully concise story of Britain, summing up the history of Britain and Ireland in a little over 320 pages. Significant events, ranging from the Norman Conquest to the South Sea Bubble, and groups of people ranging from highwaymen to the Romantic poets, are each dealt with in between 1 and 3 pages written in Dillon's chatty, easy to read style. There are also maps, including those of the D-Day landings and the Civil War battles, a timeline for each major period (Middle Ages, Tudors, Stuarts, Georgians, Victorians and Twentieth Century) and some gorgeous illustrations by former Kate Greenaway winner PJ Lynch. Full review...
Flyaway by Lucy Christopher
Isla has a wonderful relationship with her father. He is the kind of man, she says, who would never tell her to come in out of the rain, because he would be out there too, enjoying the pleasure of jumping in puddles. But his heart is weak, and when he collapses and has to be rushed into hospital, Isla is bereft. Full review...
The Girl Savage by Katherine Rundell
In Zimbabwe, Nice Will Silver has lived all her life with her father Nice William Silver, his employer Nice Captain Browne, and her friend Nice Simon. But when Nice Captain Browne falls in love with Nasty Cynthia Vincy, Nice Will is uprooted from her roots and sent to an English boarding school, run by Nice Miss Blake and her assistant Nasty Mrs Robinson. How will she cope? Full review...
The Wombles at Work by Elizabeth Beresford
Bloomsbury have re-issued another tranche of the original Womble books, following the release of the first titles in late 2010. This brings the total to six available titles for you to have a Wombling good time with. And quite frankly, what's not to love here? Any story featuring Elisabeth Beresford's environmentally-minded, charming characters is a delight, for young and old alike. Full review...
Gladiator: Fight for Freedom by Simon Scarrow
Marcus's father was a centurion in the Roman legions. After the slave revolt led by Spartacus was finally put down, he retired from the army and bought a farm on a small Greek island. Marcus has spent most of his boyhood on the farm, learning to train dogs, shoot his sling accurately and dreaming of one day becoming a fighter like his father. But the farm is in debt and Marcus's life is about to crumble... Full review...
