Reviews

Apache by Tanya Landman

Walker 2007
(Age 12+) A fascinating story about an Apache woman, who, rather than learn to prepare skins, cook and then be given in marriage, wants to be a warrior so that she can avenge the deaths of her family. The novel retells the trials of her training, the animosity of some of the tribesmen and her final test to ensure she is courageous enough to join the ranks of the warriors.

Her family was killed by a group of Mexicans, intent on avenging deaths of their families, and on it goes, one act of revenge after another, until many of the Apache are wiped out. It is an engrossing story, full of historical detail of the path of the Apache in trying to maintain their foothold on their land in the sweep of Europeans west across America. Along the way an amazing amount of information is given about the Apache way of life, how they survived, their rituals and customs.

What she eventually learns about her past, changes her motivation somewhat, but she remains true to her convictions. Readers will be taken on a fascinating journey.
Fran Knight

At the house of the magician by Mary Hooper

Bloomsbury 2007 ISBN 9780747588863
(Age 12+) A fascinating historical novel from Mary Hooper gives insight into Elizabeth times. Afraid of her drunken father, Lucy runs away from home to escape his beatings. On her journey to London to find work she rescues a young girl from a muddy river, and as a reward she is taken on as maid in their father's house. Dr Dee is court magician and consultant to Elizabeth 1 and Lucy is fascinated by the mysterious happenings in the house and longs to work for the Queen.

Hooper's characters are well developed and memorable with an interesting mix of fictional and real peoples. Lucy is a feisty heroine whose curiosity leads her into intrigue and danger. Tomas, the Court jester, adds spice to the tale, and the strangeness of Dr Dee and his beliefs are quite compelling.

Hooper has painted a convincing picture of Tudor England, giving details about the markets, clothing, food and the life of ordinary people as well as those connected to the court. There is even a recipe for making lavender wands at the end of the book as well as a glossary to help the reader with difficult words.

Readers with a taste for history and magic will enjoy this memorable tale. A sequel is to follow.
Pat Pledger

Memoirs of a teenage amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Bloombury, 2007
(13+) What if you were 16 and had lost your memories of the last three and a half years? Naomi wakes up in hospital after falling down the school stairs to find that she can't remember who her boyfriend is, why her parents are divorced or anything that has happened in those crucial years of teenage life.

The back cover blurb describes this as a love story, but it is much more than that. It is a coming of age story that gives Naomi a chance to gradually rediscover her life and decide if that is the way she wants it to be now. It traces her growing feelings about the troubled James, the boy who had found her on the steps and rode with her in the ambulance to the hospital and her awareness of how she had treated her parents in their divorce. She re-examines her friendship with Will, her partner on the school yearbook and her relations with her friends. Readers following Naomi's questioning of who she is will realise that there are choices to be made and that people can gradually change their attitudes and the way that they treat people.

Teenage girls will like this story because it has so many appealing ingredients: teenage problems, divorced parents, and three love interests - the bad boy, the stalwart male friend, and the tennis ace. However the questions that Naomi faces about identity and starting teenage life afresh provide plenty of food for thought for the reader.
Pat Pledger

The declaration by Gemma Malley

A highly original and chilling dystopian future is depicted in The Declaration. Longevity drugs have ensured that nobody needs to die, but as resources run out, people have signed the Declaration, promising not have children. The only children born are to those people who opt out of immortality and if found are seized by the authorities. Anna is one of these children who are known as 'Surpluses'. She lives a bitter life in an Institution where she is trained to be a house maid for the Legals. When a boy arrives from the outside, she hears disturbing information about her parents and is forced to make some difficult decisions.

The ideal of staying young is currently strong in our society with the media and industry pushing cosmetic surgery, drugs and potions to stave off old age. Malley has taken this further and shown the reader a world that so worships the idea of staying young that its people are prepared to give up having children. Anna's life in a stark home is brilliantly depicted with images of a ruthless matron, bullying of young children, semi-starvation and ruthless brainwashing staying with the reader.

This is a gripping tale that carried me along to finish the book in one sitting. Anna's development from a brain-washed girl to one who takes risks, is well handled. The conclusion is rather sudden but it does appear that there will be a sequel to satisfy readers.

Younger readers who liked the Uglies series or How I live now by Meg Rosoff will enjoy this and more mature readers could be guided to The handmaid's tale by Margaret Atwood or The Children of Men by P.D. James after reading this novel.

Pat Pledger

Paddy the wanderer: the true story of the dog who captured the heart of a city by Dianne Haworth

The subtitle says it all, this is the story of a dog. But not just any dog - Paddy wandered the wharves of Wellington, New Zealand for about ten years, loved by all who called him friend. At first he was a stray, but then he hung about the wharves so much that the wharfees grew attached to him, giving him a place to sleep, feeding him and giving him a name. He followed men onto the ships and traveled from Wellington to Auckland and back, sometimes around the islands and sometimes to Australia, but all the time, being watched out for and fed. He was so well known in Wellington that the taxi drivers clubbed together to pay his registration.

This is more than the story of the dog, Paddy. Behind the story is the history of New Zealand's wharves, with its down turn during the Depression years, its place in New Zealand's history of the unions and their part in keeping men in work. The setting tells us of the co-operation between the men who had little money and few prospects in a time when few had anything to be optimistic about.

Haworth has researched the story behind the memorial built on the Wellington wharves, filling out the snippets gained form the newspapers of the time, retelling stories told to her and imagining conversations between the people who cared for the dog. In this way she has built up the story about Paddy, partly told in fiction terms, but based on fact. It is sure to please students in middle school looking for a real book about animals that is easy to read and absorb. A glossary of terms, and some historical details, placed at the end of the book, complete this fascinating story.

Fran Knight

Old Tom's big book of beauty by Leigh Hobbs

When Angela Throgmorton gives Old Tom 'The Big Book of Beauty' little does she realise what he will do with the ideas in it. His stylish new looks included the SHOCKER, the FURBALL, the SHOW-OFF and the FABULOUS. But will he outstay his welcome at the Beauty Parlour and the up-market parties?

Leigh Hobbs continues the story of Old Tom with his delightful, funny drawings of an eccentric cat. Its wonderful prose would be great to read aloud. Children and adults alike will giggle at the adventures of Old Tom and will want to return to the book to seek out the finer details of the hilarious pictures.

Pat Pledger

Dragonskin Slippers by Jessica Day George

Allen and Unwin
(Age 11-14) What would you do if you were an orphan and your aunt decided to give you to a dragon? Instead of waiting to be rescued by a brave knight, Creel, the heroine of this delightful fairy tale, negotiates with the dragon of Carlieff and receives a pair of extraordinary embroidered slippers from his hoard. Journeying to the capital of the land, Creel uses her embroidery skills to make unusual and beautiful ball gowns. When the slippers disappear, Creel realises that they have magical powers and is plunged into amazing adventures trying to save the kingdom being destroyed by dragons.
This story has all the ingredients to appeal to young girls – a feisty heroine who uses her skills to gain employment, a handsome prince, evil princess and several interesting dragons. Mix these up in a fast moving adventure story and you have a winner.
This is an easy to read but quite compelling adventure fairy story. Girls who like this book may also be interested in books by Shannon Hale and Robin McKinley, who both write retellings of fairy stories.
Pat Pledger

The way of the warrior by Andrew Matthews

When Jimmu's father commits seppuku in front of him, giving him to his second in command, Jimmu's path is fixed, he must be trained as a samurai and seek revenge on those who led his father to kill himself, Lord Ankan and his family. His path is one way, kill Lord Ankan and then be ready to be killed himself or commit seppuku, and for this he is trained severely, not knowing the warmth of a family life or comfort from someone who loves him. He gains a foothold in Lord Ankan's household, rising through the ranks to be trained as a samurai.  Slowly he comes to realise that Lord Ankan is not all he has been led to believe, and his daughter, also one of his targets, is a lovely young woman who sees potential in Jimmu's eyes.

An amazing story of the redeeming power of love, The way of the warrior will have instant appeal to people in lower secondary school, as it details Jimmu's training and life being trained, and then his softening as he comes to realise that perhaps he is not on the right path. Much detail is given concerning the samurai and the art of war in Ancient Japan, and the household is drawn with an expert eye. Readers are drawn into Jimmu's life as he grapples with his loyalty towards his parents, and the reality of the life he is exposed to at Lord Ankans.

Fran Knight

You've got blackmail by Rachel Wright

A laugh out loud story about Loz, who with her boyfriend, Dex, try to track down a blackmailer, extorting money form their despised teacher, Mr Barnett. The letter, opened in error, has clues that they follow to hunt down the person involved. But trying to keep the detective work quiet, when the teacher concerned is going out with her mum, and Dex's little brother thinks he is a spy, and Loz's older sister screams for England, and your father has just left home, and the suspected blackmailer works for mum, then things are a little complicated.

Quirky, hilarious and brimful of wonderfully eccentric characters, You've got blackmail is sure to tickle the sensibilities of upper primary and lower secondary pupils.

Fran Knight

Red eye by Susan Gates

Usborne, 2007
(11+) Alfred Hitchcock's, The Birds (1963) is instantly recalled while reading this very frightening book about a group of gulls organized by a much larger than average gull, called Red Eye. They take over the small holiday town of McKenzie Point, until one boy, Danny, escapes, and goes to find help. He returns with two people of his age, Meriel, who can insinuate the minds of animals, and Ellis, an expert tracker.  Together the group evades capture and attempts to foil the efforts of the highly controlled gulls and creepers, the human slaves.

But on the way in this fast paced thriller, the birds cause havoc, diving upon people, raking their beaks across the backs of their necks and killing them. Red Eye finds he has power over Meriel and so makes her think she can fly, with almost disastrous results. It is a book with wide appeal for those who love the themes of horror, adventure and survival.  You'll never look at a cluster of seagulls the same way again.  This is the first in a new series called Animal Investigations, and has the first chapter of the second in the series at the end of the book. (11+)
Fran Knight

I, Coriander by Sally Gardner

Orion Children's Books, 2006

Always intrigued with historical novels, this was a revelation, as it mixes fantasy with an historic setting, which is a current trend, many fantasy authors using known settings from the past to set their story. So we have I, Coriander, set in the time of Oliver Cromwell, in London.

Coriander's mother dies in mysterious circumstances, and her father, beset by grief, is persuaded to look for another wife to ensure that his household is not targeted by the Puritans. The woman he chooses turns out not to be what he had hoped for, and bringing her strange preacher into the house with her, turns Coriander into a simpering girl called Ann. Shut into a chest for misbehaviour, Coriander goes to a different world, the one her mother came from, and here learns how to confront the woman in her house.

The stunning story is made more brilliant with the setting of the times. People can be denounced without reason, their house and property taken, or accused of witchcraft if they happen to be a helper in times of illness. The times are portrayed exceptionally well, with the spectre of fear around every corner. A wonderful story, detailed with real historic events and people, this should appeal to middle school girls looking for an adventure with events turning about a highly original and endearing character. (11+)
Fran Knight

Minna's Quest by K.M. Peyton

I am constantly surprised and thrilled at the number of historical novels being published of late, and equally astonished that this one is by K.M. Peyton. Peyton, born in 1929, is an award winning author, whose novels, now about 50, have been read since she first was published when she was 15. Her works have been made into TV series, and are constantly reprinted.

Minna is a young Celtic girl living in a Roman fort in Essex at the time when the capital of the empire was moved to Constantinople. The empire is in decline, but here in Britain, life goes on, but with the added problem of pirates fighting at the edges. Minna retrieves a foal, discarded at birth by her old friend, Theo, now the Roman commander. Raising the foal, she is distraught when her brother, in the Roman army, takes it as his own. But one night when the Germanic pirates sneak ashore to raid the defenseless fort, Minna rides for her life to find Tiberius, the commander of the area and report what has happened, bringing help to the community.

An exciting story, full of the life and times of Roman Britain, Minna's Quest is an engrossing read for middle school readers.

Fran Knight

Andie's moon by Linda Newbery

When Andie and her family move to London, they have a house in Chelsea to stay in while they search for a place of their own. Here Andie and her sister love to roam the King's Road, Prue eventually gaining part time work, but all their dreams are shattered when their parents announce that they are to return to their house in Slough as they cannot find a place to buy. It is the time of the Moon Landing, 1969, and Andie is obsessed with painting the moon, especially after she finds a boy her age in the flats who sneaks up onto the roof at night to watch the moon.

Melded together with lots of information about the swinging sixties, Newbery has created a charming story about a young girl following her dreams. Part of the series called The Historical House, this story about Andie and her sister will have wide appeal to upper primary girls.

Blood red snow white by Marcus Sedgwick

The Russian Revolution has started, people are dying of hunger, many are being killed for their loyalties to the Tsar or to Lenin, and in St Petersburg, an English journalist talks to Trotsky and the men at the British and American Embassies. He moves easily between the disparate groups, unwittingly placing himself in grave danger, unknowingly being watched by all camps. This man is, surprisingly, Arthur Ransome. Having only known about this man as the author of the Swallows and Amazon series of books published in the 1930's, I was intrigued to say the least. My interest and curiosity lasted for the whole of the book and then some.

Arthur has gone to Russia to escape a loveless marriage. He learns Russian within a few months, and writes articles for the major newspapers in Britain about the civil war, interviewing the most important people of the times. While talking to Trotsky, he meets his secretary, Evgenia, and so begins the love affair of his life, a woman he risks his life for. But through it all he seems quite innocent, and only when Lockhart from the British Embassy, asks him to meet some Latvians does he realise that Lockhart and others like him, are spies.

Sedgwick has made this story wholly engrossing, dividing it into three novellas, each adding a layer to the intrigue. Ransome was first known for his volume of Russian fairy stories, and this mythology runs through the book, starting with part one. Part two tells of his time in Russia, exposing the bloodletting which occurred, detailing Ransom's work as a go between and part three is told as a fictionalised biography, telling of Ransome's time with Evgenia and their efforts to be together. Wholly engrossing, astute readers in secondary school will revel in the details of life in such a chaotic time in European history, marvel at the innocent abroad that was Arthur Ransome, and be left with a multitude of questions to enrich their days. A stimulating, thought provoking book of the highest order.

Fran Knight

Eggs by Jerry Spinelli

Orchard Books, 2007.
(Age 9-13) Another one of Jerry Spinelli's wonderful, quirky books, Eggs uplifts the heart and leaves the reader with memories of a tale well told. It tells the story of an unlikely friendship between 9 year old David, grieving after the death of his mother in a freak accident, and Primrose, a 13 year old, who has taken herself away from her clairvoyant mother and lives in a caravan in the yard. The two meet on an Easter egg hunt where David comes across Primrose lying inert under a pile of leaves, pretending to be dead. Their unlikely friendship develops and each helps the other deal with the difficult things in their lives.

Rich characterisation is a feature of Spinelli's work. The reader feels an immediate bond with David, living with his grandmother, while his father works away from home, and with Primrose whose only contact with her father is a photo. Eccentric characters like Refrigerator John and Madame Dufee bring added enjoyment to the story.

Readers will find it easy to identify with the problem that David and Primrose share, each having a single parent and how they shun those who love them. They will delight in their adventures – sneaking out at night, searching for nightwalkers (maggots) and running off to the city. The humour of the dialogue and unusual characters lightens the underlying serious theme of grief and alienation.

I think this book would be a great read aloud and there are many issues that could be discussed: single parents, grief, immature mothers and the symbolism of eggs throughout the book and on the cover. Spinelli has delivered another fine, memorable and enjoyable read.
Pat Pledger