Author Archives: Daisy May Johnson

Girl Online: The First Novel by Zoella by Zoe Sugg My rating: 4 of 5 stars Penny, aka GirlOnline, blogs about her life and the panic attacks she suffers from. Following a chain of circumstance, she ends up spending Christmas in New York with her family. Whilst there she meets Noah and the two ofContinue reading “Girl Online : Zoe Sugg”

Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam : The Spooky School by Tracey Corderoy My rating: 4 of 5 stars The thing about Nosy Crow books is that they, fairly uniformly, have a really high standard of design. It’s almost an unimportant skill, this, because when we read a book, we read a book and we don’tContinue reading “Shify McGify and Slippery Sam : The Spooky School by Tracey Corderoy and Steven Lenton”

There May Be a Castle by Piers Torday My rating: 5 of 5 stars I suspect there may be awards in this book’s future. It is a bath-go-cold sort of book; a wheeling, soaring skim through a car journey that goes very wrong and then into somewhere else. Somewhere other. And it’s in this otherContinue reading “There May Be A Castle : Piers Torday”

Looking at the Stars by Jo Cotterill My rating: 5 of 5 stars Amina tells stories. She has an imagination, a powerful one, and it’s been her companion throughout the war that has ravaged her country. Her family have felt the impact of this differently, but they are together. That is enough. That is enoughContinue reading “Looking at the Stars : Jo Cotterill”

What’s a Girl Gotta Do? by Holly Bourne My rating: 5 of 5 stars “Activate yourself” That was the take-home quote from a talk I attended the other day. The speaker was Sandi Toksvig who was eloquent, smart and spoke painfully on the erasure of women from politics. Activate yourself. She started a political party.Continue reading “What’s A Girl Gotta Do? Holly Bourne”

No Castanets at the Wells by Lorna Hill My rating: 5 of 5 stars These are the most beautiful books I own. The hardback editions of the Chalet School come close to them (that is, when I can sell my liver to afford one) but somehow they never quite reach the great grace of theContinue reading “No Castanets at the Wells : Lorna Hill”

Are We There Yet? by Dan Santat My rating: 5 of 5 stars There’s something rather extraordinary about Santat’s latest picture  book which investigates the imaginative potential of the road trip. Road trips are boring, really, unless you’re doing something. And if you are, then you’re not in the car. You’re eating something or photographingContinue reading “Are we there yet? : Dan Santat”

Fifty Shades of Feminism by Lisa Appignanesi My rating: 4 of 5 stars Fifty Shades of Feminism is a collection of short, bitesize pieces from a range of “some of the most significant feminists of our time”. The list is impressive, juxtaposing Alison Bechdel with Elaine Showalter with Sandi Toksvig and Kathy Lette amongst manyContinue reading “Fifty Shades of Feminism : eds Lisa Appignanesi, Rachel Holmes & Susie Orbach”

Binny Keeps a Secret by Hilary McKay My rating: 5 of 5 stars Binny Keeps A Secret sees Binny join a new school. This doesn’t go terribly well, and Binny is thrilled when a bad storm hits the town and wrecks the roof of their house. They have to move to a rented property inContinue reading “Binny Keeps a Secret : Hilary McKay”

Tennis Shoes by Noel Streatfeild My rating: 3 of 5 stars Streatfeild season comes when you least expect it. For me, it came earlier this week with the sight of Tennis Shoes on a library trolley, and then, as I read it and the evenings started to twist around the end of Summer and thingsContinue reading “Tennis Shoes : Noel Streatfeild”

Hilda and the Stone Forest by Luke Pearson My rating: 5 of 5 stars Dynamism. Dynamics. They’re abstract concepts and yet, when I come to Hilda and the Stone Forest, they’re incredibly relevant. This latest episode in the rather lovely Hilda series is a book that thrives on movement and dynamic, swift lines and panels.Continue reading “Hilda and the Stone Forest : Luke Pearson”

Through the Mirror Door by Sarah Baker My rating: 4 of 5 stars I need to tell you a little bit about the background of this review. I was originally offered a review copy of Through The Mirror Door, which I declined. The reason for that is because I share an agent with Sarah BakerContinue reading “Through The Mirror Door : Sarah Baker”

The Brownstone Mythical Collection: Arthur and the Golden Rope by Joe Todd Stanton My rating: 5 of 5 stars From the golden foiling on the front cover, to that rich and thick paper used throughout, Arthur and the Golden Rope is an absolutely beautiful book. I was very thrilled to receive a review copy ofContinue reading “The Brownstone Mythical Collection: Arthur and the Golden Rope : Joe Todd-Stanton”

The Power of Dark by Robin Jarvis My rating: 4 of 5 stars I grew up near Whitby. It’s a gorgeous, wild place. It hinges on the great jaws of the West and East Cliff and when you stand there, on that bridge between the two sides of the town, you can feel the wholeContinue reading “The Power of Dark : Robin Jarvis”

An Island of Our Own by Sally Nicholls My rating: 5 of 5 stars Life for Holly and her siblings is hard. Ever since the death of their mother, they’ve been trying to survive together. But surviving is hard and living is even harder; money problems, family troubles, and keeping a two bedroom flat togetherContinue reading “An Island of Our Own : Sally Nicholls”

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling My rating: 3 of 5 stars It’s complex to rate Harry Potter and the Cursed Child because it’s a complex piece this. It is rather wonderful, rather strange, and rather odd all at once. I suspect it’s perhaps a little bit of a paradigm shift inContinue reading “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child : JK Rowling, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne”

My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord by David Solomons My rating: 4 of 5 stars It’s very hard to do funny in the world of children’s and young adult literature. It’s even harder to do funny that doesn’t shift over to being cruel. Louise Rennison was the queen at this, balancing her delicious andContinue reading “My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord : David Solomons”

Chloe Takes Control by Phyllis Matthewman My rating: 4 of 5 stars I first came across the name of Matthewman in reading about my beloved Elinor M. Brent-Dyer. In the last years of her life, Brent-Dyer shared a house with Sidney and Phyllis Matthewman. There’s a fairly prevalent theory that Phyllis assisted with the writingContinue reading “Chloe Takes Control : Phyllis Matthewman”

The Otherlife by Julia Gray My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Otherlife, the debut novel from Julia Gray, skates on the edge of worlds; it is a story about darkness and the thin space between ourselves and something other. For Ben, this is The Otherlife – a world populated by magic, Norse mythology andContinue reading “The Otherlife : Julia Gray”

Maid of the Abbey by Elsie J. Oxenham My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’m so intermittent with the Abbey Girls that it always takes me a moment to orientate myself and figure out where I am in the series. Is Maidlin old or young? Is Joy a muppet or vaguely appealing? Is Mary DorothyContinue reading “Maid of the Abbey : Elsie J. Oxenham”

Killing the Dead by Marcus Sedgwick My rating: 4 of 5 stars I recently picked up a batch of old World Book Day titles from my local second hand bookshop. World Book Day, for those of who are unaware of what that means, publishes a series of slim novella-esque titles each year for the princelyContinue reading “Killing the Dead : Marcus Sedgwick”

Little Bits of Sky by S.E. Durrant My rating: 4 of 5 stars I talk a lot about how we read books before reading them. There’s so much about the book that we read before getting anywhere near that front page, that first word. The position of it on the shelves. The front cover. TheContinue reading “Little Bits of Sky : SE Durrant”

Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell My rating: 4 of 5 stars The first thing that caught my eye about Frozen Charlotte is that deliciously stark and scary cover. Eyes, staring, and the eternally terrifying premise of dolls. It’s a brilliant cover and one that stood out, rather immensely, from the rest of the shelf. AndContinue reading “Frozen Charlotte : Alex Bell”

Jolly Foul Play by Robin Stevens My rating: 5 of 5 stars Sometimes I think back to that first moment I read Robin Stevens. Murder Most Unladylike ticked all of my literary boxes in a way I wasn’t sure was ever really going to happen. Of course there are books out there that I love,Continue reading “Jolly Foul Play : Robin Stevens”

My Brother Is A Superhero by David Solomons My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’ve had my eye on this for a while; this debut from David Solomons which is steadily racking up some very big award wins, and upon finding it in the library I leapt upon it with eager hands. I possibly shriekedContinue reading “My Brother Is A Superhero : David Solomons”

Sweet Pizza by G.R. Gemin My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have a lot of time for what GR Gemin does. His first novel, Cowgirl, was one of those great serendipitous delights; a book which sang of the unexpected and was so resolutely lovely in that singing, that I was in raptures over it.Continue reading “Sweet Pizza : GR Gemin”

The School in the Forest by Angela Brazil My rating: 4 of 5 stars “What! Go to school! To boarding-school! I won’t I tell you I won’t!” So begins The School in The Forest and the story of fourteen year old Jean Langton, a spoilt heiress who is both inevitably orphaned and inevitably romantic. HerContinue reading “The School in the Forest : Angela Brazil”

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling My rating: 5 of 5 stars So this is where it all begins. This is a slim, tight story about a boy who is a wizard, and it is a story which has come to provide a bedrock to contemporary children’s literature. Not just British, IContinue reading “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone : JK Rowling”

Unbecoming by Jenny Downham My rating: 5 of 5 stars I finished reading Unbecoming, and I exhaled; one of those great shuddering breaths that rolls from your toes to your throat, and I felt clean. Cleansed. Whole. Unbecoming. Not just unseemly, inappropriate, but literally un-becoming. A process of being dissasembled and remade; of unmaking andContinue reading “Unbecoming : Jenny Downham”

Wild Lily by K.M. Peyton My rating: 4 of 5 stars It’s hard, sometimes, to write about KM Peyton without descending into ‘ISIMPLYJUSTLOVEHERANDYOUSIMPLYJUSTSHOULDTOO’ and so, I’ve taken my time over this review of her latest: Wild Lily, a novel of the 1920s and beyond, and of airplanes, and of foolishness/bravery/lovelovelove. One of the most foremostContinue reading “Wild Lily : KM Peyton”

Asking For It by Louise O’Neill My rating: 5 of 5 stars I start, I stop, I start again. I’ve written this a thousand times and still I’m not quite sure what to say. Perhaps I’ll always be like this with O’Neill’s work, perhaps I’ll always be unmade by her language. O’Neill’s second novel afterContinue reading “Asking for it : Louise O’Neill”

Silence is Goldfish by Annabel Pitcher My rating: 4 of 5 stars “From now on, every girl in the world who might be a slayer…will be a slayer. Every girl who could have the power…will have the power…can stand up, will stand up. …every one of us. Make your choice. Are you ready to beContinue reading “Silence is Goldfish : Annabel Pitcher”

Max’s Bear by Barbro Lindgren My rating: 5 of 5 stars The board book is an odd beast and one that it’s very easy to get wrong. They’re books that revel less in the text and more in the experience; of the pushing, the pulling, the chewing and the tasting. Board books are the booksContinue reading “Max’s Bear : Barbro Lindgren & Eva Eriksson”

Mango & Bambang: The Not-a-Pig by Polly Faber My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’ve never been the timeliest of book bloggers. A part of that stems from the books that I love; those richly layered books that speak of a classical sensibility and timeless potency, and those books about girls at boarding schools inContinue reading “Mango and Bambang : Polly Faber & Clara Vulliamy”

A Song for Ella Grey by David Almond My rating: 5 of 5 stars I think sometimes that if I were asked to direct somebody to one author in all of British children’s literature, right here, right now, then that author would be David Almond. Sometimes, yes, the shifts of the question and of theContinue reading “A Song for Ella Grey : David Almond”

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge My rating: 5 of 5 stars A long time ago I promised myself I would read more Frances Hardinge. I had come across her work beforehand in the rather lovely short story compilation Under My Hat, and been beguiled by her writing. Hardinge is not in my comfort zoneContinue reading “The Lie Tree : Frances Hardinge”

The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’ve been thinking a lot about advance reviews and the timing of them. I worry, sometimes, about reviews being lost if I do them too early or lost if I do them too late. Noise. Volume. But then, as I think this,Continue reading “The thing about jellyfish : Ali Benjamin”

Wendy by Karen Wallace My rating: 2 of 5 stars I had time for Karen Wallace’s stiffly written, dark, and yet strangely intriguing Climbing A Monkey Puzzle Tree, and so I came to Wendy with some interest. A prequel of sorts to the deliciously complex Peter Pan, Wendy tells the story of the Darling householdContinue reading “Wendy : Karen Wallace”

The Many Worlds of Albie Bright by Christopher Edge My rating: 4 of 5 stars This eccentric, rather vividly compelling book is something that I think will mark its space very distinctly in the world. I’ve come across Edge before, most notably with his richly layered Twelve Minutes To Midnight series – Twelve Minutes toContinue reading “The Many Worlds of Albie Bright : Christopher Edge”

The Follyfoot Collection by Monica Dickens My rating: 5 of 5 stars The horsey phase is, I think, a phase that so many people go through in their life. It is a phase that I went through and that a part of me remains lost in, despite not being near a horse for too long.Continue reading “The Follyfoot Collection : Monica Dickens”