Category Archives: Book Reviews

Lyra’s Oxford by Philip Pullman My rating: 5 of 5 stars “This book contains a story and several other things.” So opens this slim and quiet little volume of Lyra’s Oxford, a book that truly contains a story and several other things, but maybe Other Things is how we should think of these latter objectsContinue reading “Lyra’s Oxford : Philip Pullman”

The Borrowers by Mary Norton My rating: 5 of 5 stars “It was Mrs May who first told me about them. No, not me. How could it have been me – a wild, untidy, self-willed little girl who stared with angry eyes and was said to crunch her teeth? Kate, she should have been called.Continue reading “The Borrowers : Mary Norton”

Starring Kitty by Keris Stainton My rating: 5 of 5 stars I was struck, very much, on reading this how adorable a book it is. The initial title in a new series from Stainton, Starring Kitty is a book about friendship and being who you are – and realising how important a bond true friendshipContinue reading “Starring Kitty : Keris Stainton”

Phoenix by S.F. Said My rating: 5 of 5 stars A brief diversion before I begin this review. Once, a long time ago, I went to see Persepolis in the cinema. For those of you who don’t know it, it was an animated adaptation of a wonderful graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi: –The Complete Persepolis.Continue reading “Phoenix : SF Said & Dave McKean”

I. Love. This. Book.

Five Children on the Western Front by Kate Saunders My rating: 5 of 5 stars I remember being quite concerned when this was first announced. I think it was the title, mainly, which worried me. It felt so bald somehow; this juxtaposition of E Nesbit’s glorious (and eternal) work against the awful bluntness of WorldContinue reading “Five Children on the Western Front : Kate Saunders”

The Whitby Witches by Robin Jarvis My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’ve written about The Whitby Witches before but never quite in the guise of a formal review. Upon the decision that I wanted to use this book in my PhD (and how, oh how could I not…), I knew it was time toContinue reading “The Whitby Witches : Robin Jarvis”

Arsenic for Tea by Robin Stevens My rating: 5 of 5 stars I was a little in awe of Stevens’ debut in this series, the rather glorious and as good as Christmas Murder Most Unladylike, and so when Arsenic For Tea came onto NetGalley, I did a tiny shriek of joy. And by tiny, IContinue reading “Arsenic for Tea : Robin Stevens”

Emma Hearts LA by Keris Stainton My rating: 4 of 5 stars A sequel, though happily not in that ‘you must have read and rememembered every inch of the first title in the series’ sort of way, Emma Hearts LA is rather delightful. It’s the story of the eponymous Emma who has moved with herContinue reading “Emma Hearts LA : Keris Stainton”

The Morning Gift by Eva Ibbotson My rating: 5 of 5 stars I was thinking about The Morning Gift this morning, this strange, heightened, musical book full of grace and elegance and wry sentences that curl in on themselves with sudden witticisms and side-remarks, and I was reminded about how good Eva Ibbotson can be.Continue reading “The Morning Gift : Eva Ibbotson”

Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan My rating: 5 of 5 stars The great grace of Crossan’s writing was made very clear with her debut, the quite beautiful The Weight of Water , and Apple and Rain is of a similar precise and graceful ilk. It is a very, very beautiful book. Elegant, subtle andContinue reading “Apple and Rain : Sarah Crossan”

A Little Princess; being the whole story of Sara Crewe now told for the first time by Frances Hodgson Burnett My rating: 5 of 5 stars Where to begin with Sara Crewe and her magical story of hope and dreams and imagination? Where to begin with this story full of richness, of sweetness, of grace,Continue reading “A Little Princess : Frances Hodgson Burnett”

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer My rating: 3 of 5 stars It’s difficult for me this book, and it’s one that I’ve put aside for a good few days before writing this review. My feelings are complicated and I hope to understand the complexities and tensions of that response through this review. So, let’s begin atContinue reading “Belzhar : Meg Wolitzer”

War Girls by Adèle Geras My rating: 5 of 5 stars I begin this review by telling you that this compilation, this collection of stories about World War One is one of the better (if not the best) book I have read this year and I am greedy for more. The authors that have contributedContinue reading “War Girls : A Collection of First World War stories through the eyes of young women”

No And Me by Delphine de Vigan My rating: 4 of 5 stars It’s a strange book ‘No and Me’ as it’s one which didn’t really get me until the end. Written originally in French and translated into English, it is full of eloquent and heartbeat like moments that sort of somehow just are, untilContinue reading “No and Me : Delphine de Vigan”

Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver My rating: 5 of 5 stars “Torak woke with a jolt from a sleep he’d never meant to have” This, the opener to Paver’s stone age saga, sets the scene instantly and does so with a great and vivid grace. This sentence. This book. This story, this richness of story,Continue reading “Wolf Brother : Michelle Paver”

Worrals of the W.A.A.F. by W.E. Johns My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’ve heard a lot about Worrals over the years. It’s a title I’ve sort of brushed into contact with, having read a lot of Girlsown, and so, when I received an email telling me that it was being reprinted by IndieBooks LimitedContinue reading “Worrals of the W.A.A.F : W.E Johns”

Nevermore by Linda Newbery My rating: 4 of 5 stars I always feel with Linda Newbery that I read her stuff on a slightly different level. She has such grace with her writing, such precise and skilled use of tone and of shadow and of light, that sometimes it can feel like an education inContinue reading “Nevermore : Linda Newbery”

The Manifesto on How to be Interesting by Holly Bourne My rating: 5 of 5 stars As Joss Whedon so rightly said, “High school is, among other things, … always, always about power.” (From here.) And as ABBA said: “The Winner takes it all.” Two drastically different authorial voices but both, I think, bearing relevanceContinue reading “The Manifesto On How To Be Interesting : Holly Bourne”

A few quick words of introduction for this one. I’ve been looking at art books all this week and I wondered whether to include The Rights Of The Reader in that. And I think that I can (well, that’s self-evident what with this post existing and all) but to be more precise, I think thatContinue reading “The Rights of the Reader : Daniel Pennac”

How Artists See: Feelings: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Love by Colleen Carroll My rating: 3 of 5 stars ‘How Artists See Feelings’ covers a series of artworks separated under the headings of: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Love. Under each heading, Carroll presents a simple spread of the artwork on one side and a little piece of textContinue reading “How artists see feelings : Colleen Carroll”

Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce My rating: 4 of 5 stars I adore Frank Cottrell Boyce. Millions, to me, remains one of the great pieces of perfect children’s literature. It is the book that I would have written if I could, if it had not already been written to such perfection beforehand. Framed is aContinue reading “Framed : Frank Cottrell Boyce”

What Is Contemporary Art? a Guide for Kids by Jacky Klein My rating: 4 of 5 stars I didn’t know much about contemporary art for a long time. I didn’t know that it even existed, in a way. I tought art and I thought about the traditional images of art; the oil paintings on theContinue reading “What is Contemporary Art? A Children’s Guide : Jacky and Suzy Klein”

The Five Senses by Hervé Tullet My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’ve been unpacking a lot of my books recently from eternal storage and amidst the general delight of rediscovering old favourites and all the Angela Brazils that I couldn’t remember I had, was this beautiful little book. Tullet’s introduction to the five sensesContinue reading “The Five Senses : Hervé Tullet”

Dark Portal by Robin Jarvis My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’m on a bit of a Robin Jarvis kick at the moment, and it was when I reread ‘The Dark Portal’ (the first in the Deptford Mice series) that I came to realise something. I think that Jarvis taught me the concept of story,Continue reading “The Dark Portal : Robin Jarvis”

Before we start, I think you need to know two things. 1.  I think I’m a little bit in love with what Nosy Crow do with their picture books. 2. I am very much a fan of what Elys Dolan does. I loved Weasels and when I saw Nuts In Space, I shrieked and leaptContinue reading “Nuts in Space : Elys Dolan”

Three Indian Goddesses. Jamila Gavin by Jamila Gavin My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really love Jamila Gavin. I love the elegance of her writing, the quiet subtlety of it and the way she tells rich and layered stories that never quite do what you expect them to do. This slim compilation of threeContinue reading “Three Indian Goddesses : Jamila Gavin”

The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Bunker Diary won the Carnegie this year, and, almost immediately, got a lot of less than favourable media coverage. Articles ranged from calling The Bunker Diary‘vile and dangerous’, through to other critics ‘refusing to review it’. Vulpes Libris have an excellent roundContinue reading “The Bunker Diary : Kevin Brooks”

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell My rating: 5 of 5 stars I think I’m going to have to redefine how I approach a Rainbow Rowell book. There are some authors I come to when I’m in the need of something short, satisfying – brief, almost. When I know I need to fix something inContinue reading “Eleanor & Park : Rainbow Rowell”

Boy In The Tower by Polly Ho-Yen My rating: 4 of 5 stars Boy In The Tower appealed to me mainly through that instantly evocative title. It’s a rich one that, and one which speaks a lot about the instant power of titles. Note the lack of a ‘The’. It’s not The Boy In TheContinue reading “Boy In The Tower : Polly Ho-Yen”

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Secret Garden is a glorious, wonderful book. For a book published over one hundred years ago (1910), I am surprised at how readable and how genuinely heartwarming it is. There’s a richness to this story that survives and thrives even withContinue reading “The Secret Garden : Frances Hodgson Burnett”

Binny for Short by Hilary McKay My rating: 5 of 5 stars It’s hard to write about family, I think sometimes. It’s a thing that a lot of people do for families, in their odd and pained and viciously real shapes, are part of all our lives and they are something which remain intensely personal.Continue reading “Binny for Short : Hilary McKay”

Olivia’s First Term by Lyn Gardner My rating: 4 of 5 stars Oh it’s taken me too long to get to this book. I first heard about Olivia’s First Term a fair while ago, reading descriptions and reviews which referenced the glorious heights of Ballet Schools (coughpetrovaruleseverythingcough) and I thought – I need to readContinue reading “Olivia’s First Term : Lyn Gardner”

Landline by Rainbow Rowell My rating: 4 of 5 stars I rather love Rainbow Rowell. I love the graceful quirks of her characters, and the way her literature is resolutely of itself. There is a palpable Rowell-ness (?) about her work, and I am falling in love with it more with every book I read.Continue reading “Landline : Rainbow Rowell”

Girl With a White Dog by Anne Booth My rating: 5 of 5 stars It’s always difficult reading and reviewing books by people that you ‘know’ and I do know Anne. I’ve talked with her a lot on Twitter about children’s literature, and I have a lot of time for her thoughtful articulacy. So youContinue reading “Girl With a White Dog : Anne Booth”

Hi So Much by Laura Dockrill My rating: 4 of 5 stars I keep coming across books which make me convinced that British children’s literature is experiencing a little bit of a golden age right now. Hi So Much, the second in the Darcy Burdock series, helped confirm that feeling. Vivid with voice and fullContinue reading “Hi So Much : Laura Dockrill”

Pea’s Book of Holidays by Susie Day My rating: 5 of 5 stars When I finished this, all I could think was: “I don’t read enough of Susie Day’s books.” These Pea books are glorious, wondrous things, full of heart and love and I am still glowing with the post-reading feeling several days later. IContinue reading “Pea’s Book of Holidays : Susie Day”

Only Remembered: Powerful Words and Pictures About the War That Changed our World by Michael Morpurgo My rating: 4 of 5 stars There are a lot of books out at the moment to do with the first world war. I’ve been privileged to review several of them, and when I saw this on NetGalley IContinue reading “Only Remembered : Michael Morpurgo”

The Case of the Exploding Loo by Rachel Hamilton My rating: 4 of 5 stars Reading and reviewing humorous books for children is always difficult. Reading and reviewing any humorous book is always different because humour is so intensely personal, and it’s always tempting to conflate your viewpoint with that of the intended audience. IContinue reading “The Case of the Exploding Loo : Rachel Hamilton”

Remembrance by Theresa Breslin My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book, this graceful slow burn of a book is rather glorious in how it creeps up on you. It is the story of two families and how their fortunes intertwine during the first world war. And it is a story of doubt, I think,Continue reading “Remembrance : Theresa Breslin”

See How They Grow: Foal by Mary Ling My rating: 3 of 5 stars As part of my aim to have a look at more non-fiction, I fell a little bit in love with this book from Dorling Kindersley. I have a lot of time for Dorling Kindersley and their approach. Their books are alwaysContinue reading “See how they grow: Foal”

Ash Road by Ivan Southall My rating: 4 of 5 stars Written in 1965, and winning several awards and being reprinted in a lovely edition by Text Classics, Ash Road is a visceral and brutally evocative story of the impact of an Australian bush fire on its rural community. It starts with a group ofContinue reading “Ash Road : Ivan Southall”

Viking Boy by Tony Bradman My rating: 4 of 5 stars Viking Boy is the coming of age story of Gunnar, whose peaceful life on his family steading is shattered forever by raiders. As his father dies, protecting his family, and his mother is taken prisoner by the raiders Gunnar swears a blood oath toContinue reading “Viking Boy : Tony Bradman”

Archie’s War by Marcia Williams My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’ve been planning to review more non-fiction on the blog for a while. A lot of it stems from inspiration provided by conversations with my peers both on and off, and the slightly uncomfortable awareness that non-fiction is something I very, rarely cover. AContinue reading “Archie’s War – Marcia Williams”

Stories of World War One by Tony (Comp) Bradman My rating: 4 of 5 stars I first heard of this compilation several weeks ago and the names of those involved made me sit up and pay attention. Anything which features Adele Geras is something great and joyful to me. Anything which features Adele Geras, JamilaContinue reading “Stories of World War One : (ed) Tony Bradman”

Dancer’s Luck by Lorna Hill My rating: 3 of 5 stars The second of one of Lorna Hill’s ‘other’ series, Dancer’s Luck is a fascinating read to somebody very much entrenched in the Well books. You’ll have to forgive me if I make any faux pas about this series as Dancer’s Luck is my introductionContinue reading “Dancer’s Luck : Lorna Hill”

Cowgirl by Giancarlo Gemin My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is such a weirdly entrancing and lovely book. I mean, genuinely so. Gemma on the Mawr Estate meets Cowgirl. Cowgirl is the school outcast; tall, angry, and best mates with the cows on her father’s farm. Cowgirl and Gemma are thrown into an odd,Continue reading “Cowgirl : GR Gemin”

The Everest Files by Matt Dickinson My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really like what Matt Dickinson does. I think he’s in the process of carving out a sort of modern Hardy Boys / Biggles esque niche; a sort of very ‘boys own’ adventure style reinterpreted for the modern era. I had a lotContinue reading “The Everest Files : Matt Dickinson”

Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell My rating: 5 of 5 stars Found floating in a cello case in the English Channel after a shipwreck, Sophie is adopted by Charles; a beautiful, good, eccentric and lovely character. Together the two of them live their oddly lovely life, acceptable to them but unacceptable to the authorities who eventuallyContinue reading “Rooftoppers : Katherine Rundell”

The Child’s Elephant by Rachel Campbell-Johnston My rating: 4 of 5 stars There’s a couple of things I need to acknowledge about my reading of The Child’s Elephant and it’s those that influence my rating and feelings around the book. This is a glorious big book, but it’s also resolutely a book of two halvesContinue reading “The Child’s Elephant : Rachel Campbell-Johnston”

Party Shoes by Noel Streatfeild My rating: 4 of 5 stars There is something rather lovely about Streatfeild’s England. Every village has a family full of a thousand siblings. There are sensible and yet approachable adult folk. There is always a girl who is earnestly in love with ballet who ends up being recruited toContinue reading “Party Shoes (Party Frock) : Noel Streatfeild”

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor My rating: 4 of 5 stars A Daughter of Smoke & Bone is spectacularly not within my frame of reference, and yet, there is something so beguiling about its grace and artful, painterly writing, that it is one to read regardless of genre, regardless of feelings aboutContinue reading “A Daughter of Smoke and Bone : Laini Taylor”

Every Day by David Levithan My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have heard a lot about this book. It is a beautifully elegant hook. A. wakes up in a different body every day. A. is sixteen always, but his ‘host’ may be fat, thin, short, tall, black, white – anyone really. And every day,Continue reading “Every Day : David Levithan”

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell My rating: 5 of 5 stars Oh this book. Every lunchtime this week, I have sat and hugged it to myself and wanted those lunchtimes to never end. Rainbow Rowell is beautiful here, Fangirl is beyond gorgeous and you should very much buy this book. I have not been this evangelicalContinue reading “Fangirl : Rainbow Rowell”

I was excited to receive some items from Priddy Books recently; several titles from their new range – the Little Friends books. I like Priddy Books. I’ve featured their books before, as I like what they do and I like their production values. They are quality, solid books and these are no exception. They are, ifContinue reading “Little Friends books – Priddy Books”

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith My rating: 5 of 5 stars There are certain books which form the bedrock of British children’s literature. Tom’s Midnight Garden is one, Carrie’s War is another and I Capture The Castle is a third. Written by the great Dodie Smith (perhaps more well known for her booksContinue reading “I Capture The Castle : Dodie Smith”

Saving Daisy by Phil Earle My rating: 4 of 5 stars Daisy is trying to hold onto the life she has, but each and every day sees her losing her grip on it just a little bit. And when the worst of things happen, when tragedy strikes, she has to decide whether she sinks orContinue reading “Saving Daisy : Phil Earle”

Scorpia Rising by Anthony Horowitz My rating: 4 of 5 stars Horowitz’s genre-defining (genre-creating?) stories of teenage spy Alex Rider were always going to end. Alex would grow up. Alex would die. Life would take him from this odd, mad role he’d fallen into as one of Britain’s youngest spies. A child, really, pulled intoContinue reading “Scorpia Rising : Anthony Horowitz”

Model Misfit by Holly Smale My rating: 4 of 5 stars I keep going back to my review of Smale’s debut novel, the first in the Geek Girl series, and wondering about what I wrote. I think, in a way, and in light of what I’ve just read, I need to explain it a littleContinue reading “Model Misfit : Holly Smale”

Foxy: Rivalry at Summer Camp by Belinda Rapley My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’d heard about Rapley’s Pony Detective series on the grapevine and marked it down as one to watch. It’s a series of books, for sort of seven / eight year olds and upwards, set around a group of pony-obsessed friends whoContinue reading “Foxy – Rivalry at Summer Camp : Belinda Rapley”

Black Beauty’s Family by Josephine Pullein-Thompson My rating: 5 of 5 stars Black Beauty’s Family is a compilaton of stories written by the estimable Pullein-Thompson sisters. They’re all spin-offs from Black Beauty, and feature the life stories of other horses in his family tree. Each story centres on one horse from the start through toContinue reading “Black Beauty’s Family : Christine, Diana, Josephine Pullein-Thompson”

Alphaprints: ABC by Roger Priddy My rating: 4 of 5 stars ABC books are hard, complicated beasts. It’s about pitch, I think, and it’s a vicious hard thing to get right is this concept of pitch. Children will form and shape their letters at different ages, in different ways, and have different ideas of whatContinue reading “Alphaprints: ABC”

Kentucky Thriller by Lauren St. John My rating: 5 of 5 stars So before we do this, I think you need to have a look at my review of the preceding titles in this series. Here’s what I thought of Dead Man’s Cover and here’s what I thought of Kidnap in the Carribean. Suffice toContinue reading “Kentucky Thriller : Lauren St John”

May Contain Nuts. by Jonathan Meres by Jonathan Meres My rating: 4 of 5 stars There are moments when you finish a book and you know instantly who it’s for. This one, the first in The World of Norm series by Jonathan Meres, is for my nephews. I love my nephews. I love how IContinue reading “The World of Norm : May Contain Nuts – Jonathan Meres”

Blackout by Sam Mills My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have a lot of difficulty with dystopian books, which is why you’ll find I review them very rarely. At their worst for me, they tend to slide into one, a sort of malleable ‘future’s bad but X can sort it out’ plot which barelyContinue reading “Blackout : Sam Mills”

Linnets and Valerians by Elizabeth Goudge My rating: 5 of 5 stars I have been in a bit of a slump with reading at the moment, reading books that have left me wanting, and reading books with a tight, tense, uncharitable air. This has not been productive; rather so, it has left me hungry forContinue reading “Linnets and Valerians : Elizabeth Goudge”

Hubble Bubble: The Glorious Granny Bake Off by Tracey Corderoy My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a charming and quite lovely collection of short stories by Corderoy, and illustrated by Joe Berger. Each story is about 40 pages, thickly illustrated, and with short chapters which sing to be read aloud at a storytimeContinue reading “Hubble Bubble : The Glorious Granny Bake Off : Tracey Corderoy & Joe Berger”

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild My rating: 5 of 5 stars This book and I, we’ve known each other for a long long time. It is one of those books that has been in my life for forever, really, I can’t quite remember a time without it. Without Noel Streatfeild, without the Fossils and withoutContinue reading “Ballet Shoes : Noel Streatfeild”

The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr My rating: 5 of 5 stars Kerr was the first author to genuinely, utterly terrify me. There are moments in When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit that brought home the impact of war to me like no other. She is rich and warm with her writing andContinue reading “The Tiger Who Came To Tea : Judith Kerr”

Blood Red, Snow White by Marcus Sedgwick My rating: 4 of 5 stars Segwick is such a writer. Such a writer. I have always struggled with the bald facts of history and the way that whilst precision and figures are all very good, somehow all I want to see – all I need to seeContinue reading “Blood Red, Snow White : Marcus Sedgwick”

Silver on the Tree by Susan Cooper My rating: 4 of 5 stars And so, my headlong, occasionally giddy, somewhat breathless rampage through The Dark is Rising sequence ends; and it ends here, with this book of almost breathless bigness and Breugel/Dali/Escher-esque overtones. It is a heck of a series this, huge and madly inventiveContinue reading “Silver on The Tree : Susan Cooper”

The Grey King by Susan Cooper My rating: 3 of 5 stars It is interesting to me that the first book to halt me in my headlong and gleeful devouring of the series was this book set in Wales, the fourth book in the series, set in the thin grey rain of Snowdonia. It isContinue reading “The Grey King : Susan Cooper”