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Recent Reviews

Welcome to The Book Corner

Reviewers this month:
Beth Woodhead, Resource Librarian
Jo Brown, Resource Librarian
Penny Cockerill, Resource Librarian

Eddie’s toolbox and how to make and mend things

by Sarah Garland, Frances Lincoln, ISBN 9781847800534                

This is another delightful outing for Eddie and his family. A handy neighbour moves in next door and soon he and Eddie are sawing and making. Meanwhile Lily and the new girl, Tilly, are having a lovely time collecting snails.

A lovely story in its own right, this will appeal to small children who love tools and making things. As usual there is plenty of practical, common sense advice.

Penny

A bit lost

by Chris Haughton, Walker, ISBN 9781406333831              

A baby owl falls asleep and drops off his perch. He is found by a very earnest looking purple squirrel who helps him to track down his mummy.

It’s not a terribly original plot, but it’s really nicely done. The retro 70s colour scheme (lots of olive, orange and purple) and delightfully expressive characters are wonderful.

 Jo

The great cat conspiracy

by Katie Davies, Simon & Schuster, ISBN 978184385970

The New Cat brings in dead things and attacks feet and when Dad finally throws him out he doesn’t come back. Eventually the children go to look for him.

Hidden amongst all the humour is some very grown-up stuff: the cat has decamped to live with an old lady with mental health issues, including compulsive hoarding. The children befriend her and try to stop the council from clearing her house out. Funny, touching, and with quite a bittersweet ending, this could be read on lots of levels.

Jo

One dog and his boy

by Eva Ibbotson , Marion Lloyd, ISBN 9781407142230

Hal desperately wants a dog but his image-obsessed parents think it would ruin their perfect house. They hire a dog for him for a weekend, thinking he will be bored by it after that time, but Hal can’t live without him, so they run away.

This is a pacy adventure story with a big heart (some bits moved me to tears) and loveable characters (particularly the dogs!). Some of the villains felt like they had come from a pantomime, and some parts of the story felt forced, which was disappointing, but overall this is a great read.  I loved the little illustrations as well.
Top Key Stage 2.

Beth

Ice Angel

by Charlotte Haptie, Hodder, ISBN 9780340894187

This is a beautifully crafted tale set in an isolated community that has been run by a single family for generations. Two boys’ efforts to re-establish their dead father’s illegal business bring all sorts of secrets to light and ultimately affect the whole town.

A good mix of emotions, a strong sense of place, and a cast of memorable characters draw together to make one very readable story.
Key Stage 2/3 crossover.

Jo

Eight Keys

by Suzanne LaFleur, Puffin, ISBN 9780141336060

Elise lives with her uncle and aunt as both her parents died when she was very young.  This coming of age book begins with Elise’s first term at middle school, and deals very perceptively with the difficult transition time.

Elise realises very soon after starting school that her friendship with her best friend Franklin is “babyish” and to fit in at middle school she will have to distance herself from him.  On top of that, she finds it hard to keep up with the work at middle school and finds herself struggling to stay afloat.

Suzanne LaFleur is supremely talented at getting into the minds of young people.   Reading this book, the emotions I had experienced as a “tweenager” came flooding back to me. The dialogue and characterisation are completely believable and she is brilliant at setting a sense of place.

In a sub-plot, Elise finds a key that unlocks a special room that her father created for her before he died.  She discovers that there are eight keys in total, each unlocking a door and revealing a room with a particular relevance for her.  Sometimes this worked, but occasionally it was a bit too sentimental for my taste.

However, LaFleur is such a talented writer that she still took me on this emotional journey with Elise, whereas I think some less accomplished writers may not have been able.  The story ends happily, and reassuringly.  It would be a great book to read for any child struggling to adapt to moving up to a secondary school, but it might be a bit worrying for children about to make the move.
Year 6+/Key Stage 3

Beth

A monster calls

by Patrick Ness, Walker, ISBN 9781406311525

Conor’s mother is slowly dying, he is being bullied at school, he has no-one to turn to… and then a terrifying monster appears at his window. The monster actually helps Conor deal with his emotions and to accept the inevitable death of his mother. It is a very strange and haunting story with echoes of other classics, but it certainly deserves the praise it has received for its emotional honesty and powerful storytelling. The illustrations work perfectly with the story (and are more effective at a distance).

The original idea behind this novel was Siobhan Dowd’s, and after her death Patrick Ness thought the idea was too good to leave unwritten, and so wrote it in his own words. The collaboration of these two brilliant storytellers is very successful.
Key Stage 3

Beth

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