Review: Sally and the Lost Photograph by Judi Curtin and Rachel Corcoran (Children's, 9 years +, 10E/10E)

September 2024, O'Brien Press, 288 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Summary from The O'Brien Press

 Life in New York is exciting for newly settled Sally and her sister Bridget. When the girls discover an old photograph they are determined to find Miss Cameron's lost love, and maybe help their sick friend Betty too. Can everyone's stories have a happy ending?

Nayu's thoughts

I need to disclose I'm probably biased in this review as I love all books from The O'Brien Press and Judi's books are always superb, this one being no exception. I already know Sally from earlier books (see suggested read), so returning to her life was like returning to a friend. She and her sister Bridget have previously journeyed from Ireland to New York, which was a big culture. In Sally and the Lost Photograph the girls are more settled into life, and they are determined to help their friends find happiness. They have to be sensitive as all involved have reasons to not want direct help, and how they managed this was cleverly done with help from the universe too. 

I love how real life feels for the girls - they work really hard and unfortunately live in a not nice situation, but they don't let this get them down. They try and find the joy in life, such as good food and fresh air which they are mindful not to take for granted because not all their friends are so fortunate, like Betty. The siblings aren't wealthy at all, but they have more than Betty does so try and be clever in how they give Betty extra food and items. They have a different relationship with Miss Cameron as they work for her, but it is a sweet friendship all the same.

The historical setting feels realistic, it is nice not to have modern contraptions like mobile phones and the internet. They retain family ties despite living so far away, although the distance is often hard as they are for the most part on their own in America. I only put the book down when life made me, as Judi's easy to read style is engaging and often funny. I'm very eager for the girls' next adventure as life in their own flat without their evil family member will make a huge difference to them! 

Find out more at Judi's website and Rachel's website. 

Suggested read

Be sure to read other tales in the series including Sally In The City of Dreams by Judi Curtin, illustrator Rachel Cocoran (Children's, 9 years +, 10E/10E) 

Review: Invisible Me by Bobby Scoynes (Young Adult, 8/10E)

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January 2025, The Book Guild, 400 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Summary from The Book Guild

Invisibility – it’s a superpower, right? Well, not quite. Being the Invisible Boy... it's more of a curse.

Nayu's thoughts

First I need to confess while I didn't think it was a superhero book about invisiblity, I didn't realise it would be extremely detailed about how teen boys think. Some aspects of the book I totally would have preferred not to know! Which probably makes it perfect for young men to read, it just made me blush a bit. Moving on...

...it is a brilliant tale about feeling invisible, which I'm sure everyone feels especially if they aren't super popular in their school. It isn't just school life where he feels unseen, but at home too. Which thankfully he discovers by the end is so far from the truth. I did want to throw a pillow at him for thinking no one in his life cared about him. His mother loves him so much! He definitely struggles with self-esteem a lot, which is enough to deal with let alone figuring out he loved boys rather than girls. The tale is all about first love and how loopy it can make a person. It's about finally letting loved ones know who he truly is, which has a sweet conclusion I'm not going to ruin.

It has been a few weeks since I've read the book, my memory is like a sieve but I don't think the protagonist is ever named. Apart from the diary segments it's told from the first person point of view, and a quick google search hasn't revealed a name. I feel this is a deliberate omission to add to the realism of how invisible he feels. 

I didn't like all his behaviour, but teens do silly things. Falling out with the one friend he had lead to some really mean moments, which he thankfully regrets and does try to make amends eventually. However, all that drama is linked to his depression and poor mental health too. Life isn't easy, and unfortunately one one aspect of life is out of the balance the rest can topple over too, as he discovers. He has much drama at school with singing in a band and learning to be an opera singer (even I knew both wasn't a good idea), as well as juggling finding his true self and his mother's new boyfriend being around a lot. 

Being bullied is unfortunately something a lot of readers may be able to relate to, and does explain a lot of his erratic thoughts and behaviours. There is a resolution of sorts by the end, and it does deal with darker aspects of mental health which possibly should have had a warning at the start. I hadn't heard of Bobby before this book, but I tend to live in a cave when it comes to recognising famous people. 

Suggested read

For more teen drama with a female protagonist who is struggling with life check out Ellen Lives On by Lynda Haddock (Young Adult, 10E/10E)

 

Review: The Six Queens of Henry VIII by Honor Cargill-Martin & Jaimee Andrews (Children's, Non-fiction, 9/10E)

 October 2024, Hachette Children's, 48 pages, Hardback, Review copy

Summary from Hachette Children's

 We all know Henry VIII had six wives. But these ladies are FAR too interesting to only be known as wives. Did you know that Catherine of Aragon rallied her troops in full armour while heavily pregnant? Or that Anne of Cleves met Henry VIII BEFORE they married – only she didn’t realise, because he was in disguise! Or that it was Catherine Parr who persuaded the king to return his daughters Mary and Elizabeth – two of British history’s most famous monarchs – to the line of succession?

Nayu's Thoughts

I studied the Tudors at school, and I can tell you what happened to each wife: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survied, but I can't recall all the names, what happened to which wife and a myriad of other details. Those are all in this absolutely gorgeously illustrated book! The cover is stunning, I love how often what I believe is called the Tudor Rose features for all the queens. The bright colours make the historical facts all the more engaging. Relearning information about the brave women is presented in manageable chunks. 

Some of the queens lacked morals in how they met Henry or dealt with him before they and after they were married, but those facts are clearly explained and not lingered on. They all have inner strength and definitely were lucky to keep living since he was fond of executions. Each has the tale of how they met the King, then key moments in their lives are portrayed which makes them seem more real. I mean I know they were real, obviously,  but their contribution to the world is rather fascinating. I never knew Henry's final wife Katherine Parr wrote a book, or that Anne of Cleves needed an interpreter because she didn't speak English. 

I really liked how at the back the timeline of the queens as well as how they fit in the family tree was explained; sometimes it is easier to understand things visually in a timeline rather than simply having dates written down on the page. This is a brilliant introductory book to the Tudor queens, with all knowledge needed for younger students and perhaps a gateway to more indepth books for older ones. 

Suggested read

If you love learning about facts check out DK My Encyclopedia of Very Important Things by Dorling Kindersley (Children's, Non-Fiction, 10E/10E, short 'n' sweet review) 

 

Nayu's News #261 Apologies for the absence

Madoka from Aikatsu!

 

 

 Yes, I know it's been almost six months of silence. I'm sorry for that, just as I'm sorry for the delayed reviews to the publishers that are coming shortly. This year has been a bit on the crazy side with issues that indirectly then affected my health in unexpected ways. I needed the time to rest and recuperate, and checking blog emails simply wasn't on the cards. I'm back for now and have missed being here. Outside of the upcoming reviews I hope to post minimum every two weeks, maybe weekly but that will depend on staying pre-scheduled.

I have still been reading a lot, gaming and watching a lot of shows. I sady no longer have Disney Plus but Amazon Prime video surprisingly has  a lot of fun shows I'm enjoying. I've seen all The Grand Tour episodes, James May's cooking and travel shows. For drama I've watched The Handmaid's Tale, eagerly awaiting all the final season to be out. I'm currently slowly plough through The 100 and also The Wheel of Time, although it depends when I'm in the mood for them. It has to be said my favourite show at the moment that I'm watching some on DVD is Miss Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir. It's lighthearted, full of charm and comedy. I adore Marinette as she struggles being a superheroine alongside school life. 

Anyway, thank you again for being patient with me. I understand if I have lost some followers (I don't keep track), hope you enjoy the upcoming reviews!

Nayu's News #260: Happy 2025!

 

A new year episode on Aikatsu! means kimono time!

Please bear with me while I catch up with posts and emails. I was very unwell all of December, which sucked as it was one thing after the other. I'm maybe 85% back to normal for me, but still regaining strength and endurance. Doing lots of gaming, some reading, and lots of tv watching. Praying the rest of the year is a healthier one that's for sure!

FYI for now my craft blog is closed for new posts, maybe will reopen in the future but I tend to post on Instagram or Blue Sky now (under the username Nayuleska).

Nayu's News #259 Autumn catch up

Mizuki from Aikatsu! looking gorgeous as ever at night

 

 November has marched along mostly to me having a lot of poor sleep which was not very fun. It's why I decided not to catch up with October reading and playing lists, to give myself grace. Starting to sleep a bit better, kind of, which is nice especially as the weather is getting distinctly colder which my body hates. Busy with gaming or TV watching. I am getting back into the habit of watching anime daily as my rest time, which is fun for sure! 

 As for my laptop charger. My laptop is old, and in the next few years I will need a new one. For a long time whenever I use it the charger gets crazy hot, like so much so I feel it could be a safety issue. Last week I ordered a new one, not too expensive, thankfully. And you know what? It is so much cooler that I have to wonder what on earth was wrong my original one. It's been on a few hours and is cool to the touch apart from a slightly warm area. This is in stark contrast to the so hot I feared it might set on fire older charger. So if a charger is heating up, I advise getting a replacement. Maybe it can be cleaned if you a techincally minded person. I'm not and I don't want to electrocute myself thus a new charger happened!

Hope you all are having a good week start to autumn!  

Sakura from Aikatsu!

 

Nayu's News #258 No reading/gaming posts this month

best girl from AKB0048 anime Mimori! She shines so brightly ^u^

 

The past few weeks have been crazy, mostly recovering from vaccines and poor sleep. I'm thus skipping both September and October What I've read lists. I have read books, a lot have covers I can't show as they are too...mature for my blog. I skip the steamy scenes but do love the books. Plus I still haven't found the book where I like to keep track of what I've read/watched. It has vanished! I have started a temporary one but equally haven't read as much this month. So the next monthly catch up will be in December for November's reading. Apologies, but with little energy I have to focus on rest as Winter is not kind to me health wise. I'm getting through as I always do!