Thursday 30 January 2014

Savage by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie (Young Adult, 10E/10E)


Not all that keen on this cover, the others were good
 December 2013, Doubleday, 336 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Content: minimal teen romance, bit of violence, some pretty guesome parts, some scary parts, perfect end, tissues needed.

Who do you run to?

Out in the forest, tensions are blazing like forest fire. The ancient rivalry between the Fenner and Gaudin packs has reached fever pitch, and only a battle will quell the blood lust.

Katelyn is caught in the middle, her pack loyalties tested like never before. The person she needs the most – strong, sexy, loyal Trick – has no idea about her dark secrets. And while werewolf wars are raging, the Hellhound is still out there, stalking her every move.

It’s time to take control. It’s time to get savage.

Nayuleska's thoughts
About 1/5 way through the book I nearly stopped reading because the appearance of a new player in the complex game which isn't a game that Kat is in took me out of the realms of believability. I thought Nancy and Debbie had lost the plot, it seemed such a ludicrous thing to happen it didn't feel right for the story. Boy was I mistaken in those early thoughts! I'm thrilled I kept going, if only at the time because I love the earlier books and wanted to know the truth.

I nearly set the book down about 1/2 way through because it was so scary crazy it was almost too much. There's are several reasons why I'm reading Young Adult sparingly, and stories becoming too gritty and intense is one, yet something kept me reading until...

...SQUEE!!! The plot twist which turns everything upside down for both me as a reader and most definitely Kat. I was so proud of how she handles every new revelation, how she digs deep and finds immense inner strength to get through the crisis. She is supported by unexpected characters, several are not what they seem to be, and she also relies on herself when she's too confused to trust anyone else. She listens to her human and wolf instinct, both which serve her well. There are more mega revelations, although after the first one which I had to tweet about the impact of them was reduced a bit because I kind of expected more insanely twisty plot turns. They are still epic, and the way the book ends definitely leaves me hoping this isn't the last we will see of Kat-I hate how I can't squee over what happens to her because I'd reveal huge spoilers which I refuse to do. I can safely say this series is staying on my bookshelf! 

Find out more on the dedicated website.

Suggested read
Check out where Kat's crazy life begins in Wolf Springs Chronicles Unleashed (Young adult, 9/10E) 


and where it continues in WolfSprings Chronicles Hot Blooded (Young adult, 9/10E)

Bonkers #2 All Aboard by Paul Langley (Children's, 7 years +, 10E/10E)

 June 2013, Single Ply Publishing, 65 pages, ebook, Review copy


The Tompkins family intended to take a holiday aboard a cruise ship bound for the Carribean, stopping on the first leg in New York.

Unfortunatley cats are not allowed on board a ship, so poor old Bonkers would have to spend the next three weeks at dear old Mrs McDonald's farm, with his two brothers Billy and Scruff and his sister Ginger. Bonkers was born there three years earlier.

How could they possibly think about going on holiday and leaving me behind? Hmmm we will have to see about that thought Bonkers to himself.

Nayuleska's thoughts 
When I say this book was perfect from cover to cover I mean it. There was plenty of page time for Bonkers, more than book 1 which pleased me. He gets into quite the adventure at sea. I loved how the Tompkins manage to make themselves known on the ship, making people love them as much as their neighbours do - yes I'm being sarcastic. Heehee! If anything this is more funny than book 1. There's the clever way Bonkers and co manage to get on board without anyone noticing, there's the pictures which are as expressive as the story (yes this time I can actually see the pictures unlike book 1...), here's the cuteness of the cats being reunited with the Tompkins' children, and the unexpectedly sweet ending. A perfect and hilarious read!

Check out the dedicated website.

Suggested read
Meet Bonkers for the first time in Boomerang (Children's, 7 years +, 10E/10E link to follow) 

Wednesday 29 January 2014

Angela Nicely Queen Bee! By Alan MacDonald and David Roberts (Children's, 5 years +, 10/10E)



 6th January 2014, Stripes Publishing, 96 pages, Paperback, Review copy 

Summary from Little Tiger Press
 Queen Bee features three wickedly funny stories about Angela. Whether she's matchmaking her teachers, flogging homemade lemonade, or dealing with the Ugly Sisters, she always has an answer for everything…

Nayuleska's thoughts 
Angela has crazy ideas which I discovered in the first two stories half work and then backfire. Amazingly her plan in the third story in this volume works well beyond expectation. Angela is loyal to her friends, not afraid to think outside the (lunch)box, eager to help others be happy, and always looks out for herself. I felt sorry for the mistakes she makes because her intentions are sometimes honest, and her young age means she doesn't think through the consequences of her actions. I love laughing so much over a book. 

Suggested read
Be sure to read the first book Angela features in, Angela Nicely (Children's, 5 years +, 10/10E)

Bonkers #1 Boomerang by Paul Langley (Children's, 7 years +, 10E/10E)


 March 2013, Simply Ply Publishing, 115 pages, ebook, Review copy

Summary from Single Ply Publishing
The 1st story of a series of three, the LAUGH OUT LOUD Boomerang book, tells the story of the Tompkins family and their cat Bonkers! Bonkers had an unfortunate accident, which left one of his eyes pointing north and the other one pointing south! The story follows the family and Bonkers through their crazy escapades involving a herd of Muntjac Deer and one particularly mischievous deer called Boomerang! 

Nayuleska's thoughts
Who knew 1 deer could cause so much chaos! Mr Tompkins is more than a bit unfortunate - everything that could go wrong does go wrong and then some! It's hardly surprising that few believe his version of events until they have solid proof - by then he has become such a nuisance to his neighbours in the course of trying to put things right so his wife will stop whisking the children off to her mother's that few care for the truth, they just want a decent night's sleep. 


Bonkers the cat doesn't feature quite as much as I'd expected but his thoughts add so much to the already laugh out loud humour. This book is definitely great if you need cheering up. Sadly my tablet didn't want to load the illustrations, but the fact that I adore the story on it's own leads me to believe with pictures like the front cover this book is an incredible read.

Check out the dedicated website.

Suggested read
Another hilarious tale is Llama Drama: In It To Win It by Rose Impey and Ali Pye (Children's, 7 years +, 10/10E)

Tuesday 28 January 2014

Looking At the Stars by Jo Cotterill (Children's, 11 years +, 10E/10E)


 30th January 2014, Bodley Head Children's, 384 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Themes: war torn country, innocence lost, segregation, prejudice, stupid rules, children being children, betrayal, losing everything, witnessing horrendous actions, fighting to survive, generosity, kindness, making thvmost of what you have, story telling, family ties,

Content: some scenes of violence, death, separation, tissues needed

Amina’s homeland has been ravaged by war for many months, but so far she and her family are safe, together. When a so-called liberating force arrives in the country, the family think their prayers for peace will soon be answered, but they are horribly wrong . . . The country is thrown into yet further turmoil and Amina’s family is devastated . . .

Through it all, Amina has her imagination to fall back on - of a better place and time. But can her stories get her through this?

Nayuleska's thoughts 
This isn't a book I'd choose to read at the moment because I always end up feeling awful for all the people like Amina and her family whose lives are wrecked by war and that feeling lasts a long while. But because I'm a fangirl of Jo's work I read it in stages, so it wasn't as overwhelming as reading it in one go.


Each reading left me a lot to think about. The countless restrictions that Amina and Jenna dealt with made me mad. Children are children, of course they will smile and laugh! They are inquisitive and intelligent, so I was glad when their parents reluctantly explained some of what was going on before the fateful night the soldiers came. After that, well, a lot of tragedies happened. I was thankful for the small breaks the sisters were given such as unexpected kindness from total strangers because that helped them continue living in terrible conditions.

I liked, how Jo used a country and a political system which is similar yet slightly different to those that exist today in areas of conflict. I learnt a lot about refugee camps - I hope real ones don't have a limit to the number of people they can help - that's too awful to dwell on. The plus side of where Amina stayed was that occasionally there was a real sense of community among the diverse people there who mostly had to be selfish and look out for themselves, instead of helping each other which Amina and her sister Jenna have different views on. Neither are wrong and neither are right. War is a funny thing where previous beliefs can change because of circumstances.

There is a lot of heartache in Amina's life which yes made me cry. However, as there always in Jo's stories there was a thin but firm thread of hope. Okay, so at the beginning when I couldn't see that hope I trusted Jo not to let me down. Amina learns that every talent has a place in life, and not to underestimate the powerful effect that talents have when used for others.

Although it's not a book that I will reread  the power and the sense of reality in Amina's story means this deserves the highest grade I have, 10E/10E. 

Find out more on why stars are warriors by reading the book and checking out Jo's website.

Suggested read
Jo's other books are also full of emotion (no war) - check out the Sweet Hearts series which I'm a total fangirl over, starting with Star Crossed (Children's, 9 years +, 10E/10E) 
 

Meet the Parents by Peter Bently and Sara Ogilvie (Children's, Picture book, 10E/10E)


 2nd January 2014, Simon and Schuster, 32 pages, Hardback, Review copy
Themes: family life
 
Summary from Simon and Schuster

You may think your parents just boss you around and tell you what to do. And there's no getting away from it - they do have to do quite a lot of that! But there's so much more to them - did you realise they are also tent poles for dens that are wonky, dustbins for bits you don't want to eat up and grandstands to make you grow tall? - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.co.uk/Meet-the-Parents/Peter-Bently/9780857075819#sthash.bFJjsyXp.dpuf
You may think your parents just boss you around and tell you what to do. And there's no getting away from it - they do have to do quite a lot of that! But there's so much more to them - did you realise they are also tent poles for dens that are wonky, dustbins for bits you don't want to eat up and grandstands to make you grow tall?

Nayuleska's thoughts
I enjoyed how the book didn't centre around one family - each scenario had a new set of parents, meaning
readers should be able to find someone close to their parents. It is truly amazing just how much parents
do-the story explains to readers why saying thank you to parents be they biological or otherwise is extremely important. There are plenty of activity ideas readers may like to try out which had me in stitches (the tent pole was one...). It seems that both the fun and furious as well as the more solemn and shocking parts of life get covered. I honestly thought the dog was dead in one picture, but it looks like it is playing and it's the decapitated toy which is the source of the upset. The animals and toys have brilliant expressions- the bunny on the back cover caught my eye with its eager expression as it boings around.

Find out more on Peter's website.

Suggested read
For more family related reads try Why I Love My Daddy illustrated by Danial Howarth (Children's, Picture book, 10E/10E)

Boys Don't Knit by T S Easton (Young Adult, 9/10E)


2nd January 2014, Hot Key Books, 288 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Content: Strong language, teen infatuation, teen boys' obsessions, some fighting 

Summary from Hot Key Books
Ben Fletcher must get to grips with his more 'feminine' side following an unfortunate incident with a lollipop lady and a stolen bottle of Martini Rosso from Waitrose. All a big misunderstanding of course.

To avoid the Young Offenders unit, Ben is ordered to give something back to the community and develop his sense of social alignment. Take up a hobby and keep on the straight and narrow. The hot teacher he likes runs a knitting group so Ben, reluctantly at first, gets 'stuck in'. Not easy when your dad is a sports fan and thinks Jeremy Clarkson is God. To his surprise, Ben finds that he likes knitting and that he has a mean competitive streak. If he can just keep it all a secret from his mates...and notice that the girl of his dreams, girl-next-door Megan Hooper has a bit of a thing for him...

Nayuleska's thoughts 
My enjoyment of knitting (albeit mostly crochet these days) is the only reason I started reading this book. I kept picking it up as soon as I could between unavoidable life tasks like sleep and a job because it is a fantastic read. Ben has an entertaining view on life. I'm happy to report he isn't drowning in teen angst - most of his concerns are valid. Who wants to be bullied? Who wants to be petrified of telling a family member about something they love? No one, but Ben deals with that and more. At first it seems like he hasn't got a lot of supporters, but they are there, just mostly in the background or being total nincompoops until Ben really needs them.

Not a lot of change happens between Ben and his little sister's relationship, but several others have profound changes thanks to Ben taking up knitting. Guys tend to be good at practical skills involving spatial awareness and Ben is immensely skilled in how he knits. I'd never thought it was possible to do what he does with a pattern! I chuckled when he slow started to enjoy checking out new yarn arrivals in the knitting shop, how he thought more and more about knitting, often in preference to mature magazines.

I confess to being wary of how much objectionable content might be in Ben's tale. There is a fair bit, but  I glossed over his friends' thoughts and exploits (the novel his friend writes is awful!) and focused on the friendships that are created thanks to accidentally assaulting the lollipop lady. Ben struggles against knitting competitors who use dirty tactics to succeed, but with the aid of some goats and a giant needle he ploughs on to a superb ending. I'm delighted there is a sequel, as I'd love to see what happens next. After all, Ben's dad's reaction is ridiculous. I was taken aback by it. Not every boy likes football! How Ben's mum deals with her husband made me smile, as did the entire book. It only loses marks for the mature content, and I hope more guys take up knitting because it is a fun hobby, very good for stress reduction. 

Suggested read 
An equally engaging, if a slightly more serious read is Last Chance Angel by Alan Gutteridge (Young Adult, 10E/10E)

Monday 27 January 2014

What are YOU reading? #203



What are you reading on Monday? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where you post books completed last week and plans for upcoming books. Jump over to her blog and see who else is participating.



Read


Sticker Dressing First World War
Children's, Sticker book
8/10E
(An easy way to delve into the complex war...)





The Secret Pyramid by Victoria Connelly
Children's, 10 years +
10E/10E
(An Egyptian adventure awaits Sasha thanks to her mother's job, full of excitement, intrigue and danger...)





One World Together by Catherine and Laurence Anholt
Children's, Picture book
10E/10E
(An insight into people's lives all around the globe...)





The Secret Dinosaur 2: Dinosaur Chase by N. S. Blackman
Children's, 7 years +
10E/10E
(A gripping second book in the adventure series!)





A Second Chance For Christmas by Nashin Sadeer
Fiction
9/10E
(A touching journey about a still grieving father and son slowly rebuilding their lives together...)








Watched


Winx: Season 1
REWATCH! - Anime, French version
10E/10E
(I'm falling more in love with this fairy series...)





Winx:  Season 5
Anime, French version
10E/10E
(Nearly at the episode where Stella turns into the spoilt toddler side of her personality-it's very funny  to watch!)





My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Season 2
REWATCH! - Anime, English version
10E/10E
(I watch this when I need something heart warming....)





Aikatsu
REWATCH! - Anime, Japanese version
10E/10E
(Yup, this is still my most watched anime although Winx [any season] is rapidly catching up at the moment...)






Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live
REWATCH! - Anime, Japanese version
10E/10E
(I've caught up with the latest episodes so will rewatch it from the beginning in the hope of new episodes being out by the time I've watched all the episodes...)





Pretty Rhythm Dear My Future
REWATCH! - Anime, Japanese version
10E/10E
(Finding it a lot easier to watch the episodes which don't have subtitles now that I know the story...)





Casualty
Drama, English version
9/10E
(I was blown away by how much I enjoyed this week's episode. The melodrama may have had something to do with it!)





Holby City
Drama, English version
8/10E
(A mixed episode, with Jack's personal issues with her sick baby being the best part, and the petty jealousy between Arthur and Dom being both stupid and amusing...)





New Moon
REWATCH! - Film
10E/10E
(Loving the entertaining teen angst...)







Craft etc
My body had been on strike a bit this week, so all I've managed hobby wise is a bit more on two projects.  Crocheting, I've decided to make the squares of what will be a blanket bigger.  My cross stitching progress.....it's not the easiest to see as I'm doing the vertical lines of white half stitch which add a bit of texture. Soon to be finished!! 




Baby Look: Baby Twinkle and Baby Sparkle (Children's, Picture book, 9/10E)


 November 2013, Caterpillar Books, 12 pages, Hardback, Review copies

Summary from Little Tiger Books (adapted to include both books)
This high-contrast baby board book is packed with baby’s first words! Every page has an eye-catching shiny red/blue finish and a simple illustration of one of baby’s favourite things.The black and white pages, with a bright colour and shiny red/blue foil, are designed with baby in mind.

Nayuleska's thoughts 
These are mega cute books with items related to each other on each double page spread. There's a simple swirly border which varies it's pattern on each page, then small random pattern around the main item of focus. The pages are easy to turn because as you can sort of see from the cover the corners of each page are different sizes. I liked how as well as the word being written beneath the item sometimes there is an additional word to explain what the item does eg crunch is used withe the apple.
 
Now, although I like the foil type effect which is on every item, I was a bit disappointed that both books had the same style of foil - I expected glittler to be used in one book to differentiate between sparling and twinkling. It's sad that I have to take marks off what are two delightful books for babies, but maybe the next books in the series will be different.

Suggested read
Other great reads for babies are Flip Flap Fun: Time for Bed and Honk honk! Baa Baa! by Petr Horacek (Children's, Picture book, 10/10E)

Sunday 26 January 2014

See-Saw Marjorie Stork by Jo Owen (Children's, 7 years +, 7/10E)


Winter 2013, 30 pages, ebook, Review copy

Summary from Amazon (I don't benefit by mentioning them) 
Even a Royal Baby needs a Stork; but what happens when there’s a Cuckoo in the nest?

Marjorie has to act, and act quickly, or the new Baby Prince may lose his inheritance and the Crown.

The Cunning Cuckoo plots to move into the Palace and the mindless Magpie wants to steal the Crown Jewels.

Can Marjorie scupper their plans or will the ravenous Raven get in her way?

Nayuleska's thoughts 
I loved the set up for the story, how everything was explained with good humour liberally tossed about, There's a fair amount of mischief for Marjorie to counter, but sadly this was where the plot felt rushed. With such a detailed build up I was surprised at how little time was spent on the secret mission. It felt like an important and significant chunk of the story was missing, the flow was rough which is a shame because the rest of the story is strong, funny and all in all enticing.
 
Suggested read
For more adventure check out Secret Kingdom: Enchanted Palace by Rosie Banks (Children's, 7 years +, 10/10E)

The Dragon with a Big Nose by Kathy Henderson (Children's, 5 years +, 8/10E)



 August 2013, Frances Lincoln, 96 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Summary from Frances Lincoln
The dragon with a big nose
and twelve toes
on each foot,
eats flies
and mince pies
and sometimes,
when he’s very bad,
whole towns
upside down…
 
Read about the dragon with the big nose, the gutter creature who rustles litter, and the dustcart dragon with his raging, rusty belly; watch the train rattling by, clackety-clack, clickety-click. Then find out if the new baby is magic, and whether Uncle Clem really had a blue mouse. But DON’T turn your grandmother into a frog!

Nayuleska's thoughts
I had to read this book in stages as I'm still not a major fan of poetry. All sorts of topics are covered: life in the city, pets, night time, imagination, weather,babies, electrical items, plumbers, transport and seasons. I particularly liked the poem about trains as the train carriages were pictures of real train tickets; the first poem talks about how much there is to read in the world and that reading is amazing; I was intrigued by the blue mouse; the layout of the crane poem was fun; the concept of electricity being invisible fire was clever; I loved the poems about rain because the style of the rain cloud and umbrella are like the ones I doodle; I liked how sometimes poems were linked to each other - there is definitely a poem for everyone!
   
Suggested read
For more poetry check out Here Come the Creatures by Wes Magee (Children's, Non-fiction, 9/10E)

Counting Sheep by Katherine Cave and Chris Riddell (Children's, Picture book, 7/10E)

 September 2013, Frances Lincoln, 32 pages, Paperback, Review copy 

Summary from Frances Lincoln
When Tom finds it hard to get to sleep, counting sheep is just the beginning - counting pythons and pirates, vampire bats and ghosts is a lot more fun. Readers are led on a wild and woolly counting adventure that goes all the way up to a hundred.

Nayuleska's thoughts
What looked like a cute fun read before I went to bed turned into me avoiding looking at the illustrations as I read the story. I'm proud I read every page as it's a catchy rhyme. Tom's plight is one younger readers can relate to-me,I like his bunny who is pretty expressive in all of Tom's adventures. However, the real downside of this book were that the illustrations (some, not all) freaked me out. I ignored the snakes as I hate them regardless what form they take. I adore wolves but theses were horrid looking ones, the pirates were a bit scary, surprisingly the goats looked evil (I'm a big Heidi fan and like my goats to be cute) and don't get me started on the ghosts! 

I did think the penguins were adorable, as were the bats (yes I really do think bats are adorable in their own way). I guess the creatures had to be scary so that Tom would need to get away from them, but if the reader is sensitive to how scary things are then this isn't an ideal read for bed (or at all). Thankfully most readers are made of sterner stuff than I am (I do appreciate the skill involved in creating the creepy scenes) and will love seeing so many of each creature on a page. Readers can think of which type of animal they would like to count and conjure up ways to escape them. I wish the games at the start and the beginning had an explanation as it looked like a fun board game.
 
Suggested read
Another story about bedtime which is similarly freaky is The Sleepwalkers by Viviane Schwarz (Second review on the page, Children's, 7 years +, 7/10E)