One Silver Summer by Rachel Hickman (Children's, 11 years +, 10/10E)

This may just be the proof copy cover - so pretty!

25th May 2017, Old Barn Books,  272 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Book Summary

After losing her mom in an accident, Sass is sent to live with her uncle in England. Far from her native Brooklyn, the rocky shores and crumbling castles of Cornwall seem like the perfect place to hide her grief. And when she stumbles across a silver horse in a sunlit meadow, Sass feels a surprising sense of peace . . . only to have it broken by a boy. 

Arrogant and distrustful, the horse's trainer, Alex, doesn't approve of the trespassing American. Yet after a few chance meetings, he begins to feel a connection to the curious girl with the sad eyes, and offers to teach her to ride. Sass never expected to feel anything again--least of all love--but the lessons reveal a far different Alex, and soon their friendship turns into something more.
 

But Alex has a secret--a bombshell about his family that could shatter Sass's trust . . . and force him to abandon the one girl who made him believe in himself.

Nayu's thoughts 

First of all apologies to Rachel-I skipped the non-Sass parts because I wasn't in the mood for them. I thought Alex was going to be a ghost - perhaps then t wouldn't have been such a huge surprise when his true identity was revealed. I had no idea it was that type of story which I enjoy reading. I was a bit worried the story would be too sad, with Sass's distress over losing her mother very obvious. I enjoyed how she slept where her uncle works, who has secrets of his own that had better be revealed further in a book 2!

I spied several plot threads heavily hinting at a sequel with plenty of info for misunderstandings to happen. Sass's life will certainly be different after the way this book ends. I liked that she had Harry the cat to keep her the a little distracted, although I didn't see him that much at the end. Pets are so very awesome when life is tough I may have forgotten seeing him, I was under the influence of mega strong medicine when I read it.

I loved how Sass's uncle tried to be there for her despite her keeping him at arm's length, the moments when she lets him in are touching. And yes her romance part of the tale is sweet and fairytale like. I'm not saying more than that! I will be rereading it for sure ^o^

Suggested read

Another touch book is Caramel Hearts by E R Murray (Young Adult, 10E/10E, short 'n' sweet review)

Review + Guest Blog Post: Fir for Luck by Barbara Henderson (Children's, 11 years +, 10/10E, short 'n' sweet review)

Check out the other tour stops!

 21st September 2016, Pokey Hat, 142 pages, Ebook, Review copy

Book summary
When 12-year-old Janet’s village is under threat– she decides to take action. It’s a split-second decision that could cost her everything: her home, her family – even her life.

Can Janet save her village from being wiped out? Or will her family and friends be forced from their homes to face an uncertain future?

Based on real life events, Fir for Luck is a tale of the brutal Highland Clearances, when land owners cared more about sheep than people. 
Nayu's Thoughts
This is a story based on history in Scotland, a hard read full of trials and the occasional bit of humour. If you love animals, especially cats, I advise not reading the cat incident. I was too curious, even though I felt it would be horrid, and it was. I was too shocked to cry, and felt a bit sick (I had just eaten some yummy cake too since the book isn't a fluffy bunny read). I don't have words for that part of the story.

As for the rest, it's gloomy, but Jenny does all she can to save her village. She is plucky, and as she discovers she isn't alone in her courage. I felt desperately sad for her grandmother who was having to relive her past, something that's told in flashback chapters. The end is happy and had me excited for Jenny's future, a future that she wouldn't have had if she wasn't stubborn and rebellious. Her own mother and grandmother have their own inner strengths which she gets to see and is proud of, even if they do berate her behaviour frequently.

Janet stands firm against negative attitudes to what she's doing from a few snobby villagers, who she ends up helping a little because it's the right thing to do, She struggles with being an obedient girl, as society would like her to be, but her sometimes rash actions make an enormous different to her village. Her life is in danger several times, not all from what I expected either, but shows how dangerous life was without hospitals in rural areas in the 19th century.

It's not a book I personally can reread, as it's so hard hitting, but it's one I'll remember for a long time to come. Including the cat part-giving my cat a huge hug when I next see her!

Find out more on Barbara's website, and find out a bit more in Barbara's guest blog post below!

Historical Fiction and Modern Kids by Barbara Henderson 

Fir tree leaves

My story Fir for Luck is set almost 200 years ago. How on earth, I wondered, could I make modern young people care about something that happened so long ago, in a society so very different from ours? 

 

I tried different approaches at the beginning, playing about with different points of view, tenses, structures, but in the end it boiled down to this: I wanted the true story of Ceannabeinne village, its resistance to the Highland Clearances and its defiance of authority, to be told from a child’s point of view. 

One of the things which had first fascinated me about these events was the fact that the eviction document was sent at a time when the Master knew all the men would be away. He must have assumed it would be easy to subdue a bunch of women and children, but he didn’t reckon on the strength and resolve of these characters who overwhelmed the servant of the law and forced him to burn the eviction document - the writ. My main character, I decided, had to be a girl. More than that, she had to be a spirited girl who riled against the constraints placed on her. A rebel.

The character of Janet began to form in my mind. How could I make it easier for modern readers to identify with someone so unlike them externally? By creating a lot of common ground internally, I thought. I could not change the historical setting, but as I have said before, I could change the lens through which we view it. First person story-telling would remove some of that distance. By choosing present tense, I removed one more barrier – the reader would now experience everything Janet experienced, as it was happening. 

I am well aware that the writing community is split on this issue – there are some who favour present-tense storytelling while others abhor it. In the end, I decided to write in a way which would feel most natural to me and tried not to worry about what publishing officials would think. 

Once the flashback strand was completed, I decided to set it apart, not only in italics but through a past tense narration, It creates a little bit of distance between readers and Anna, and probably protects young people from identifying with the cruellest, grittiest parts of this tale, allowing them to focus on Janet instead.

In Fir for Luck, I tried to aim for a faster pace than I had seen in classics like The Desperate Journey, to appeal to a modern audience, and short, punchy chapters should hopefully keep a modern young audience more engaged. 

But the most effective way of making Fir for Luck appeal to modern readers was nothing to do with me.

Kids hear that they should never judge a book by its cover, but we all do it. Now, some sort of old-fashioned image of a child in period costume would immediately communicate distance to modern readers. That character is nothing like me, they might think.

Nayu: There's more to the cover than I realised!

By focusing on the character of Janet, and zooming in so closely on her face in the cover, Cranachan’s in-house designer has created a common bond. Janet does not look remote. The cover, in some sense holds up the mirror image to a modern reader, challenging them: Look at me! I may have lived two hundred years ago, but look. I’m not so very different from you. The fire in my eye hints at the threat, it flags up the stakes. It could happen to you, as it it did to us.

 

Combining that simple design with modern narrative style and pace I hope that it will enable a modern reader to care about Janet, about her world and her plight. The history may be old, but the story should feel fresh, edgy and relevant. 

I’ll soon see what modern readers make of it. And that makes me just a tiny, little bit nervous…

Meeting of the Mustangs by Cathy Kennedy (Children's, 11 years +, 10/10E, short 'n' sweet review)

 April 2016, CreateSpace, 78 pages, Ebook, Review copy 

Book summary

A black colt is born into a band of wild mustangs and soon learns that life can often be difficult. Follow his story as he goes from a free spirit to being captured for profit, and discover how one man gains the trust and extreme loyalty of a very special horse.

 

Nayu's thoughts   

The horse stories I read mostly have some danger in, althogh they usually have a happy ending and involve human friendships. This one is more horse focused than human focused. Humans are involved, and a ful range of kindness and cruelty is explored, but oh boy is it a powerful read. It feels like the Disney movie Bambi in several places, so have tissues at the reader and only read this when you are emotionally prepared for it. 

I couldn't stop readin as the tragedies unfolded. Gutwrenching is an understatement. In a way it reminded me of the series The Silver Brumby by Eleyne Mitchell and Peter Archer which I read loads when I was at school. There's something captivating about the writing that kept me turning the pages despite being scared for the characters. It was interesting learning about wild horses habits, the fun they have, as well as the variety of dangers. 

The ending is sweet and happy, although I did want to know what happened next, so maybe there will be a sequel. I don't yet know if I will reread it, as it is hardhitting, but I fully recommend it if you love animals, especially horses but I'm not a horse lover in real life. I adore the fictional variety!  

Blog Tour review + guest blog post: Time After Time by Judi Curtin (Children's, 11 years +, 10E/10E, short 'n' sweet review)

5th September 2016, The O'Brien Press, 288 pages, Paperback, Review copy 

Summary from The O'Brien Press

Molly and Beth are best friends but they aren't too happy when their families move in together. But when the two are accidently transported back to the past, they have a chance to see the world through their parents’ eyes ...

Nayu's thoughts

A real bittersweet read about time travelling best friends). Well that's the simple version. Molly and Beth love each other, but a momentous decision by their families causes unexpected conflict, which was hard to read but made it feel true to life. They care about each other, even if Molly doesn't understand what it's like not to have a mother. The way they end up time travelling is ordinary yet strange, and creeped me out a little. There was a sense of danger an insecurity as they journeyed to find Beth's mother- I worried what if they got caught for the not entirely legal things they had to do due to lack of resources.I promise it ends happily.

I was an 80s baby so it was strangely comforting to hear about the magazine Bunty and other true to the times items, as I remember what they are like. I didn't have Beth and Molly's issue of not knowing what a 50 pence piece was-we don't have the Euro in England. I got teary in several places, and was left feeling happy yet sad at how it ended. Losing someone important in your life never gets easier, but at least Beth has some precious memories of their time travel. One to reread!  

Find out more on Judi's website. 

And keep reading for a fun insight into Time After Time from Judi! Here's quick recap about the story from the publisher:  Time after Time is the first book in a new series by Judi Curtin. It tells the story of best friends Molly and Beth, who find themselves transported back through time into the 1980s, where the hair is weird, technology is basic and fashion is pretty appalling! Back in the 80s, with no idea how to get home, Beth decided she wants to try and find her mother who was a teenager in the 80s but died when Beth was little.

Time Travel by Judi Curtin

Time after Time is the first book in a new series by Judi Curtin. It tells the story of best friends Molly and Beth, who find themselves transported back through time into the 1980s, where the hair is weird, technology is basic and fashion is pretty appalling! Back in the 80s, with no idea how to get home, Beth decided she wants to try and find her mother who was a teenager in the 80s but died when Beth was little.
 
Judi Curtin gives us an insight into how and why she decided to take on the time travel genre!
 
I used to watch a very strange old TV show called The Time Tunnel and also a sitcom called Goodnight, Sweetheart and they initially sparked my interest in writing about time travel. I LOVE doing research so this was a fun part of the process. Time after Time involved searching my own memories and trawling old photos of me in hideous 1980's clothes. (I'll be wearing one of the historical artefacts I unearthed for the launch of Time after Time in September!)

As always, I wrote Time after Time on my desktop computer, in the corner of my living room. I was very enthusiastic about the idea, so the first draft was finished with a few months. (And with the help of my editor, Helen, the many rewrites were relatively painless.)

If time travel were possible, I think I'd be too afraid to go forward in time - I don't want to know about the future. Like Molly and Beth, if I were to go back in time, I'd prefer to have a personal connection with the people I encounter. I'd love to meet my parents and grandparents as young people. I'd love to meet my younger self - and give her a good talking to - mostly about being more carefree, and worrying less about what other people think - and not getting that short haircut in 1983! My children are all grown up now, but I'd love to travel back and spend a few hours with them as babies and toddlers.

I’m looking forward to continuing the series and am investigating a few ideas at the moment. One involves a brief trip into the future and the other one takes Molly and Beth back to the 1950's - I'll have to raid my parents photo albums for this one! While rummaging around for a costume for my book launch, I found a very cool 1970’s dress in the attic - maybe I should set a book back then too!