Extra Time
Morris Gleitzman
London, Puffin, 2014, 224p
It is a rare thing for me to enjoy a football orientated book, but there is so much more to Extra Time than sport.
Matt and Bridie Sutherland are very close. Matt is a skilled soccer player, and Bridie acts as his manager - and she does a brilliant job! When Matt is spotted by an English club and given the chance of training with their academy, the siblings leave their parents behind and travel to London with their uncle for the opportunity of a lifetime. But at premiership level, football isn't as friendly as it is when played on the field by their house in Australia.
Bridie is a wonderful story-teller - very observant and intuitive, able to read exactly what her brother is thinking and to articulate his feelings to the reader. She has a huge heart, and it breaks when she sees Matt changing under the pressures of the academy training routines. In the practice sessions, the young players are expected to demonstrate their best skills, even if it involves hurting others on the pitch. Friendship with team mates seems impossible, but Bridie and her uncle are determined to rectify this.
I adore the relationship between Matt and Bridie in this novel - in fact, I am a little jealous - they are loving and honest through and through, and not in an annoying way! For Bridie, family and friends come first, and she is always seeking ways to make people happy, even if it proves to infuriate the mean-faced academy coaches.
In Extra Time, football is just a means through which Morris Gleitzman can demonstrate the importance of family and friendship. The sport element will attract many boys or reluctant readers, whilst the beautiful protagonist will appeal to young girls. At the end of the novel, you feel a better person for reading it, rediscovering the value of love.
The Great Ice Cream Heist
Elen Caldecott
London, Bloomsbury, 2013, 181p
This week, Book Trust were excited to announce the selection for the Bookbuzz scheme 2014. To join in the celebrations, here is my review of one of the short listed books - The Great Ice Cream Heist.
During a long and potentially boring summer, Eva's father volunteers her to help rennovate the local community centre. There, she makes friends with Jamie, despite being told repeatedly that he is nothing but trouble. When the centre is vandalised, everyone assumes Jamie and his brothers are responsible, but Eva really wants to give Jamie the chance to prove his innocence.
The friendship between Eva and Jamie defies parental consent and social expectations - all the other kids at the community centre think Eva is silly to befriend such a devious boy. But Eva shows them that there is more to Jamie than the bad behaviour of his family, and that you can never judge a book by it's cover.
Through her friendship with Jamie, Eva is also able to work through her confusing feelings about her mother, who died in a skiing accident. Eva's father is overprotective, bubble-wrapping Eva to protect her from harm, be it physical or emotional. But with Jamie, Eva feels most alive, and comes to understand the value of adventure.
Caldecott's novel also explores the challenges of dyslexia for a teenager. Eva struggles with reading, describing the words on the page as they blur together into a incomprehensible mess. She has to recruit friends to help her read - she is embarrassed by her problem but her friends are happy to help.
The ice-cream heist comes towards the end of the book, where adventure peaks and madness ensues. Eva's story is uplifting and heart-warming, a great fun read.
You can find the rest of my reviews for the 2014 Bookbuzz selection here.
Stories of World War One
ed. Tony Bradman
London, Orchard, 2014, 304p
Memorials to the First World War will come in many forms this year, but Tony Bradman is one of the greatest editors of short stories today. This collection has vast variety and a great selection of authors to read.
My favourite story was The Men Who Wouldn't Sleep by Tim Bowler, which is about a young boy who volunteers at a hospital for returning soldiers. There, Robbie meets Bert and Jimmy, two injured soldiers. Bert is incredibly protective of Jimmy, who sits in a trance like state, unable or unwilling to talk to anyone. Robbie is assigned to sit and talk with Jimmy - at first, he struggles to know what to say, but soon he finds himself sharing his worries about his father, who is lost in France. It is a touching, tragic story; one of many in this collection that stay with you long after you have finished reading.
There are stories set on the home front and on the front line, in France, England, Ireland and elsewhere. Some are about the young and others are about older soldiers. Each of the authors tackles a different element of war, such as the separation of childhood sweethearts, mothers' fears about their sons, and young boys in the trenches. There is a brilliant contribution from Children's Laureate, Malorie Blackman, which explores the relationship between two half brothers on the front line, torn between their love for each other and masculine pride.
Although I didn't feel that the collection began with a particularly strong story, I liked the way these stories brought the war into the present, making it accessible for modern teenage readers. There is a story for everyone in this book, though you may have to read them all to find the one for you.
Tiger Wars (The Falcon Chronicles)
Steve Backshall
London, Orion, 2012, 243p
Saker cannot remember who he is or where he has come from, but he knows he is on the run. In the forests of northern India, he is being tracked by dogs and a dangerous clan of boys, trained to hunt and kill.
Sinter is angry with her father - he is trying to marry her off to a rich doctor with no concern of what Sinter might want for herself. She runs into the forest to get some space, but accidentally finds herself caught up with Saker, on the run from a deadly enemy. Together, travel the length of India into China, slowly uncovering the reason why the clan are on the hunt - the most powerful and valuable predator of all, the tiger.
Tiger Wars is an action-packed adventure that never lets up. Saker is a highly skilled jungle expert, and his survival skills comes in handy at every turn. But Sinter is also a force to be reckoned with, fiery and practical, with a great knowledge of medicine to help them along.
I found this novel a little difficult to get into at the start - the sentences and paragraphs are incredibly long and quite poorly structured, which I think might put off a reluctant reader, even though they are the ideal audience for this story. It was dense to trawl through in places, even when the action was at it's peak, but I did enjoy the journey and characterisation.
Steve Backshall has a unique and fascinating knowledge base (survival, wildlife, georgraphy, medicine, science) that shines through in Tiger Wars. The novel is packed with factual information, but it is presented as part of the story so feels like a natural and beneficial addition to the text. The story is full of exotic locations and strange wildlife, with a strong environmental message in support of endangered species, leaving the reader with a love and respect for the magnificent tiger.
Ghost Stadium
Tom Palmer
Edinburgh, Barrington Stoke, 2013, 88p
I could not put this book down. And that is not just because it is short and I knew I could read through it quickly - no, this book is haunting, action-packed and completely brilliant.
School's out, and Lucas, Irfan and Jack have a great plan for the first night of summer. They are going to break into the old Northface Stadium, abandoned since the closure of the club five years ago. They are going to break in and camp out, reliving the memories of the old football team. But years ago, someone lost his life within the stands, and now he is out to avenge his death.
I don't think I have ever read such a gripping Barrington Stoke novel - it is hardly recognisable as a dyslexia friendly book because it is so fast paced and scary. The chapters are short and succinct, but each ends with something that makes you want to turn to the next page. Every sentence is carefully crafted to entice you to read on, as you get deeper and deeper into the mystery and horror.
Although there are no illustrations, Ghost Stadium is very visual, drawing on classic Gothic tropes and common phobias - you feel like you are there with the boys, seeing strange things in the corners of your vision.
I cannot get enough of this new wave of engaging, high interest level fiction for reluctant and low ability readers. Now if only they could make some romances for my girls...
Wild Boy
Wild Boy
Rob Lloyd Jones
London, Walker, 2014, 301p
Authors for young people are having to get more and more creative. By now, every story has been told, so writing something original is a challenge. Cross-over fiction is becoming increasingly common, in which authors bring together classic tropes from a variety of genres to create new adventures and characters.
It's London, 1841. A boy, hairy as a monster, is accused of murder. Wild Boy has been travelling with a freak show for years, and becomes embroiled in a dangerous mystery, which forces him to go on the run. This unusual young man is extraordinarily observant, and his detective skills are the only thing that might save him from the hangman's noose.
The whole mystery surrounds a scientific machine that is believed to be able to fundamentally change who you are. Wild Boy knows nothing about how it might work, but this little slither of knowledge is enough to motivate him to find this strange machine that might make him just like a normal child.
I adore Wild Boy as a main character - he is an intelligent boy who is easy to sympathise with. He struggles to make friends, simply because he has been hurt so many times before, and the reader shares in his frustration when people are so quick to judge him as a beast. He has built walls all around himself; but when he desperately needs help, fellow traveler Clarissa is there for him, and slowly he learns to trust.
Wild Boy is part-adventure, part-mystery, part-science fiction. Even the protagonist is a cross-over character, drawing on the characteristic traits of the geek, the detective genius, and the lone ranger. Few authors could bring so many elements together to create a succinct novel, but Rob Lloyd Jones has brought these things together in an thoroughly-planned and beautifully-executed story. There is truly something for everyone.
Geek Girl
Holly Smale
London, HarperCollins, 2011, 387p
For a debut author, it doesn't come much better than this. Even a self-confessed loather of girly novels (read: me) loved this book, with the lovable lead character, ridiculously comic parents, and warm message about staying true to yourself.
There is a lot that Harriet Manners knows. She carries facts around with her, dishing them out at unexpected and sometimes unwanted moments. Around school, this means she isn't the most popular of teenagers. Luckily, she has her best friend, Nat - though on paper their friendship is rather odd, they prove that opposites attract. But when Nat ropes Harriet in for moral support to help her get recognised by a modelling agency, it is in fact Harriet who is spotted, much to Nat's distress. Harriet keeps making things worse for herself, until Nat isn't speaking to her and it seems like the whole world hates her. Perhaps undergoing a complete make over might improve her popularity, so Harriet skips school and flies out to Russia for a photo shoot. Unfortunately, a hair cut and some make up can't change Harriet's geeky core - is it too late to make things right with Nat?
Geek Girl is one of those self-realisation novels, in which the character (and thereby, hopefully, the reader) realises that you can only really change artificial appearances, and essentially we are all wonderful individuals beneath all the fashion and attitude.
I thought Harriet was excellent - very intelligent, completely flawed, and highly relatable. But the novel is carried by the other characters: Harriet's father, a childish, impulsive man who gets more excited about the trip to Russia than his daughter; her stepmother, far from the evil stereotype of so many fairy tales, she is an sharp woman, a lawyer, always one step ahead of Harriet and her father, and incredibly loving and forgiving; and Wilbur ("with a bur, not iam"), the most ridiculous fashionista ever created. Whilst Harriet guides the plot, these extras carry the comedy, the love, the drama, making even the most far fetched elements of the story seem real and possible.
Ruby Redford: Look Into My Eyes
Lauren Child
London, HarperCollins, 2011, 390p
I want to be Ruby Redfort.
That is all.
Okay, that is not all, but I cannot emphasise how much I loved this book. I am ashamed that I haven't read Lauren Child before, because this is exactly the kind of novel I would have devoured as a teenager.
She's a spy! Well, she's a code breaker. Shortly after everything in her home is stolen in rather suspicious and unexplained circumstances, Ruby receives a mysterious call, which eventually leads her to a secret agency who want to recruit her. She is a young puzzle champion, and they need her help in finding some answers. A 'butler', Hitch, is assigned to watch over her as she trawls her way through pages of information, trying to decipher the grand plot.
Ruby is a highly intelligent, intuitive and observant young lady. She is too smart for school and she knows it - she has already rejected an early submission to Harvard by thirteen. She occupies herself watching detective programs, taking notes on the seemingly mundane, and creating codes with her friend, Clancy. But my description cannot credit how awesome she is. I would love to hang out with her, or to spend a day in her shoes.
The book is fast-paced and action-packed, with short, punchy chapters and hugely entertaining characters. In particular, Ruby's parents are brilliant - a strangely dull and unintelligent couple considering what a genius their daughter is. You can't help but read on and on. There are even codes in there for you to break, making you feel like part of Ruby's world.
I found myself completely engrossed, almost like I was there living it with Ruby. It is incredibly hard to create a character as exceptional and yet as rounded as this girl - Lauren Child has amazed me. The excitement and drama stayed with me after I had finished reading, and I cannot wait to read more!
Whale Boy
Nicola Davies
London, Corgi, 2013, 260p
Michael dreams of seeing a whale. He has heard stories of times gone by when whales roamed freely around his little island, but now they have all been scared away by hunters. Every day, he works hard to save up for a boat of his own, in the hope he can one day take tours out into the waters and find some of the beautiful mammals. So when the opportunity to have his very own boat comes sooner than expected, he jumps at the chance, but remains suspicious that this might be too good to be true.
Whale Boy reminded me of Saving Finnegan, which uses the issue of a washed up whale as a method of helping a young protagonist come to terms with loss. Here, Nicola Davies creates a scenario to highlight the evils of whale hunting, and challenging the reader to think about the impact of pollution and climate change on habitats and wildlife.
The novel is beautifully written, full of poetic language and vivid descriptions of vast oceans and wonderful creatures. Michael's dream is uplifting and full of hope. But the story takes an unexpected turn as events unfold, swiftly turning into an action-packed thrill in which the lives of humans and animals are at stake.
I couldn't quite work out the target audience for this book. It feels like it should sit somewhere between junior fiction and books for teenagers, but I imagine it would only really be selected by children who already have an interest in environmental issues and animal rights. And yet, as an adult reader, I loved the imagery and the message - perhaps it would work as a book for a family to share.
A Boy Called Hope
Lara Williamson
London, Usbourne, 2014, 288p
A Boy Called Hope feels like it amalgamates a load of subjects that have been cropping up in my recent reading, from father-son relationships, to Sherlock Holmes-esque adventures, to novels generally exploring the internal monologue of an optimistic yet disappointed child. And yet, despite seeing these themes recur in almost every book I read, I was not bored or put off by Lara Williamson's debut novel.
Dan Hope is a quirky, imaginative child. He lives with his mother and moody elder sister, his dad having left them four years ago. So when he sees his dad on TV, presenting the news, Dan borrows a saint-like charm from his friend, who promises him that St Gabriel will heel his wounds and grant his wishes, and he sets off to be reunited with his father.
Dan doesn't tell anyone else about his plan, which immediately made me nervous as a reader. He is a naive and big-hearted boy, innocently believing that as soon as his father sees him he will want to come back home. In his head, he lists all the possible justifications for his dad's behaviour, unwilling to see the bad in people. Dan is such a likeable main character - he isn't overly good, and lands himself in trouble more than once, but his determination and willingness to try anything, despite the odds, is uplifting.
He is also very funny. He names his sister Ninja Grace, due to her ability to use words against him, whilst he takes everything quite literally. Seeing the world through his eyes, adults are rather perculiar creatures - designed to be sensible and mature but in fact as unsure and ridiculous as children.
A Boy Called Hope is one of the most enjoyable books I have read this year - I breezed through it on the magic carpet that is Dan Hope's imagination. It is realistic, not a fantasy of teenage life in which it's all happy-ever-afters, but a story about family and friendship and love.
Operation Ouch: Your Brilliant Body
Dr Chris van Tulleken & Dr Xand van Tulleken
London, Little, Brown, 2013, 216p
I thought I'd dabble in some non-fiction for a bit of a change. I am no scientist, and it never did anyone any harm to do a little revision on the biology of the body.
Dr Chris and Dr Xand are twin brothers who present CBBC's Operation Ouch. This book is the culmination of all their bodily knowledge, containing lots of information about the human body, from ears to skin to toes. Each chapter is full of interesting facts broken down into easy nuggets of information. There are also little multiple-choice quizzes, challenging your general knowledge, and "Did You Know?" sections to tell you about the weird and wonderful.
I really like the tone of this book - it is upbeat, bouncing back and forth between the brothers, it is informative, and it is witty. I am no expert, but it all seems very accurate. It helps that Xand and Chris are instantly likeable, even for someone who has never seen their show.
And I learned something new! Apparently, "umani" refers to the sorts of foods that have a strong savoury flavour, like cheese and meat. Interesting....
101 Poems for Children: A Laureate's Choice
ed. Carol Ann Duffy
ill. Emily Gravett
London, Macmillan, 2013, 193p
It is a valuable skill for a poet to be able to create a succinct and engaging anthology of poetry. With so much choice, the editor must be very well read and able to create a flow through the various works of multiple artists, bringing them together in one book.
This is precisely what Carol Ann Duffy has achieved in 101 Poems for Children. The poetry comes from many authors over lots of countries across many centuries and yet it flows brilliantly. Each poem leads into the next one, without any breaks or bumps along the way.
And the selection is very entertaining, exploring tales about animals, families, seasons and journeys. There are some with rhyme and some without; some are short and some are long; but all are exceptional demonstrations of language and writing.
One of my favourites, which I had not read before, is one of Carol Ann Duffy's own: F for Fox, a lovely piece that uses the letter 'f' more times than I imagined possible in one poem! As she discusses in her introduction to the collection, children's poetry is often characterised by the rhythm and simple use of language. Recurring tropes include alliteration and simile, and writers use the full extent of poetic license to make up new words.
I've been dipping in and out of this collection over the last couple of weeks, and was sad when it came to an end; and not least because the last poem in the collection is about the wonder of libraries!!
Dark Lord: The Teenage Years
Jamie Thomson
London, Orchard, 2011, 341p
It is not often I cannot finish a book, but I have given this one a few days and multiple attempts and still failed to get engaged.
The story is about Dirk Lloyd / the Dark Lord, who has fallen through into our human universe and finds himself caged in the body of a teenage boy. Powerless and angry, he must negotiate this new existence and seek a way to dominate these strange people and find his way back home.
When I embarked on the journey to read all the Bookbuzz selection, I actually started with this one, but got confused by the beginning so decided to read it later. But reading it now, my difficulty with it hasn't changed. The concept sounded great, but I expected it to be far more funny. And I felt the pace was too slow - I read almost half the novel but found myself waiting for something to happen whilst Dirk got to know the people and places around him.
To be honest, this is not a book I would have chosen to read as a teenager or now. Sometimes, I pick a book that I might not usually enjoy and find myself engrossed. This was not the case for the Dark Lord. I will be interested to chat to my students and see what they think of it.
Nevertheless, I have loved this years Bookbuzz selection: there was war and loss, love and friendship, hawks and dogs; there were adventures and romances, laughs and tears, drama and excitement. I am sorry that my mission to read them all has come to an end.
My Best Friends and Other Enemies
Catherine Wilkins
London, Nosy Crow, 2012, 202p
I found myself pleasantly surprised by this novel. I haven't picked up a book about everyday teenage girls in a while, mainly because I read so many when I was young and assumed they were all the same. I also thought it would probably completely bore me now I have grown up a little bit.
In My Best Friend and Other Enemies, Jessica is trying to deal with the fact that her oldest friend Natalie is hanging out with someone new. Amelia is the new girl at school, but she is mean to Jessica, making snide comments on her appearance and excluding her from meet ups.
Luckily for the reader, Jessica is not a bitter depressive, nor a vengeful aggressive, but somewhere in between. When Amelia and Natalie start a a gang, Jessica creates her own, but has little success in getting all the members to ever get together. She toys with various plots to get her own back, but is smart and conscientious enough to know that she needs to be the bigger person - though this doesn't completely prevent her from occasionally conflicting with Amelia.
I found the most endearing thing about this story was Jessica's family. They are on "economy drive", striving to save pennies and consume all that is stored in their freezer. This family are funny and sweet, with Jessica's little brother, Ryan, gallivanting around the house pretending to be a spaceman for most of the book. And unlike so many other teenage novels, Jessica does not moan about her strange relatives, but is able to laugh and love.
Jessica is not a perfect protagonist, nor is she the typical teenage girl you get in so many of these sorts of books, and that is why I actually enjoyed this particular one. She is flawed, human, and her actions leave somewhere between good and bad. But her heart is in the right place and her hurt is understandable. I think I just appreciated that this isn't book that was overwhelmed with drama!
After Tomorrow
Gillian Cross
Oxford, OUP, 2013, 296p
England is in recession. The banks have collapsed and money is tight. Some families are managing, with careful planning and vigilant forethought; but some are suffering, driven to drastic measures by desperation.
Does this sound familiar?
How about late-night attacks from the poor, venting their anger through theft - trying to level the playing field by stealing from those who have more? How about being forced to emigrate to France as England becomes increasingly dangerous and impossible to live in?
This is After Tomorrow - a "what if" story. What if the recession got worse? Matt and his brother, Taco, have to leave the home they know and love in a final rush before the border into France closes. They have already lost their father and their grandfather, victims to the violence that has erupted as a result of the poverty that has swept through England. But things are not much better over the channel: holed up in a tent, they live off food rations, shivering through the cold nights. Plus, neither of them speak French.
I breezed through this book - it felt effortless and confident, brilliantly composed. Although it is not an action packed novel, the pace was controlled perfectly, which meant I never got bored (even in the early pages as the character and plot was developed).
And the concept is simply genius, especially considering the target audience. Gillian Cross
does not preach about class divide or make suggestions about the world
economy, but presents a world that no child would want to experience. Without wanting
to spoil the ending, I will just say that there is no conclusion to such
a situation; but Cross does not patronise her reader or her characters: simply, After Tomorrow is thought provoking, intelligent and relevant, subtly guiding young readers to think about the world in which they live.
The Outsiders
Michelle Paver
London, Penguin, 2012, 291p
Stuck on a train, this might not be the first book I would have chosen to have with me. But as fate would have it, The Outsiders was the only novel I remembered to pack. Fortunately, it did not disappoint.
Michelle Paver's novel is set in Greece in the Bronze Age. It's pages seep with mythology and legend. Gods watch over the land and the people, superstition and magic are everywhere, and society is structured by ancient rules and traditions.
Hylas and his sister are separated when they are attacked by the Crows - a deadly group of warriors seemingly pent on killing Outsiders, or those who are not part of the villages. Searching for his sister, Hylas finds himself in ever growing danger, always stalked by the Crows. But he is intelligent, brave and patient, better equipped than anyone to survive in the wilderness.
Meanwhile, Pirra is trying to escape her mother and the fate that awaits her when they reach land: marriage. She is stubborn and ruthless, determined to run but unsure where to go. Stranded together on a desolate island, Pirra and Hylas must work together to avoid capture and find their way to safety.
This novel is the first in a new series by Michelle Paver. What I find so frustrating about such a series is that you feel incomplete when you reach the end of the first part - I prefer stories to begin and end within the confines of one book. Of course the cliffhanger is designed to keep you wanting more, but this novel in particular left me feeling like the story was barely started. So much happened, but you know there is so much more to come.
Within this novel, I went on an incredible journey - back to ancient Greece, down to the depth of the ocean, into the darkest caves. The land is a character, beautifully vast and powerfully enticing. For me, I think feeling like I was there with Hylas and Pirra is what made this novel something special.
Dear Scarlett
Fleur Hitchcock
London, Nosy Crow, 2013, 268p
The reason I include an image of the cover of each book I read on this blog is partly so you know what you are looking for when you are shopping or browsing the library shelves, but also because some covers are artistic masterpieces.
Scarlett's story begins when a stranger delivers a package to her front door, just a week after her eleventh birthday. It is from her father, now deceased, once a thief. Enclosed are some tools of his trade, and Scarlett is not sure what she is meant to do. She toys with the idea of being a criminal like her father, but finds herself wracked with guilt. When she finds out her father may not have been as bad as she thought, she tries to use the tools for good, but still seems to end up in a penguin orientated pickle.
Dear Scarlett is a heart-warming, funny, uplifting story, and has made me re-think my order of favourites on the Bookbuzz list. Scarlett is a likeable, honest character who takes the reader on a fascinating adventure involving nasty school teachers, code breaking and comic baddies.
It is written in a simple yet inviting manner, hooking you from the first page with intrigue about this peculiar package, enticing you with clues and red herrings, and inviting you on a journey. The narrative is friendly, with short, bite-size chapters, which is always a form I appreciate. You have the option to take regular breaks, but you hardly want to since the story is so brilliant!
And on top of all that, it looks great. Having read the story, I am still a little confused about how the cover relates (mainly the cat), but I love that images run throughout the text and there is attention to detail on every page.
You can tell Dear Scarlett has been put together with care, from the initial concept of the captivating protagonist through to the formation of the book in physical form. And that care is what I love.
Soldier Dog
Sam Angus
London, Macmillan, 2012, 275p
I have found this to be one of the most popular novels on this years Bookbuzz list - across the year 7s, both boys and girls love it.
Soldier Dog, on a most simple level, is War Horse with a dog. Our year 7s are currently involved in a cross-curricular project based around War Horse, with a trip to see the stage show later in the term, and many of the students have seen this similarity in reading the blurb and the first couple of pages of the novel.
However, unlike Morpurgo's acclaimed novel, this is not written from the point of view of the animal involved. Stanley is a fourteen year old boy who loves animals, particularly dogs. His brother is in France, so when his angry, neglectful father turns on him, Stanley decides to run away. He is underage, but the nation is desperate, letting young and old enlist. Stanley is lucky to become a dog handler, and is matched with a loyal, enthusiastic giant of a dog.
Based on the real experiences of dog handlers during World War One, this novel tells of the challenge faced by man and dog as they work together to get messages across no man's land. Soldier Dog is a tragic novel about the horrors of war and the loyalty of man's best friend.
Somehow, whilst filled with vivid descriptions of conflict and heart-wrenching moments of separation and loneliness, the story wearied me as I read. It did pick up towards the end and I found myself quite attached to Stanley and his canine friends, willing them to survive and be reuinited. I pitied Stanley - his brother physically absent whilst his father is emotionally distant - only able to find companionship with his dogs; and I adored the dogs - loyal in the face of the deadliest danger. But it is not my favourite in the 2013 selection.
Butterfly Summer
Anne-Marie Conway
Londo, Usbourne, 2012, 251p
I am still crying as I try to compose this review. What a masterpiece of teenage fiction. I not even halfway through the 2013 Bookbuzz list, but I think I have found a favourite.
Butterfly Summer came to my attention a few months ago when it won the Oxfordshire Book Awards. Becky and her mum have moved to Oakbridge, where Becky's mum lived before she was born. Becky has the whole of the summer to find her way around before she starts a new school, and her adventures lead her to the Butterfly Garden where she meets Rosa May. Together, they are determined to seek out the infamously evasive Silver-studded Blue, a butterfly that is incredibly rare and full of mysterious hope.
But as they spend more and more time together, the friendship between Becky and Rosa May gets increasingly complex, as the latter becomes clingy and aggressive. At home, Becky's relationship with her mother becomes strained as Becky starts to feel like she is keeping secrets. All around her, people seem to be hiding things and acting weird, but revealing the truth is never as easy as it should be.
This is such a brilliantly engaging, intelligent and exciting novel. It is so accessible, with language that lights up the pages. The Butterfly Garden is a beautiful space in which Conway explores the young girls' friendship; but even the most idyllic spaces can have a dark side.
It is here that Conway really excels. She gently lays the foundations for a thrilling, emotional story about how one can never really hide or forget the past. As you read, the story reveals itself to you, just as the secrets slowly reveal themselves to Becky.
Butterfly Summer is the perfect novel: the right length and pace; the right mix of drama, descriptive language, mystery and horror; and a brilliantly composed plot. I am in awe of Anne-Marie Conway.
Payback
Graham Marks
London, Franklin Watts, 2012, 53p
It's always a delight to stumble across a short read for teenage or young adult readers.
Payback is about Greg who finds his rather boring Saturday taking a turn for a worse when he picks up a mobile-shaped item from a park bench. The oblong talks to him, telling him he is a Watcher for the Reapers, helping them see who is ready to move on from this world into the next.
It is a rather strange concept for a short story - and one that is very hard to develop in such a limited space. But it is written in such a way that it pulls you in: no words are wasted, meaning it is perfect for reluctant readers who might get lost in the waffle of many longer pieces of fiction.
What I love about the Rivets / Edge series from Franklin Watts is their accessibility. These books are printed with large font, but within a frame that looks like any other, meaning students do not appear to be reading anything different or special from their more able classmates. And the content is brilliant - fast-paced fantasies or thrillers about normal teenage kids in unusual situations, taking the reader on an imaginative adventure.
Furthermore, the language is perfect for the target audience - a great mix of simple, colloquial phrases with some more challenging words, explained so that the reader is learning new vocabulary without realising.
I imagine it is fairly tough to get the balance right when writing short novels like this, especially in terms of successfully creating a whole story in such a constrained word count. Payback is a slightly peculiar concept, but a perfect example of a short story for older students.
