Category: Book Reviews

Saffiyah’s War by Hiba Noor Khan

Published by Andersen Press July 2023

ISBN 978 1 83913 8

Set in the Grand Mosque of Paris this story is one of Muslim resistance work saving thousands of Jewish lives during the Nazi occupation of the city during the Second World War. It is the story of a brave, clever heroine called Safiyyah who makes the journey from being a child whose Dad can solve any problem and help every person, to being a young person who sees her father’s fear and is ultimately pushed to find the incredible courage needed to take his place on a daring mission.

It is also the story of family, whose love for each other is without bounds; of a grandmother full of kindness and wisdom, with a deep attachment to oranges and the memories they provoke of her own younger life in Spain.

It is a story of unimaginable courage borne of a spiritual obligation to protect others, believing that saving one life is saving all humanity.

The story is beautifully written, rich in love and sensuous description; the feasts of millefeuille, oranges and mint tea we luxuriate in at the beginning sustain us through dark and hungry times.

Every character has its own importance not just to the story but to the messages portrayed. A favourite of mine is aging Monsieur Cassin, a Jewish botanist. His connection with nature provides a telling insight when he reminds Safiyyah that weeds that many people pull up or ignore can perform important functions, such as repairing ecosystems. And yet, it is humans who decide “what has the right to grow and take up space and what should be tugged out and cast aside, lifeless.”

This is an important story, one dealing with a moment in history and a nobility of humanity at that time which needs sharing. It is also one which is mesmerising from start to finish and benefits from such a thoughtful and skilled writer taking responsibility for it.

A must-read!

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Until the Road Ends by Phil Earle

Published by Andersen Press

ISBN 978 1 83913 316 9

Phil Earle has done it again! Reminiscent of ‘The Incredible Journey’, this story centres around the adventures of Beau, a rescue dog belonging to Peggy, a young girl from London; Mabel, a haughty cat whose companion is Peggy’s brother Wilf; and Bomber, a homing pigeon neighbour of theirs who has set his heart on saving the country through his own war efforts.

Set during the Second World War, we are faced with the same dilemma as ‘While the Storm Rages’, in that citizens are called upon to euthanise their pets as part of the war effort. Saved from this fate by empathetic parents who agree to keep them in the face of community disapproval, the children are, however, evacuated to an aunt’s house on the south coast.

Beau becomes a hero of the Blitz, helping Peggy and Wilf’s father to save many lives in his role as a fire warden. We enjoy the banter between the three animals, and the apparent incompatibility of Beau and Mabel in particular.  It is heart-warming that Peggy sends letters home which Dad reads to Beau as he is their intended recipient. As ever, the characters are drawn with warmth and humour, making us care very much about their fate.

When tragedy strikes, the three animals set off on their epic journey to find the children. Cue the nail biting adventure as they encounter all sorts of terrors which require each of them to display remarkable courage and compassion.

Based on true facts and imbued with Earle’s lovable style, this joins ‘When the Sky Falls’ and ‘While the Storm Rages’ as a must read middle grade book.

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Wilder by Penny Chrimes

Illustrated by Manuel Sumberac

Published by Orion Children’s Books

ISBN 9 781510 111943

Rhodd is a mysterious child taken in when she appears at the edge of the marsh by Cerys, one of many women in the village whose children have been lost to the marshes. Rhodd is at once some kind of supernatural being who can converse with animals more easily than with humans, and a scrapping underdog with fire in her belly. There is fun to be had when she and her only friend Gar outwit the local bullies – these two are bright in a world of ignorance. But there is a real sense of shame, too, in how they and their mothers are treated as outsiders by the other villagers. There’s a gothic atmosphere reminiscent of ‘The Woman in Black’ created by the geographically isolated setting and the Victorian era with the local, wealthy landowner providing more than one plot twist.

In the end, a dreadful sickness comes to the village, and both Rhodd and her mother accept that it is time for her to face up to her unnamed duty to return the sea to the village, somehow required to push back the encroaching marshland which has killed it. The struggle is real, an adventure with many twists, a deal of humour and moments of profound despair and hope.

Wilder is one of those books that has stayed with me after reading.  I’m haunted by the poignancy of the weight on Rhodd’s shoulders, or perhaps by the fact that although there is an element of mythology and other worldliness to this plot, it eloquently reminds us of our eternal responsibility to and membership of the natural world. Perhaps because Rhodd is a character we care about, or because it is a study of friendship and loyalty and courage, of man’s place in nature, Wilder is a moving and thought-provoking book which will appeal to young people but give plenty of food for thought to the adults lucky enough to read it, too.

With thanks to @HachetteKids for my copy of this book.

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Montgomery Bonbon: Murder at the Museum by Alasdair Beckett-King

Illustrated by Claire Powell

Published by Walker Books

ISBN978-1-5295-0104-9

What fun! This story is a hoot from beginning to end.

Although this is clearly a junior Poirot spoof, youngsters who aren’t familiar with the Belgian sleuth and won’t appreciate the elements of parody, will absolutely love this book! The main character is ten year old Bonnie Montgomery who morphs into ‘The World’s Greatest Detective’ and is ably supported by her grandfather, and a moustache which is almost a character in its own right!

This adventure is set in Hornville Museum where, of course, a murder occurs and it is left to Montgomery Bonbon to solve the mystery of whodunit without much competent help from the official detective, Inspector Sands.

The structure of a Poirot story is superbly used to carry us through the adventure with baited – okay, giggling- breath, up to the dénouement when all the characters are gathered together with the real culprit having no idea that he or she is about to be revealed as the villain. The language is full of humour, some subtle and some outright hilarious. The police tape at the crime scene is printed with ‘POLICE- DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!’ The dialogue even has the rhythm of Poirot and the whole book is enhanced by Powell’s equally fun illustrations.

Children will adore this character and already I can’t wait for the next adventure!

Thanks to Walker Books for my proof copy of this book.

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Ghostlight by Kenneth Oppel

Illustrated by James Fraser

Published by Guppy Books

ISBN 978 1 913101 76 3

I’ll be honest: I went down with Covid in mid October (having avoided it for the last two and a half years) and reached for the TBR pile. I wasn’t over-enamoured by the idea of ‘Ghostbusters meets Stranger Things’, but for reasons we will put down to brain fog, I nevertheless opened ‘Ghostlight’. Fast forward two days and I cannot say enough good things about this brilliantly told story. It’s a real page turner, with characters I love and a story I felt invested in.

The main characters are a well drawn and varied group of ‘friends’ who, in themselves, have their own stories to follow. Rebecca Strand is the main character in chapter one, when we meet her and her father battling evil from their Victorian lighthouse. It is a gripping opening chapter which had me hooked. A historical setting with a hint of a feminist protagonist and a truly evil and supernatural antagonist in Viker.

I was a bit surprised – though in retrospect I shouldn’t have been –  to find chapter two in the modern world, but I was enchanted and amused by the character of Gabe, embellishing various stories on his summer job ‘ghost tour’. His Russian refugee friend Yuri adds further comedy but of a similarly gentle kind, and we are glad these friends have each other. Callie gets involved when she attends one of Gabe’s ghost tours and asks for his help with her ghostly blog. She is different enough to complement the boys, and her journalistic ambition gives the plot energy and impetus- and much needed money at crucial times!

Woven into the main plot in which Viker is fought for the very existence of humanity, there are many other elements at play: we learn of historical events; we consider the decency and generosity of much of human kind, including the indigenous peoples local to the area;  we reflect on the modern technological world through the eyes of Victorian ghosts who master it so much more easily than Gabe; we face spiritual questions around coping with the death of those we love and finding a way to go on; the acceptance evident in the blending of ghostly and current worlds is complete when we don’t flinch at the phrase ‘his live friends’; we also enjoy the coy romances which gradually creep up on us and the characters. The blending of past and current is skilfully achieved and shows the importance of history to our modern world.

I literally could not put it down. Oppel has taken some quite traditional elements – the ghost story, the teen friendship story, the romance, the colliding of new world and old – and turned them into something that really works as a whole, and which is stronger for, and than, its constituent parts. It is a ghost story, and I would heartily recommend it for a Hallowe’en read, but it is so much more than that. I’m ashamed to say I haven’t yet read any of Oppel’s other work but I have added quite a few books to my TBR pile…

Thank you to Guppy Books for my copy of this book- and for introducing me to a new author (for me) and opening my mind to a slightly different genre!

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Goldilocks and the Three Crocodiles by Michael Rosen

Illustrated by David Melling

Published by Harper Collins Children’s Books

ISBN 978 0 00 850988 0

This is an imaginative and fun re-setting of Goldilocks to a seaside cave and a family of crocodiles rather than bears. So, we don’t have porridge, but seaweed, for example. “Pershooo, Persheee” is the refrain of the sea, which I am sure will catch on as a short hand reference to this beautiful book. It is illustrated in the unmistakable style of David Melling with its gorgeous detail which picks up on and adds to the humour of the story. Although it is welcome at any time of year, I can imagine many summer seaside visits will be anticipated and celebrated through a shared reading of this delightful addition to the bookshelf!

Thank you very much to Harper Collins Children’s Books for my copy of this book.

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Spark by M G Leonard

Cover illustration by Paddy Donnelly

Published by Walker Books

ISBN 978-1-4063-8938-8

I have just spent the most glorious few days in the company of Jack, Twitch and friends as they simultaneously try to solve the mystery of the cat murderer at work in Briddvale and get excited about the rare sighting of the lammergeier. These two worlds collide in an exciting quest to save the rare bird and expose its potential enemy.

Meant in the most respectful way, this book transported me to my childhood days of reading Secret Seven books. I adore the characters and their willingness always to give each other a second chance.  There are realistically childish mistakes, humility and lessons learned – and plenty of humour to make it palatable. It’s a page-turning adventure above all, but it is also inspired to set this story (and series) in the nature reserve of Aves Wood, teaching us all sorts about the natural world along the way.

For those who have already read the first in the series Twitch, this is the one in which Jack comes into his own and takes centre stage. You don’t need to have read Twitch to enjoy Spark – but you will want to read all of this series at some point!

Thank you to Walker Books and NetGalleyUK for the advance proof of this book.

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Tyger by S F Said

Illustrated by Dave McKean

David Fickling Books

ISBN 978-1-78845-283-0 Publishing October 2022

It is rare that I find, among the thousands of children’s books I have read, one that I would introduce into my secondary school curriculum. I recommend and encourage the vast majority for youngsters to read for pleasure – something about there being the right book somewhere for everyone, and me not being the gatekeeper of which books they will be – but I have always vowed not to introduce a book into my curriculum unless it is a fabulous read AND a brilliantly well-written book. The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell is the kind of standard I am impressed by. 

And now I have found another gem in Tyger by S F Said.

The story is an exciting one, with humble, likeable characters learning about themselves and the world while on a quest to save the mythical creature they have found. At times it is frightening, at times sad, sometimes funny or warm, and always engaging.  The setting is at once out of this world, and yet sufficiently within it to make readers start questioning their own world.

I was excited by the spelling of Tyger with a ‘y’ which promised a nod to William Blake, I thought. I love the way this story engages with many of Blake’s ideas and with his language and characters (the lamb, Urizen..). The London presented is as miserable as Blake’s London with its poverty and consequent living conditions, and with the ghetto full of people suffering the indignity of ‘mind-forged manacles’. So Adam and Zadie’s quest chimes with the Romantic view that nature and humanity are interconnected and mutually necessary; their need to save the tyger as a character will also save the world and restore a sense of hope. They become friends who learn that they are strong enough to bring about the change they want to see.

The stunning cover- with the exotic tiger, its eye burning bright, its fur made up of patterns like feathers and fire, and an inset of key London landmarks all of which add up to a further nod to the Romantic conflict between nature and industry – is only the beginning. The story is illustrated throughout with bold drawings which remind me of Blake’s artistic engravings.

All of this is bound up in a story which is as much about the importance of stories as it is an adventure in itself. Zadie’s birth name is Scheherazade, the teller of stories in The Tale of One Thousand and One Nights; Adam’s mother is a proficient artist whose paintings tell the story of her birthplace and Adam has inherited her talent. The story being told is one of these two characters, but also one of community, of fighting back against oppression, of seeing the world in a more visionary way. It is a Blakeian fantasy which illustrates what similar times we are living through now.

Said says he thinks this is his best book yet- it’s actually one of the best you will ever read: a true classic has been born. The many layers mean I will keep re-reading this book (extremely rare for me) and will keep finding new depths. Said says it took him nine years to bring this book to fruition – its quality is testament to that.

Thank you very much to David Fickling Books and Independent Alliance for my proof copy of this book.

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