David Almond - Jackdaw Summer

This is the summer when Max Woods is on the very edge of growing up and he goes a little wild trying to hold onto his carefree childhood. But there are other things that impinge on his summer - the other members of his family, his friends and ex-friends and the baby the Jackdaw seems to lead him to.

The baby is abandonned in the ruins of an old building on the moor - and finding her is the start of a series of encounters for Max that lead to him discovering lots of people and how they live, other outsiders in society and how they all interact. A really beautifully, sparsely told tale that will grip you from the start- David Almond at his best!

A Miscellany

The last few months have been hectic - here's just a few books worth reading and enjoying

Tim Bowler - Bloodchild - William wakes from an accident with little memory and a dread that something is seriously wrong - but what should he be afraid of. When you can't remember even your parents faces how do you know what is true and who to be scared of? A really gripping thriller, you're never quite sure if William is mad, or if he has uncovered something really, really terrifying. Read it to find out...

David Walliams - The Boy in the Dress - Footballer Dennis is a little different - he likes colour and poetry, and enjoys wearing a dress. A gentle humourous exploration of being different - and wonderfully illustrated by Quentin Blake.

Morris Gleitzman - Then - Felix and Zelda are trying to escape from Nazi Germany at the height of the worst of the Jewish attrocities and witness horrors which should be beyond belief. This is the their story - and the tragedy of the world. Heartbreaking in it's simplicity.

Philip Reeve - Mothstorm - Continuing Arthur Mumby's adventures in space during the steam driven Victorian age. Wonderful fun, a ripping yarn!

Alfred and the Pirates by Irving Finkel

Alfred Appletree gets rather too involved in writing a school history project about pirates - not just about the legends but actually trying to find out what they were like. Before he knows it, when he just starts to get into his library research, he's aboard a pirate ship finding out first hand just how hard the life was and what dangers faced all involved.

The life on board a pirate ship is depicted in all it's grimness and violence and how can Alfred escape, or is he trapped on the ship forever.

This captivating book keeps you hooked from begining to end, and the resolution has one cheering for good friends with common sense! (You need to read it to find out why...)

This was illustrated by a teenager - Emily Donegan - with detailed pencil sketches of ships and other seafaring stuff - a talent I hope she continues to develop.

Creature of the Night by Kate Thompson

I always like Kate Thompson's writing, and this is no exception. The writing of the disaffected teenager Bobby is hard and edgy. His reaction to the move into the country and away from his criminal activity in Dublin is treated well. It is when his little brother Dennis starts talking about the visits from the rather sinister 'little woman' in the middle of the night, and the strange disappearance of the previous tenant in their house that the plot takes off - as Bobby tries to sort out his life, his mother needs to manage her money, and Dennis needs to stop imagining his midnight visitor.....or does he?

I was slightly disappointed in the epilogue - it rather spoilt the tensions and the revelations at the end of the story.

The Princess who Wouldn't Come Home by Irving Finkel

Well, what can I say? I had the pleasure of going to the launch of this new book by Irving Finkel - illustrated by his sister, meeting the author and illustrator, and sharing a delightful evening.

This is a very funny, modern take on fairy tales, but for adults. The Princess Irena decides to leave the stifling life of court in a very northerly monarchy and decamp to London to try to become a painter. This, of course, causes all sorts of problems at home, so the King comes to London and tries to reason with his daughter, but instead of him taking her back home she wins him over to her point of view. The character of the King was my favourite, he is cautious at home as his wife the Queen is very correct and can be rather fierce, but by various devious, amusing ways he wins her too and engineers a suitable fairy tale ending.

This book got me some very strange looks as I was reading it on the train and tube and laughing as I read! It was worth it, do read it!

Nation by Terry Pratchett

Mau is a boy just finishing his initiation to manhood, leaving his soul behind on a small island - when he canoes back to his home - Nation - he gets a man's soul. But on his journey he, and the rest of the world, face a tsunami that wipes out the world as it exists. He gets back to his home (by luck) to find it completely destroyed and he has to carve a life for himself.

Meanwhile the daughter of an ambassador is the only survivor of the wreck of the Sweet Judy - which also wrecks on the Nation. Setting the scene for a clash of cultures when the trouserman girl Daphne and Mau meet.

This is a wonderful exploration of the human spirit, the way individuals cope with disaster, rebuild their lives, their civilisations and work out their new societies and their belief systems; which makes it sound deadly dull, and of course it is far from that containing many flashes of Pratchett humour and slightly cock-eyed logic. The period is Victorian and the world similar but not entirely like our own - I believe the tsunami is probably based on the fallout from the Krakatoa eruption. Includes some wonderful and readable scientific deduction - Daphne is a science devotee. Read it for fun, and let it make you think too.

Blade of Fire by Stuart Hill

The second volume in the Icemark Chronicles - and again a hugely involving saga with battles of the various allies and the evil Polypontian General Bellorum. The action takes place 20 years after the first volume. Thirrin and Oskan now have a family - and three of them take part in the battles that ensue - possibly the battles to end the Icemark. Charlemagne the youngest has had polio, and is to be the regent in the country many of the population are evacuated to. The other sister Medea has her father's skills but is particularly drawn to the darker side of her skills - never quite being on the same side as the rest of the family.

This is such a gripping roller coaster of a ride, with the wonderful images of the mixed species allies working together and collaborating (not always so smoothly as one might expect.) Gives you the flavour of the sagas in an easily readable, gripping, un-put-downable book.