Year 6 Booklist 12 recommended reads - Click here to read the pdf.

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The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

It has taken me a while to get around to reading the first book in the Chaos Walking Trilogy but it was worth the wait.  From the first page you are sucked into the world in which Todd Hewitt lives and it is a world that has fear stamped all the way through it.  Prentisstown is a settlement where there are only men and where Noise deafens every waking moment.  Everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts and so there are no secrets to be had.  Todd is surrounded by Noise and as he reaches his 13th birthday he awaits the day when he will become a man.

It is this forthcoming birthday that makes him special because he is the last boy in Prentisstown.  Todd’s parents have long been dead but he is cared for by Ben and Cillian on their farm.  Prentisstown is gripped by religious fervour, led by the priest Aaron, who wills damnation on anyone who steps out of the strict laws of the town.

It is this life that Todd is suddenly ripped from when he is forced to leave his home.  Ben tells him that he is in great danger and must leave immediately.  Todd is given no real explanation but reluctantly heads off in the direction Ben tells him to go with only a bag specially packed for him, a knife and his faithful dog, Manchee.  As he negotiates the crocodile infested swamp he meets a girl.  He has never seen a girl and believes that all females were killed off in a plague that swept the settlement.   Aaron appears in the swamp and almost kills Todd and tries to sacrifice the girl.

From this moment Todd, Viola and Manchee are on the run.  On the run from the terrifying Aaron and an army from Prentisstown sent to track him down.  The story has all sorts of twists and turns but it is clear that Todd has to get to safety and there is a settlement that may be able to help him – Haven.  There are all sorts of adventures on the way and to say the action is breathless would be an understatement!

Todd tells the story and you can hear the Noise he hears, share the fears he shares and the moments of heartbreak that he experiences.  I loved this book.  It is written with an intensity and narrative style that is utterly compelling.  The world of Todd carefully unwraps with each chapter you read and you are gradually able to see the glimpses of how the world is as it is.  There are shades of the Pilgrims settling the New World in the story, the same hardships, shattered dreams and religious hypocrisy.  There are huge moments of action and climax after climax punctuate the story.

Patrick Ness cleverly wraps all this into a book that has to be one of the best I’ve read for a while and you are champing at the bit to read the sequel – The Ask and the Answer.  If you are 12 and over you will have difficulty putting the book down. Read it!

The Crowfield Curse by Pat Walsh

Set in 14th century England in and around the monastery of Crowfield, this is a great story of intrigue and the supernatural.  Will is 14 and a servant of the monks at Crowfield.  His parents were killed in a fire that burnt down their mill and the monastery has taken Will in so long as he works for his board and keep.  Will is blessed with the ‘sight’ and this enables him to see things that other humans can’t.  Primarily an injured hob who he takes back to the abbey in the hope that his friend Brother Snail can cure him.

The hob who they call Brother Walter tells Will some of the secrets of the forest and the good and evil that lurks therein.  Arriving at the monastery soon after Brother Walter, come two sinister guests Jacobus Bone and his servant Shadlok.  Their arrival seems to be to do with the Curse of Crowfield that tells of an angel shot down in the forest a century ago and buried in the heart of the forest.  Of course angels can’t die and the monks of Crowfield have had to guard the secret of the angel for many years.  No one knows where the angel is buried but it seems Bone and Shadlok mean to find out.

They enlist the help of Will, who they recognise as someone special.  Will is reluctant to help but realises that there are forces of evil that mean to harm the things that he loves and so he agrees to help Bone and Shadlok.

The monastery is brought to life with all its cold stone floors and winter starved surroundings and the magic of the hob and the other fays and spirits are also well crafted and believable.  But the best part is that it is a great story that keeps you tuning the page.  You feel part of the medieval world and Will becomes your friend pretty quickly.  The story never becomes too dominated by the fantasy elements and this makes for a page-turning read.  Recommended for readers 9+.

Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray

This is a great book and I enjoyed it immensely.  The story is original and funny, whilst at the same time moving and thought provoking.  The story concerns three boys all aged 15 who lose their best friend in a hit and run accident.  This leaves them feeling shocked and desperate to give their friend the send off that his funeral never did.  Blake, Sim and Kenny believe that no one knew Ross like they did and they are determined to prove their friendship by scattering his ashes in Ross, in Scotland, just like he’d once mentioned.

This plan means stealing his ashes from his grief-stricken parents and making a journey from Cleethorpes to the small village in Scotland.  The ensuing adventure is a turning point for the three friends and opens up a few home truths that they had not expected to reveal.

Blake tells the story and he is honest and engaging as a character.  Sim and Kenny spend much of the time arguing amongst themselves but this makes the humour in the story feel real and makes you like the three all the more. 

Once they have taken the ashes it is pretty clear that people will be trying to find them and get them to return the urn.  The boys are on a mission to get to Ross before they can be stopped.  They know that they have done something that is going to get them into serious trouble but they also know that Ross would have done as much for them.

Ross brings them together in a way that they could never have imagined and the adventure, that takes them on a train then a car and then on foot and briefly on motor scooters, is exciting and daft at the same time.

The friends all learn something about each other but also something about Ross, things that they knew deep down but had shut out.  Their whole friendships are called into question and this is what makes the book quite moving and impressive.

The narrative style is compelling and it does not take long to feel part of the quest that the three boys are on.  You race to finish the book to find out whether they make it and what the consequences are.  There is a twist at the end that makes you focus on what is important in life as do the boys, each in their own ways.

This is a great read and is highly recommended.  Definitely for the teen market; I would suggest Years 7 & 8.

Havoc by Chris Wooding

This is the sequel to Malice and picks up the story pretty much where the other one left off.  Malice was a great story – original, sinister and easy to get into.  The comic that takes children into its horror-strewn pages all controlled by the fearsome Tall Jake, is still a dark and menacing place.

Seth managed to escape from Malice, leaving his best friends Kady and Justin behind.  He is desperate to get back to help them finally overcome the evil that lurks within the pages of the comic.  Kady and Justin are trying to find the rebel group called Havoc, a bunch of kids out to disrupt the world of Tall Jake.

Havoc was once led by Kady but since she returned to Malice after a spell back in the real world she cannot remember any of this and when she does meet up with the rebel group they are wary of her.  Havoc is planning to take out the main Terminus to show that they are a force to be reckoned with.  Kady feels it is too dangerous and Seth, still back in the real world, sees in the pages of the latest copy of Malice that their plan has been discovered.  He gets back into Malice just as they are about to blow the station to kingdom come.

Seth has managed to get hold of the Shard and this is the one thing that can destroy Tall Jake.  Before he made it back to Malice he was pursued by creatures from the dark world and in one close escape he meets Alicia.  Seth explains to her about the terrible things that Malice does and before he leaves he entrusts her with information that may lead to the very heart of Malice.

Havoc is again very easy to get involved with and the extreme world of the comic is vivid and well described.  At times the plot does not quite live up to the first book and there are quite a few moments that seem a bit too contrived.  However, if you loved Malice you will like Havoc.

The characters are engaging but maybe the horror of the first book is not quite as strong as the first.  The comic ‘breaks’ are good and add a new dimension to the story that I so enjoyed in the first book.

Suitable for 11+.

Now by Morris Gleitzman

This is the third book in the thought-provoking series that began with Once and Then.  Now brings us up-to-date and to Australia where 11 year-old Zelda is living with her Grandfather, Felix (the boy from the earlier books), while her parents do a three month stint with Médecins Sans Frontières in Dafur.

Gleitzman cleverly brings some of the issues that Felix had to contend with during the terrible background of the earlier books to life in this novel.  Felix is a retired and renowned surgeon and his gentle and wise ways make his granddaughter terribly proud.  She has had to start a new school when she moves in with her grandfather and is the target for some school bullies.  She thinks back to the brave Zelda of the war and wishes she had her courage.

One of the lessons her grandfather teaches her is that she need not be so down on herself.  Zelda tries to make the upcoming birthday of Felix extra special as she knows much of the awful experiences he had when he was a young boy.  Zelda has no real friends in her new home town, apart from Jumble the dog, but she is resourceful and an honest character. The climax of the story is when Zelda’s preparation for a birthday surprise go disastrously wrong.

Echoing moments from earlier books Gleitzman manages to get us to see the needless damage people can do to people.  The thrilling climax sees both Felix and granddaughter in a fight for their lives.

The book is a quick read and it can be read on its own and might even encourage you to read Once and Then if you haven’t already done so.  It is typical Gleitzman style and engages you quickly with the central characters.  I enjoyed it and would recommend it to all readers, particularly 9 and above.

The Diary of a Doctor Who Addict by Paul Magrs

This is a book that should really be read by all those who grew up in the 1980s and were fans of Doctor Who (as the title suggests). But this is really for anyone who enjoys a book about growing up and coming to terms with the person you are, rather than the person you think you should be.

David is 11 and is addicted to ‘The Show’.  He knows all the history of Doctor Who and religiously buys all the novelisations.  He cannot wait for the new series to start with a new Doctor at the helm.  But around him few have the same passion for a low budget tv show.  His best mate, Robert, is trying to leave the world of Doctor Who behind and wants to be with girls and be cool.  David cannot see why anyone would want to change and he begins to feel rather isolated. 

This is all set amidst the goings on at home.  David lives with his Mum and her partner Brian, and Brian’s Mum called Jaqui.  Jaqui is rather fun. She is American and takes time to talk to David about all things, but in particular ‘The Show’. 

The book takes place over the course of a year and is written through the eyes of David.  This gives us access to his thoughts and the struggles he feels he has growing up and trying to fit in.  David loves to write and comes up with his own stories of the Doctor but it is when he meets Karen that he begins to see that maybe there is more to writing than just Doctor Who.

The world of the 1980s is created well and you get to share in David’s world – from the antics of his grandama, Big Nanna, to the trip to Blackpool to the see the famous Doctor Who exhibition.  There are moments of comedy that slot into a well-written piece of narrative.  This is a book for those who like real life coming of age stories.  Perhaps not for everyone who wants all out action and adventure! It is worth a read and takes no time to get through, so if you want something a little different try it out.  Recommended for those 11+.

Rhino Boy by John Brindley

Ryan is a bully and he is not a nice person.  This story tells of how he grows a rhinoceros horn that unsurprisingly makes him behave in a number of strange ways.  Ryan lives with his sister Danni and his Mum.  Ryan’s Dad left him when he was young and he never sees him although still hears  a lot about him – definitely an unsavoury character who spends his days drinking and gambling.

Ryan has to face up to the world treating him like a freak.  He rebels against the attention, wanting everyone to leave him alone.  The doctors who treat him laugh and it seems the world is only interested in him as an oddity.

The book is really an extended metaphor that shows the unpleasantness that bullies can cause.  It is quite refreshing to have the bully as the central character because you have to learn to like Ryan and for much of the book you don’t!  His mother is portrayed as someone Ryan is embarrassed by, always ‘clucking’ around him like a mother hen and his intelligent and sensitive sister always winds him up for being right the whole time.

Ryan is led along by his bully friends, Jim and Terry – not friends really, but people to fear.  As the story continues and the rhino horn grows, Ryan becomes more angry and creature-like.  It takes some home truths to begin to ease his troubled mind but they don’t come easily.

This is a quick read and you are left in no doubt as to the metaphor being used and the way this can turn the tables on someone like Ryan.  Funny at times and bizarre this is a story that will appeal to those who want to see the bullies get their comeuppance.

I would recommend this for readers aged 10+

Missing, Believed Crazy by Terence Blacker

I liked this book as it is a great story that has humour, drama and doesn’t take a minute to get into.

The plot surrounds a group of students at Cathcart College, a posh independent school for 13 – 17 year olds.  The central character of Trix Johanssen-Bell, daughter of Hollywood movie star Eva Johanssen organises one of the summer holiday’s most outrageous stunts.  She manages to coerce fellow pupils Wiki, Mark, Jade and Holly into the action and the group attempt to pull of the crime of the year – the kidnapping of Trixie Johanssen-Bell.

It all starts off when Trix tries to put on a charity fashion show at school to help raise money for an African village.  The show is a disaster and Trix is left fuming at the arrogance of people to the plight of those who have nothing in the third world.  The only way to get their attention and their cash is to fake her kidnap so that people will donate money to help find her.  The idea sounds precarious and it is.  It is only with the help of her comrades that she can begin to pull it off. 

Despite the craziness of the scheme the children manage to get things underway and the disappearance of Trixie Bell becomes headline news.  There are all sorts of plot twists along the way and what seemed like a great idea becomes more and more complicated.

The story is told through the eyes of everyone involved and this gives you  their view as well as being very entertaining.  The pace is fast and some of the twists and turns are very amusing.  The main characters, not all friends at the beginning, all learn something from their crazy scheme as do those who get caught up in the plot and so there is a real feel good nature to the book as well.

I thought this was a great read and a little different from some of the stories out and about at present.  Some of the characters are deliberate clichés and either live up to their reputation or change for the better and it is good fun to see who does.  Recommended for readers in Year 6 and above.

Frozen Billy by Anne Fine

Anne Fine is one of our great writers and she has produced some classic stories.  This story, Frozen Billy, is another good read and one that is quite unusual too.  Clarrie and Will live with their mother and their Uncle Len.  Their father has gone out to Australia to survey a long road into the outback.  Times are hard but the family manage to get through, living on the hope that father will return with his fortune.  Uncle Len is a Music Hall performer and specialises in ventriloquism.  His dummy Frozen Billy helps to earn him a wage at the Alhambra Music Hall.

Mother is called to Ireland to attend Grandmother’s funeral and while there she is put in gaol, mistakenly accused of stealing a basket of bread.  It is then up to Uncle Len to look after his niece and nephew until Mother can be released.  Len’s heart is in the right place but he spends most of his small wage on beer and gambling and Carrie’s work in the dress-making shop does not bring as much as they need.

Meanwhile Will is beginning to mimic the actions and speech of Frozen Billy much to amusement of Uncle Len, who hits upon the idea of incorporating Will into his act.  It is a stroke of genius as the act becomes a huge success and Len is put at the top of the bill at the Alhambra.  But with the success Will becomes unhappy that he does not see any of the wage that he now works so hard to achieve.  Uncle Len does not give him any and the family still struggle as much as they used to, despite their new found popularity. 

Clarrie sees her brother become bitter and sarcastic, shades of which can be seen on stage.  She realises that she has to do something about the situation as soon as possible.  It is the kindly Madame Terrazini who might offer a way out of their plight and Carrie begins to put a daring plan together.

This is an unusual story that explores the changing relationship within a small family and shows how they have to cope with some strange happenings.  It is easy to read and is strong on character and this makes the book more engaging.  The rather spooky Frozen Billy is the central link to the story and this adds to the drama of the novel.

For something a little different try this one.  For good readers in Year 4 and above.

Devil’s Kiss by Sarwat Chadda

This novel jumps right on the back of books like Twilight, or the Darren Shan series but with a twist, and is no less enjoyable because of this.  The story concerns a 15-year-old girl called Bilqis SanGreal, or Billi.  She is a Knights Templar in modern day London, recruited by the grand master of the order, her father.  The nine or so Knights battle against the evils of the dark and the fallen angels.

Billi is a reluctant member of the order and regrets the harsh way her father treats her as well as not being able to do anything that normal teenagers do.  She has been trained to use weapons that would scare most of us to death and frequently do exactly that to ghuls and other evils.  There is no pomp to being a Templar Knight and all of the group live a normal and unassuming life by day despite their brave feats against the dark. 

The knights guard the Cursed Mirror, one of the Templars great treasures and used by King Solomon to trap the fallen angels intent upon wreaking havoc in the world.  A boy called Kay has returned from Jerusalem and is the one the Templars call the Oracle because of his amazing psychic powers.  Billi and Kay were friends  before he left for his training in the Holy Land and she resents his return as everyone seems to hail him as some sort of saviour.  Billi is so keen to turn away from her life she meets and becomes entranced with a young man called Michael. 

Thinking he might be the ‘normal’ person she needs in her life she meets up with him and finds to her horror that Michael is none other than the Dark Angel, desperately seeking the Cursed Mirror to release his servants of death.  So begins a frantic and bloody battle between the Templars and the dark ones.  Billi learns a great deal and realises that all is not as it seems.  Many sacrifices have to made and as the novel reaches its explosive climax she understands the truth behind the Templars’ fight for goodness.

This is a fast paced book that is not afraid to share with its reader the gore and slime that goes with the job of defending the world from depths of evil!  Billi tries to be the typical rebel and has several close scrapes in the story.  There are references to the history of the Knights Templar and stories from the Old Testament but these are explained without fuss or too much detail.

If you like good verses evil stories and a bit of blood then this could be a book for you.  There is a sequel planned – The Dark Goddess – that should serve up more of the same.  Overall a worthwhile read in this genre but certainly for readers of Year 8 and above.

The Silver Donkey by Sonya Hartnett

Sonya Hartnett’s novel is based around a soldier who has left the front line because of the horrors that have surrounded him.  As his sight begins to desert him he finds himself lost and alone in a forest and completely helpless.  Two French sisters, Marcelle and Coco, find the sleeping man and decide to look after him, making sure that they tell no one about their secret discovery.

The Soldier – Lieutenant Shepard – is a source of fascination to the girls and he tells them that he is trying to get home to be with his sick younger brother.  The girls bring him food from home, trying hard not to make it look like too much has disappeared and also trying to keep their secret from their older brother Pascal.

The soldier has a small silver donkey that he keeps close to him and delights Coco and this is the source of several stories that he tells the girls – all about the noble donkey.  It is not long before Pascal is let in on the soldier’s whereabouts and the three children make a plan to get him back across the Channel and home.

The book tells the horrors of war and we learn about the Lieutenant’s life on the front line and what forced his decision to get away from the horror.  Pascal is more aware than the girls about the consequences of deserting the frontline but he too wants to help the soldier if he can.

The book is about the good that can be done by people against a backdrop of war.  The soldier’s stories are well told and all have an important point to make.  The balance between the soldier’s situation and the stories fit nicely.

The style of writing is engaging and very accessible and makes this a perfect novel for readers aged 9 and above.  It shows us the brutality of war but proves that honour and goodness can win through.  I enjoyed this simple tale and found a gentleness that contrasted greatly with the war that John Shepard had left behind.  Highly recommended.

Malice by Chris Wooding

Malice is a comic but one that is only rumoured to exist.  It is talked about in secret because it is so dangerous.  Why?  If you know the code you can get sucked into the comic and enter its dangerous world.  This is the premise behind Chris Wooding’s latest novel.  It is a great read and part of the book is presented like a comic so that you can see what is happening to the characters who have ended up within the world of Malice.

The story very quickly lets you know how to enter the dark world as Luke summons Tall Jake to take him into its realms.  Within his first few minutes he lies dead and his friends are baffled by his disappearance.  Seth, Luke’s friend, and Kady are determined to find out what has happened to him and follow up a lead that takes them to an address in London.  This is a rather spooky comic shop and Seth manages to get the latest copy of Malice and they both see Luke and his death played out on the pages.

Seth knows that he has to enter the world and leaving information behind for Kady he calls Tall Jake and soon finds himself in the terrifying world.  He is immediately confronted by mechanical chitters who attempt to kill him.  He meets Justin and soon the two are trying to get to the bottom of how the world of Malice works.  It is a whole world of different zones all controlled by the Time Keeper and home to the most amazing mechanical creatures all intent on destroying the teenagers who have entered the world.

Kady knows that Seth has gone into the comic and tries to find out more about the suspicious figure who ran the comic store in London.  He goes by the name of  Icarus Scratch and he and a horrible character known as Miss Benjamin are certainly instrumental in getting the comic printed; they even know how to communicate with Tall Jake.

Seth and Justin are on a quest to avenge the deaths of those who have entered the world and visit the Menagerie, a carnival like zone that lurks with deadly creatures.  They have to find the Skarla in order to get some questions answered and she lurks at the very depth of what’s known as the Oubliette.

The story is inventive and exciting and Wooding’s imagination is vivid and terrifying at times.  I very much enjoyed one of his earlier books, The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray, but this is also a great book.  It finishes on a cliff-hanger and the sequel, Havoc, will be a must if you want to get to the bottom of the world that is Malice.

Recommended for readers in Year 7 and above.  It is quite sinister and your nerves may well be frayed by the end, but it’s worth it!

The Robber Baron’s Daughter by Jamila Gavin

An intriguing story by Jamila Gavin that looks at the dark side of the super rich.  Antonietta Roberts is a 13-year-old who lives a very privileged life with her mother and father and army of servants.  They move into a house in London that has all that you could want.  Nettie is tutored by the rather unpleasant Don but she longs for Miss Kovachev, her former tutor, who disappeared one night without an explanation.  Nettie is determined to find out what has happened to her and she enlists the help of Benny, the doorman’s son who moves like a ghost around the house and seems able to find out things from every source.

Nettie is not allowed anywhere without her bodyguard and is protected from everyone.  Benny cannot believe that she has never been on the underground and one night they escape the mansion to ride the tube and Nettie catches a glimpse of Miss Kovachev.

Nettie is encouraged by her recently arrived great aunt, the famous ballet legend, Laetitia Gavrilova, to take ballet lessons from her.  Nettie adores dancing and gladly accepts the chance to learn from her aunt.  Her dream is to play Odette from Swan Lake one day.  Benny is determined to find out what has happened to the mysterious Miss Kovachev at the same time as Nettie has discovered a notebook filled with pages of her writing.  The notes in Bulgarian explain her secret and at the same time shed light on the dark world Vladimir Roberts is involved with.

Finally convincing her parents that she would like to go to school rather than face the boring Don, Nettie is enrolled at a smart girls’ school.  Here she meets Raisa, a brilliant musician from Bulgaria, who is able to translate the notes written by Miss Kovachev.  The pieces begin to fall into place and Nettie realises her loving father is something else entirely.

The story is all about secrets and the darkness that can lurk behind them.  It is a good read, sharing in the luxurious lifestyle of Nettie but knowing that there is a sinister undercurrent.  Nettie grows up and challenges so much of what she has taken for granted.  Jamila Gavin has written before about injustice and the ill treatment of innocent victims, (her book Coram Boy is a fine example) and she makes yet another telling point in this novel. 

Recommended for readers in Year 6 and above. You will enjoy this novel if you like a thoughtful mystery that builds to an interesting climax.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

There is no doubt that the Hunger Games is a great book and you will struggle to put it down.  Take the plot of a futuristic world where every year 12 Districts have to select one boy and one girl to represent them in the Hunger Games.  The Games are held in a massive zone and the object is to stay alive and kill off the other 23 competitors.  You can only be selected if you are aged 12 to 18 and the competition is unrelenting.

The story starts in District 12 and Katniss Everdeen tells her story.  She is 16 and lives in the district that supplies the ‘Capitol’ with coal.  She has a younger sister, Prim, and a mother, still reeling from the death of her husband and Katniss’ father.  Katniss keeps her small family going by providing food for them, illegally hunting in the fenced off forest.  She knows how to hunt and the forest is like a second home to her.  Along with her best friend Gale she lives a hard but unassuming life. 

District 12 is the poor relation of the other districts and it has been a long time since anyone won the Hunger Games.  The time comes for the selection to take place.  All 12 to 18 year olds are entered into the draw, some with many tokens to their names depending on how old they are.  As the District gather in this carnival atmosphere to watch the draw, Katniss holds her breath, only to hear her sister’s name called.  She is numb with shock and reacts immediately by volunteering herself instead.  Her  name is accepted and the boy is named – Peeta Mellark, the baker’s son.

Both Katniss and Peeta are whisked away to the Capitol where they receive a make over and are tutored in the way of the Games.  The true nature of the challenge ahead dawns on Katniss.  It is not that she is not familiar with the Games as they are shown on every television constantly.  She gets to know Peeta and it becomes clear that he has fancied Katniss for many years, even though she hardly knows him.  Their sponsor, a former winner of the Games, Haymitch, tells them the importance of gathering support in order that gifts may be made to them once the competition starts.  Interviews, a spectacular opening ceremony and the Games begin.

Out in the wild of the game zone it is fight and survive or be killed.  Several Districts have provided some formidable opponents.  Some from the richer Districts are ‘Career Tributes’ young boys and girls who have trained their whole lives to take part and win the Games.

Katniss has to use all her cunning in the early stages and the odds look stacked against her.  She loses contact with Peeta has to fend for herself.  Her strengths of hunting and skilful use of a bow and arrow are to hold her in good stead.  The zone is inhospitable with deadly surprises waiting at every turn. 

As the reader you are thrown into the build up and the Games themselves and you feel part of it from the start.  The tension, action, and twists and turns make for a compelling read.  The book is a great read and every reader will take something from it – the sheer horror of this ‘reality’ tv experience, the excitement, the romance and the unrelenting uncertainty of Katniss’ quest for victory.  Read it!  For Year 7s and above.  Oh yes – there is a sequel!

Redwulf’s Curse by Chris Priestley

This is the third adventure in the Tom Marlowe series. I have not read Death and the Arrow or the White Rider but started with Redwulf’s Curse.  It did not matter and I soon learnt that 15-year-old Tom, a printer’s apprentice in the early 18th century, is also companion to Dr Harker.  The two have a habit of stumbling upon mysteries that need solving.  The setting of the early 1700s is authentic and Priestley’s chapters are short and pacy.

In this story Tom and Dr Harker travel to East Anglia to stay with Abraham Gibbs, a wealthy landowner who has an avid interest in Anglo Saxon history.  As the two arrive, Gibbs is excavating the barrow of Redwulf, a legendary Saxon lord.  All is not well and it becomes clear that the disturbance of Redwulf’s tomb is causing grief amongst the local, superstitious populace.  The strange Lord Ickneld, smugglers and strange figures out on the marsh all seem to lead the Dr and Tom into a mystery.  When they hear that a servant of Gibbs has recently been found dead out on the marsh and shortly after their arrival the battered body of Italian, Bamberini, is found it is clear things are seriously out of hand.

Tom and the Dr try to piece together what has happened and whether it could be, as many think, the curse of Redwulf.  Tom is smitten by Susannah Gibbs, who treats him like a hero when he rescues her from the clutches of the giant mute, Matthew.  Tom and the Dr are in danger of getting too close to the truth and their lives are threatened. There are several adrenaline filled moments and Prisetley leads us on many twists and turns before the mystery is solved.

This was an entertaining adventure and anyone who likes their adventure stories set in the past will enjoy Tom Marlowe’s stories. It is a quick read and I imagine the other books in the series are just as enjoyable.  Recommended for readers in Year 5 and above.

Life Interrupted by Damian Kelleher

There are plenty of books that deal with kids who have to face up to the realities of life after a parent dies but this book is something special.  I would go so far as to say that it should be part of our LFL programme. 

Luke is 14 and his mother Patty, a nurse, collapses at work one day.  She is admitted for tests and it soon becomes clear that she is not at all well.  Luke has to take responsibility for his younger brother, the football obsessed Jesse, as their father left them a long time ago.  Luke is a sensible, thoughtful boy who has two good friends, Jack and Freya who act as some support as life gets turned upside down.  Their Mum has managed to sort out for a live-in help to take care of the boys so that they do not have to leave home.  The mildly bonkers Mrs McLafferty arrives and neither of the boys take too kindly to someone taking over from their Mum.

Jesses spends his time consumed by football and the issue of his mum, who is becoming weaker, does not affect him as much as it does Luke.  Several characters are introduced into the story, Polly – the Macmillan nurse, Mia – one of Patty’s nurse friends and Uncle Stu, Patty’s brother.  All of these adults help Luke and Jesse in their own ways.  Uncle Stu moves in to look after the boys (thankfully replacing Mrs M!) and it becomes clear that their Mum is not going to recover quickly, if at all from her illness. 

The book is filled with humour, sadness and yet deals with the situation in such a ‘normal’ way.  The reader inevitably gets caught up in the family’s heartache but the fortitude of the characters is simply amazing and does not seem to be at all contrived.  It doesn’t shy away from the horrible facts that surround a terrible illness but as it is written through Luke’s eyes you see things from his point of view.  The book shows you the importance of friends and family and how the biggest heartache can be bearable with the support of those that love you.

There is no pretence in this story; the humour, warmth and sadness are real and Kelleher writes from the heart.  I recommend this book to everyone for it gives you faith in the human spirit and leaves you smiling despite all that happened.  Read it!  Recommended for those in Year 6 and above.

The Trap by John Smelcer

 Set in the bitter Alaskan winter The Trap tells the story of Albert Least-Weasel and his grandson Johnny.  The old man has spent his life out in the wilds of the forest and mountain, setting traps and living off the land.  Well into his eighties he sets off from his home and wife to check his trap lines.  With the cold all around he packs his snow mobile with supplies and emergency gear.  This Red Indian has no need to fear the vast miles of nature wrapped in winter’s grip.  He is independent and knows more about the ‘old ways’ than most of the people in his village. 

It is as he checks one particular trap that he accidentally steps into its metal jaws and is unable to prise himself away.  The trap has closed on the tough leather of his boot so he is in no real pain but the unforgiving grasp means he is stuck.  His snow mobile is out of reach as are his supplies and he knows that no one will be passing through this wilderness as the cold increases its grip.

Johnny is different from the other young men his age.  He is polite and hardworking and does not resort to drinking his days away at the village bar.  He begins to be concerned that his grandfather has been away for so long and eventually decides to load up his snow mobile and go out to check the trap lines, knowing that his wise grandfather is probably safe and well in one of the snow cabins along the route.

Albert Least-Weasel thinks practically and tries to keep up his strength, but as the days pass he loses strength while the wolves gather to attack.  Can Johnny get to his grandfather in time?

The book describes the Alaskan wilderness in winter with clarity but also invokes the special relationship the Indians have with nature.  Flashbacks occur within every chapter and we learn fragments about Albert’s life as he waits for help.  The book raises some of the issues affecting the Indian population of North America but it is more a story of man and nature, showing the harsh realities that exist.

I enjoyed the story and the grip of winter felt very real.  The stories within a story worked well as the tension gently built up towards the gripping climax.  Recommended for readers of 11 upwards.

Bloodchild by Tim Bowler

Tim Bowler is a Carnegie Medal winner and I have enjoyed his previous books.  Bloodchild is another terrific read but definitely for the teenage market.  This is a psychological thriller that does not let up until the final pages.

The story starts with Will, a 15 year old, lying in the road after a hit and run.  He is taken to hospital and eventually returns home but cannot remember anything of his previous life.  This is a great ploy because you learn things out about Will as he tries to piece his old life together.  It is not long before we find out that Will is not a normal boy but has huge problems.  He ‘sees’ things and these visions have alienated all but  a very few close friends and family.  His visions are crystal clear and they warn him that his home town of Havensmouth is hiding something dark and sinister.

Will sees the face of a girl repeatedly and she seems to be warning him.  When Will gets back home after hospital he is shown to his room to find that before his accident he drew pictures of this girl repeatedly and they are plastered all over his walls.  His blanked mind tries to remember anything that will help him discover who the girl is.

Down on the beach Will sees a mysterious child who bears a striking resemblance to the girl.  This boy is frightened and alone save for the tramp known as Crow who looks after the child.  Despite the loving efforts of his parents Will is desperate to find out what his visions mean.  Horrific images of blood and terror fill his mind and take him to places that cause certain people in the seaside town of Havensmouth discomfort.

A balaclava wearing gang try to stop Will finding out too much and before too long it becomes obvious that Will’s life is in great danger.  Will has help from Beth, a local girl, who seems able to calm him when his mind is ready to explode. The boy called Muck, who communicates with no one, will only let Will near him.  Local teenagers throw hatred at him and at times you wonder if anyone can help him out of his desperation.

There are so many strands to this tale that you are left as confused as Will but are compelled to read on.  Bowler writes with a vivid style that allows you to see what Will sees and share in the anguish that goes through his mind.  The twists and turns of the plot are well thought out and you wonder how any of the pieces can come together.  The passages where Will sees the things that act as signs of the danger lurking out there are excellent and at times disturbing.  This is a novel that cleverly weaves a story of a town in crisis but one that everyone tries to suppress.

If you are in Year 8 and above you are in for a treat with Bowler’s latest novel.  It deals with some difficult topics but never gratuitously and the calibre of writing is well worth checking out if you like the thriller genre.

The Cat Who Liked Rain by Henning Mankell

This is a moving story of a boy called Lukas who receives the most wonderful birthday present of a little black kitten for his 7th birthday.  Lukas loves the cat that he calls Night and his days are spent happily looking after him.  At night Lukas and Night dream away and it seems that the boy and cat are meant to be together.  Lukas’ dad and mum are delighted although older brother, Markus (nicknamed Whirlwind because of his aptitude at skateboarding), is not as fond of the cat as he might be.

As we get to know Lukas and Night the worst happens as the cat disappears.  Lukas is distraught and desperate to find him.  Days go by and Lukas puts up posters in town offering one million kronor (the story is set in Sweden) if Night is returned.  Of course the family could never pay that much but Lukas wants his cat back!  As time goes on and Lukas becomes more downhearted his parents become worried especially after Lukas runs away to find his runaway cat.

This story is well written and would be the perfect read for anyone aged 8 – 10 who has had to deal with the loss of a pet.  Lukas is comforted by his dad and comes to see that his cat might just be living a happy life somewhere else.  Lukas comes to terms with his loss but never gives up hoping that Night might one day return.

A thoughtful story that does not dwell on the sorrow but rather the ways in which Lukas deals with the loss.  Recommended for capable readers from Year 3 up.

Then by Morris Gleitzman

Then follows on from Morris Gleitzman’s story Once.  Felix and Zelda are two Polish children on the run from the Nazis in 1942.  Felix is Jewish and Zelda is not.  The story begins with the two children leaping from a train destined for a death camp.  Felix is likeable and pragmatic and the story is told through his eyes.  What engages you most throughout the book is his honesty and determination.

Zelda is only 6 and Felix 10.  Felix’s parents were killed by the Nazis, and Zelda’s parents (who were Nazis themselves) were killed by the Polish Resistance.  As a result Zelda hates Nazis because of the hurt they have caused Felix and countless other Jews.  She hates her parents.

Felix and Zelda are alone in the countryside and starving.  They are almost shot by a Nazi patrol and it is clear that if found there will be no chance of escape.  Gleitzman’s talent is that he does not shy away from the atrocities of the war but tells them frankly through a child’s eyes.  The story is not all despair and humour manages to raise its head when you least expect it.

Help comes to the two children in the shape of Genia, a caring Polish lady who takes Felix and Zelda in, hiding them from the frequent Nazi patrols.  Their hair is dyed and their names are changed to Wilhelm and Violetta.  Felix is a huge fan of the Just William books and often prays to Richmal Crompton for help when they are in the darkest of situations!  Genia pretends the children are her relations, forced to join her when their parents died.  The ruse holds up but as always suspicion follows them wherever they go.  Those who sympathise with Jews are hanged in the streets of the local town and everyone is encouraged to betray each other.

Felix is so grateful to Genia but wants to protect Zelda, after all she is not Jewish but the child of Nazi parents.  Zelda does her own job of making situations worse by visibly showing her dislike of the Nazis.  Felix gets into some close scrapes and is very near to being found out as the Jewish boy he is. 

There are some tense moments and Gleitzman’s prose pulls no punches.  You are plunged into a world that seems all too real and as the author says the book is a case of the ‘imagination trying to grasp the unimaginable’.  The heartbreaking ending pounces on you and you are left with a tiny idea of what this most brutal period in history might have been like.

Gleitzman has never shied away from tough subjects but that does not mean we should steer clear.  His writing is powerful and informative and entertaining (if that word can be used in this context).  Children should read Once.  Suitable for capable readers from Year 5 up, although by its very nature there are some harrowing moments.

The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan

There is no doubt that you struggle to put this book down once you start reading it.  All 180 pages maintain that page turning quality and you are left somewhat breathless at the end.  Savita Kalhan has written a story that will entice readers in, rather like Thomas Craigly does to the two central characters in the book – 11 year olds Sam and Lloyd.  The story opens with Sam, newly arrived at school, making friends with the class hero, Lloyd.  Lloyd appears to have it all – rich parents, talent both in class and on the sports field and popularity.  The boys have arranged to go to each others homes for a Friday evening but can’t quite remember who is picking them up.

This is where the story relies on the boys’ sense of naivety.  A massive stretched limo turns up and both assume that the other’s parents are responsible.  Sam assumes that the car has been sent by Lloyd’s dad to give the boys a treat and Lloyd thinks the same.  The car is loaded with kit – sweets, computer games and consoles, new cds and dvds.  Both boys are more interested in these and are not too bothered in finding out where they are going.  Nevertheless as the journey continues Sam begins to wonder what this is all about.  The driver reassures them and takes them to a vast mansion in the middle of nowhere.  Here the boys are shown into a massive games room with every type of conceivable entertainment.  Food is provided but unnervingly the doors are locked and it is not long before Sam becomes suspicious.

Lloyd is the more believing and listens to the friendly driver and it seems housekeeper when he tells them that this is all a big treat that has been organised for them.  As the reader you begin to see that things are not good at all and the tension levels start to rise.  The boys are shown to their rooms for the night and Sam becomes desperate to go home.  He is locked into a small room and attempts to barricade himself in before escaping through the bathroom window and out into the grounds of the mansion.

So begins a frantic cat and mouse chase.  Craigly is determined to find Sam and we now see that this weekend is anything but a treat for the boys.  Sam makes it back into the house to try to rescue Lloyd.  When he finds him the confident boy has been reduced to a quivering wreck and it is clear that Craigly’s plan was to do far more than lock the boys up.

The boys are left to try to escape as Craigly hunts them down.  Sam finds courage and determination but it is by no means clear that the boys will escape.  I found the story compelling and well written.  It maintains its pace and tension throughout.  Sam and Lloyd are believable and there are some nail biting moments.

This is a suitable read for Year 7s and above and would entice those who like fast paced thrillers.  The book has some similarities with A Nicer Way to Die by Sam Mills which is another recommended read for those in Years 7 & 8.

Waterslain Angels by Kevin Crossley-Holland

Waterslain Angels is a beautifully written book by Kevin Crossley- Holland, an author well known for his poetic prose in the rewriting of many classic tales as well as original stories.  This story feels like it comes from another age, one of great storytelling and is no less readable because of this.  Annie Carter is the hero of the book and a plucky one at that.  Set in 1950s Norfolk the story concerns the missing angels of Waterslain Church.  This is a mystery story that does not need the gimmicks of the 21st century.  The angels, carved for the church ceiling in the 15th century, were assumed to have been hacked off during either Henry V111’s break with Rome or Cromwell’s brutal vandalism of parish churches.  Annie, gripped by a compelling feeling that the angels were rescued and hidden, embarks on a hunt for the angels.  She is not alone – it seems that the rector of Waterslain and the dodgy of Alan Leppard are also on the hunt.

Annie has some help in the form of Sandy Boroff, an 11 year old boy whose mother married an American based in England during the war.  Sandy’s dad is no longer alive and his mother has returned from America to Waterslain.  Annie realises this pale, spindly boy is just as keen to find the angels and the two set out on their quest.  Annie is enough of a rebel to ignore the advice of her parents and other adults and this often gets her the answers she is desperate to find.  Not all goes to plan and several events stand in her way.  The church is the key to the mystery and Annie and Sandy get more than they bargained for in their hunt.  There are some good sequences that take place on the marshes and in the church itself.  Both children are not put off despite being almost drowned and attacked by some very vicious bees.

The story moves at pace, told with descriptive ease by Crossley-Holland.  This is a tale that will appeal to capable readers from Year 6 up and those who appreciate character detail and eloquent prose.  The mystery of the angels’ hiding place is slowly revealed through a combination of dreams and clues left behind by those eager to keep them safe all those years ago.

I am glad there are still writers like Crossley-Holland who write, thoughtful and engaging adventures that rely on good storytelling.  He sets it in the 1950s as it is unlikely a 2009 child would be fascinated by the treasures of a small parish church but please don’t let that put you off; this is a book worth reading.  There is something satisfying about reading one of Crossley-Holland’s novels and you feel that you have learnt something along the way too.

Hangman by Julia Jarman

This book was published back in 1999 but its message is no less important today.  The story concerns Danny Lamb, a 12 year old boy, who joins Lindley School and is an immediate target for bullying.  Danny enjoys learning (especially Latin), is not the greatest at sport and often unknowingly shows off his eccentricities to the other pupils.  Danny’s best friend from years before, Toby, also goes to Lindley and as the parents of both boys are good friends it seems natural that Toby will look after Danny.

Toby does not want to alienate himself from the ‘cool’ kids at school and is reluctant to even acknowledge Danny’s presence.  He even sides with those who taunt or laugh at Danny.  Nick Tate is the school hero, good at sport, the teachers’ favourite, but deep down also a bully.  It is he who makes life unbearable for Danny and yet is very cunning about how he does it so that no one can blame him for the unhappiness that Danny is feeling.  Toby knows that Danny is suffering but does not have the guts to make a stand.  Even the teachers at Lindley see that something is wrong but the story is one of missed opportunities. 

Joining a trip to Normandy Danny suffers the worst persecution and this leads to the book’s climax and the strong deliverance of the message to anyone who may be tempted to bully.

The book is a little contrived in parts but you cannot escape the important message that it puts across.  You feel anger at Nick Tate’s behaviour and outright nastiness, just as you feel like shaking Toby and getting him to stand up for his one time friend.  Danny is not perfect though and doesn’t look for help.  But this is often what the bullied go through and a series of events can lead to a desperate solution.  Jarman cleverly does not have those culpable being viciously punished. Instead she paints a picture of how one’s behaviour can be punishment enough as you have to live with it for the rest of your life.

Recommended for Year 6 and above.

The Devil’s Breath by David Gilman

I liked this first adventure about Max Gordon, it is one of those stories that has everything you’d want.  David Gilman is a good writer who seems to have the perfect pedigree for such stories – ex Parachute Regiment, firefighter, tv screenwriter etc.

Max is a fifteen-year-old boy at an exclusive school, Dartmoor High, and it is here that he learns adventure, survival skills and above all independence.  The high-octane story begins with drama and this continues throughout the novel.  Max’s dad has disappeared and Max is targeted at school by some unknown hitman.  He goes to London to find some answers and with some help manages to get a flight to Namibia, the site of his dad’s disappearance, and so the adventure begins.  Max gradually begins to find out that his father was onto something big and soon enough he becomes the target for the evil businessman, Shaka Chang.  Max is helped to pick up the trail of his environmentalist/explorer father by Kallie, a determined and independent girl.  She rescues him from an airport welcome that few of us would fancy and then introduces him to !Koga, a Namibian tribesboy, and the one of the last people to have news of his father. !Koga and Max set off to try to find the last place Tom Gordon was seen alive and well.  As soon as they are in the bush the forces of Chang begin their pursuit. 

Max and !Koga are thrown into extreme survival mode and this is where the book does well in bringing the harsh conditions to life.  Max begins to learn that the tribesmen think that he has been sent to save them from death, and sure enough he finds ancient drawings on a cave wall that depict this.  It becomes clear that Chang is trying to take over the water supply of the whole of southern Africa and Max’s dad had found out what was going on.

Max suffers all sorts of horrendous experiences in his bid to save his father and stop Chang, the most unusual being given a spiritual experience by the shaman of !Koga’s tribe.  The story never disappoints and at nearly 400 pages gives a great deal to get your teeth into.  I enjoyed the African aspect to the story and how the two boys managed to stay alive amidst all sorts of dangers.  The writing is well paced and does not become unbelievable due to the good plot development.  This is the first of several Max Gordon novels and I would recommend them to Year 7s and above.  Yes, there are a good deal of books about heroic kids and their exploits, but this is one of the best I’ve read and packs a great deal into the story. 

You could do worse than climb aboard a Max Gordon adventure.

Victory by Susan Cooper

Any novel of Susan Cooper’s is always worth a read and Victory is no exception.  She creates a vivid picture of  two worlds, past and present, and the reader gets to live the life of a sailor on board HMS Victory.

The story concerns Molly Jennings who has recently moved to Connecticut.  Her mum has married Carl, an American, and the family have relocated to the United States as Carl’s job brings him home from London.  Molly is terribly homesick and finds life hard in this new world.  A visit to the seaside town of Mystic enables Molly to go browsing in a local bookshop.  She is drawn to a book about Admiral Nelson and purchases it, only to find that a secret envelope has been hidden within its pages.  The envelope contains a piece of Victory’s flag from the battle of Trafalgar, once owned by Samuel Robbins, ship’s boy on board the flagship during Nelson’s great victory.

The reader can follow Sam’s story at the same time as Molly’s, as each chapter alternates between the two of them; Molly’s written in the present and Sam’s in the past.  The discovery of the flag seems to connect the two across the voids of time and Molly starts to see Sam’s life in ever more vivid dreams.  She yearns to go home to England and her mother, concerned at her unhappy state, arranges a week’s trip back to London.

Sam’s life is one of drama as his passage to the navy and the hard life that it brings is laid out in a compelling narrative.  We get to see how tough life aboard ship was but also the respect and fellowship that it brought to men of the British navy.  As the Victory gets ever closer to conflict with the Napoleonic fleet the tension rises.

Molly’s visit to London and her grandparents culminates in a visit to HMS Victory in Portsmouth, and it is here that she seems to slip into Sam’s world and witnesses the ferocity of the battle of Trafalgar.  Her link with the young Sam is strong and it is not easily explained to her concerned family.

The story is interesting and realistic and Sam’s life on board is well told.  Molly’s life makes for an exciting comparison and turns the novel into something more than just an historical novel.  Cooper’s writing is engaging and easily lifts the reader into the story.  I would recommend this to capable readers from Year 5 up.  If you are interested in learning something about the mighty HMS Victory as well this could be a great place to start.

Darkside by Tom Becker

Darkside is a story that comes from what is now a fairly familiar genre in children’s literature – horror.  The story concerns Jonathan Starling, a fourteen-year-old boy and a loner who often cuts school and lives a strange life with his even stranger father.  Jonathan never knew his mother and his father never communicates with him on any level, preferring to lock himself in his study instead.  But there are the weird bouts of illness that take hold of his father and render him useless, often causing him to be taken to an asylum in order to recover.  It is during one of his father’s illnesses that Jonathan finds himself exploring the locked study and discovering secrets all linked to the Darkside.

At the British Library to follow up a reference that he found in the study, Jonathan is pursued by the evil Marianne and her two henchmen.  He manages to give them the slip after having found out how to get to the Darkside. Still with plenty of questions he gets some answers from his dad’s friend Mrs Elwood.  She tells him it is for the best if he travels to the Darkside to seek the protection of Carnegie.  Still short of answers he does not have to wait long to enter into the new world as he is once again pursued by Marianne and the two thugs.

Once in the strange and terrifying Darkside he eventually discovers Carnegie and after a very disturbing introduction discovers that he is the target of more than one inhabitant of this blood-thirsty world.  It is up to him to escape the devilish clutches of the evil ones, particularly the vampire Vendetta and get back to the Lightside to help save his father from certain death.

This story doesn’t hang about and you are certainly involved with things from the first chapter.  It is not hard to get through the story and for those who enjoy it there are currently two further adventures in the Darkside series.  The story reminded me slightly of Tunnels but there seem to be so many books in this genre that it may well be a mixture of all sorts.  I enjoyed it and think that boys, especially from Year 6 up, would enjoy the rather macabre story and the pulsating drama.  It is not badly written and the moments of action are exciting if you are prepared to enter into the spirit of the story.  The dark, dank Victorian world of the Darkside has been created by many authors before and this is not a terribly original idea but all good fun for a quick read.

Blood Ties by Sophie McKenzie

Sophie McKenzie’s new novel Blood Ties is a compelling thriller.  Those looking for a high adrenalin story in Years 7 & 8 will enjoy the book.  Theo and Rachel are two 15 year olds who, through a bizarre series of occurrences, get to share a wild and dangerous adventure.

Theo lives an ordinary life with his mum although he is different and he knows it.  Perhaps it is the bodyguard that follows him everywhere.  As he gets older he becomes more frustrated by his lack of freedom and he tries to escape from the ever present ‘shadow’ called Roy.  This prompts his Mum to finally give him the real reasons that he has security wherever he goes.  He is given some details about his father who he thought was dead and he begins to secretly get hold of more facts.  This involves using the internet to find any information about his father who it turns out was involved in genetic research.  A link to another colleague of his father leads him to the daughter Rachel, a rather shy and awkward girl.  This probing for information leads Theo and Rachel into great danger that is only eased when they are dramatically rescued from being taken out by two hitmen.

As they both get to know the identity of their rescuer the chilling truth emerges as to their real identities.  Theo is shocked to find out that he is the target for a group called RAGE who are determined to finish him off for ever.  He is also introduced to his father who is not at all who he expected him to be.  As Rachel and Theo become closer they use their resourcefulness to undermine the plans that seem to be beyond their control.

The story takes us from London to Scotland to Washington D.C and the pace does not let up.  There are all the elements you’d expect from a modern day thriller and plenty of explosions and heroics.  Each alternate chapter in the novel is written from both characters points of view and this helps keep up the momentum.  One of the best things about the novel is how both characters devlop and mature in a short space of time, particularly Rachel who is transformed by her adventure.

I enjoyed the book and raced through it, following each new turn with interest.  Recommended!

Titanic 2020 – Cannibal City by Colin Bateman

There is already a review of Titanic 2020, the first book in the series, in this section and it is more of the same with the sequel.  In order to enjoy the book you have to let reality take a back seat and just go with the flow!

Jimmy Armstrong and his friend Claire are still aboard the Titanic, a modern super ship, and the world has not recovered from the plague that has wiped out most of the population.  The ship is calling into various ports to see if it can help those that have survived and it is during such a stop that Jimmy and Claire are separated and plunged into another dangerous adventure.  Jimmy overhears that the President of the United States is alive and he is looking for people to join him to build a new world.  Jimmy, left behind by the Titanic, meets the President and gets enrolled into his army.  It is not quite what he expects and he makes plans to escape the oppressive regime.

The Titanic is steaming towards New York in search of a spare part that the ship needs if it is to continue sailing.  New York is abandoned and a ghost city, apart from the gangs of cannibals that roam the streets.  A small party from the Titanic go ashore in search of the much needed part.

Suffice to say that Claire and the team get captured and it is up to Jimmy and his new friend Ronnie to try to get them out safely.  The story has so many different twists and turns and you are certainly given a real taste of adventure.  It has all the excitement of the first book in the series and if you enjoyed that one then you’ll like this too.  It is a good read if you want something quick and adventurous and don’t mind the wildly unbelievable!

Airman by Eoin Colfer

Best selling author of the Artemis Fowl series has come up with this rattling yarn set in the 19th century and based in the fictional kingdom just off Ireland called Saltee. 

Conor Broekhart, born in a hot air balloon over Paris, was bound to grow up obsessed with flying and so the story proves.  Conor is one of the gentry in the tiny kingdom of Saltee, made wealthy and powerful because of its huge diamond mine.  As Conor grows up he is taught by legendary aeronaut and world authority on most things, Victor Vigny.  Conor’s father is both friend to the King of Saltee, Nicholas, and chief of the armed guard.  It would seem that all is perfect for the talented, good-looking youngster who even has the affection of the young princess, Isabella.

But all is not so well in the islands as the Marshall of the kingdom is plotting the king’s downfall and his own rise to power.  Nicholas’ reforms and considerate approach to his subjects means that Marshall Bonvilain wants him dead.  Unfortunately for the young Conor, already noted for his bravery, this plan will involve taking everything he knows away from him.

So the story unfolds with Conor trying to find a way to rebuild his shattered life amidst the terrifying conditions of the Saltee prison, controlled by Bonvilain.  All sorts of adventures occur and Conor’s dream of flying only becomes greater as his desire for freedom becomes unstoppable.

Conor’s family, believing him dead, are taken in by the nasty Bonvilain and it is only the help of Linus Wynter, Conor’s blind friend, that makes him seek out revenge.  Conor wants to be a scientist and be the first man to fly.  His quest leads him further to that discovery than he could dare to imagine.

This is a great book, that sweeps you along, just like the Airman itself.  Conor is a worthy hero and the villain is as nasty and cunning as you could wish.  The imaginary salt encrusted Saltee Islands are a great setting for the story  and you feel very much part of the action.  I really enjoyed this adventure and am sure that readers will love it too.  Colfer has a talent for original fiction and he writes well.  Airman will not disappoint!

Crusade by Elizabeth Laird

Crusade is a cracking adventure story set around Richard 1’s crusade to the Holy Land in the 13th century.  Laird brings the massive campaign to life through the eyes of two boys: one Christian, one Muslim. 

We meet Salim at the novel’s start leaving Acre and newly apprenticed to  Dr Musa.  He is unhappy to be leaving his family as the city is about to be besieged by the ‘Frankish barbarians’.  Salim, who longs to be a Mamluk soldier – the best fighters in Saladin’s army – must be content with his new role as he was left with a damaged leg after an illness as a baby.  Dr Musa and Salim are journeying to Jerusalem but are about to be set upon by Frankish knights when they are rescued by an elite force of Mamluks.  Taken to the great camp of Saladin, Dr Musa is enrolled as the leader’s personal physician.

In England, young Adam, fresh from burying his mother is taken on by Lord Guy de Martel as a dog boy.  Adam is convinced that unless he manages to sprinkle some holy dust from Jerusalem on his mother’s grave then she will not go to heaven.  In the castle a call to crusade is issued and Adam grabs the opportunity to serve in the holy war.  Accompanied by Lord Guy’s dogs Adam begins his adventure.

After  a long and arduous journey Adam arrives at the crusader camp.  Salim, under the tutelage of the highly respected Dr Musa, learns the doctor’s craft and is asked to spy on the crusader camp by Saladin as he gathers herbs for medicine.  It is on one of these missions that Salim first spies Adam and his massive mastiff hound, Faithful.  The crusaders besiege Acre but it takes nearly two years to fall and in this time Saladin’s army waits.

By an interesting quirk of fate the two boys meet finally during the armies’ stalemate and their prejudices of each other slowly disappear.  The story weaves their fates together and it would be to ruin the plot if all was revealed.  Suffice to say that we get some splendid action along the way.

Laird writes with knowledge and the story moves at epic pace.  We get to like and admire Salim and Adam and the underlying message of friendship is both clear and powerful.  Neither side is berated by the author and we build up a human interest in the myriad of characters who appear in the novel.

There are some great plot twists and the story does have you sweating in the heat of the holy land whilst on the edge of your seat at the same time.  I thoroughly enjoyed the book and loved the vivid pictures that it created.  This is true adventure and will appeal to readers who like an historical aspect to their stories.  Easy to recommend for competent readers from Year 6 and above.

A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd

Having recently read Bog Child (highly recommended) I wanted to read Siobhan Dowd’s debut novel, A Swift Pure Cry.  The book is hauntingly poetic and tinged with  sadness on almost every page.  Its core theme is not that of a child’s book but yet its story deserves to be read by any teenager.  The novel is about loneliness and heartache but also the resolve of the human spirit.

Shell Talent, 15, looks after her younger brother and sister in a remote part of Ireland after the death of her mother.  Shell’s dad has gone into his own religious crazed world and barely notices his family who live on the poverty line.  Shell takes on the role of mother but is only a young and innocent girl who longs for some guiding figure.  A new young curate Father Rose arrives in the parish and seems to show Shell that God has not deserted her.  Meanwhile the smooth talking Declan Ronan leads Shell along a path that ultimately leads to her becoming pregnant.  Desperately ignorant, Shell tries to hide herself from the village as the child approaches.  All in the village seem to desert her and her drunken and errant father takes no notice at all of his daughter.  The only comfort Shell can take is from Trix and Jimmy her two siblings.

The birth of the child brings about a frightening turn in Shell’s life and all seems to close in around her.  It is Father Rose who offers some assistance but the world is portrayed as a very dark place. 

This novel is moving and always keeps reminding you of the brutal nature of life.  It is Shell’s character that ultimately shines through and you feel that you have shared her journey.  Dowd’s sympathetic style and wonderfully lyrical prose make this book a powerful read.  This is a book for mature Year 8s and above.  It is a book that tackles a difficult subject thoughtfully and with such skill that many reviewers were bowled over by it.

Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls

To be honest I wasn’t looking forward to reading this book about 11 year old Sam who is dying from leukaemia.  I thought that it wasn’t quite right that an author should use this as the storyline for a novel.  The book is a ‘real life’ approach and I wondered whether a writer had the right to take a subject, so terribly real for many families, and produce a fictionalised account.  I can admit now that I stand corrected.  Sally Nicholls’ debut novel brings young Sam McQueen powerfully to life and proceeds to deal with his story in a touching, funny, painful and above all very moving way.

Sam is fairly philosophical about his illness and the book is written (as if by him) as he tries to answer questions, deal with worries and generally get on with living his short life.  Sam is fascinated by facts and lists and the book is punctuated with entertaining lists that tell you a great deal about the things on Sam’s mind.

Sam has a friend, Felix, who is also ill with cancer and the two try to think up ways of dealing with their illnesses and also what it is they really want from the last few weeks of their lives.  There are some great moments such as when Sam and Felix try to make a ouija board and commune with the dead or when Sam tackles his ambition of going up an escalator the wrong way.  Simple things that don’t seem out of place in this novel.

What perhaps impressed me the most was the way it tackles death.  Nicholls doesn’t shy away from it; after all it is the central theme to the novel.  We see Sam’s family try to deal it:  Mum, often in tears and desperately trying to live a normal life for Sam; Dad struggling to cope and bottling up all his emotions; Ella, Sam’s little sister, aware that things are not right with her brother and showing great care for him.  All these emotions are gently put before the reader and rather than being morbid we learn a great deal about how an illness can effect a family.

Sam is likeable and normal and one doesn’t feel that he is out for our sympathy, although his engaging character ensures he gets it.  The ending of the novel is sad but also heart-warming.  I would think that this would be the perfect way to introduce young readers to the reality of death and illness.

Sally Nicholls has created a little gem and in its quiet way Ways to Live Forever will leave a part of it in you for quite a while. This isn’t a book with sweeping plots and high octane adventures but it is just as powerful a read for children as those that are. There are not many books that deal with the subject matter as effectively as this and perhaps the fact that Sam is a fictional character makes it more accessible.  I would certainly recommend this to readers in Year 6 and above.

Finding Violet Park by Jenny Valentine

Finding Violet Park is a different kind of story and one that I enjoyed reading.  To summarise the plot does not do the story justice but essentially 16 year old Lucas Swain discovers the ashes of Violet Park sitting on the shelf of a taxi office and is immediately intrigued by this mystery lady.  He sets about ‘freeing’ her from the confines of the place and embarks on finding out exactly who she is.

Lucas lives with his mother, his older sister, Mercy, and younger brother Jed.  Lucas is not an easy boy to live with and bears a huge respect for his absent father; a father who left without a word just before Jed was born.  Lucas’s mum tries to bring up her family but is beset by regret and anger about her runaway husband.  Lucas’ search to find Violet Park leads him closer to the truth in so many ways and his journey begins to unearth secrets that he could never have guessed.

The book is funny and honest.  Lucas doesn’t come across as an angel but the strange Violet makes him more aware of others in his family.  He is a caring and thoughtful older to brother and although he comes to blows with his mum he even begins to see things from her side as the story develops.

Violet is certainly an entertaining figure and although long dead she comes across with humour and vibrancy. She is connected to Lucas in ways that leave him shocked yet in a way relieved.  Lucas grows up because of her and the mystery surrounding his father goes some way to being answered.

The book is written with pace and a style that appeals to the reader for its straightforward approach.  The author has taken a strange idea and made it work in a fresh and punchy way.  The book contains some material that possibly makes it unsuitable for younger readers.  It is aimed at a teenage market and for Year 8s and above I would highly recommend it, for it is quirky and spirited and a great read.

Triskellion by Will Peterson

The past few books we've reviewed are definitely picking up a theme - that of buried secrets and mystery from the past - and Triskellion is no different!  I enjoyed the book very much and felt that it captured the elements of a true adventure, it reminded me of all the best bits from classic adventure fiction albeit with a 21st century slant.

Twins Rachel and Adam are sent from their home in New York to join their grandmother in Cornwall as their parents go through a messy divorce.  Cornwall seems a hundred years behind the times and the English village appears to be stuck in the 1950s.  Granny Root is welcoming but the twins cannot but feel that strangeness lurks around every corner and they become aware of the Triskellion past, full of mystery and secrets.  A mighty chalk circle depicting the sign of Triskellion holds more than mystery and power seems to leak from its shape into Rachel and Adam.  They become aware of a past through glimpses in dreams and thoughts and these are helped by the mysterious Gabriel who can communicate telepathically with them.

There are those in the village who are desperate to keep the secrets hidden but some are prepared to help the children in their quest to reveal the mystery.  The beeman Honeyman knows a great deal and sparks an interest from the television show Treasure Hunters who get permission to dig up parts of the chalk circle live on television.  This is a step too far for many of the villagers and some are prepared to kill to protect the secrets of Triskellion.  The television show reveals a a secret so highly charged and Rachel and Adam are forced to witness those around them turn into very different people.

As the twins try to find the missing parts of an ancient symbol which will help answer questions, danger increases and the village becomes a very dangerous place to be.  The adventure moves at a good pace and the mix of history and the paranormal makes for a great adventure.  The characters of Adam and Rachel are believable and their discovery about the past leads to a breathtaking climax - one that is set to be continued in the sequel.

I enjoyed the book and think that any readers aged 11 and above would find the novel a thumping good yarn!

Invisible City by M.G.Harris

Well this one is certainly a rollercoaster and if you are out for adventure then I recommend you try it! Invisible City by M.G.Harris is one of those where the action happens to a 13 old boy called Josh whose father is mudered by someone who wants to get hold of the knowledge he posesses about a Mayan codex. Josh's dad was an archaeologist at Oxford University and an expert on the ancient Mexican Mayan culture. It does all sound a bit Alex Rider but I found it more entertaining. The story begins in Oxford as Josh begins to learn about his father's work and wants some answers. It is too difficult to go into all the plot as there are so many twists and turns throughout the novel. The interesting part for me was when the story moved to Mexico and the action really took off.

Josh is expected to become secret agent, super spy and develop a knowledge on ancient Mayan history in the course of the novel and there are some parts that feel a little contrived but it is exciting. The parts when Josh is in the jungle pursued by all sorts and the moments when he discovers the secret city of Ek Naab are great fun. Any reader looking for outright excitement cannot but be swept along by Josh's adventure. Needles to say this is the first book in a series so fans of the novel can expect more of the same.

There are a few insights into Mexican life and the author who was born there creates a feeling of the land and the mystery of the Mayan culture albeit rather far-fetched at times! This is a book that will appeal to those who have enjoyed Alex Rider and the Cherub series and I have to admit wanting to turn each page to find out what disaster Josh was faced with next.

A good addition to the adventure genre.

Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd

It is rather a sadness that I came to Siobhan Dowd's novel, Bog Child after her tragic death last year. This is a book that definitely is for the teenage market but one that certainly deserves a mention in this review section. I found the book compelling and well observed as it captures a past that today seems rather forgotten. It is undoubtedly true that Siobhan Dowd would have gone on to write a great many other wonderful books had she been given the opportunity.

The story is centred on Fergus, about to sit his A Levels and living at the height of the troubles in Northern Ireland. Fergus' brother, Joe, is in the Maze prison and serving ten years for terrorist actions as a member of the IRA but Fergus, although concerned, has his own agenda and does not want to follow the path his brother has taken.

While out with his Uncle Tally one morning to bag up some peat in order to earn some extra money, Fergus discovers a body in the all-preserving richness of the peat. The body turns out to be 2000 years old and almost perfectly preserved. Fergus becomes fascinated with the girl, Mel, as he calls her and strikes up a friendship with mother and daughter, archaeologists Felicity and Cora, who arrive from Dublin to examine the girl's body.

Back at home Fergus and his family hear that Joe, along with other prisoners, has begun a hunger strike, following the example of Bobby Sands - the first IRA hunger striker who died for the cause. Fergus and his mother beg Joe to cease the strike but he won't listen and so begins a very harrowing time for the family. Determined to preserve their dignity they keep Joe's plight away from gossip and try to carry on their lives.

Fergus begins to dream about the Bog Child and his dreams begin to piece together her life. She almost haunts him as he struggles to get ready for his exams whilst dealing with the all too real events of the Troubles all around him. Indeed he gets tied up with the IRA cause and has to take on a series of deliveries although these too have a mystery about them. Fergus is a runner and enjoys pacing out on early mornings, sometimes running up to the site of the Bog Child discovery. It is his one chance of freedom until even this becomes caught up with the politics of the region.

As the family spiral out of control when Joe descends deeper into hunger strike, Mel's story begins to grip Fergus even more and he finds that his growing feelings for Cora spark a different flame in his life.

The book gives you a real perspective on life in Northern Ireland in the 1980s and with it an understanding of the cruelty of Iron Age life in Mel's time. Fergus is intelligent, caring and he tries to balance all aspects of his life against a background that is often brutal. We share a part of his life and the convincing style of the writing means that the narrative is never dull. This is a thoughtful and engagaing book that is worth taking off the shelf for many reasons. I felt part of Fergus' life and his problems; a great read. Recommended for Year 8 and above.

Breathe by Cliff McNish

Cliff McNish's 'Breathe' is a good ghost story with enough sinister moments to really bring on the shivers. It all centres around Jack and his mum, Sarah, who move into an old cottage to escape the memories of Jack's dad who has recently died. Sarah feels that Jack needs a break with the past and especially a new place for him to feel lees stressed. Jack suffers from bad asthma and his state of mind can effect his condition. But what Sarah has not bargained on is the fact that her son seems able to commune with the dead, more especially the dead of this house.

There appear to be the spirits of four children in the cottage, souls trapped by something and who are desparate to talk to Jack. But it is not the spirits of the children that make first contact with him, rather the spirit of Mary Eloise Rosewood or the Ghost Mother. She is determined to win Jack over and let her into his world. Jack has found out that the Ghost Mother lost a child in this house to the Victorian disease consumption. Jack is able to 'see' things with the sense of touch and begins to learn some chilling secrets about the Ghost Mother. She in turn, delighted that a real live boy can see her, begins to tighten her hold on his emotions. It is only the warnings of the ghost children - Oliver, Ann, Charlie and Gwyneth - who make him see the awful power that the Ghost Mother can weave.

The story spins to a riveting climax as Jack is faced with an almighty struggle to ward off the Ghost Mother and her cruel intentions as well as face the most terrifying ordeal trying to save his Mum.

McNish has written a great story that is suitable for readers from Year 6 upwards. He writes with a compelling touch that has you literally breathing for Jack as he tries to overcome the powers from beyond the grave. The main architect of evil is suitably chilling and you are routing for Jack as he gets caught up with more that he bargained for.

It is always good to read a well written spooky book and this one always keeps you believing and wanting to turn the next page. Highly recommended.

Tunnels by Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams

This novel was one of those ‘hard to put down’ stories and I was taken in by the tight storyline and believable characters from the start.  There are many nail-biting moments here and the evil characters walk with real menace (the dreaded Styx), and best of all in a book you get to mind terribly when things start to go wrong for Will and his companions.

Tunnels, as the title suggests, is set mostly in a world far below modern day London.  Will Burrows is a 14-year-old boy who has few friends, partly because of his almost albino-like appearance and his fanatical obsession with digging to unearth the past.  This hobby is all due to his father, Dr Burrows, who is an archaeologist by profession although he runs the local museum in order to pay the bills.  Will has a mother who spends her whole day in front of the television and barely communicates with her family.  Then there is Will’s frighteningly efficient younger sister, Rebecca, who keeps the house running perfectly.  Will spends most of his time helping his father dig tunnels to unearth some secret or another or working on his own projects.  It is on one of these projects that Will invites a school friend called Chester to help.  Chester is also a misfit at school and he agrees warily to help Will and so the project begins.

Dr Burrows meanwhile, is following up some leads of strange happenings and discoveries in various local houses.  The most astonishing of which is a little glass ball that illuminates on its own as it gets taken into darkness.  As his investigations take up more of his time he is convinced that he is being followed by some strange people, wearing thick, upturned coats and dark glasses.  Then after a huge row with his wife Dr Burrows disappears and Will is left to try to pick up the pieces of his father’s investigations by realising that his dig and the one his father was working on are bound up with the same similarities.

The story then leaps into non-stop adventure as Will and Chester find themselves following a tunnel down into the very depths of the world in an attempt to find Dr Burrows.  Sure enough their discovery is to take them all by surprise and various plot lines are brought together with great drama.

It would be foolish to give away the story, as part of the excitement of this book are the unexpected twists and turns that wait on almost every page.  This is a great story that is a little different and will keep you wanting more.  Will is a likeable hero who does not always come out on top but has the support of a great cast of characters.  This is good fantasy that cleverly keeps one foot in reality but will have you feeling suitably scared at times as well as invigorated as the buzz of adventure races along.

A highly recommended read and certainly one of the top ten books for 11 years and up of 2007.  Excellent, and because of the way the story ended, there has to be a sequel!

Titanic 2020 by Colin Bateman

After some initial reservations about this book I warmed to it as the story developed and it is certainly a good adventure with a sensational plot.  The story feels at the beginning a little like so many, as young Jimmy Armstrong stows away on board the new Titanic.  Jimmy is a lippy kid who is always in trouble and doesn’t take kindly to authority.  Just shortly after the book begins he is expelled from his Belfast school and he seems to be beyond help, but of course as our central character he learns to change with the help of various people aboard the ship, namely Claire Stanford, daughter of the Titanic’s owner.

The Titanic is a wonderful, state of the art ship, and is sailing from Belfast to Miami to pick up its first load of passengers.  As it ploughs along the Atlantic a mystery virus is released into the world and very soon the world’s population are sick and dying.  The Titanic is a haven until passengers are put aboard and the plague catches up with them.

Jimmy and Claire have been put to work designing and writing the ship’s newspaper and this allows Jimmy to realise that he’s not as worthless as he thought and he and Claire become good friends.  There are plenty of hair raising moments and one or two gory descriptions of the plague as well as a villain who commandeers the ship and puts yet more pressure on Jimmy’s shoulders.

Some of the story is wildly unbelievable but you go along with it and for a roller-coaster ride and a bit of fun this is a good book to read.  The idea is quite original and there are some good moments of tension.  You will enjoy this if you are 11 and above and you could do worse than pick this up if you are looking for something different.

Shadowmancer – The Curse of Salamander Street by G.P.Taylor

Wow – you certainly know when you are reading a G.P.Taylor novel!  I have to admit to being rather a fan of his stories and was looking forward to a sequel to his first novel Shadowmancer.  Reading a Taylor novel you enter a dark and brooding world filled with evil and some of the most hideous villains within children’s fiction.  You can tell that Taylor loves to write and his descriptions drip with delicious dark detail.

This story involves the fortunes of Thomas and Kate after their first adventure finished (or so they thought) at the end of Shadowmancer.  They have entered London on board the Magenta, captained by rogue but ally, Jacob Crane.  But their days are about to become darker as they are taken to Salamander Street, home to one Galphus, who entraps them into a darkness of evil.  There seems to be little in the way of help in the stinking depths of this London street.  But help is on the way in the form of the angel Raphah who journeys from Whitby to London with Beadle, Obadiah Demurrel’s former servant.  Demurrel, the dark priest, who tried to kill Thomas and Kate at the end of the last novel is seeking them and one step behind his former henchman and the angel.

Meeting up with an assortment of strange travellers on the way to London and facing some horrendous beasts on the way, Raphah and Beadle find out that these travellers have more in common with the final outcome than at first seemed.

The book is split chapter by chapter with the fortunes (or lack of them!) of Thomas, Kate and Jacob and then Raphah and Beadle.  It took a little while to get into the story as I tried to remember the plot twists of Shadowmancer but the book is exciting and Taylor’s imagination will have you creating some pretty vivid pictures in your mind.

The final climax is very exciting and leaves you on the edge of your seat.  This is a great novel, not quite up to the level of the wonderful Wormwood, Taylor’s second novel, but a great read and essential if you have read Shadowmancer.  Suitable for 11 years and above.

Ringmaster by Julia Golding

Move over Alex Rider!  This novel by Julia Golding puts hero Darcie Lock into battle with the nasties of this world.  This was a good read and the story moves along at a fast pace.

Darcie Lock lives in Kenya with her parents and her father works for the British High Commision in Nairobi.  She has a comfortable ex-pat lifestyle and attends the international school.  There is nothing that special about Darcie, but she discovers a lot more about herself when her father disappears one morning and with her mum away in the United States she is left alone.  Darcie is picked up by the British High Commision and only then discovers that both her parents are special agents and her father has been taken by hostile powers in Kenya.

The special services recruit Darcie, because an innocent young girl is far more likely to get answers as to the whereabouts of her father than a load of SAS soldiers.  She is given some basic training by the head of operations, the uncompromising Mrs Smith, and sent back to school.  Several characters at school are possible leads to the kidnapping of Michael Lock.  Darcie’s job is to get close to them and try to discover what they are up to.  It seems that a group are trying to bring about the fall of the Kenyan government, and through a corrupt Kenyan official begin a puppet government that can be controlled by whoever is backing the whole project.

Darcie is the subject of attention right from the start and she is given a bodyguard called Stingo to help keep her safe.  She gets into many scrapes and the various evil characters begin to close in on her.

This is a good adventure for both girls and boys of 10 and above and is maybe more believable than the Alex Rider stories.  There are more Darcie lock novels to come and I think they will be popular. There are good moments of action and the pace of the novel will ensure that readers do not get bored.  A recommended read!

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

This book by new author John Boyne tells of the events in the life of nine-year-old Bruno although as the cover says 'this isn't a book for nine years olds'.  Bruno lives in Berlin and the story tells of how he has to move to an isloated house in a desolate area right next to a fence because his father has an important job to do.  Bruno is devastated to be leaving his beloved house in Berlin and cannot understand why he has to move.  Bruno is often perplexed at the things going on around him and the fact that the adults in the story tell him very little.  The new house is situated next to a camp and Bruno gets glimpses of the people housed there. After a while Bruno goes exploring and finds a friend of his own age on the other side of the fence.  This meeting leads to a friendship that brings about the disturbing conclusion to the story.

Although Bruno does not seem to understand much of what is happening, the reader is given plenty of clues and begins to realise the sinister and unpleasant reality of his situation.  Bruno's innocence is displayed well although you do sometimes feel that he must be extraordinarily naive not to see what is going on.  The story works and gets the reader to view a well known abhorrence from history in a different light or indeed be introduced to it for the first time.  The book is described as a fable and it certainly delivers a powerful message.  I would recommend it to readers in Year 6 and above.  The story begins quite gently and this may not suit those readers who like immediate action.  There is a serious point being made in this novel and one that many children will find powerful and disturbing.

The Foreshadowing by Marcus Sedgwick

Marcus Segwick’s sixth novel is set during the 1st World War and is a tale told through the eyes of 18 year old Alexandra (Sasha) Fox.  Like the ancient prophetess Cassandra, Sasha can see into the future and unhappily predicts the death of certain people, usually soldiers, that she meets.  Her tragic power brings her into conflict with all her family and ultimately takes her on a journey to save her own brother whose death she vividly sees in her dreams.

Sasha lives in Brighton with her father and mother and two brothers, Edgar and Thomas.  Her father is a doctor at Dyke Road Hospital and specialises in helping those soldiers returned to ‘Blighty’ suffering from shell shock.  Edgar joins up as an officer and goes over to France while Thomas is determined to train to be a doctor and resists the urgings of his father to join up and do the decent thing.

Sasha is determined to do her bit and begs her father to let her become  a Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse at Dyke Road Hospital.  He agrees but it is there that Sasha sees her ‘gift’ become a terrifying burden as she sees soldiers in hospital and can predict when they will die.  Her father senses that she takes too much of an interest in some of the patients and forbids her to return to the hospital.  It is shortly after this that she dreams the dream she dreads most of all and sees Edgar stabbed by a German bayonet and die.  Sure enough the telegram arrives at their home in Clifton Terrace and the family struggle to come to terms with his death.

Tom decides to abandon his medical training and immediately joins up as a private in the public schools’ regiment to avenge his brother’s death.  Sasha tries to forget her premonitions until the day when she sees Tom being hit by a bullet.  She resolves there and then to leave home and travel to France in the guise of a VAD nurse to find him and stop his death.

This is a good read and Segwick deals well with the context and makes the central character of Sasha seem real.  The premonitions do seem a bit far-fetched but they are dealt with in a convincing manner.  The horror of the war is certainly felt by the reader and you share the senselessness of it all.  Where the story loses some of its conviction is when Sasha travels to France to search for her brother.  Here we enter real fiction as after various mishaps and real adventure she locates her brother.  What Sedgwick does well is describe the dreams that Sasha has and these are all doom laden and horrifying.  He is at his best when using the ghostly macabre style that has served him well in earlier novels.

This is a good read for Year 7 and 8 readers who want a good yarn with a dose of ghostliness mixed in with reality.  The short engaging chapters help speed you through the novel and the unexpected ending is quite interesting.

Worth a read.

Peter Raven Under Fire by Michael Molloy

What a great story this is!  The kind of book that you wanted to read when you were a kid.  Full of adventure, big characters and told at a rattling good pace.  Peter Raven is a 13-year-old midshipman in His Majesty’s Navy in 1800.  The story begins with Peter boarding HMS Torren captained by his uncle Captain Benchley.  Peter shows a natural grasp of naval life and soon proves himself as a fine sailor.  His first mission on the Torren is to go and support the blockade off the great French port of Brest that will prevent the French from taking in supplies.

It is on this journey that Peter meets the British spy Commodore Beaumont who is to play such a great part in the story and Peter’s life.

Early adventures involve Peter leading a small party to pick up Commodore Beaumont after he had made a sortie into France and taking part in a sea battle in which the might of the Torren takes on two French battleships.  It is during this attack that Peter is badly wounded and has to return to England to convalesce.  After several months Peter rejoins the Torren bound for the Caribbean to join the West Indies Squadron to help battle the rising activity of French privateers attacking British merchant ships. 

Running alongside Peter’s story is the tale of young Lucy Cosgrove an American girl from a wealthy family who is being taken to France so that she can be introduced to French society.  Lucy is beautiful and intelligent but also well versed in the art of survival having spent much of her childhood in the company of a family friend, Jack Cobden.  Also we follow the exploits of General Ancre, Napoleon’s man in the West Indies and his attempts to help fund the campaign of the French navy in the Caribbean.

Needless to say that all these characters come together in an amazing climax sparked off as the entire crew of the Torren are massacred by the evil and twisted Count Vallon.  Peter escapes and so begins his real adventures as he teams up alongside Commodore Beaumont and is taken to Paris, London and back to the Caribbean to avenge the deaths of his crew on the Torren.

This summary does not do the story justice as it moves along with great pace and you get easily bound up with the characters.  Peter is likeable, if a little too talented at times!  Lucy is also likeable and makes the story one that will appeal to boys and girls.  The historical background of the Napoleonic Wars and the dark world of spies and intrigue will appeal to most readers.  I particularly liked the portrayal of Napoleon, not a monster but an educated and intelligent man, capable of great kindness. Perhaps the only disappointment was the ending as the action became a bit too ‘Hollywood’ for me but one that I’m sure younger readers will enjoy.

Molloy’s novel is the first of several and if they live up to the standard of this first one then they will be worth following.  It is refreshing to have a book that is not fantasy, science fiction or modern thriller in the Alex Ryder genre, but yet just as fast paced and with all the excitement.

Suitable for readers in Year 6 and above, this will take you on a rip-roaring adventure.

Bunker 10 by J.A.Henderson

At eight o'clock in the evening, on Friday 24th December 2006, Pinewood Military Installation exploded.

The blast ripped apart acres of forest and devastated the remote highland valley where the base was located. No official cause was given for the incident.

Inside Pinewood were 185 male and female military personnel - a mixture of scientists and soldiers. There were also seven children, living in a section known as Bunker 10.

This is the story of their last day . . .

If you like to play those computer games that lead you from one level to the next and involve army, guns and technology then Bunker 10 is probably for you.  Think of the tv show ‘24’ concept, in other words everything happening in one day, and you’ve got an idea of how the story works.

The narrative is based at Pinegrove Military Installation on Monday 24th December 2007 and revolves around 7 teenagers who live in the base along with military personnel and a group of scientists.  Pinegrove is a top secret location involved in experimenting with some of the newest technology and tasked with discovering very complicated and life-changing genetic research.  The 7 children are all geniuses and are at the base for a number of reasons but principally so that they can become world changing figures when they are older through an educational programme like no other.  Whereas others might be involved in talking about movies or fashion they spend their time experimenting with things like how to travel through time.

Pinegrove Military Installation explodes at 20.00 on the 24th December and the book follows how the day unfolds.  The action is unstoppable and if you like lots of gunfire and explosions then this story is for you.  This is by no means the best action book ever written but it rattles along at a good pace and there are more twists and turns in the plot than you thought were possible.  Not that it is too hard to follow but you do have to suspend belief for most of the novel.

I have to say I enjoyed the book and like a quick fix of ‘24’ or some high octane movie thought it was a readable piece of action.  It would certainly appeal to 12 year olds and above and fits into the action teen genre that has become so popular.  The characterisation of the military figures is stereotypical and the children are far too clever but J.A.Henderson tries to inject some reality into the way they interact with each other.  I’m not sure this works brilliantly all the time and I found Diddy Dave, the Glaswegian, just too unbelievable and rather a cliché of someone from that part of Scotland.  The sinister May-Rose is quite fun especially when she starts to wreak havoc at the base and even appears at the end of the novel in the guise of a thorn bush!  All clever stuff and totally unbelievable! Nevertheless you don’t want believable characters in this type of novel, you want to be entertained and if you’re looking for a break from something more literary then this could be for you.

This would suit readers from Year 7 and above.