2 Mysteries by Enid Blyton - Review

The Secret of Moon Castle was one of my favourite Enid Blyton books when I was a kid. I had it in a compendium of three stories, and it was the first story in that book. The book is probably still in my mother's attic, but a few years ago when I wanted to reread it I bought this book, which has two stories in it. I am entirely sure that I've never read the first story in this book, so maybe I just read The Secret of Moon Castle when I bought this several years ago. 

I was looking for something short to read so picked this off the shelf. I decided to read the first story, even though I didn't know the characters. It's cute, I quite liked it. The main character is Nicky and he has a dog called Punch. In the book, it's the first day of the Easter holidays and Nicky is exciting to be rushing around with the dog and his best friend, Ken, who lives next door. 

Then they get the good news that Nicky's Uncle Bob is coming to stay! He is a private detective and Nicky is thrilled, and wants to set up some mysteries for Uncle Bob to unravel, even though he is supposed to be coming to rest and recuperate. Nicky and Ken start flashing lights at night - but then someone flashes back! Nicky and Ken set up a note for Uncle Bob to find, thinking they are clever, but Bob is on to them. But then they end up embroiled in a real mystery, including Ken's sister Penny and her friend Winnie. The boys can't stand them but they end up having to work together. I thought this was a cute mystery. 

The Secret of Moon Castle stars Jack, Peggy, Mike, Nora, and Paul. Peggy, Mike and Nora are biological siblings. Jack is their adopted brother - I can't remember if this is explained in earlier books, as I know I read a couple of them. And Paul is Prince Paul of Baronia, because of course he is. He has his manservant, Ranni, with him. There is some racism in how these two characters are portrayed, which did make me roll my eyes. 

Anyway Paul's parents, the King and Queen of Baronia, obvs, want to come and stay in England and rent a castle. Of course. So the childrens' mother, Mrs Arnold, requests the particulars for castles, and starts looking through them. The children pick up one of the ones she's discared, about Moon Castle. They don't understand why she has discarded it so ask her; she thinks it is far away from anything. But they decide to go visit anyway and set off on a two hundred mile round trip in Ranni's huge car. Of course. 

When they stop for lunch they mention to the castle to the waitress, who says that strange things happen there, that the place is haunted. The children and Mrs Arnold ignore her and go anyway. They meet a hostile welcome, though. The caretakers are Mrs Brimming and her sisters, and they do not want to show everyone around the castle. They keep saying that Mrs Brimming's son, Guy, who is a scientist, will be fuming that they let the visitors in. Mrs Arnold insists on it, though. 

She decides the castle will be fine for Paul's family so rents it, but before the Baronians can come over, two of Paul's brothers get the measles or something, so their visit in postponed. No matter, the children can go visit instead, supervised by their nanny? type of woman, Miss Dimity (who they called Dimmy). They go, assured that Guy has cleared out of the Tower, which they are desperate to visit. 

But as the children settle in, strange things do start to happen! Stringed instruments start to play themselves, and vases jump off shelves! The children start to investigate and visit the nearby ruined village of Moon. 

I still loved this mystery, it's really cute and kept my interest. In all I'm giving both books four out of five. Nostalgia reasons, I'm sure, but I liked my reread. 

 

The Mystery Club 3: The Forbidden Island by Fiona Kelly - Review

I pulled this book off the shelves just before Christmas. It is a book I've had ever since I was a small child, and I read it again and gain. As you can see, it's pretty battered. It's funny because it still has my homemade library ticket glued into the front, and my name written very carefully just above that. I read this over and over, but I don't think I ever read anything else in the Mystery Club series. Maybe by the time I read this I wasn't visiting libraries any more so couldn't request any? I don't know. But I might have to get some more of these, for nostalgia's sake. 

So the Mystery Club is three girls, aged fifteen. Now, I will say, this book was written thirty years ago and Young Adult as a thing didn't really exist back then, so it skews younger, they skew as younger than fifteen and the audience for this book is definitely younger than that. It's weird, really, but it works. Anyway the girls are Holly, Tracy and Belinda. Reading this now I found these names odd given that these books were published in the mid 90s and those names seem older than that - there are few Tracys and Belindas my age. Never mind! It just struck me. 

As this is Book 3 they have previously solved some mysteries, they're not new to it. They go off to visit Holly's aunt for a week's relaxation. Tracy is sporty and regularly goes running. Belinda is more bookish and quiet. Holly is spunky, irrepressible, and nosy - I remembered why I liked her so much when I was little. I think all three of them skew queer, by the way, there's a lot of queer coding that I picked up on. Holly can't just sit on the beach and relax, no. Instead she becomes obsessed with the little island that lies just off the coast of where her aunt lives. It's known locally as Anthrax Island because it was used during the war to test anthrax or something, and it's forbidden to go there. 

But Holly and the girls have seen lights there, and then returning lights from the mainland. What is going on, and who is involved? The trio start to ask questions and get themselves in danger. Of course they do! 

I actually really loved my reread of this book. It was sweet and nostalgic and I really liked the girls as much as I used to. I'm giving this four out of five. 

Little Manfred by Michael Morpurgo - Review

Recently we got all my books unpacked in the new house and arranged into their genres on the new shelves in the back bedroom. Well, two of the bookshelves were new but one was in our old house and one of the other shelves we had is now in my craft room, but they are all in new places, that's for sure. This bedroom is not huge but it's got a single bed in it and my work desk, and now it also has over a thousand books. In fact, let me show you the pictures of the shelves:

Here we've got literary fiction on two shelves, a bunch of books about music, and then a bunch of non fiction

Here's all the YA - these books are all double shelved as are the literary fiction ones at the top

These books are all crime at the top then more non fiction in the middle, my cousin helped to rearrange these 

These are all classics and stuff, under my work desk, because I do want to keep them but I don't need to access them often. Some of these belonged to my grandparents! 

And here there's children's lit and middle grade at the top and then two shelves of books that I know are LGBTQ+, no matter what other genre they might fit into. I like to have them all together! I sure do have a lot of them!

Anyway, with all the books unpacked there are more than a thousand, so I officially do have a whole entire library all of my own! Lee owns some of the music books and I haven't pictured all his stupid Viz annuals, but he mostly reads digitally so doesn't own a lot of books. It's been lovely to be reunited with all my books, and I've been trying to pick out things that I really want to read but haven't seen in ages. With that, I picked up Little Manfred by Michael Morpurgo. 

I don't think I've read anything by him before, but of course I have heard of him. I'm really not sure where I picked this book up from, but I feel like I've had it a while. It's a cute little novella and I would recommend it to any chapter book young reader. 

The main characters of the book are Charley, who is 12, and Alex, her brother, who is seven. The book is set in 1966 when England have just won the World Cup. The kids live on a farm and often take off to the beach to walk their dog, Manfred. He is named after a little toy dog that their mum had, called Little Manfred. The kids are walking on the beach and shout the dog, and nearby two men overhear them. It turns out that one of them was on the ship Bismarck when it went down, when two thousand men were left to drown, but he and Manfred were rescued by HMS Dorsetshire but then became prisoners of war and eventually lived on the farm where the children live and where their mother grew up. 

This is a really cute book and I really liked it and even learnt some history in the meantime! I'm giving it four out of five. 

Five Have Plenty of Fun by Enid Blyton - Review

I read the second in this little boxset of Famous Five books straight after the first one, because I was just in the mood for something easy to read. Again, I really didn't remember this book, if I had ever read it before, so it was new to me. 

I will also say that I've really enjoyed the new series of The Famous Five that has been on the BBC recently. It's got George as a mixed race kid, and Uncle Quentin is less annoying than he is in the books. Anne was probably my favourite in the TV series. There was a new one at Christmas and it really felt like good Christmas viewing, nice and homely. So I would recommend that if you, like me, grew up on the Famous Five and would like some nostalgia. 

In this one, all five are at George's house for part of the holiday (these children as always on holiday!) and Uncle Quentin is going loopy at the thought of children in his house, as usual. He has got two scientist friends coming. They have been working on something to do with alternative energy and it's all very hush hush. One of them is an American, and some people threaten that they will kidnap his daughter, Berta, if he doesn't reveal some of the secret information. So he sends Berta to stay with the five. 

She is American and apparently says 'wunnerful' not 'wonderful' and she has a little poodle called Sally. George can't stand her. They disguise her to put any would be kidnappers off the scent. The five kids and two dogs spend a lot of time swimming etc, enjoying themselves. Quentin has to go to London so Aunt Fanny decides to go with him, of course, leaving the children with Joanna, the cook. Because that's sensible when there are kidnappers around. 

The five realise that someone is on Kirrin Island, possibly spying on them, so they head off there, of course. I thought the end of this book fizzled out a bit and didn't find it as satisfying as the previous ones, so I'm giving it three out of five. 

Five Go to Mystery Moor by Enid Blyton - Review

I recently got a collection of three Famous Five books for 99p on Kindle because I was feeling kind of nostalgic I guess. I read a lot of the Famous Five books when I was a kid, but I didn't remember this one. I had a bunch with this cover, though, that were borrowed off my uncle's family and which probably did the rounds among a bunch of us in the family when we were younger. This one was probably there, but I have totally forgotten it.

So, Anne and George are spending their holiday at a riding school with a bunch of younger children and a girl called Henrietta, who like George, prefers to be called Henry and dress as a boy. George can't stand her, but Anne basically thinks she's fine. I can't remember the exact circumstances but obviously Julian and Dick turn up too. They're also on holiday and they have to sleep in the stables because there's no room for them in the house. They of course think this is great japes, though. 

Meanwhile, a local Gypsy boy called Sniffer has brought his horse to the school for some treatment. He has a dog, Liz, who Timmy is very excited to meet. In my issue of the book the word Gypsy had been changed to the word 'traveller' which is not exactly the same thing, but never mind, and it did leave to some confusing sentences, but I do understand that it was probably done to modernise the text for a book that is over seventy years old. 

Sniffer's dad wants the horse back because the group needs to move to the middle of the moor. He gets very angry when he isn't allowed because the horse is still injured. Julian has a proper go at him, because of course, he is posh and middle class and the man isn't, so he even as a child has the right to speak to this man horribly! I really didn't like this but it was something I picked up on last year when I read Five on a Hike Together. These children really are incredibly irritating at times. 

Anyway, the Five decide to go on a camping trip to the moor together, because they just can't leave things be, and they end up finding a smuggling racket involving the travellers. Of course. I did like the ending though, with Henry coming into her own. This was a quick read of course and I just thought it was fun. Four out of five for nostalgia. 

Five On A Hike Together by Enid Blyton - Review

So this was a bit of an unusual read for me. I don't usually read children's books, and I wouldn't generally choose Enid Blyton to read for many reasons, but I did have a good reason. I was away at a spa hotel at the beginning of April with my partner, and there was a lake just down from the outside hot tub. On the Saturday morning before we came home we could use the spa again, and we were watching two people row out on the lake to the middle. I remembered that in this book the Famous Five have to orientate themselves in the middle of a lake to find some sunken treasure. I was telling Lee about it and thought I would like to reread the book. It was on Kindle for 78 pence so I bought it!

So, the Famous Five have got a half term holiday weekend from their schools, so they decide to meet up together to go on a hike on what is probably Bodmin Moor. They meet up and set off on their hike, planning to stop at inns and farmhouses along the way for the next few nights before they have to go back to school on the Tuesday. But then Timmy goes down a rabbit hole and injures his leg, so the four kids have to split up. Julian and George go to see a farmer who may be able to help, and Anne and Dick carry on to Blue Pond Farm, where they will hopefully get a bed for the night, and where Julian and George will meet up with them later on. However, Anne and Dick get lost, and they end up at a different farmhouse. The woman who lives there is deaf, and she really doesn't want them in the house on account of her son. But she agrees to give Anne a bed in a little loft room, as long as Dick will sleep in a barn or something. The children are quite scared and tired, so they agree. They have also been scared by some loud clanging bells, the reason for which they're not sure of. But they each bed down for the night, still hoping that Julian and George will turn up (they don't realise they're in the wrong place). 

Then in the night, Dick is woken up by someone scratching at the barn window. The man is asking for Dick by name... but surely he can't mean Dick?? But he has a message, something about Gloomy Water, Two Trees, and Saucy Jane. Oh, and Maggie knows. Dick is totally baffled, but goes back to sleep. But then he is woken again by someone coming into the barn - someone who is clearly waiting for a message. They eventually leave, and Dick is able to go back to sleep. 

In the morning Dick and Anne have to make a quick getaway from the farm, realising it's the wrong place, and before they incur the wrath of the woman's son. They head back to the village and meet up with Julian and George, and Timmy, who is doing much better after some treatment. Dick remembers the strange night time happenings, but no one believes him... until he produces a map. They can't make head nor tail of it, but asking around they realise Gloomy Water is the name of a small lake nearby, and that Two Trees is the house that used to stand on its shores. They try to tell the police about the message and learn that the clanging bells meant that a prisoner has escaped from the nearby prison, but the policeman has no time for the children. So of course they set off to Gloomy Water themselves to see what they can find, and to see if they can decode the map. 

I really liked the adventure, still. It feels like a good one and I liked how the children decoded the mystery. In that, I think it stands up to time. But obviously Enid Blyton is problematic and there's a reason we've moved beyond her in the seventy odd years since this book was first published. One thing I did find stood out was maybe the class issues in the book. Julian and the others NEVER say please or thank you to any shopkeepers or innkeepers who serve them, and they are treated very well by these people, and deferred to, which I think might be a class thing. For instance one inn landlady calls Anne 'miss' even thought she's about ten. The lack of saying please or thank you really annoyed me. They're pompous. Modern Britain really isn't like that and neither should it be!

But I did enjoy the foray into my past with this book, and for that I'm giving it four out of five. 

A Swift Return by Fiona Barker, Illustrated by Howard Grey - Blog Tour and Review

Hello and welcome to my blog for my stop on the tour for A Swift Return. It is a pleasure to welcome you here and I hope you will click around my blog to read some of my other reviews. I don't often review children's books, and I don't often read them as I don't have children, but I signed up to this because I really liked the sound of the book. 

It is written by Fiona Barker and illustratred by Howard Gray. I know that in children's books the illustrations are often as important as the words, because they provide visual cues for early readers so they can grasp the story, and because they add background details. The illustrations in this book are absolutely divine, and I would encourage you to spend some time looking at them if you read this book. 

The story is about a little girl, Aria, who "has her head in the clouds". Yousuf, meanwhile, has his feet firmly on the ground. They live near each other in an apartment block and watch the birds. One falls to the ground, injured. The two work together to nurse the swift back to health and later set her free too. 

I loved the book and would recommend it for your small ones. I'll be passing on my copy to my friend S and her little girl! 

The Last Slice of Rainbow by Joan Aiken - Review

As I mentioned when I read The Silence of Herondale recently, I used to have this Joan Aiken book when I was very little, and absolutely loved it. It's one of the first books I remember loving, alongside Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl and others like them. I can remember it living on the shelf of my cabin bed in our tiny bedroom in the first house I lived it. God knows how many times I read it. I probably still have my original copy but it will be in the black hole of my mother's loft, so I just bought it again on eBay for a few quid. I picked it up and read it straight through. It is a children's book so not very complex, but the stories really give excellent depictions of fantasy worlds and like all good short stories drag you in immediately. I loved my reread!

The only story I remembered clearly was the titular one, about a little boy who wishes for a rainbow and then ends up having to give it all away. Rainbows are fleeting! You can't posess them! That's the moral of the first story and I was wondering if they would all have morals, but they don't. Which is good, but the mid eighties were a totally different time so I did wonder. I will also say that I wondered if there would be anything in this book that we would now consider 'problematic'. I'm thinking of Blyton and Dahl, both mentioned above, both of whom I really loved, but both of whom I now wouldn't read because of their racism, sexism, anti Semitism, and so on. Honestly children's literature has moved on so far in forty years which I'm really glad about, but it does make me nervous about revisiting some of my favourite books. However, I'm pleased to report that there wasn't anything in this book that I found offputting, which I'm glad about. 

As I read, I did remember another of the stories, in which a small boy called Tim gets tricked by a stone goblin. I loved that one, too. I didn't remember any others. I did think there was a bit of an over reliance on princesses and kings and queens, but that maybe was the fashion at the time. I liked the rich worlds of those stories anyway. I also liked that not all the protagonists of the stories were 'good'. We need a baddy every now and then! Maybe then they don't get their happy endings!

In all, I would recommend this for children these days as I think it would still go down well. My copy had some really lovely illustrations in it which I liked. I'm giving it four out of five. 

The Body in the Blitz by Robin Stevens - Review

As you know, I'm a huge fan of Robin Stevens and everything she's ever written, so I was pleased to hear that there was going to be a second book in the Ministry of Unladylike Activity series. You can read my review of the first book here, and you can read all my Robin Stevens reviews here. I was provided with an electronic copy of this book for review purposes, so thank you to Penguin Random House Children's for granting me access to it. I was not otherwise compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

So, the whole book is narrated by Nuala, unlike the first book which has parts narrated by May too. I do think this works better, because May is easily distracted and I really like Nuala. As you may remember from the first book, Nuala, May (Hazel's sister) and Eric are being trained as spies by the Ministry that Hazel, Daisy, George, Alexander and others now work for. The rationale is that no one pays attention to children so they're perfect to use as spies. Nuala and May are at school but they get a message in code telling them to leave immediately. They give their excuses and go. I will say that I was a bit sad to not be at Deepdean for longer, but I get that Robin probably wants the books to be entirely different from Hazel and Daisy's series. 

The three kids arrive in London and Eric is staying with George and Alexander and the girls are staying with friends of Hazel's. One of them, Anna, has gone missing when on a mission, and everyone is a bit worried about her. Daisy is AWOL too, and Hazel is getting increasingly worried. George has been invalided out of the war and has lost a leg; I loved how this was portrayed. 

The war, of course, is raging. I think the book is set in 1941, in the middle of the blitz. Nuala gets across the distress that she and the others are going through, with bombs coming over every night and them having to go into shelters (which May hates) and carry their gas masks about everywhere. The kids are staying in a close with quite a number of odd people living in it. One night, in the bombings, one of the houses is destroyed. The three kids go investigating and discover a body in the basement. 

The body is that of Miss Fig, a resident of the street. She was the local warden and had no shortage of enemies, it seems. Nearly everyone in the mews had a reason to want her dead. May, Nuala, and Eric start unravelling who exactly did kill her, and why. 

I quite enjoyed the mystery of the book, but the book as a whole fell a little flat for me. I can't really explain why, but I just didn't love it and didn't gel with it. May is infuriating a lot of the time (I realise that Robin has said she has ADHD which I think does go towards explaining SOME of that, but maybe it's just her maturity too and maybe we'll see her grow over the series). There's very little of Eric whatsoever. Sometimes I felt like Nuala was a little bit too stereotypical as someone who has some Irish heritage, too. In all, I can only give this three out of five because I just didn't love it. I found this to be a shame because I was really looking forward to reading this on holiday but it just wasn't too good in my opinion. However, I know I will definitely read the rest of the series just because I know what I'm like!

The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter - Review

My partner and I recently went on holiday to the Lake District, where we haven't been for about ten years. We had an absolutely brilliant time. We went to the World of Beatrix Potter in Windermere which was good, it's got models of most of her stories and a lot of information behind each of her books. While we were there I remembered that my grandma bought me this book way back in 1993 when I was just nine years old. She and I were on holiday in Braithwaite and we went to Beatrix Potter's house in Sawrey and she bought me this book. I don't think the photo actually shows the scale of it - it's nearly 30cm tall and about 4cm thick. I know it was 1993 because the book has got a bookplate with my name and the year in the front of it!

I pulled this off the shelves because seeing the exhibition made me remember all the great stories that she wrote. I really like Jemima Puddleduck and Mrs Tiggywinkle - I have models of both of those that live on my desk! I know those stories and Peter Rabbit, obviously, but I had forgotten a lot of the others. It was an absolute joy to read them all again. I liked Tom Kitten and Mr Tod and the Tailor of Gloucester. This is a really gorgeous volume with all the original illustrations and I loved seeing the details that Beatrix put into her art. I'm so glad I bothered to read this, it really reminded me of being little. My grandma died in January of this year so it was nice to read something she had given me, too. 

Second Dad Summer by Benjamin Klas - Review

Second Dad Summer will be published on the 5th of May 2020 by Red Chair Press/One Elm Books. They kindly granted me an ecopy of the book for review. I was not otherwise compensated for this post and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I requested this book because I liked the premise: Jeremiah is a kid whose parents are divorced, and he spends every summer with his dad. His dad Al is bisexual, and has just moved into an apartment with his boyfriend, Michael. Jeremiah really doesn't like Michael or how hard he tries to be Jeremiah's friend. He especially doesn't like Michael's bike, which as a unicorn head and lots of streamers and glitter.

Jeremiah's apartment building also contains a grumpy old man called Mr Keeler, who is abusive towards Michael but Michael is kind to him anyway. It turns out that Mr Keeler is gay too, so I have to say I was surprised by the slurs that Mr Keeler throws at Michael. I can believe it would happen, but I would have liked a little bit more explanation about why Mr Keeler is like he is.

Jeremiah makes friends with a girl in a building opposite, a girl called Sage. She doesn't like Mr Keeler because he is very protective of the plants in front of the building, but through the book Jeremiah and Sage become friendly with him. Jeremiah also learns that maybe Michael isn't so bad after all.

This is a really cute chapter book. I think Jeremiah is around eleven or twelve years old, and I would say it is suitable for tweens aged nine to twelve. I liked the diversity within it, I liked how careful people were with each other and how many important conversations happened without the points being laboured.. I am giving this a very solid four out of five; I am looking forward to seeing what this author does next!

My Dad Thinks I'm A Boy?! by Sophie Labelle - Review

I spied this trans positive children's book on Netgalley and requested it immediately. I've read some of Sophie's Assigned Male comic - I backed it on Kickstarter at some point I think - so was intrigued to see this book which is set when Stephie, star of Assigned Male, is around seven years old. The book notes that the doctors thought she was a boy but that as soon as she could speak, Stephie told her parents she was a girl. Her mother Alice accepts this quickly but her dad - from whom her mother is separated - can't.

Stephie likes bugs and books and spaghetti. Her dad thinks she likes wrestling and fishing - but those are things that he likes. He struggles to see who she really is. I really liked how that is placed solely on him, and not on Stephie. Not on the child trying her very best to be who she really is.

I'm so glad to have read this, it was so uplifting and cute. I really hope it gets into the hands of some trans kids! Five out of five.

My Dad Thinks I'm A Boy?! will be published in February 2020 by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. I received an ecopy of this book in exchange for a review but was not otherwise compensated for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you!

Race to the Frozen North by Catherine Johnson - Review

When I read about Cat's latest books, both historical books with black male protagonists, I ordered both. I read Freedom back in August, but this was still on pre-order and arrived just before I went on holiday, so I decided to take it on holiday as I had space in the suitcase. I read it in just an hour or so, and really liked it. 

It's one of the Barrington Stoke books with thick pages that are ideal for uncertain or dyslexic readers, and it also has the most gorgeous illustrations in it that I felt really added to the story. 

The story is the true story of Matthew Henson, a black American who went on expeditions to the Arctic Circle for years and years of his life, in search of making it to the North Pole. His endeavours weren't recognised at the time because of his colour, although he has been recognised in more recent years. We learn a bit about his childhood and his early life, and a little bit of his life at sea, and then more about his life in the Arctic and the people he met. My only criticism of this book is that it wasn't long enough! I could have read much more about Matthew's life and I think Cat has such a way of getting across the harsh realities of the lives of people of colour to the younger reader. More of these, please!

The Iron Man by Ted Hughes - Review

I read this book when I was little, over and over again. It was one of my favourites. I wanted to reread it as an adult and see if it was the same as I remembered. I bought it online recently and picked it up almost straight away.

The Iron Man in question appears in the English countryside one night and eats all the metal things close by, so the villagers get their heads together and bury him in a pit! Then a huge scaly terrible dragon flies off a star and lands on Australia, and the Iron Man has to fight him. Each chapter is a story in itself which is proof of how it started life as a bedtime story for Hughes' children.

I enjoyed the reread - this is a classic for a reason. It's a very cute children's book and I'd recommend it if your little ones haven't ever read it.

Clover Moon by Jacqueline Wilson - Review

Where did I get it? Netgalley, thank you to Random House UK Children's publishers!

What's it about? Clover Moon lives on Cripps Alley with her sister, several half siblings, and her dad and stepmother. The book is set in the 19th century (although I'm not sure when exactly) and it shows a pretty harsh reality. Clover is the eldest child, just 11, and has to look after both her siblings and the other children on the street. Her mother died when she was little, and Clover hates her stepmother, Mildred, who is mean and who hits the children often. 

Clover has a friend who owns a doll shop, who she runs to when her sister Megs dies of scarlet fever. Through her eyes we see a lot of the poverty and harshness of Victorian life, which was a plus point to the novel and through which a young reader could learn a lot about the past.

However, and it's a big however, I didn't really like the book at all. I persevered with it, but it took me ages to read and it isn't that long of a book. I liked a lot of the secondary characters, including Megs and Sissy, but Clover herself was just a bit of a pain. I couldn't really articulate it until I read a review on Goodreads which said that all of Wilson's characters are one-dimensional, that they are all drawn in the same way, that, if they are fiesty, they are fiesty in the same way, and if they are shy, they are shy in the same way, and so on. I totally agree with this. Clover is basically Tracey Beaker only a hundred and some years ago. She's a pain in the bum for a lot of the time, and I sort of wanted someone to put her in her place! I also felt like things went too right for her - yes she had a lot of pain and heartache, but things kept just happening to fall into place which annoyed me. She also kept doing magical and miraculous things which just made me roll my eyes. There's no real conflict and while I understand that this is a book for younger readers, I do think conflict for this age group can be handled better. 

Having said all that, if you already love Jacqueline Wilson's stuff, you'll probably find that this fits in neatly with her other books. I guess it depends!

What age range is it for? 9+

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? No

Are any main characters people of colour? No

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? Yes, there's two disabled children on the alley where Clover lives, I actually really liked the inclusion of them both. 

Is there any sex stuff? No.

Are drugs mentioned or used? No

Is there any talk of death? Yes and I thought that was done really well. 

Are there swear words? No

Would I recommend the book? No unless you're already a fan.

Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? I was just scrolling through my Kindle and saw it, so thought I'd bob into it. 

How many stars? Six out of ten. 

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

I recently read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and liked it, but I didn't feel it fitted my usual format so I thought I'd just write about it. I feel like I'm the last person on earth to read it anyway!

I've heard of the book, of course, and the subsequent film, but I'd never picked it up. A friend of mine teaches it to teenagers and really recommends it, so when I came across it in the teen section of my local library last week, I picked it up.

The story centres on Bruno, a 9 year old boy living in Berlin in the early 1940s. His dad is high up in the SS and the family gets moved to what we as older readers recogise as a concentration camp (probably Auschwitz) in Poland. Bruno doesn't want to move and is very unhappy as he has no friends at the new house, and his older sister is a Hopeless Case. Out of his bedroom window, Bruno can see a lot of men in striped pyjamas who live in huts, but he doesn't know who they are. His father tells him that they're not people like Bruno and his family are.

The family has one of the prisoners, Pavel, helping out in the house, who tells Bruno that he isn't really a waiter, but a doctor. When Bruno hurts himself, Pavel cleans and dresses the wound, but later Bruno's mother tells him that they mustn't tell his dad that Pavel helped him.

One day, Bruno goes on an Exploration around the edge of the camp and comes across a boy wearing striped pyjamas, sitting cross legged facing the fence. Shmuel is much smaller than Bruno but the two share the same birthday.

Bruno and Shmuel meet every day for months, becoming friends even though neither of them really understand why things are as they are. The end of the book is horrifying - but totally right for the novel, and I don't honestly know how I'd have otherwise written it. I liked this quick read and think it's a great book for a young teenager's introduction into the horrors of the Second World War and the death camps.

Double Act by Jacqueline Wilson - Review

Where did I get it? I picked it up in a charity shop a few years ago and rediscovered it in the big book clear out. 

What's it about? Ruby and Garnet are identical twins. They live with their dad and grandma after the death of their mum. They're ten. Dad starts to see a woman called Rose and he and the twins move with her to a small village where Dad opens a bookshop.

The twins write everything down in their book of accounts, taking it in turns to do so. Ruby is more outgoing and outspoken, Garnet is quieter and goes along with what Ruby wants. 

I have to confess that I never read much Jacqueline Wilson when I was younger. I'm not sure why, because you'd think it would have been my kind of thing, but she bypassed me. I read Tracy Beaker and Dustbin Baby a few years ago, and I'm reading her stuff when I can. 

What age range is it for? 9+, it's middle grade.

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? No 

Are any main characters non-white? If they are it's not mentioned.  

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? No

Is there any sex stuff? No

Are drugs mentioned or used? No

Is there any talk of death? Some about the twins' mum but it's very age appropriate

Are there swear words? No

Would I recommend the book? Yes, very much so.

How many stars? Six out of ten. It's not the most exciting, but it's a cute enough book. 

Where is the book going now? The charity shop, probably!

The Seriously Extra Ordinary Diary of Pig (Pig Diary #3) by Emer Stamp - Book Tour

Recently I got the opportunity to take part in the Book Tour for the third in the Diary of Pig series. I'd seen this books but hadn't read any, but was kindly sent all three to review. Now I have to confess that I have only read the first one, due to time constraints at the moment, but I found it hilarious and I'm looking forward to reading the others.

The books are middle grade, but that's very much a loose definition I think, because a parent could read them to a child aged from around five and they would both enjoy it. In the first book, Pig lives on a farm and loves Farmer, because Farmer gives him lots of yummy slops, and is very happy when Pig gets fatter. Pig is friends with Duck, who is very clever, and who tells him of Farmer's evil plan to make him into Roast Pig! The Chickens, who are evil, are making a spaceship and offer Pig the chance to go to Pluto! The book has some illustrations and is generally delightful.

I will of course review all the books as I read them in my usual format, but if the second two match up to the first one, it'll be 10 out of 10 all round for me! Thank you Faye Rogers for sending these to me.

The Unbelievable Top Secret Diary of Pig (Pig Diary #1) by Emer Stamp

Summary:

We love Pig , but Pig loves Farmer. After all, Farmer gives Pig yummy slops and special back scratches, and calls him Sausage and seems to love him more, the fatter he gets. Just as well Pig doesn't speak any Farmer. But Duck does (Duck's clever like that), and he's determined his best friend should know the truth.

Information about the Book

Title: The Unbelievable Top Secret Diary of Pig (Pig Diary #1)

Author: Emer Stamp

Release Date: 30^th Ocotber 2015

Genre: MG Comedy

Publisher: Scholastic

Format: Hardback & Paperback

Goodreads Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19320472-the-unbelievable-top-secret-diary-of-pig

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Unbelievable-Top-Secret-Diary-Pig-ebook/dp/B00F51BBVQ/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

The Super Amazing Adventures of Me, Pig (Pig Diary #2) by Emer Stamp

Summary:

The hilarious sequel to THE UNBELIEVABLE TOP SECRET DIARY OF PIG. Pig couldn't be happier. Life with the vegetarian farmers is perfect, and he has a new friend, Kitty. Of course, Pig won't believe she's up to something until he's eaten the entirety of the farmers' prize crop and is half way to the pie factory.

Information about the Book

Title: The Super Amazing Adventures of Me, Pig (Pig Diary #2)

Author: Emer Stamp

Release Date: 30^th October 2015

Genre: MG Comedy

Publisher: Scholastic

Format: Hardback

Goodreads Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23799447-the-super-amazing-adventures-of-me-pig

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Super-Amazing-Adventures-Me-Pig-y/dp/1407153765/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

The Seriously Extra Ordinary Diary of Pig (Pig Diary #3) by Emer Stamp

Summary:

Pig 3: Pig, Duck, Cow and all the Sheeps are far away from their Farm and beloved Vegetarian Farmers. More fun, parps, slops and unbelievable adventure from this much-loved set of characters. Complete with illustrations throughout and printed in a unique diary format.

Information about the Book

Title: The Seriously Extra Ordinary Diary of Pig (Pig Diary #3)

Author: Emer Stamp

Release Date: 4^th February 2016

Genre: MG Comedy

Publisher: Scholastic

Format: Hardback

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28798534-the-seriously-extra-ordinary-diary-of-pig

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seriously-Extraordinary-Diary-Pig/dp/1407153226/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1454063725&sr=1-1&keywords=emer+stamp

Author Information

Emer Stamp is the author and illustrator of The Unbelievable Top Secret Diary of Pig. Emer grew up on a farm in Devon before training in graphic design and working for some of London's top advertising agencies. She was the Creative Director for the Adam and Eve DDB communications agency, which creates advertisements for clients including John Lewis, Halifax, Cadbury's and Save the Children. She lives in London.

Website: http://diaryofpig.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/emerstamp

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7521621.Emer_Stamp

Tour Schedule

Monday 1^st February

Linda’s Book Bag

Tuesday 2^nd February

Mum Friendly

Wednesday 3^rd February

Book Lover Jo

Thursday 4^th February

Big Book Little Book

Library Girl and Book Boy

Friday 5^th February

Tales of Yesterday

A Daydreamer’s Thoughts

Saturday 6^th February

Rebecca McCormick

Read It Daddy

Sunday 7^th February

Chrissi Reads

Barts Bookshelf