#Review By Lou of – If You Read This By Kereen Getten @kereengetten @PushkinPress #ChildrensFiction #MiddleGrade #MiddleGradeFiction #YAFiction #IfYouReadThis

If You Read This
By Kereen Getten

If You Read This is a book I do highly recommend you read. It is endearing and tackles big subject matters incredibly well for readers of middle-grade and those moving onto YA. Find out more below in my blurb and my review below…
Thanks firstly to Pushkin Press for a copy of the book in exchange of an honest review.

Blurb

A tender, warmly moving story of grief and self-discovery by the celebrated author of When Life Gives You Mangoes.

When Brie was younger, her mama used to surprise her with treasure hunts around their island town. After she died three years ago, these became Brie’s most cherished memories.

Now, on her twelfth birthday, her mama has another surprise: a series of letters leading Brie on one last treasure hunt.

The first letter guides Brie to a special place.

The next urges her to unlock a secret.

And the last letter will change her life forever.

Review

I think this is a fantastic book for children who are going through grief or want to know more so they can empathise with their friends.

The book gives children hope and some positivity through dark times and the main character – Brie is written so well into what is a challenging theme. She is utterly relatable to any child. She treasures the memories of her mama and the treasure hunts she used to create around where their home island. This is a sensible and mature way of showing that there will always be memories to be cherished and in a way, keep her mama alive in a sense. This isn’t to say Brie, nor the other characters are perfect, they aren’t and this makes the book even more endearing. It shows how things can be messed up and how so much can change. It is great to see how the relationships within the rest of the surviving family also change. It really does give a rounded perspective on the impact on everyone, that a death has on a family.

The letters left behind for Brie to discover, sends her off on quite the twisty adventure of discovery of secrets.

This is a MiddleGrade book I highly recommend!

#Review of Terciel and Elinor -The Old Kingdom 1 By Garth Nix @garthnix @bonnierbooks_uk #Fantasy #YA #YAFiction #ChildrensFiction

Terciel and Elinor -The Old Kingdom 1 is a fantasy book for older children that are about ready to cross-over to YA as well as well into the YA audience, especially from 13. It’s a good escapist book into a whole fantastical world. Discover the blurb and review and what other authors are saying below, thanks to Bonnier books for the proof in exchange for a review.

Blurb

The long-awaited new novel from multi bestselling Garth Nix, set in the Old Kingdom, now in paperback! For fans of Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo.

In a land where the dead will not stay dead, eighteen-year-old orphan Terciel is learning to wield a mighty and terrible power: necromancy.

For he is the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, the latest in a ancient line of necromancers tasked with protecting the Old Kingdom and preventing the Dead from crossing over to the realm of the living.

Across the Wall in Ancelstierre, where magic does not usually work, Elinor, nineteen, lives a secluded life. But when destiny intervenes, she finds herself on a path to love, danger, and an adventure into the dominion of the dead…

She does not know that she is deeply connected to the Old Kingdom until destiny places her on a path of magic, romance and a fight against the Dead who will not stay dead.

Review

The world building is very good and ensures you, the reader is submerged into it, rather than just looking in from the perimeter. Not all fantasy books engage like that, but Garth Nix has managed to do it.

Elinor is an interesting character. She has a mysterious mark on her head and ends up on a journey of discovery as she is no ordinary girl as she increasingly finds out she can do magic.

Her mother is also ailing, which is hard on her, but Terciel comes to her aid. She then ends up on an adventure of a lifetime, that she wasn’t expecting from her secluded life.

Throughout the book, there are sprinkles of humour here and there, which lifts the mood from the darkness of the dead, who are determined not to remain dead. It also has its poignant moments through the magic realms, that keeps it just a bit grounded, which works in its favour.
It is a book teens can settle into, be intrigued by and be transported into a different world, but also find something familiar within, making it relatable as well as adventurous in the realms of fantastical magical powers. It’s a book they can relax into and allow its escapism qualities to wash over them as they soak up the immersive story.

#Review By Lou of Heart of the Sky By D.H. Willison @dhwillison @TheWrite_Reads #TheWriteReadsOnTour #BlogTour #HeartOfTheSky #BlogTour #Fantasy

Heart of the Sky
By D.H. Willison

Heart of the Sky is a fantasy book with heart and layers that go beyond wild magic. Find out more in the blurb below and then my full review.
Thanks first to The Write Reads for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the author – D.H. Willison for the book.

It takes great courage to stand against a ferocious mythic monster.

It takes far greater to stand WITH one who’s at her most vulnerable.

Tremors rock the land. Wild magic and creatures from the abyss ravage a formerly bountiful forest, while a creeping magic ailment spreads among the harpies. A fragile peace between harpy and human teeters on the brink.

Darin and Rinloh, oddest couple in all the land. They must become the oddest of heroes to save the land.

Heart of the Sky. A charming blend of whimsy, terror, and a lot of heart.

Review

The Heart of the Sky is a book in the Ariva series (others will be reviewed soon). The book is well-conceived, mixing human and non-human life. It is a book of relationships and how complex they are. Darin and Rinloh are not exactly what you might say, your typical or perfect match. Their relationship is challenging and complex. One is human and the other is a harpy, whose natural instinct is to, well, perhaps, consume humans. So, this adds a degree of intrigue to see how it pans out for them.

There is much trepidation in the lives of our intrepid main characters, not just with the unnatural bond they have for each other, but with a magic creeping in that has consequences. The book shows how things can live side by side with some form of mutual understanding and peace to some degree or another, but also how there is a fragility that is within what looks like a good bond.

So, this book is more than magic and fantastical creatures, it has layers and some are quite deep, amongst the whimsical. The balance feels quite good though. This makes it an attractive book to read.

#Review By Lou of. Awakening By David Munro – part of #AdventuresInTime Series #DavidMunro #Awakening #Fantasy #TimeTravel #Nostalgia

Awakening
By David Munro

Thanks to David Munro for inviting me to review Awakening – Book 3 of Adventures In Time. It’s entertaining with a dose of nostalgia and sadness. There’s a lot of good reading to be had in this novella. Check out he blurb and review below.

Blurb

James Carsell-Brown is a time traveller. He finds himself in 2014 where he meets an attractive lady. Unknown to him, she is the ghost of a young woman who took her own life in 1916. By fate, James is thrown back in time to before the gruesome act occurred and begins to investigate. Can he prevent the suicide? Is time on his sideor his enemy?

Review

Meet Charlie Carsell-Brown. It’s Saturday, 1967 and a beautiful summer’s day with a great dose of nostalgia of sweets, comics, tv and films. It doesn’t shy away from the issues, that have had consequences today, such as Dr. Beeching and his massive reduction in railway routes. If you weren’t around then, it is an entertaining education.

Charlie has plans to go on his travels – heading to Glasgow, then further north to Crianlarich to Inveraray and onto Ardrishaig. The book also takes readers to Edinburgh.

Then readers will meet 8 year old James, who is rather lost, but meets Rosalind and Edward, which becomes full of intrigue as a mysterious coach house also comes into the fore, where adventures occur. The cemetery is particularly fascinating, where a woman haunts it…

The book as a whole is full of nostalgia, but not all through rose-tinted glasses. It has the good and the bad, some of which is still felt today. It is a journey through popular culture, time travel and a slight political edge here and there. The people you meet along the way and the places you go are of interest.

The ending is strong and powerful and in someways, thought-provoking.

#Celebrating #Author Joanne Harris @Joannechocolat @BHHillustration @orionbooks @Gollancz @Leanne_Oliver1 @alexxlayt #CelebratingAuthorsSeries

Celebrating Joanne Harris

As part of my blog in 2023, until it reaches 5 years old in September, I will be celebrating an author or publisher every so often. Join me as I celebrate works of Joanne Harris. Here, after a little about her, are some links to some reviews of books I’ve read whilst writing a blog.

Joanne Harris has written over 25 books, features in many anthologies, has audiobooks, game scripts, the libretti for two short operas, several screenplays, a stage musical, attends book festivals and comic cons, judges competition, holds doctorates to universities, is a member of The Storytime Band and is the current Chair of Society of Authors. She has a great website you can browse here: Website

I have been reading books by Joanne Harris across 2 decades and always been impressed by the calibre of writing and ability to tell so many stories in different genres. She also gives author talks at book festivals, which are always fascinating and it is always an absolute pleasure to meet her.
Below is a photo of the books I own. It’s a mixture of books I have bought, been given as a present from family members and those gifted by her publishers – Orion Books and Gollancz. Also, discover what her new book at the end of this blog post… I have not got it yet, but it’s exciting to see that cover…

Joanne Harris has something for everyone. The genres span across cookery books, gothic contemporary fiction, romantic fiction, historical fiction psychological thrillers, short stories, folklore/fantasy each with compelling plots with human nature, community and issues of the day in many universal themes. The range in-which she writes in is impressive and admirable to say the least, each with much to explore in setting, characterisation and plot in general. There is that je-ne-sais-quoi in every single book that makes them compelling and terribly hard to put down, once opened, from the first to the last page.

Her stories don’t only stop at book or audiobook form, she also writes some short stories on her Twitter account (where she also talks about her shed in the most imaginative ways possible, a series of ten things that often consists of useful tips and advice on writing etc, amongst other things). She formed a band called the Storytime Band. I have not yet had the pleasure of seeing the Storytime band, but it sounds great and another medium of her telling stories. The band consists of Paul Marshall: Keyboards, guitar, vocals, Kevin Harris: Drums, percussion, vocals. Duncan Parsons : Bass, effects, Joanne Harris: Flute, vocals.

As you meander down, I have included links to some reviews I wrote on my blog, they are by no means all the books I’ve ever read by Joanne Harris, but those I read and reviewed from the time I began my blog to the time of writing this blog post.

The Strawberry Thief is part of the Chocolat series. The order of which is: Chocolat, The Lollipop Shoes, Peaches for Monsieur Le Curè, The Strawberry Thief.
A series set in rural France, follows Vianne and her daughter, Anouk and later her other daughter Rosette. The series is a feast to the senses and a delightful look into society. It shows certain traditions and attitudes to newcomers, new ideas, different perspectives. There’s a traditional small community feel, friendships forged and naysayers gained and much to win over. The series sees the family’s journey evolve when they go to Paris in The Lollipop Shoes and eventually they return to small town life in Lansquenette-Sous-Tannes in The Strawberry Thief. There’s much imagery in the series. There’s a sense of certain things staying the same , such as Roux staying on his boat, where readers meet him in Chocolat and it is lent again, but there is also change in the air. People mellow and also grow up. There is now Rosette, who is known as Vianne’s “special child”, who is now one of the main focuses in what is another delightful book.
I have my full review of The Strawberry Thief, which I remember racing to buy, including the blurb in the link: The Strawberry Thief

A Narrow Door is part of her Psychological Thriller series – BlueEyedBoy, Gentlemen and Players, Different Class, A Narrow Door.

The series follow the characters in an all boys grammar school – St. Oswalds, in England. Every book is immersive and twisty. They all give great insight into the world of a boys grammar school. BlueEyed Boy also has music you can look up to accompany each chapter. As well as school life, it also shows the online world. Gentlemen and Players and Different Class takes you further into St. Oswalds, Roy Straitley and the pupils. As you delve further, you reveal more about the personalities of the characters and how everyone has a story to tell or is part of a story. A Narrow Door however shows a changing of times. A new headmaster – Rebecca Buckfast, but some of the staff such as Mr Straitley is the same and he has his followers in who are dubbed as “The Brodie Boys”. It is a powerful book of strong female character and it tackles patriarchy, but also within this comes a wonderfully sinister, complex and twisty psychological thriller.
Each of the books in the series are beautifully written.
Find out the blurb and my full review in the link: A Narrow Door
Joanne Harris also appeared at Bloody Scotland as part of her book tour with A Narrow Door. Here is the link to the blog tour I took part in for Bloody Scotland championing her: Bloody Scotland

The Blue Salt Road is a modern fairy story and yet also takes on The Child Ballads. Although there are a few – A Pocketful of Crows, The. Blue Salt Road, Orfeia, Honeycomb they are standalone. She writes these as Joanne M. Harris. They are mythical and fantastical with strong themes and storytelling.
The Blue Salt Road tells the story a Selkie, The Folk (humans) and the Kraken. There is however, 1 named human.
It is thought provoking about the natural world. It is emotional, romanticises nothing. There are gorgeous illustrations by Bonnie M. Hawkins.The drawings are expressive in this and Orfeia and perfectly illustrate and add to the mystique and emotions of the intriguing books that certainly piqued my curiosity and then grabbed me.
Check out the blurb and my full review in the link: Blue Salt Road

ORFEIA takes on another Child Ballad. It tackles grief and incredibly well. Queen of May had fallen in love with a man from the Folk and sacrificed a lot, so the tale goes. The grief of the loss of a child hits right to your soul. There is also the intriguing character of The Shadow Man. There are also atmosphere changes as there are jovial moments. It’s a richly, tightly woven story that also brings hope. It is again with more marvellous and dark drawings from Bonnie M. Hawkins. Find out the blurb and full review in the link: ORFEIA

Honeycomb is just one of the short story books Joanne Harris has written. Jigs and Reels and A Cat, A Hat, A Piece of String are others with some humorous tales to tell as well as emotional and rather serious ones. There are a couple of witty recurring characters.
Honeycomb – for this particular copy has a rather beautiful tactile material cover. It is enchanting book of 100 short stories. They are full of betrayal, gifts, magic, love, beautiful illustrations, this time by Charles Vess.
The book invites you listen to the tales of the bees, each one loosely interconnecting and overarching. Readers have a treat in relatable stories and with characters such as the Honeycomb Queen and the Lacewing King, a Chancellor, a Teacher, the Slightless Folk and the Silken Folk, Death and more…

The book is compelling as well as well as thought-provoking. They may be mythical fairytales, but each makes relatable points and doesn’t steer too far away from the world as we know it as it’s a very grounded book.
Discover the blurb and full review in the link: Honeycomb

Coming in May 2023
Broken Light

#BookReview By Lou of The Keepers of The Arkle By Tommy Ellis @TommyEllis14 #MiddleGrade #ChapterBook #Fantasy #Adventure

The Keepers of The Arkle
By Tommy Ellis

Sometimes it’s good to try something new and different with a child, to feed into their imagination and widen their choice of books. The middle-grade book – The Keepers of the Arkle does exactly that. The author has previously written a middle-grade book previously called The Puddle People that’s adventurous with a touch of science. He also has novellas for adults, such as The Midas Cat.nNow he is back with a second book for children aged 9/10 years olds plus . Discover the blurb and review below.

Twelve-year-old Kevin Latimer is being followed. Whenever his adoptive parents move him to a different part of the country, weird old Mrs Warwick always shows up in the same town.
The morning he sees the old woman pull a wooden nose from her bag, he’s intrigued. When it sneezes, though, his life changes forever.
Follow Kevin and his best friend, Megan Davies, as they uncover a shadowy world of immortal pensioners, corrupt authority figures, and a secret that could bring down the monarchy and start a civil war.

Set in Wales, Kevin Latimer, aged 12 is the character children are going on an adventure with to discover what the Arkle is, and then also join his best friend – Megan Davies. As they read, children will pick up some little nuggets of knowledge along the way. Fictionalised books that have a historical reference or person named, if the child enjoys it, tend to remember it for a lifetime, in my humble experience.

The short chapters give it a fast pace with plenty to explore in a mysterious, fantastical world where pensioners are immortal and a clockwork head is so magical, it can talk. It all started with a sneeze and life changed for the 2 best friends, all in 52 pages. This makes it involving for children who want a new adventure and a good size for those wanting a quick read or can be used to encourage reluctant readers.

Reading further, it gets a bit darker. All is not well in this world, with conspiracy rife and corrupt authorities are around. There’s also a secret to uncover that could be deadly. There’s a lot at stake to keep children on tender-hooks as they explore and intrigue and intensity heightens. It’ll certainly keep children entertained and full of adventure.