MG Review: The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow, illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton

Front cover of a middle grade paperback The Final Year written by Matt Goodfellow. Front cover art by Joe Todd-Stanton shows a school boy with large white wings. — Cover image by Joe Todd-Stanton, published by Otter-Barry Books 07 September 2023,
ISBN: 978-1915659040

It has taken me a while after reading The Final Year, to explain the power and beauty of this verse novel, which is aimed at an upper middle grade readership, but which I feel should also be read by anyone working in education, health or social services. It moved me on a purely emotional level but also provided so much to reflect on through my professional lens of a health librarian; in particular the portrayals of the ways that health information can be delivered and the extra burden that poverty places on those who have a seriously ill family member.

The story is told, in free verse, through the pen of Nathan (Nate) Wilder, a ten year old whose character, insight and intelligence shines through every page. He is the eldest of three brothers, each of whom has a different and absent father, and it is apparent that he is a young carer for them and for his bingo-and-cider loving mother. There is no judgement from Nate about his mother’s behaviour, in fact he shows all readers the sadness and absence that drive her. The three brothers, Nate, Jax (an eight year old football dude) and Dylan (a four year old whirlwind) share a loving bond, and at quiet moments (not easy in their overcrowded, rented accommodation) both Jax and Dylan express their gratitude to Nate. In turn, Nate is assisted by the kindness of his life-long friend Parker Smith (PS). The after-school visits to PS’s house where there is space to relax and the snacks are not from the bargain bin, provide Nate with much needed respite.

However, the move up into Year 6 means an unwelcome intruder into this friendship, in the shape of school bully Turner. Nate must navigate the loss of his best friend at a time when family crisis means that he is in desperate need of support. Fortunately for Nate the newly arrived Year 6 teacher, Mr Joshua, is the perfect adult to provide kind guidance and an unwavering articulation of his belief in Nate’s capabilities and encouragement to express himself through his poetry. He gives Nate a hardback notebook to capture his ideas before they float away, demonstrating the value that one small act of kindness can make to an individual in need. Mr Joshua is not alone is supporting the children. I liked the portrayal of ‘Auntie’ San, mum’s best friend and bingo partner, stepping in to take care of Nate and Jax when Dylan is admitted to hospital. The depiction of a family and their supporters finding ways to cope with everyday life, when poverty is compounded by a serious illness (spoiler alert – Dylan is diagnosed with endocarditis) provides valuable insight into the lives of many in our society.

That all of this characterisation and plot is captured in so few words is testament to author Matt Goodfellow’s talent as a poet.

Man, the things people can do with a pen.
page 109

There are also some beautifully drawn pencil sketches, by Joe Todd-Stanton, at key moments in the text which help to depict the world view of Nate’s new friend Caleb, another quiet boy with difficult life circumstances whom Mr Joshua is encouraging to communicate through his artistic talent.

This book touches on some profound truths about our society and will open many eyes to the very challenging circumstances that some children and adults face. It is a story about finding your inner voice and finding the people who make a positive difference to your life. It will stay in my heart for a long time after reading, I will be recommending it widely and it has prompted me to re-read David Almond’s Skellig, the plot of which is brilliantly interleaved through the story as Mr Joshua is reading it to the class.

Highly recommended for everyone aged 10 years and above.

I borrowed a copy of The Final Year from my excellent public library.

Blog Tour: The Pirate’s Dragon by Liz Flanagan, artwork by Joe Todd-Stanton

The front cover of middle grade paperback The Pirate's Dragon features a sailing ship with a dragon flying overhead. — Cover art by Joe Todd-Stanton, published by UCLan Publishing, 15 February 2024, ISBN: 978-1915235992

Today it is my very great pleasure to join the blog tour for The Pirate’s Dragon, the final book in the Legends of the Sky trilogy, and to welcome author Liz Flanagan to my blog. My reviews of the first two books are here: Dragon Daughter and Rise of the Shadow Dragons.

Liz has kindly provided some insight into a few of the key characters in the book. I hope that you enjoy reading her words as much as I did. My review of The Pirate’s Dragon appears afterwards.

Over to you Liz, please tell us how you created the main protagonists in this epic quest.

Photo of author Liz Flanagan sitting at a table holding a pink mug. — Author Liz Flanagan

How I started writing The Pirate’s Dragon by imagining two very different narrators – and
why a supporting character surprised me the most!

If you’re a writer, what comes first, the story or the characters? For me, characters come first and the story springs from what I know about them. Isn’t it funny that we ‘know’ characters who might only exist in our head? But that’s one of the things I love about
writing – that we get to imagine and hang out with people who only exist in the story, and later in the minds of our readers. It seems like the closest thing to magic!

I like to make up characters who seem ‘real’ to me. I never borrow from one real person, but I definitely borrow traits or feelings I’ve noticed in others or had myself, and I hope this makes my characters feel rounded and interesting. I did intend that my two narrators start out as opposites. Serina is the daughter of the duke and duchess general of Arcosi, and she’s confident and comfortable giving orders, perhaps – whisper it – a little bit spoiled? Meanwhile on Skull Island, Raff Sparrowhawk is the son of the former pirate queen, and he’s grown up in her shadow. He’s watchful and sensitive and cautious, as well as kind. So Serina’s journey is about having to learn to be ‘ordinary’ and listen to others; while Raff must learn to speak up for himself, find strength and believe in his ideas.

But the character who surprised me most of all – and was huge fun to write! – was the pirate queen herself, Malena Sparrowhawk. She swaggered off the page from the first chapter onwards: daring, beautiful, bold. I enjoyed writing every scene she’s in and every line of dialogue, and I really hope readers will love her too! I guess she’s the female equivalent of Yannic in the previous book, Rise of the Shadow Dragons, a character who steals the show and who is ready to break all the rules. As a writer, you welcome characters who make things happen and who create drama and tension all around them.

And perhaps it’s because Malena is the opposite of me that I love her too. I’m much more like Raff, watchful and reserved till I’m sure of myself. And this is one of the great rewards and privileges of writing: we get to imagine so many different ways of being and living and speaking.

I hope you enjoy meeting all the characters in The Pirate’s Dragon! Please do let me know who is your favourite?

The Pirate’s Dragon is published by UCLan Publishing, £8.99 ISBN: 9781915235992

My review.

I loved this heart-pounding adventure where the action flew back-and-forth between rival island communities. It is a tale that encompasses the range of negative and positive human emotions. At its heart the bonds between the human characters and their dragons are used to show the futility of envy, revenge and mistrust and the way that these feelings can be counteracted by friendship, forgiveness and kindness.

One of the aspects of this entire trilogy that I have found very engaging is the way that author, Liz Flanagan, has narrated each book through the lens of a twelve year old character, passing the baton of storytelling down through generations. In this way she has built a real sense of the history of the island of Arcosi which, as the only island on which dragons can hatch and grow to adulthood, is so central to every story. At this point I must give a shout out to Joe Todd-Stanton whose fabulous artwork adorns the book covers and chapter headers.

The Pirate’s Dragon commences with another hatching ceremony on Arcosi, with Serina, the only daughter of Duke Vigo and General Duchess Tarya hoping that it will be her turn to follow in the family tradition and bond with a newly hatched dragon. In fact she begins to bond with the new life inside a beautiful white and gold egg before it is even hatched, which results in her impulsively climbing astride the dragon of the leader of a violent pirate raid, to stay with the nest of stolen eggs. On arrival at Skull Island, Serina discovers that she is now at the mercy of Malena, former queen of the pirates and will have to prove that she is worthy of her place on the island. It transpires that Skull Island is home to two dragons that found refuge there with their dragon riders after the battle which took place in the second book in the trilogy, Rise of the Shadow Dragons. The owners of these two dragons, having been on the losing side, have consequently given a biased account of the selfishness of Arcosans in hoarding the dragons for themselves and their friends in the kingdom of Sartolia.

The pirate inhabitants of Skull Island want to harness the power of dragons for their own ends, but have very little knowledge of how to raise the hatchlings. This provides Serina, who has grown up surrounded by experts in dragon-lore, with the opportunity to prove herself…but just how much of her knowledge should she share with her captors? She gradually forms a friendship with the two children who have bonded with the two other dragons from the brood: Raff who is the son of Malena and Naomi who is the daughter of one of the most ferocious pirate captains. Their three dragons, Alden, Pearl and Caster bring the children closer to form a unit which will be vital to the action to come!

Once more, epic battles are fought, new allegiances are forged and pirate cunning alongside dragon power proves to be a dominant force. I really enjoyed the way that this epic trilogy comes to a close in a tale of power shifts, misunderstandings and mistaken pride. The children’s role in highlighting the arrogant mis-steps of the adults will, I am sure, be enjoyed by readers aged 9 years and above.

I highly recommend The Pirate’s Dragon for middle grade readers who enjoy fast paced action and adventure; pirates and dragons are a winning combination!

I am grateful to Antonia Wilkinson and UCLan Publishing for providing me with a review copy of The Pirate’s Dragon and inviting me to join this online blog tour. Do check out all the other fabulous posts from the amazing book bloggers on the tour schedule.

The schedule for the online blog review tour for The Pirate's Dragon.

MG Review – Greenwild: The World Behind the Door by Pari Thomson, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli

Cover art by Elisa Paganelli, published by Macmillan Children’s Books, 1 June 2023, ISBN: 978-1035015733

This eco-fantasy, written for a middle grade readership, is an outstanding debut from author Pari Thomson. The lush cover design and beautiful illustrated map endpapers by Elisa Paganelli, give an indication of the wildly magical story which bursts to life within the covers, and there are lovely pencil illustrations at key points in the story. Many of the usual tropes of middle grade fantasy writing are to be found here: 11-year-old-child discovering hidden magical powers, a brilliantly imagined alternative world running parallel to the contemporary world which is accessible by hidden portals, a benign presence ruling the fantasy world and a battle with an evil power-crazed enemy. In this story you will find treachery, friendships, the discovery of multi-generational family bonds and a palpable love for every part of the plant kingdom. These components are nurtured into a magnificent creation by wonderfully sensuous writing, a complex plot in which little seeds sowed early on bloom to fruition in the final third, and brilliant characterisation, all of which gripped me from the opening to the closing sentences. I also loved the strands of the author’s Persian heritage which were scattered throughout the story, adding extra jewels of beauty, like pomegranate seeds on a green salad. Honestly, as I reached the final word I wanted to go back to the beginning and read the entire novel again!

Daisy Thistledown has led a quite extraordinary life since her father died during her early childhood. She has accompanied her Ma, the fearless investigative journalist, Leila Thistledown, on assignments all over the world. In my mind, Leila Thistledown now stands alongside Marina Petrovna from The Wolf Wilder, as a magnificently maverick mother from children’s fiction.

Ma bought potted orchids and geraniums wherever they stayed, and they always flowered extravagantly, miraculously, as if she was their own personal sun. Daisy knew how they felt.
page 29

Although this peripatetic lifestyle has made forming friendships rather difficult, it has equipped Daisy with an armoury of useful skills which will serve her well through the perils of the novel. When Mr Craven, Ma’s new editor sends her off on a dangerous assignment to the Amazon, for the first time in her life Daisy is left behind, and has to stay at the most depressing boarding school on earth. Realising that she needs to escape, she follows Ma’s parting advice to head back to Kew Gardens to seek help, and sets of with Napoleon (a cat with attitude), and two gifts from her mother, a glass dandelion paperweight and an envelope containing one dry seed. After a pulse-racing dash through south-west London, Daisy manages to find the portal from Kew into the enchanted botanical paradise of Mallowmarsh, and is taken into the care of Artemis White the Commander and Head Mallow of this outpost of the Greenwild. From there she is plunged into a quest to unmask a villain on the Greyside who threatens the existence of the entire natural world, discover the whereabouts of the missing botanists and at one particularly sticky point, fight an invasion of giant slugs!

I really do not want to give away too many plot details because they are revealed so perfectly through the story that I would not want to ruin a single moment of anyone’s enjoyment. I particularly loved the subplot in which Daisy discovers a secret garden within Mallowmarsh, this transported me back (many years) to my own childhood reading of Tom’s Midnight Garden and delivered quite the emotional impact. Daisy’s bravery and devotion to her Ma lead her into some rash decisions but are all part of her charm, and the friendships that she develops with members of The Five O’Clock Club are likely to be very familiar to young readers.

Greenwild: The World Behind the Door is a fantastic book to put into the hands of anyone aged 9 years and above. At just under 400 pages it might seem a little too daunting for some children who don’t yet have the stamina to read a long novel independently, so I would strongly encourage parents and carers, teachers and librarians to choose this as a read-aloud in school or shared read at home. I strongly believe that adults will enjoy it every bit as much as children.

This book was my own purchase.

#MG Review: Fairy vs. Wizard by Jenny McLachlan

Paperback middle grade book Fairy vs Wizard by Jenny McLachlan, standing upright. — Cover art by Jenny McLachlan, publisher Farshore,
29 February 2024, ISBN 978-0008524302

The second volume of eleven year old Danny Todd’s diary is an absolute hoot, detailing in words and doodles (from the immensely talented Jenny McLachlan), his zany experiences with mischievous fairy S-dot-Tink, S.Tink (more commonly known as Stink because she won’t reveal her first name).

There is an excellent cartoon strip occupying the early pages, which recounts the arrival of Stink from Fairyland to Humanyland in the first book of the series. I think this will be thoroughly appreciated by young readers who rely on school, classroom or public libraries for access to new books, because I am sure that this series will be so popular that it will not always be possible to borrow the books in the correct order. The rest of the book is written in a lovely clear ‘hand writing’ font, laid out in fully illustrated journal format which is hugely attractive to read. The design allied with the laugh-out-loud content and alluring cover is sure to entice the most reluctant of readers.

Jenny McLachlan certainly knows how to appeal to young readers and the kinetic plot covers the experiences of everyday life in Year 7 alongside some spectacularly chaotic occurrences provoked by a malfunctioning fairy wand, an evil wizard on the loose and a school assembly organised by an enthusiastic LARPer teacher! The plot builds to a dramatic crescendo on the school stage and reveals the power of friendship as an antidote to overcome the most dastardly of rogue plans. I had great fun reading Fairy vs. Wizard and I know that it would have been greatly appreciated in this house had it been available a good few years ago. I’d highly recommend as a gift for children of 8/9 years and above and as an essential addition to school library collections.

I am grateful to Farshore Books for sending me a review copy of Fairy vs. Wizard ahead of publication.

Stink Worst.Fairy.Ever. written and illustrated by Jenny McLachlan

Cover art by Jenny McLachlan, published by Farshore,
16 March 2023, ISBN: 978-0008524272

If you want the full back story to S-dot-Tink’s arrival at the home of Danny Todd, then I suggest you get your hands on this fun-filled book. I was lucky enough to spot it on the shelves of my local public library and have been snorting with laughter at this zany origin story.

What better birthday present can your average eleven year old boy want from his three year old sister than a fairy door? What can possibly go wrong when he tries to sarcastically summon up a fairy? And just how much chaos can one little woodlouse-eating fairy cause when she decides to bring a troll and a gnome into Humanyworld with her?

This hilarious illustrated diary-format book will have readers rooting for Danny Todd as he tries to bring order to a wave of entropy in his neighbourhood. This is a book which will positively fly of the bookshelves! Highly recommended for readers of 8/9 years and above.

#MG Review: Gracie Fairshaw and the Missing Reel by Susan Brownrigg, illustrations by Jenny Czerwonka

Middle grade paperback book, Gracie Fairshaw and the Missing Reel by Susan Brownrigg, standing upright on a mantelpiece. — Cover art by Jenny Czerwonka, publisher UCLan,
7 March 2024, ISBN: 978-1915235800

Gracie Fairshaw and the Missing Reel is a wonderful example of historical cosy crime, written for a middle grade audience. Author, Susan Brownrigg, has clearly researched Blackpool and the film industry of the 1930s in meticulous detail and seamlessly integrates her knowledge of the period into a story that feels totally grounded in its place and time.

The main protagonist, Gracie Fairshaw, comes across as a level-headed, hardworking individual, making the most of her position as a junior reporter on the local newspaper, The Gazette. She is thrilled to be chosen to interview a northern, breakthrough film star, Sally Sunshine who is staying in Blackpool for location filming on her latest movie, Room for a Traitor. The characters of the cast and crew are realistically portrayed and it becomes apparent that underneath the glamour of the filmset there are tensions, jealousies and secrets to be discovered. When a precious reel of film goes missing, threatening to disrupt the finely timetabled production schedule, Gracie is helped in her investigations by a posse of young friends, and proves herself ready to face danger to unmask the blackmailer.

The heady atmosphere of the filmset, where stand-ins, clever make-up and special lighting effects blur the lines between reality and make-believe are wonderfully contrasted with Gracie’s home life in her mum’s boarding house. Gracie’s determination, bravery and unwillingness to let her missing lower left arm prevent her from pursuing her dream career is sensitively written. The narrative also highlights the inequalities in opportunities and wages between males and females, and big name stars and the stunt stand-ins, which I found interesting. This is a beautifully written novel which brings alive a setting infused with the cries of seagulls and the feel of the sea breeze, and which offers the reader a large side order of red herring with their fish’n’chips! I would highly recommend it for all crime and detective fiction fans aged 9 years and above.

I am very grateful to UCLan Publishing and Antonia Wilkinson for sending me a review copy of Gracie Fairshaw and the Missing Reel prior to publication on 7 March 2023, in exchange for my honest opinion.

#Non-Fiction Review: Little Book Big Idea What is History? by Noodle Juice

Hardback non-fiction book What is History? published by Noodle Juice — Cover art Katie Rewse, published by Noodle Juice, 16 November 2023, ISBN: 978- 1915613288

The sixth in the Little Book Big Idea series from publisher Noodle Juice follows the same format as others in the series and lives up to the same high standards that I have come to expect from this publisher. It is an attractive, high quality, hardback non-fiction book combining carefully designed facts and pictures.

I love the way that the book encourages young readers to be curious by using questions as chapter titles. Each double page spread starts with a question, some examples are: when does history start? Are there different types of history? How do we study history? My particular favourite was: Whose stories haven’t been told? The answers are provided as fabulous whole page, as well as small panel artwork by Katie Rewse, combined with small blocks of text written by Sarah Walden, who is one half of the partnership behind Noodle Juice. The text is presented as interesting fonts, sometimes slightly curved around the illustrations but always clear and accessible to read.

What is History? is an ideal book to encourage children to take an interest in events of the past and ask their own how and why questions about the way historic actions have been recorded. It would make an excellent gift for any child of 8 years and above, and I am sure will be welcomed by school librarians, key stage 2 teachers and home-educators.

I am very grateful to Noodle Juice and Antonia Wilkinson for my gifted review copy of What is History? in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have reviewed several other titles in the Little Book Big Idea series:

What is Money?

What is Philosophy?

What is Art? and What is Music?

#MG Review: Rise of the Shadow Dragons by Liz Flanagan

A middle grade paperback book, Rise of the Shadow Dragons by Liz Flanagan standing upright on a mantelpiece. Some fairy lights in the background. — Cover art by Joe Todd-Stanton, published by UCLan, 4 January 2024, ISBN: 978-1915235855

The second story in the Legends of the Sky trilogy written by Liz Flanagan is bookended by two Hatching Day ceremonies on the fictional island of Arcosi. The time between these ceremonies reveals the gripping redemption story of Joe, the young brother of Isak and Tarya who were prominent in book 1, Dragon Daughter. Arcosi is now blessed with the gentle and inclusive leadership of young Duke Vigo, husband of Tarya. The island nation is protected by the dragons under General Milla, whilst Isak has become Head Dragonguard of Arcosi, training young dragons and their bonded humans at the Dragon School. All appears to be harmonious on Joe’s twelfth birthday, during which he is convinced that he will bond with a newly hatched dragon and join other members of his family in the prestigious Dragon School.

However, Joe’s dreams are smashed at the Hatching ceremony, he cannot control his emotions, comes very close to killing a newly hatched dragon, and flees the ceremony leaving chaos in his wake. Battered, bruised and burning with shame, Joe finds refuge in a maze of caves and tunnels below the city. He is nursed back to health by Winter, a former dragon rider who has withdrawn into a shadow of her former self after the immeasurable sadness of losing her dragon to illness. The depiction of their growing trust and dependence on each other is beautifully crafted, and their shared determination to successfully hatch two mysterious eggs which have been hidden deep in the subterranean labyrinth drives the main plot. Simultaneously, the disbanded army of former ruler, Duke Olvar, are plotting vengeance for his downfall, and a far deadlier, life-threatening power is building deep below the earth. This sweeping fantasy adventure soars with the redemptive power of acceptance and forgiveness and plunges to explore the depths of human emotions.

I highly recommend it as a solo read for children of 9+ and the short chapters (each of which features gorgeous header illustrations by cover artist Joe Todd-Stanton) make it very suitable for a whole class read in upper key stage 2. There is sufficient back story coverage to allow young readers to enjoy Rise of the Shadow Dragons even if they haven’t read the first book in the series, however, I would suggest trying to read the two books in order. The concluding story in the trilogy, The Pirate’s Dragon will be published on 15th February 2024.

I am most grateful to Antonia Wilkinson and UCLan Publishing for sending me a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

#Lift-the-Flap Book Review: One Little Tadpole by Molly Littleboy and Jacob Souva

A non-fiction, lift-the-flap board book, One Little Tadpole by Molly Littleboy and Jacob Souva, standing upright on a bookshelf. — Cover illustration by Jacob Souva, publisher Little Tiger Press,
01 February 2024, ISBN: 978-1801044349

Young children will enjoy hopping inside this colourful, lift-the-flap, board book to learn about the marvels of nature which can be found close to home. I greatly admire the combined talents of author Molly Littleboy and illustrator Jacob Souva, which have brought the wonderful world of ponds to life on the interactive pages of One Little Tadpole. Through beautiful artwork, carefully chosen and positioned text, and imaginatively shaped liftable flaps, they have created a book which fully depicts the ecological habitat of a pond. Not only will children see the metamorphosis of tadpoles to frogs, but alongside this they will learn about the transformation of dragonfly nymphs, the sleeping pattern of water lilies and the regenerative skills of newts. There is information on pond dipping, the changing nature of ponds across the seasons and advice on creating a small pond.

The vocabulary means that this book is best suited to shared adult and child interaction, little fingers will greatly enjoy discovering what lies beneath the flaps whilst the fascinating factual content is discussed. With many primary schools and nurseries having a forest school area, I feel sure that Early Years teachers will welcome this book into their class collections. I am looking forward to sharing this with my youngest relatives when I next see them. The high quality board and robust flaps should ensure that this fabulous non-fiction book withstands its likely popularity with young wildlife explorers.

I am very grateful to the publisher Little Tiger for my review copy of One Little Tadpole in exchange for my honest opinion.

#MG Review: Dragon Daughter by Liz Flanagan

Front cover of middle grade paperback Dragon Daughter by Liz Flanagan standing on a mantelpiece with fairy lights behind. — Cover image by Joe Todd Stanton, publisher Uclan, 2 November 2023, ISBN: 978-1915235640

The first book in the Legends of the Sky trilogy is set on the fictional island kingdom of Arcosi, where society is split into two tiers along ethnic lines. It is ruled by Duke Olvar from his ancient palace which dominates the peak of the island. The Duke’s Norlander parents arrived on the island only fifty years previously but somehow the Norlanders have become dominant, subjugating the section of the population who descend from the nearby kingdom of Sartola and treating anyone of Sartolan heritage as second class citizens. When a servant girl, Milla, witnesses the cold-blooded murder of a traveller, in the garden of her master Nestan, it sets in motion a chain of events that will cause radical change on the island.

Not only has Milla witnessed a murder, she also observed the stranger hide the precious cargo that he appeared to be bringing to the wealthy merchant Nestan. When she discovers four dragon eggs, she feels an intrinsic urge to protect them but her betrayal by another servant means that they pass into the covetous hands of Duke Olvar. However, his schemes to possess his own loyal dragon are fruitless; each hatchling dragon immediately bonds with a teeenager: Milla, Tarya and Isak the twin children of Nestan, and Vigo who is Duke Olvar’s son and betrothed to Tarya. Once bonded with her dragon Iggie, Milla discovers her true destiny, uncovers her family history and alongside her true friends finds the courage to take a stand against prejudicial tyranny.

Author, Liz Flanagan, has a talent for writing fantasy quests that have an air of classic legend about them. The world building, complete with history and local lore in Dragon Daughter is beautifully rendered. As is the depiction of greed, jealousy and prejudice which tears a family and a society apart. This is an exciting opening to a trilogy of stories which will appeal to readers of 9 years old and above who enjoy a complex and immersive read. I would just add that there are several deaths of key characters portrayed, so be aware of this in the context of sensitive children. I found that the short chapter format meant that I raced through this 350 page novel and I am greatly looking forward to the continuation of the quest to bring peace to the island of Arcosi in the second book, Rise of the Shadow Dragons.

I am most grateful to publicist Antonia Wilkinson and Uclan Publishing for my gifted review copy of Dragon Daughter.

Younger readers or readers who prefer a shorter book might enjoy the Wildsmith series written by Liz Flanagan which also have a classic fantasy/fairytale vibe. I have reviewed Wildsmith Into the Dark Forest and Wildsmith City of Secrets.

#MG Review: Time Travellers Adventure Calling by Sufiya Ahmed

Paperback middle grade book Time Travellers Adventure Calling by Sufiya Ahmed on a bookshelf in front of some other middle grade books. — Cover illustration by Alessia Trunfio, published by Little Tiger,
ISBN: 978-1788956598

The first in a new series of time-slip adventures, Time Travellers Adventure Calling, packs a lot of education and entertainment into just under 150 pages, making it an ideal read for children of 8 years old and above. In my experience, time travel adventures are usually very popular with primary school children and I love the way that Sufiya Ahmed has used this structure to provide a really positive story about the power of democracy.

This story starts with a school trip to the Houses of Parliament after Mia, Ayaan and Suhana have had their designs for their local MP’s Christmas card chosen as winning and runner up entries to his annual competition. Through the MP’s visit to their school assembly and their subsequent day out, readers are given a valuable lesson in civics in an accessible way to which they can easily relate. Despite their unpleasant and prejudiced headteacher, Mr Hayes, the three children are thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to explore the public areas of Westminster and learn about its history, when suddenly Suhana’s phone twists them through time to 1911. They arrive on 17th June, the date of the Coronation Procession of the Women’s Social and Political Union which was organised to demand votes for women.

As they negotiate the crowded streets, unexpected hazards and battle against the clock to ensure their return to the present day, the children forge a bond of friendship and meet some prominent figures from the suffragette and suffragist movements. With a Pakistani heritage herself, Suhana is both surprised and delighted to find women from South Asia participating in the demonstration. Through her reaction, readers can understand the importance of bringing to light the hidden voices and faces from history. Her curious and questioning attitude, which has elicited unjust and unkind responses from her headteacher, is shown to be important for correcting the absences in the historical record. I also enjoyed the way that historical protest for women’s emancipation was juxtaposed against the current Fridays for Future demonstrations. The theme of standing up in solidarity with important beliefs is nicely demonstrated by Mia and Ayaan, who react against Mr Hayes’ unfairness to make a tangible difference for Suhana.

There is some interesting factual detail on the women’s suffrage movement at the end of the book as well as biographical details on Lolita Roy and Princess Sophia Duleep Singh. I am certainly looking forward to the next Time Travellers adventure which is due to be published in October 2024. I think that this series is going to be very popular in primary schools, not just for presenting interesting historical facts in an engaging format but also for surfacing the idea that we should question the historical record for what has been omitted.

I am very grateful to Little Tiger for sending me a review copy of Time Travellers Adventure Calling in exchange for my honest opinion.