Review: Dragon Detective That’s A Wrap written by Gareth P Jones, illustrated by Scott Brown.

Cover image by Scott Brown, published by Little Tiger Press

That’s A Wrap! is the final instalment of the Dragon Detective series by Gareth P Jones, and appropriately, for a series which has continually conjured images of old black-and-white detective movies, the action plays out in Hollywood. This book is so cleverly written that it can be enjoyed as a standalone mystery surrounding a stolen film reel, a search for dragon treasure and a battle for supremacy, but also perfectly wraps up the centuries-old conflict between factions of dragonkind which has featured in the previous three stories. Many of the human and dragon characters from previous books make welcome reappearances to fulfil their destinies. My advice would be to read the entire four book series in order; you will be royally entertained.

The action opens with billionaire Brant Buchanan preparing a deadly trap for our Dragon Detective hero, Dirk Dilly, in LA. Meanwhile, back in London our human heroine, Holly Bigsby, is practically under house arrest as her stepmother (former politician and employee of Brant) punishes her for the chaos and embarrassment she caused at the end of Dragon Detective Sky High! Dirk is staking out a warehouse formerly used by evil dragon Vainclaw Grandin’s Kinghorn henchmen when he learns that a new dragon organisation, the One-Worlders, have set up as rivals to Vainclaw’s Kinghorns with the same mission of waging war on humanity!

When Holly’s stepmother is summoned by her employer to join him in LA, Holly and her best friend Archie find themselves staying in a luxurious mansion next door to Holly’s former dorm-mate from Dragon Detective School’s Out! Petal Moses. She is at her prima-donna best, starring in the film of her less-than-riveting life story. Her guardian, whilst her mother is away recording another hit album, is none other than music teacher, Miss Gilfeather, a woman with an awesome repertoire of sarcastic put-downs. Other characters and subplots reappear from Dragon Detective School’s Out! and Dragon Detective Catnapped! as the action heats up in LA.

As in all three previous books, the dialogue crackles with wit as dry as the Joshua Tree National Park. Here we meet desert dragons Kitelsky and Putz, whose fighting antics have attracted the attention of more than one camera lens over the years that they have been staging their desert rumbles!

I don’t want to give away any spoilers of this tightly plotted adventure but I can say that Gareth P Jones has done an awesome job of tying up all the strands from the series into a perfectly satisfying final denouement. The loyal friendship portrayed between Holly and Archie is entirely authentic and the deep connection between Holly and Dirk is so heartwarming that you never question the possibility of a dragon going about his business from a London flat. One of my favourite characters throughout the series has been Dirk’s landlady Mrs Klingerflim and I am overjoyed that she steps out into the spotlight in this final instalment.

Overall, I highly recommend Dragon Detective That’s A Wrap! to anyone of 9+ who likes their detective mysteries served with a huge side order of quirky humour and I hope you enjoy the entire series as much as I have.

I am most grateful to Charlie Morris, Publicity Manager at Little Tiger Press for my review copy of this book.

Review: Everdark written by Abi Elphinstone – Dyslexia-friendly format

Cover image by Carrie May, published by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd

As the mother of a dyslexic child and having met many dyslexic children throughout my employment in a primary school, I fully appreciate the value of being able to show children positive role models as well as books which are enjoyable for them to read. In this newly formatted edition of Everdark we have one of the most brilliantly imaginative current children’s authors, Abi Elphinstone who is dyslexic, creating a marvellous dyslexic character, presented in an easy-to-read format. Add to that her own inspirational note at the end of the book encouraging children to believe that they are capable of extraordinary things and you realise that this is a volume you will want to offer to every dyslexic child of your acquaintance.

When I first read Everdark in its original World Book Day format I was overjoyed to find in the character of Smudge, a protagonist who used her dyslexic strengths to battle the evil harpy Morg who threatened the existence of the Unmapped Kingdoms, but was concerned that the tiny format and print would make the book inaccessible to the very readership who would benefit most from this empowering story. My original review can be read here: Everdark by Abi Elphinstone.

I am not going to review the story again but I stated at the end of my original review:

“I would like to make a plea to the publishers to please, please, please re-print this book with a bigger font, ideally open dyslexic, so that it can be easily read by an audience for whom its message will be immensely inspiring.”

You can therefore imagine my delight when I read that Simon & Schuster UK would be publishing a new edition of Everdark in a dyslexia-friendly format, and I was equally thrilled to be sent a review copy.

Although dyslexia presents in many different ways, visual stress is common in many who share this learning difference and books which reduce the stress of reading by using clear fonts, larger text, increased spacing and off-white pages are greatly valued by those who wish to encourage all youngsters to discover enjoyment of books. Additionally, what is good for dyslexic children is good for all children, and there will be many children who perhaps have not yet become voracious readers, who will find that the clear layout of this edition makes the process of reading as splendid as the immersion in a brilliantly imagined adventure.

Many children who have been enraptured by the subsequent stories in the Unmapped Chronicles series, Rumblestar and Jungledrop might have missed the original edition of Everdark, so when this second edition becomes available on 7th January 2021, I urge you to buy copies for your home, classroom or school libraries – it could be the spark that turns a dormant reader into a bookworm and opens their eyes to a world of possibilities.

I am most grateful to Eve Wersocki Morris, Publicity Manager at Simon & Schuster UK for providing me with a review copy of this new edition of Everdark. You can be assured that I will be purchasing multiple copies of this book to give to young relatives.

#MGTakesOnThursday: The Lost Child’s Quest by James Haddell

Image created by @MarySimms72 and used with permission.

This is a weekly meme started and hosted by @marysimms72 on her brilliant Book Craic blog which I urge you to read. Also, please check out all the other posts and Tweets with the #MGTakesOnThursday tag, you will be sure to find many fantastic recommendations!

If you love books written for an MG audience and wish to take part, the steps to follow are:

Post a picture of a front cover of a middle-grade book which you have read and would recommend to others with details of the author, illustrator and publisher.

Open the book to page 11 and share your favourite sentence.

Write three words to describe the book

Either share why you would recommend this book, or link to your review.

This week, I am featuring a brilliant debut by James Haddell, which I found waiting on my doormat when I returned home from the final day of this most peculiar Autumn term; the perfect start to a school holiday.

Cover image by Clair Lansley, published by Emira Press

Author: James Haddell

Illustrator: Clair Lansley (Cover)

Publisher: Emira Press

Favourite sentence from Page 11:

“ Tia felt as though the air in her lungs had turned to ice.”

This book in three words: History – Identity – Family

When I read the glowing reviews for this debut novel by James Haddell, written by many of my favourite children’s books bloggers, I immediately placed an order and was delighted to have the book delivered in time for the Christmas holidays.

The story of ten-year-old orphan Tia Hemyke, found on the doorstep of an orphanage with thirteen treasures inside her crib, totally captivated me. This is a story about identity and family and belonging wrapped in an exciting historical quest with such skill that it will keep middle grade readers enthralled as they absorb historical detail and deeper truths.

You are plunged headfirst into Tia’s quest as a mysterious stranger, Mr Silverman, arrives at the children’s home claiming to be a friend of her late father but obviously determined to claim the silver pendant she has worn throughout her life. After a heart-racing pursuit and escape Tia thinks she has escaped his sinister intentions when she is adopted by the Trevelyan family and goes to live with them in a unique community of historians and archaeologists.

The setting of her new home at Stormhaven Castle, a small peninsula on the coast, with its ancient castle keep, small hamlet, progressive school and whitewashed cottages is beautifully rendered and utterly magical. I am sure that I will not be the only reader who would love to spend time there! As Tia gets to know her adoptive family and adjusts to having an irrepressible older sister, Meghan, and a new best friend in Pasco, she learns to trust and to share her secrets with people who can help her in searching for her own history. In the words of Mrs Trevelyan:

“Our understanding of who we are depends on our understanding of where we have come from.”

Tia’s unusual silver pendant appears to have some sort of power within the ancient castle and when she reveals the twelve accompanying silver discs to her parents, an investigation into the Arthurian legend of The Thirteen Treasures leads the children into a magical unlocking of long buried mysteries.

I highly recommend this book to anyone of 9+ as, first and foremost, an exciting and entertaining historical mystery. On a deeper level there is so much to reflect on about the meaning of family and the value of kindness and love. As a whole class shared story it lends itself perfectly to the study of Anglo-Saxons in the primary school history curriculum especially as author James Haddell has included some incredibly thoughtful activities related to each chapter at the end of the book. An awesome debut and I am hoping that a second story will follow soon!

#MGTakesOnThursday: Advent Review – Frost Castle Adventure by Fleur Hitchcock

If you love books written for an MG audience and wish to take part, the steps to follow are:

Post a picture of a front cover of a middle-grade book which you have read and would recommend to others with details of the author, illustrator and publisher.

Open the book to page 11 and share your favourite sentence.

Write three words to describe the book

Either share why you would recommend this book, or link to your review.

Cover image by Tom Clohosy Cole, published by Nosy Crow

This week, I am featuring the fourth book in the Clifftoppers adventure series, The Frost Castle Adventure, which seems highly appropriate for this time of year.

Author: Fleur Hitchcock

Illustrator: Tom Clohosy Cole (Cover) and R.S. McKay (map)

Publisher: Nosy Crow

Favourite sentence from Page 11:

“ It’s just that the weather’s much worse than it was at home and ten, when I came over the hill, I lost control and you saw what happened…”

This is the moment when the Clifftopper children meet actress Martha Darcy-Court in the middle of a snowy field!

This book in three words: Snowy – Winter – Mystery

This is the fourth book in which we join cousins Aiden, Chloe, Ava and Josh as they spend part of their school holidays staying with their grandparents at Clifftoppers Farm. They have arrived in the period between Christmas and New Year and are looking forward to a week filled with snowball fights, sledging and hot chocolates. However, their first afternoon together outside in the snow almost ends in tragedy when an out-of-control car smashes through a hedge and comes close to colliding with Chloe.

The driver is a young and very famous actress, who has travelled down to Frost Castle as a favour to an old family friend, where she will act in the annual New Year performance. The children find themselves roped in as stagehands and embroiled in a mystery revolving around an inherited pendant, which may or may not be cursed and the castle’s resident ghost Anne, Lady of Frost Castle who is rumoured to appear only at New Year! In a classic closed house scenario, with the snow storm closing in, the tension piles up higher than the drifting snow as the cousins race through secret corridors and spiral staircases in pursuit of a jewel thief.

This book, along with the rest of the series is a perfect read for anyone of 8+ searching for a fast-paced story to read independently. It is the perfect length to give newly confident readers the important sense that they can complete a book alone as they will be driven along by the short chapters, relatable child protagonists and desire to unravel the mystery.

Advent Review: A Thing Called Snow written and illustrated by Yuval Zommer

Cover image by Yuval Zommer, published by OUP Children’s Books

This spellbinding book is absolutely perfect for sharing with young children at this time of year and will give hours of pleasure to both children and adults as they experience the joy of first snowfall through the characters of arctic fox and hare.

These two animals have developed a friendship since their birth in the spring and now as they face their first winter in a frozen landscape they are intrigued by the idea of snow. As they walk through their forest habitat they question the animals they meet, slowly building up a vocabulary to describe snow. Their joy when they finally experience the white, cold, fluffy, sparkly miracle absolutely leaps off the page and reflects that of all children of my acquaintance.

Yuval Zommer’s love of the natural world is present in every one of his books. In this one I love the way that the colour palette changes to reflect the atmospheric conditions, starting with warm oranges and browns which are gradually replaced by cold blues, greys and white. Children will learn so much from observing the details of the plants and animals depicted in the amazing artwork contained within this book. It again demonstrates the immense value in beautifully crafted picture books which can be read or looked at for pure pleasure and which educate by stealth.

An absolute delight, I recommend it to everyone – teachers, librarians and families.

I am most grateful to OUP Children’s Books for sending me a review copy. I have already purchased a second copy to gift to a young relative.

If you love A Thing Called Snow, then I highly recommend The Tree That’s Meant To Be by Yuval Zommer which has been published in paperback this autumn.

Advent Review: Ballet Bunnies written by Swapna Reddy, illustrated by Binny Talib

I was fortunate to be sent an ARC of the first book in the Ballet Bunnies series earlier in the year and absolutely adored the story of young ballerina Millie nervously joining her new ballet class and befriending the four little rabbits who live in Miss Luisa’s School of Dance. You can read my review of Ballet Bunnies: The New Class here.

Cover art by Binny Talib, published by OUP Children’s Books

Now there are three books available, all beautifully produced in full-colour and enhanced with glittery covers, the perfect collection for any young dancer’s bookshelf. These are wonderful early chapter books to inspire confidence and enjoyment of reading in children who are taking the first steps in their independent reading journey.

Ballet Bunnies: Let’s Dance

In a scenario that will be familiar to every child (and parent) who attends dance lessons, the pupils of Miss Luisa’s School of Dance are in a state of high excitement as the day of their Gala Performance approaches. Millie’s tummy is fluttering with butterflies despite the fact that she has rehearsed until she knows every move of her dance by heart. Fortunately, the ballet bunnies are there to offer calming advice and when mean girl Amber tries to sabotage Millie’s performance, little Dolly is the hero who saves the day!

Ballet Bunnies: Millie’s Birthday

Summer term has come to an end at Miss Luisa’s School of Dance. As she helps to tidy the ballet studio Millie tells the four tiny, dancing bunnies about her impending birthday party. Sensing her apprehension about the visit of so many friends to her house, the bunnies offer to come and stay with her to help with her anxiety about the event.

This is another lovely story which encapsulates the nervousness that afflicts some shy children over an event that they are expected to be excited about. The friendship shown by the bunnies and their sensible strategies to help Millie stay calm when the party seems to be overwhelming her will reassure and delight young readers.

I am most grateful to OUP Children’s books for sending me review copies of these books which will be shared with young dancers through the school library. I think they would make a lovely Christmas gift for any young children aged 4-7.

#MGTakesOnThursday: Advent Review – Winter Magic Anthology edited by Abi Elphinstone

If you love books written for an MG audience and wish to take part, the steps to follow are:

Post a picture of a front cover of a middle-grade book which you have read and would recommend to others with details of the author, illustrator and publisher.

Open the book to page 11 and share your favourite sentence.

Write three words to describe the book

Either share why you would recommend this book, or link to your review.

This week, I am featuring an anthology of winter-themed stories curated by one of my favourite MG authors and featuring many of the writers whose books I have reviewed here during the last two years.

Curator: Abi Elphinstone

Illustrator: Thomas Flintham

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Favourite sentence from Page 11:

“It felt real, just as the cobblestones and the snowflakes did.”

This is from a story entitled A Night at the Frost Fair by Emma Carroll.

This book in three words: Snowy – Magical – Winter

This book contains eleven short stories by some of the most magnificent writers of children’s fiction. The first story is written by the Queen of Historical Fiction, Emma Carroll and features a magical time-slip adventure as Maya finds herself transported back in time to a Frost Fair whilst sitting in a taxi held up by a snowy traffic jam on London Bridge. She tracks down the mystery which has been perplexing her beloved grandmother in a heart-stoppingly thrilling chase across the icy river. In the course of the adventure Maya finds a deep family connection and saves her grandmother from the misery of a regimented care home.

This collection really does contain something to suit every taste, from unexpected adventures on a school skiing holiday; to magical fantasies set in snow-filled landscapes; strange events set in motion by an avalanche on a remote Scottish road; an elegant and delightful ballet story set in St Petersburg at the premiere of The Nutcracker ballet and poetry. All are filled with messages of hope and love and depending on my mood, my favourite changes each time I dip into this wonderful selection.

This is the fourth December during which I have had the pleasure to read Winter Magic and I look forward to returning to it for many years to come. I hope that you too find a story to enjoy from this enchanting anthology.

#Christmas Illustrated Fiction: The Snow Dragon written by Abi Elphinstone, illustrated by Fiona Woodcock

Cover image by Fiona Woodcock, published by Simon & Schuster UK, October 2019, ISBN: 978-1471172472

Regular readers of my blog will know that I am an enormous fan of anything written by Abi Elphinstone, so it should come as no surprise that this is a story I love to read as we approach Christmas! I first read a version of it in an anthology of Christmas stories, entitled Winter Magic, and when a hardback edition of this picture book was published in 2019, I just had to buy a copy. It is now also available in paperback.

Phoebe lives in Griselda Bone’s Home for Strays which is the very epitome of a miserable orphanage. Daydreaming, skipping, and hide-and-seek are forbidden as the mean-spirited Griselda wages her private war on childishness. As the last unclaimed child left at the orphanage it appears that Phoebe faces a bleak future of grammar and punishment with only her dancing dog Herb for company…until her snow dragon magically appears.

Urging her to “never keep an adventure waiting” he transports Phoebe on an enchanted journey during which the combination of Abi’s glorious writing and the beautifully delicate artwork by Fiona Woodcock remind us all to look at the world around us in awe and wonder. This wonderful story about hope, believing in the miraculous and never losing a sense of playfulness and joy is a perfect story to share at bedtime or with a class of primary school children. A highly recommended Advent book which you will enjoy year after year. I have gifted copies of this book to several youngsters and I know that it has always been enjoyed.

This was one of my own purchases.

#Christmas Illustrated Fiction: Where Snow Angels Go written by Maggie O’Farrell, illustrated by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini

Cover image by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini, published by Walker Books UK, 5 November 2020, ISBN: 978-1406391992

This book is such a thing of beauty that it would make a wonderful Christmas present for any child and is destined to become a future classic. The illustration on the cover gives you a hint of the sumptuous detail within, as the angel’s outline on the extreme left welcomes you into a story which has a modern fairy tale feel.

The story itself concerns Sylvie, a girl of probably eight to ten, who is awoken suddenly in the night to find a snow angel in her bedroom. This proves troublesome for the rookie snow angel who is on his first mission and is supposed to remain invisible to the child he protects! Sylvie is a very inquisitive girl and persuades the snow angel to tell her far more than he ought! I don’t want to reveal too many of the details here as I wouldn’t want to ruin your enjoyment of Maggie O’Farrell’s spell-binding story telling.

This was her first children’s book and there have been others published since. Anyone familiar with Maggie O’Farrell’s novels will recognise the absolute pinpoint clarity with which she writes and I am delighted that she has not compromised her choice of vocabulary or uniquely descriptive style in creating a story for a younger readership.

As we share stories with children throughout the Advent season this is definitely one to add to your repertoire. The themes of love, wishing to protect your loved ones and remembrance are all particularly poignant and the combination of exquisite writing, illustrated so perfectly by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini, makes this a book to continually revisit.

#MGTakesOnThursday: Scoop McLaren: Waves of Mystery by Helen Castles

If you love books written for an MG audience and wish to take part, the steps to follow are:

Post a picture of a front cover of a middle-grade book which you have read and would recommend to others with details of the author, illustrator and publisher.

Open the book to page 11 and share your favourite sentence.

Write three words to describe the book

Either share why you would recommend this book, or link to your review.

Cover image by Beatriz Castro, published by New Frontier Publishing UK

This week, as we shiver in our northern-hemisphere open-doored classrooms, I thought we could all escape down under to the sunny, seaside town of Higgity Harbour, where the surf’s up and mystery lurks below the surface! Just look at that glorious, sunshine-yellow cover illustrated by Beatriz Castro and imagine the sound of the waves hitting the shore.

Author: Helen Castles

Illustrator: Beatriz Castro

Publisher: New Frontier Publishing UK

Favourite sentence from Page 11:

“I’ve got a funny feeling and my funny feelings are rarely wrong.”

This book in three words: Sunny – Surfing – Mystery

This is the second mystery for Scoop McLaren, the editor of her own online newspaper, Click! and, along with best friend Evie Andrews a formidable problem-solving detective. Her instincts for suspicious behaviour are aroused by a series of events befalling surfing ace Fletcher Stein as he prepares for the semi-final of the Monster Wave Supreme Grommet Title on Higgity Harbour’s Five Mile Beach.

As Scoop and Evie launch their investigation they are confronted by the uber-competitive parents of Fletch’s rivals, sabotage attempts, shady competition judges, sinister strangers hanging around the normally peaceful coastal town…and even the long-forgotten curse of a pirate who used to ply his trade along the coast! The plot moves along at a great pace, peppered with text messages and secret coded communications between the two young detectives. The supporting cast of characters throw plenty of red-herrings into the story and the quaint small town, suffused with a sense of nostalgia, is almost a character in its own right.

One of the aspects of the Scoop McLaren books that I have enjoyed most as an adult is the very positive portrayal of father-daughter relationships by author Helen Castles, I think this is quite rare amongst the many MG books that I have read. Scoop’s mum lives in Spain where she trains animals to appear in movies, so Scoop lives with her dad, Ted McLaren who edits the town’s traditional newspaper and clearly acts as a wonderful role model and mentor to his daughter. Evie’s dad is the town policeman, and his love for his daughter is palpable, especially as the plot takes a perilous turn.

I am sure that young readers will enjoy the action-packed mystery, picking up some surfing terminology and inspiration ready for the next time they are able to hit the beaches. If publication had not been delayed by Covid-19, Waves of Mystery would have been my perfect summertime read, but as it arrives on our shores with the chilly north wind I suggest snuggling up on the sofa with it and dreaming of next summer! Highly recommended for boys and girls of 8+.

Do also read the first book in the series, reviewed here: Scoop McLaren: Detective Editor

I am most grateful to New Frontier Publishing UK for sending me a review copy of this ray of sunshine!