Cover art by Chloe Dominique, published by Farshore, June 2024, ISBN: 978-0008603373
This scintillating debut middle grade novel written by Cathy Fitzgerald positively thrums with promise, excitement and magic as you enter an enchanted parallel version of London and find yourself in the company of the exuberant eponymous heroine. I am aware of a lot of chatter in the online forums recently, about children being reluctant to read chunky books, so I would like to say from the start that although this book is nearly 400 pages long, please, please don’t let that put you off. Cathy FitzGerald is one of those writers whose words flow like a thread of magic, making the reader gallop through the pages. Her world-building is exquisite and descriptions and characters are presented with a light touch and a wink of good humour. The dialogue fizzes with energy, leaving the reader with a strong sense of the characters’ personalities, and the plot is brilliantly structured, thoroughly engaging and builds to an exciting denouement.
Pinch Perkins and her neighbour Henry de Sallowe, couldn’t be less alike. Pinch is impulsive, outgoing and lives in a tiny attic flat which overflows with her dad’s magical plants and mum’s notebooks and pens. Whereas piano-playing, smartly-dressed Henry lives in isolated splendour under the watchful eye of his strict governess Beady Meledew. However, they are united by their love of roller skating and their desire to explore beyond the magical bounds of their Sanct, Tricky Dragon Lane, and investigate the Glare – that part of London occupied by the Humdrums! Pinch is desperate to travel to the Thames to seek help from an ancient magician, Bucca, whom she believes will be able to help her lift the sleeping curse to which her mother has fallen victim.
Thus begins a race against time for Henry and Pinch, who must harness the energy of midsummer to save the souls of seven magical beings. As they chase clues and encounter knights, giants, fairies, ghosts and even a heroic taxi driver, their loyalty to each other, their wit, and their bravery shine from the narrative. This story has a fabulous cast of characters. I particularly loved the martial arts expert securichaun, as well as the cameo appearance of the fairy king and queen at the midsummer ball, a roguish pair dripping with spite and narcissism who make Titania and Oberon seem almost dull in comparison! The imagination rippling through the pages is of stellar proportions. Best of all, the story ends with a teaser which already has me eagerly awaiting a sequel.
I highly recommend this book for confident readers aged 9 years and above and for parents or care-givers to read aloud over the long summer holidays. I am also sure that it will fly off the shelves from primary school libraries and upper key stage 2 bookshelves. Finally, I must give a mention to the artwork by Chloe Dominique – my ARC copy did not contain all the illustrations, but those in evidence are gorgeous.
Disclaimer: I am hugely grateful to Sarah Sleath and Farshore Books for sending me an ARC of Pinch Perkins and the Midsummer Curse in exchange for my honest opinion.
Cover art by Terri Libenson, published by Harper 360, 23 May 2024, ISBN: 978-0063320925
Always Anthony is the eight book in the Emmie & Friends series by NY Times best-selling author Terri Libenson, and lives up to the incredibly high standards set by previous titles. I love the way that each new story explores the experiences of different characters from the same year group as they progress through the elementary and middle school setting. The graphic novel format is not just accessible and enjoyable for the target readership of 10 years and above, but is also a brilliant device for showing the inner thoughts of the characters as they present their outer personas to the world.
In this story we see an unexpected friendship develop during Grade 7, between ‘too popular for words’ Anthony and shy, nerdy Leah after they are paired up as student-tutor and tutee by awesome teacher Mrs Winn. The story is told as a dual narrative with alternating chapters told from Anthony and Leah’s viewpoint and I love the way that Terri Libenson illustrates each character’s story in a different graphic style, which I think is incredibly helpful for middle grade readers.
Anthony is a very cool, hardworking, Black boy, from a high-achieving family. His passions are basketball and STEM subjects but his grades are slipping in Language Arts (which I presume to be equivalent to English in the UK education system). Whilst Anthony would rather accept a D grade on his latest assignment and spend his weekend practising basketball skills, his helicopter mum is insistent that he rewrite and resubmit his assignment. When Mrs Winn suggests that Anthony should accept tutoring from fellow Grade 7 student Leah, he agrees but is less than enthusiastic during their first meeting. This makes the session incredibly awkward for poor Leah, who is already nervous about having to spent time with one of ‘the jocks’ with whom she would never usually interact. However, in addition to helping him with his grammar and spellings, she pushes him to express his feelings to fully answer the assignment question.
The gradual development of a friendship over the subsequent weeks is heart-warmingly and realistically portrayed, with Anthony slowly revealing the inner feelings which usually remain under the wraps of his outwardly cool personality. Leah gains confidence from the respect that he shows her personally, the interest that he shows in her Jewish religious practices and his admiration of her poetry and her work-in-progress recipe book. The chapter where he reads to the class an essay about his struggles with dyslexia, and his determination to not let the condition hold him back, brought a lump to my throat. All is not plain sailing however. They jointly witness a violent act of bullying, perpetrated by two hulking Grade 8 boys from Anthony’s basketball team and their different perspectives on what should be done in response threaten to damage their friendship.
I think this is a brilliant book for encouraging the idea of viewing things from the perspective of someone who has a different lived experience from your own. Leah and Anthony’s different reactions to the bullying incident ultimately stem from their past experiences of being either bystander or victim, and until they begin to explore how the incident would be viewed from each other’s perspective, they cannot reach a shared understanding. I have a colleague at work who always says that you should not try to walk in another’s shoes, but should instead ask them what it feels like to walk in their shoes and then believe what they tell you. I think that this message is portrayed with great kindness in this graphic novel.
I highly recommend Always Anthony to all primary and secondary school libraries and to any parent or caregiver wanting to give and enjoyable and empathy-building, accessible book to a child aged 10 years and above.
Disclaimer: I was sent a review copy of Always Anthony by Harper360 and Antonia Wilkinson PR ahead of publication on 23rd May 2024, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Publisher: Luath Press Ltd, 11 April 2024, ISBN: 978-1804251317
For history lovers young and old, this tale of intrigue, treachery and religious conflict set in 16th century Scotland is a fabulous read. I was completely gripped from the first page and loved learning about a period of Scottish history set in an era which previously I had only learned about from the English perspective.
Before I launch into my full review, I am absolutely honoured today to be able to bring a you guest post from author, Barbara Henderson, on the subject of Villainy and Virtue in this novel.
Villainy and Virtue in The Boy, the Witch and the Queen of Scots
Author Barbara Henderson
Villainy and virtue… they seem old-fashioned concepts somehow, in our permissive world where anything goes. However, in the world of Mary, Queen of Scots, these concepts would have concerned even the average child deeply. Reformation Scotland was a polarised world, steeped in religious convictions diametrically opposed to one another. Catholics condemned Protestants, Protestants demonised Catholics, and the religious state of the country flip-flopped with each new monarch or regent.
And yet, inherently, we all have some sort of sense of right and wrong, don’t we? We all have a concept of what ‘evil’ means, and as a storyteller tapping into this is especially important. After all, no story is complete without a suitable villain. Personally, I like my villains a little nuanced – there should be a reason why they are the way they are.
In my new book, The Boy, the Witch and the Queen of Scots, there is no shortage of villains – but one stands out. He is ‘the Cloak’, Alexander’s minder when the boy is sent to the court of the newly arrived Mary, Queen of Scots to spy for his master. He moves at night; glides silently along hidden corridors and his dagger is always concealed in his trademark garment. I love how the illustrator Deborah Spence has portrayed him here – barely human, all dark garment and smooth speed.
The Cloak
He is a villain, for sure, and stops at nothing, but his motivation is not merely selfish, a hunger for money or power. As I reveal towards the end of the book, the Cloak is a zealot, truly consumed by his own certainty of his beliefs – and his contempt for anyone who sees the world differently.
The Cloak’s master, the fourth Earl of Huntly George Gordon, on the other hand, is purely self-interested, keen to protect his lands, riches and status. He is less violent than his murderous messenger, but no less ruthless – he simply gets others to do the dirty work for him. Nevertheless, I hope that the reader will feel a small amount of sympathy for the pressure the man is under towards the end of this book. Yes, the Earl seeks to manipulate Queen Mary for his own ends and is willing to sacrifice others so that he and his family can thrive. But at the same time, the Earl’s rivals, chief of them the queen’s half-brother James Stewart, were actively seeking to destroy him. It’s a dog-eat-dog world, and the Earl is motivated by fear as well as greed. In addition, his wife was rumoured to have dabbled in witchcraft which added to the dark and dangerous world of the Huntly Castle at Strathbogie.
So how does virtue fare?
First, let me say that virtue is not the same as sainthood, or perfection. Once again, nuance is king here: virtuous characters do not get everything right in my stories. Alexander makes mistakes, keeps quiet when he should speak, fleeing when he should be counted. To me, the crucial thing for a main character is to look at his motivations – why does he act the way he does? And can we relate to those reasons? I hope that we can, both in Alexander’s case and in Lizzie’s. What does virtue look like? It looks slightly different in each character.
Alexander wants to do his best, to betray no one and live life his life as truthfully and uprightly as he can. He also wishes to protect his elderly uncle from harm. All this is made very difficult for him by the story’s villains, and as a reader, we feel for him and wish him success.
Lizzie’s virtue is her honest heart and her courage and decisive action where others often fail. She is a faithful friend and will risk her life to save Alexander’s. She can be rash, and her reactions ill-considered, but her heart is in the right place. Crucially for the story, she is often overlooked by the villains who do not think of her as a threat as she is a girl – the queen herself is also underestimated in this way. Ultimately, discounting the females (and the children) in the story proves the villains’ downfall. They are not perfect, or saintly, but they would like to be, which makes all the difference.
Mary Queen of Scots is so often associated with tragedy, a misguided victim queen, a weak and easily manipulated monarch, a badly mistreated young woman. There is no doubt that Mary made some shockingly terrible decisions during the course of her reign, and thereafter too. But in 1561, newly widowed and just arrived from France, she got a lot more decisions right than we give her credit for. In addition, the historical evidence supports that she was a likeable and cheerful young woman with considerable charm, a faithful friend, kind and thoughtful towards servants and generous to many. In that sense, she enjoys a measure of virtue in my story.
There are others: the head falconer who has a gruff manner but excellent principles and instincts, and the priest who is persecuted for his beliefs but acts swiftly to help a child in need. In a polarised world such as the one in The Boy, the Witch and the Queen of Scots – and in our own – the trick is to seek to be a force for good.
Whatever that may look like for each of us.
My review:
The tale opens on a morning shrouded in heavy fog at the Port of Leith on the outskirts of Edinburgh. From the very start of this novel, I felt an atmosphere of foreboding which is set up brilliantly in this opening scene. Alexander, the twelve year old narrator, has been sent by his master to collect some new hunting birds from a merchant’s ship . Whilst there, his sharp eyes are the first to observe the ship flying the royal standard which indicates that Queen Mary has returned to Scotland following her young husband’s death in France. To his utter horror, Queen Mary has spotted him, and the fact that he wears a hunting gauntlet and she orders him to join her staff at The Palace of Holyrood. Alexander’s dismay stems from the fact that his former master, The Earl of Huntly, sent him from his Highland home to Edinburgh to spy on the Queen, a task which he has no wish to undertake.
I greatly admired and enjoyed the way that author, Barbara Henderson, combined the big picture setting of a country festering and simmering with religious intolerance, with the domestic details of the palace servants going about their duties and building trust with each other and their new mistress. The story weaves the historic facts of Queen Mary’s progress around the Highlands and the scheming of George Gordon, The Earl of Huntly, to return Scotland to the Catholic faith, with the imagined impact on the life of a young lad. This is such a great way of bringing history alive for a readership of upper primary or lower secondary school children. Orphan Alexander, who prior to his move south had lived with his uncle, has to prove to the Queen’s head falconer, Master Kerr, that he can be trusted and also develops a deep friendship with a young seamstress, Lizzie, who is from the other side of the religious divide. The two young characters deliver a good lesson in respecting the beliefs of others whilst the nobles plot and scheme for power, willing to commit murder to guarantee that the religion to which they owe allegiance becomes the dominant force in Scottish politics. The contrast of Alexander knowing the difference between right and wrong in his heart, and the terrifying figure he labels ‘The Cloak’ who is willing to kill to further his cause, is very powerful. In addition to learning a lot about history in the Tudor era, I also found the detail about falconry an intriguing aspect of this tale.
I highly recommend The Boy, The Witch and The Queen of Scots to both primary and secondary school librarians, I am sure that this gripping adventure will provide enjoyment and information to a readership aged 10 years and above. There are a few pages of factual detail that provide extra historical context at the end of the book.
I am grateful to Luath Press Ltd for granting me access to an eARC via The Book Sirens and for sending me a copy of the paperback book prior to publication. Do check out the reviews by all of the fabulous bloggers on the tour schedule.
Cover artwork by Jenny Czerwonka, published by UCLAN, 2 July 2020, ISBN: 978-1912979349
Gracie Fairshaw and the Mysterious Guest is a shining example of a middle grade mystery which will encourage readers aged 9 years and above to read for enjoyment. It demonstrates all the elements of the cosy crime genre, is written with great warmth and charm, and packs a thrill ride of a plot into 200 pages. This is a perfect length to give young readers the satisfaction of completing a whole book, boosting their self-confidence as readers.
The story is set in Blackpool, in the run up to the 1935 switch-on of the famous illuminations. Author, Susan Brownrigg, has clearly carried out extensive research of this location and historical period and seamlessly incorporates her knowledge into her novel, bringing the town alive so that I could picture every detail despite never having ventured to the northwest coastal resort. She is similarly talented at depicting characters who are authentic, interesting and engaging. Gracie Fairshaw is introduced in the opening line in the following manner:
Most folk only noticed one thing about Gracie Fairshaw, but she noticed everything about them.
Page 1
This had me hooked from the start and the quality of writing was maintained at this high standard throughout. I don’t want to give away too much of the plot for fear of ruining anyone’s enjoyment, but the set up is that fourteen-year-old Gracie, her nine-year-old brother George and her mother have just taken over the running of a boarding house in Blackpool following a marriage break-up. On the first morning, Ma drops two loaded plates of breakfast that she is serving in the dining room and looks as if she has seem a ghost; later that morning Ma disappears! Gracie and George, along with Phyllis the parlour maid and some new friends, brother and sister Tom and Violet Emberton, combine forces to investigate and uncover a dastardly plot planned for switch-on night. Prepare for sleights of hand, red herrings and heart-pounding chases through the holiday hordes!
Gracie Fairshaw herself is a super character, displaying courage, loyalty and resilience. She has been born with limb difference, her left arm ends at the elbow. It is interesting to see the reactions displayed by other characters to Gracie’s difference which provides a gentle lesson to all readers about the impacts of our behaviours towards others. Gracie is determined not to let anything hold her back, we see the way that she adapts to different challenges, and at one point in the story she says:
I’m not sure which is worse, the ones who make nasty comments and jokes, or the ones who fuss over me as though I’m a baby. They can’t see that I’m just the same as them. I don’t want pity or special consideration. I’m just a girl the same as you, or Phyllis or Violet, but some folk can’t see that.
Page 139
This mystery has just the right amount of peril, mixed with a good dash of humour – I particularly enjoyed the children’s attempts to cook Lancashire hotpot, although I would not have wanted to eat it. The book has been out for a couple of years and I am kicking myself that I didn’t discover it sooner. I highly recommend as an addition to key stage 2 classroom libraries and primary school library collections.
I borrowed a copy of Gracie Fairshaw and the Mysterious Guest from my local public library.
Cover art by Kate Forrester, published by Little Tiger Press, 6 February 2020, ISBN: 978-1788951524
Welcome to Portia Steel’s city; a sterile, post-apocalyptic fortress against the invisible danger posed by any Wild lifeform! Fifty years earlier scientists created a disease fatal only to humans and set it free to disperse through the tick population. The ReWilders’ plan to wipe out huge cohorts of the human population was successful. Those who survived took refuge in fortified cities, where now the only greenery allowed are the cacti grown in the Palm House and the only living creatures are a few stick insects kept in vivariums. In this environment we meet siblings Juniper and Bear who live with their grandmother Annie-Rose, the keeper of the Palm House on the extreme southern edge of the city.
The siblings are marked as different because unlike the rest of the population, they were actually born in the Wild and arrived to live with Annie-Rose as young children. They seem to be incapable of staying out of trouble at school, and when their suspected immunity to the tick-borne disease brings unwanted attention from their sinister head teacher Mr Abbot, they have to accelerate their plan to escape the city and seek their parents in the Wild beyond the walls, the razor wire and the buffer zone. The sibling bond between Juniper and Bear is beautifully written, as is their loving relationship with Annie-Rose, who has already lost her daughter to the Wild and now faces the prospect of sending her beloved grandchildren out into the unknown. The other major protagonist in the city is Etienne, their teenage neighbour, who feels that he will never breathe the air outside but is willing to endanger himself to enable Juniper and Bear’s escape. The parallels that he draws between himself and Colin from The Secret Garden are likely to send readers off to look for the classic story once they have read this.
However, escape from the city is just the first step on a perilous journey and Juniper and Bear soon realise that disease is not their only enemy. Nicola Penfold writes with such skill that the reader can hear every twig snap, feel the rising sense of panic when one or other child stumbles into danger and smell the scent of untamed nature as the children journey through unfamiliar landscapes. The pacing is perfect to enrapture readers aged 9 and above, the characters spring to life from the page and the story arc brings a deep sense of respect for our natural world. I loved reading Where the World Turns Wild and highly recommend it to parents, carers, teachers and librarians for any upper middle-grade readers in their care.
This book was a personal purchase.
My review of the sequel, When the Wild Calls can be found here.
My review of Between Sea and Sky by Nicola Penfold can be found here.
Cover art by Júlia Moscardó, published by Little Tiger, 11 April 2024, ISBN: 978-1788956215
A dual-narrative, dystopian eco-thriller, I read When the Wild Calls in the space of a day and the voices of Juniper and Etienne will stay with me for very much longer.
The sequel to Where the World Turns Wild begins with Juniper and her younger brother Bear, living in the wilderness community at Ennerdale. Despite escaping from the barren and dangerous city ruled by President Steel, and being reunited with their father, Juniper cannot find peace. She burns with a desperation to return to the sterile city to rescue her grandmother, Annie-Rose, and best friend Etienne who risked everything to facilitate her escape. Furthermore, not all members of the community have welcomed their arrival and when a delegation of aid workers, Star, Moss and Orla, come to the community council meeting to plead for aid for another group of escapees from a southern city, it becomes apparent to Juniper that the undercurrents of distrust towards outsiders are strong. Additionally, rumours are spreading that conditions in the city are worse than ever, causing Juniper to fear for Annie-Rose’s existence. Having survived her own journey through the wilderness, Juniper feels empathy with those seeking sanctuary and aid. She is also mystified by her father’s secrecy and reluctance to share a vaccine for the tick-borne disease which makes living in the Wild so deadly for those who, unlike Juniper’s family, do not have natural immunity.
Meanwhile, back in the city, Etienne is still working in the glasshouse at the North Edge, planting the few licensed species which are allowed to grow in the city and taking part in a clinical trial of the regime’s experimental vaccine against the tick disease. The isolation policy enacted by President Steel is failing, the city cannot produce enough food to sustain the population and despite the tyrannical rule and the ever present threat of incarceration in The Institute, a rebel group known as the Polecats is gathering strength. I loved the way that the story slowly unfurled like a fern, alternating between Juniper’s journey across the Wild landscape of post-viral England, from the mountains and lakes of Ennerdale to the flat plains of Cambridge, where we witness Etienne’s guerrilla attempts to re-Wild the city. As the fragile shoots rise from the earth and rebellion rises from the Warren, the sinister leaders of Portia Steel’s city will apparently stop at nothing to keep their grip on power. The tension builds to a gripping peak as Etienne battles for survival.
As always with Nicola Penfold’s writing, I found myself swept up into this adventure so entirely that it was almost painful to set the book aside when chores needed to be done. The quality of her storytelling, the compelling voices of Juniper and Etienne, and the wonder and awe with which she describes the natural world are a glorious combination. There is sufficient of the back story integrated into the early chapters to allow readers to enjoy this book as a standalone but in my opinion, you will derive far more pleasure from it if you read Where the World Turns Wild first. You will feel as if you have been reacquainted with old friends and accompanied them on their journeys of discovery.
This is a perfect read for children aged 9 and above, at approximately 300 pages, it is an achievable length for independent reading. The short chapters and fast-pacing also make it an ideal classroom read-aloud. I highly recommend it for all primary school library collections as well as for the KS3 collections in secondary schools.
I am very grateful to Dannie Price and Little Tiger Press for sending me a review copy of When the Wild Calls in exchange for my honest opinion.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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