story time books

In this ghost story/mystery by Penny Kendal, Leah and her mother and father have moved to a new house which is to be renovated. In the meantime, it’s a bit of a mess. Then Leah starts being aware of a presence in her bedroom, starting as a whisper, and slowly developing into a nearly visible but intangible boy. He’s a ghost, a boy who lived in the house in the 1970s. There’s a lot of her showing him how things work in the 21st century: he doesn’t know, of course, about CDs or computers, or the internet. When Leah starts making enquiries about previous occupants of the house, she starts to unravel some unpleasant facts which lead her into some dangerous situations. Well-written and exciting, and one of those books where I can’t tell much more of the story without spoiling it for a reader. For 11-year-olds up.

Another “new in paperback” picture book, by Giles Andreae and Clara Vulliamy, this is a very positive affirmative book about childhood energy and parental love. Small is meant to be asleep, and pretends to be, as Big tells her or him how much she loves the child and why. A lovely bedtime story for anyone to read as well as hear. “You live as though life’s one huge present/ Unwrapping a bit every day/ That’s just how we all should be living, my love/ And look at you showing the way!” Illustrations evoke very individual responses, but I love these.

By Charlie Fletcher, Stone Heart has had a lot of positive reviews, some comparing it with the Harry Potter phenomenon. It is beautifully written, and it’s a wonderful idea, with London’s statues and carvings coming to life in different ways. What it shares with J.K. Rowling’s creations is good writing and  characters, but more importantly its sense of moral choices being important in any world. In the acknowledgements Fletcher thanks his godson for telling him he ought to describe things better. He seems to have taken that advice seriously: the descriptions of places, people, statues and action are very very good, and this different world has its own rules, logic and consistencies, about which the characters learn slowly. The first protagonist is male, but early in the book he meets a girl who becomes just as important, and I cared about her as much as I did about George. And yes, some of the carvings are dragons. As with most really good books, there are levels of meaning and allusion which some will get and some won’t, and it doesn’t matter.  The paperback edition has recommendations from children from 10 up and it will appeal to boys and girls..

This is a delightful picture book, by Cressida Cowell with illustrations by Neal Layton. It’s been around for a year or more in hardback but is new in the paperback format. Several reviewers chose it as their picture book of the year when it was first published, and I can see why. Emily Brown has a tattered old grey rabbit called Stanley, and when the queen starts sending people to bring it to her, Emily is very assertive and won’t trade Stanley for “all the toys she could ever desire”. When the queen sends commandos to steal Stanley, Emily gives her a few lessons in how to treat a toy so that it is truly hers. A quirky, imaginative, lovely book for any child who has loved a toy, and any who haven’t yet had that pleasure.

Gatty is a character in Kevin Crossley-Holland’s Arthur Trilogy, and apparently many readers wanted to know more about her. So here it is, new in paperback. Crossley-Holland is a wonderful writer, using spare poetic prose to tell his stories. This one is set in 1203, and Gatty joins a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Terrific characters, from lords and ladies to traders and servants. Gatty, who has always been a field-girl, becomes a chamber-servant to Lady Gwyneth, and the adventure takes her from Wales to London, through Europe to the holy land and back again, the return journey by sea. It gives some perspective to current middle-east troubles when one of the characters says (in 1203 AD) something about Christians Jews and Saracens having fought over Jerusalem for over 1000 years. Gatty is a wonderful character with a lovely combination of ignorance and wisdom that gets her into trouble and out of it. I’ll be going back and reading the trilogy books I haven’t got to yet. Good for intermediate age and up. Jill Murphy, no slouch in the writing department herself, says: “I cannot imagine a better book to buy for your child.”

Firegirl is by Tony Abbott, author of the Secrets of Droon series. New in paperback, it’s the story of the impact on one boy’s life of a new classmate. Jessica has been badly burnt in a house fire, and is in the school while she has treatment at a nearby hospital. Her presence (and appearance) brings out the best in some people, and the worst in others, but Tom develops the beginnings of a friendship with Jessica which challenges some of his other relationships so that he has to make choices. Beautifully written, and very powerful, at under 150 pages it’s not a big read in size, but it is emotionally. For nine-year-olds up.

Marcia Stenson’s Illustrated History of the South Pacific won the overall prize for the best children’s book at the New Zealand Post Book Awards this year. This one, by the same author is if anything even better, or at least more instantly appealing, partly because of greater use of colour illustrations, partly because the topic is more interesting to many children because Antarctica is so different. Wonderful basic information on geography, climate, the Southern Ocean, then the history of whalers and sealers, the explorers, international treaties and lots more. A must for schools and a very good resource to have at home for the family. A great cover too with several different images combined to give a sense of what’s inside the book.

Funny fantasy is always a bit of a treat, and when it’s New Zealand funny fantasy, even more so. This book by Craig Harrison has been on the shelf for about three months, but I’ve only just read it, and I did quite a lot of laughing out loud. There are several things I like about The Dumpster Saga. Unhappy family relationships, parent to parent, parent to child and sibling to sibling are so common in literature that it is wonderful to have a protagonist who has good relationships with his younger brother and his parents who are very supportive of both children. Ben is a fairly normal 15-year-old boy, gradually accumulating the courage to try to impress the girl of his dreams, but little brother Chesney appears with a helmet he’s found in a skip down the road. Strange (and very amusing) events surround the helmet, and the boys begin to investigate, with the help of friends. Definitely the best combination of aliens/geeks/boy-girl relationships/families and humour I’ve read. Harrison’s writing experience shows, though I think this is his first children’s book, and his comic timing is very good indeed. Good from nine to young adult, and many adults will enjoy it as much as I did.

Everyone knows that owls are supposed to be wise and smart, but Twoo Twit isn’t. Kes Gray and Mary McQuillan have produced a funny, quirky look at expectations, and the benefits of education. Twoo Twit goes off playing instead of to school and gets himself into some unusual situations by being unable to read or count. As in most children’s books the situation is resolved as he comes to see the error of his ways after a particularly unpleasant experience involving a church bell and a two-hour ringing session. Everyone else had read the sign, and he finally realises that reading might be useful.

Billy Back-To-Front is a play on two old ideas, one that difference is what makes us who we are, and the other that we should be careful what we wish for. Created by Sam McCullen, Billy is very different: his hair goes sideways, he wears his clothes oddly, and he speaks backwards. When he wishes to be able to get through a day without feeling so different, Maurice the Magician gives him a magic mirror, with a warning, that he may not like what he finds. Billy climbs into the mirror, and the next day everyone else is back-to-front, as well as him. He discovers that he quite likes being different after all. Interesting illustrations and different fonts in the text make it a very individual book which won’t appeal to everyone, but will be very special for some.