story time books

This is not new, but someone asked me about it, I ordered it, and I love it. It’s the story, by Colin McNaughton and illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura, of an ordinary day in the life of an ordinary boy, which is changed into the extraordinary by an inspired teacher and music. The ordinariness is emphasised by a lack of colour, but a colourful world emerges when the teacher plays music and asks the class to let the music make pictures in their heads. The ordinary boy’s life is transformed, and he goes home to dream extraordinary dreams. A great story about the power of music, and a wonderful gift for a musician or potential musician in your life.

New in paperback, this is a picture book by Joel Stewart. Dexter, our quick-thinking hero is scooting one day when he bangs into a Big Blue Beastie. The Big Blue Beastie is big and bored and thinks he should eat Dexter up, but every time he gets bored and suggests this, Dexter comes up with a better idea, from scooting, to business partnerships, to food, which keep the Beastie’s boredom and hunger at bay. But eventually even Dexter runs out of ideas and says “I suppose now you’ll have to eat me up,” but the Beastie has a better idea this time, involving a lollipop for each of them, and confesses he’s not so hungry, and not so bored now that he has a friend. A lovely book with the zany “logic?” that children will love.

Mike Wilks, the author of Mirrorscape, is a London artist and writer, and much of the story revolves around the nature of art, painting in particular. It begins with Mel, the son of a weaver, being offered an apprenticeship with one of the greatest painters in his land, and whisked off in some danger to begin it. His artistic talents have been noticed by some in his community, and the information passed on. Mel is a wonderful hero, courageous, imaginative and talented, all qualities he will need. The world Mike Wilks has created is a strange one, with its own internal logic, but as with all the best fantasy, the real excitement is the human story, which involves betrayal, friendship, and a whole range of qualities (and their opposites), a titanic struggle between good and evil, and some very fine writing. At 550 pages it’s a big read, but fantasy fans will like this one, and be eager for the next two books in a proposed trilogy. Some lovely comment on imagination and inspiration, and the quality of the characters means it’s better than some plot-based fantasy writing. Not for the squeamish, and some of the violence and bullying means it’s not suitable for younger than 11 or 12, except for sophisticated readers.

Another novel from the prolific Des Hunt. Each novel he writes seems a little better than the last as he gains in confidence as a writer and is willing to take more risks. Tim is searching for dinosaur fossils in the country behind his grandparents’ sheep station in Hawkes Bay. His mother drowned, and Tim miraculously survived, in a river accident when he was only four, and he has a strange memory of a large tooth in the rock near where he was found. But a hydro scheme is due to flood the valley, so time is running out, and the school bully is on his back about everything, including the fossil, so several sub-plots compete and intertwine for a satisfying and exciting read. 10-year-old and over, and this one will probably appeal more to boys.

Ross Collins has written picture books before, but this is his first novel. It’s a story for 8-year-olds and over taking an irreverent look at some of the characters from Greek myths. Medusa Jones is a gorgon, with snakes for hair. It’s a hard life, especially as her parents have forbidden usual defence, turning people to stone. Her best friend, Chiron, is a centaur, and her puppy, Cerberus has three heads. The champions, Perseus, Theseus and Cassandra are bullies who like to remind others of their shortcomings, but in the end Medusa, Chiron and Mino, the minotaur, save the champions on Mount Olympus and return as heroes. Funny and easy to read with zany illustrations.

Jerry Spinelli, the man who swore he’d never write a sequel, has done just that. And what a sequel. Stargirl was an amazing novel about the advantages and disadvantages of daring to be different. It was written from Leo’s perspective as he watched Stargirl transform a conforming school population into watchers of difference. This book is a year’s worth of (unposted) letters from Stargirl now in Pennsylvania to Leo, still in Arizona. It has wonderful characters, from Dootsie, the little girl who seems set to be as much an individual as Stargirl, to Alvina the 11-year-old tearaway, Perry, Leo’s potential successor in the romantic stakes, Betty Lou the agoraphobic, and many more. It is a wonderful read, beautifully written, full of laughter and sadness, growth and wisdom. Certainly a book I’ll want to read again, and one I’m recommending without any reservation. Although Stargirl is now 16, there’s nothing in it to stop it being enjoyed by those younger than that; though some of the ideas are sophisticated, they’re simply expressed. I suggest you read it soon. This is not the cover of the  paperback edition available here, which has a simple red cover with a silver heart inside which is the Stargirl symbol from the first book. For me, it’s a much better cover than the one illustrated.

Nicola Morgan’s sequel to The Highwayman’s Footsteps takes up soon after the end of the previous book. Will and Bess head for Scotland in their attempt to evade the redcoats, take shelter, find a body, and are then blamed for the murder by a family group of smugglers. The family members are embroiled in a generations-old feud, and while Will sees that the hatred must stop somewhere if they are to recover, he fears that Bess is being drawn in. Exciting and thought-provoking, it’s a worthy companion to the earlier book, which I liked very much. Morgan’s characters sometimes go close to charicature in the interests of the story, but remain firmly on the human side of the line. A good historical read for 10 and up, though probably mainly teenage readers.

This was published last year and I got it just before Christmas but was too busy to write a review then. J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan was hugely successful, and Barrie left all royalties to the Greater Ormond Street Hospital for Children, who have helped a lot of children because of his bequest. In 2004 they ran a competition to find a writer for a sequel, and Geraldine McCaughrean won the right to continue the story. It’s just as amazing as the original, using aspects of Barrie’s style very cleverly and it’s a great story in its own right too. All fans of the original should read this one.

Story Time is open again after a holiday. New books for 2008 will start arriving soon. At the moment it’s all taking down the decorations, putting away the Christmas cards and books for another year, and getting back into the unpredictable rhythms of bookselling. I look forward to seeing friends from last year, and making new friends who are keen to find the best books for their children or young adults. People occasionally assume that I’ve read all the books in the shop, which isn’t true, but I have read enough to be able to help with choosing the best book for many situations. I also learn a lot from conversations with customers as they tell me about why they love certain books. Call in and give us a try.