Conjuror (Middle-Grade/Pre-Teen Fic)

AUTHOR: John and Carole E. Barrowman (US)
PUBLISHED: Head of Zeus ; 2016.
PAGES/ILL: ~300 pages.

PLOT:
Matt and Em are Animare: people with the ability to bring art to life; whatever they draw appears in real life. They work for Orion, a group which investigates other Animare who use their gifts for evil.
Remy is a conjuror: he can change reality with music, by playing his harmonica or singing. After watching a rogue Animare kill his mother, he is on the run. Matt, Em and Remy work together to search for the secret she died to protect, and the painting the rogue Animare comes from.

REVIEW:
I thought the plot of the story had a lot of promise, but the execution was a big let-down. There were gaps in the story, leaving the reader having to fill in who, what, where, when, how, why to try and make sense of events. There were also jumps between present and past which weren't completely explained. The authors should have put in more details to support the world-building.

There was also a few moment of homosexual innuendo that the story really could have done without, and the age range gets a higher minimum because of this.

In short, this book could have been great, but wasn't. I don't recommend it.

AGE: 12+.
GENRE: Fantasy.
RATING: 2 stars.

Series: Phyllis Wong Mysteries (Middle Grade Fic)

AUTHOR: Geoffrey McSkimming (US)
PUBLISHED: Allen & Unwin ; 2014.
PAGES/ILL: ~390 pages.
SERIES: Phyllis Wong Mysteries. Phyllis Wong and the Forgotten Secrets of Mr Okyto ; Phyllis Wong and the Return of the Conjuror ; Phyllis Wong and the Waking of the Wizard.

PLOT: (Book 2: Phyllis Wong and the Return of the Conjuror)
Phyllis Wong, the girl magician, returns to solve a crime from history. Someone has been selling mint-condition copies of Shakespeare's collected plays and Phyllis suspects someone is up to no good. With a secret from her great-grandfather, and with help from her friends Clement and Chief Inspector Inglis, it's up to Phyllis to solve the puzzle and prevent the theft of Shakespeare's missing play.

REVIEW:
This is a fun story, and although I won't go out of my way to read another in the series for my personal choice, I can see it being popular with middle-grade girls. I would have no problem recommending it to children who like 'Matilda' by Roald Dahl.
The book series also has a web-site.

AGE: 9+.
GENRE: Realistic fantasy.
RATING: 3 1/2 stars.

Series: Odditorium (Middle Grade Fic)

AUTHOR: Gregory Funaro (US)
PUBLISHED: Disney Hyperion ; 2015.
PAGES/ILL: ~400 pages.
SERIES: Odditorium. Alistair Grimm's Odditorium ; Alistair Grimm's Odd Aquaticum.

PLOT:
12 year old Grubb has been raised as a chimney sweep. Adopted as a baby, he has lived a miserable existence since his mother died when he was six. But everything changes when he stows away in a mysterious carriage and winds up in the Odditorium and under the care of Alistair Grimm.
The Odditorium is fuelled by a strange blue energy, which Prince Nightshade wants for his own evil ends. Grubb finds himself in an adventure of magic, fairies, banshees, and ninjas. When Grubb is captured by the Prince, he'll need all his wit to save not only himself, but his new family, too.

REVIEW:
The premise is interesting and the story keeps you involved, however there was something about the voice, especially towards the end, that didn't quite gel with me. The plot was generally very predictable, and the character's "ah hah" moments felt flat.

I picked up this book because I'd catalogued the second in the series and it looked and sounded interesting. It's not a terrible book, and I can see that Middle Grade-aged children may really enjoy it, but it just didn't live up to expectations. I think the action would appeal to reluctant readers, and although it is quite long, it's a fast read.

AGE: 9+.
GENRE: Steampunk/Fantasy/Adventure.
RATING: 3 stars.

Series: The Lunar Chronicles (YA Fic)

AUTHOR: Marissa Meyer (US)
PUBLISHED: Puffin ; 2012-2016.
PAGES/ILL: ~550 pages.
SERIES: The Lunar Chronicles - Cinder; Scarlett; Cress; Winter [and an additional prequel, Fairest].

PLOT: (third book: Cress)
Cress has been a prisoner on a satellite for the last 7 years, doing the bidding of the Lunar queen, Levana. When a rescue mission led by Cinder, along with Scarlett, Wolf, and Thorne (characters from previous books) goes awry, the five are separated. Cinder is determined to carry through with her plan to stop the wedding between the Emperor and Levana. {I don't want to give away spoilers, so this is as much plot as I'll give away}.

REVIEW:
This series uses the characters from old fairy stories. The first two books introduce us to Cinder (Cinderella) and Scarlett (Red Riding Hood), and in this third book we meet Cress (Rapunzel).

It's a coincidence that I picked this up after finishing Spinning Starlight, as they are both sci-fi fantasy based on fairy tale characters. I really enjoyed this book, too, but wish I'd started with the first book in the series. This book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so now I have to read the next book in the series, Winter!

AGE: 15+.
GENRE: Fantasy/Science Fiction/Adventure.
RATING: 4 1/2 stars.

Spinning Starlight (YA Fic)

AUTHOR: R.C. Lewis (US)
PUBLISHED: Disney Hyperion ; 2015.
PAGES/ILL: ~330 pages.

PLOT:
Sixteen-year-old heiress and paparazzi darling Liddi Jantzen hates the spotlight. But as the only daughter in the most powerful tech family in the galaxy, it’s hard to escape it. When she escapes a kidnapping attempt and can't get in contact with her brothers, she's drawn into an inter-planetary conspiracy she could never have imagined. When her brothers' captor implants a device in Liddi’s vocal cords to monitor her speech, their lives are in her hands: One word and her brothers are dead.
Liddi travels to another world, where she meets the one person who might have the skills to help her bring her eight brothers home — a handsome dignitary named Tiav. But without her voice, Liddi must use every bit of her strength and wit to convince Tiav that her mission is true.

REVIEW:
I have to admit that this book drew me in and I read it in an afternoon. It is based loosely on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Wild Swans. I think, though, that it would be better to read Spinning Starlight before The Wild Swans so that you aren't trying to draw comparisons and can take the story for what it is on its own.

This is an enjoyable, compelling story. Young teen girls would especially like it.
The author has written another work in the same vein - retelling the story of Snow White in 'Stitching Snow'. I'll be looking out for it.

AGE: 13+.
GENRE: Fantasy/Science Fiction/Adventure.
RATING: 5 stars.

Series: The Dark Is Rising (Middle Grade Fic)

AUTHOR: Susan Cooper (UK)
PUBLISHED: Originally published by Random House Children's ; 1965-1977.
PAGES/ILL: ~260 pages.
SERIES: The Dark Is Rising Sequence. Over Sea, Under Stone ; The Dark Is Rising ; Greenwitch ; The Grey King ; Silver On The Tree.

PLOT: (Second book: The Dark Is Rising)
When Will Stanton turns 11, his life is changed forever when he learns he is the last of the Old Ones - members of the Light who protect the world from the Dark. Together with the first Old One, Merriman Lyon, he must find six symbols of the Light, which together are a major defence against the Dark and the Black Rider. Merriman was introduced in the first book, and both he and Will feature in the remaining books.

REVIEW:
This series combines Celtic and Norse mythology as well as English folk lore and faint elements of demonology. The second book in the series was adapted as a film in 2007, titled The Seeker in the US and The Dark Is Rising in the UK.

This is a solid good-vs-evil fantasy. Recommended for ages 11-16 and for those who enjoyed the Narnia and Ranger's Apprentice series who enjoy or need a gateway to works like The Lord of the Rings.

AGE: 11+.
GENRE: Fantasy Adventure.
RATING: 4 stars.

Series: The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates (Middle Grade Fic)

AUTHOR: Caroline Carlson (US)
PUBLISHED: HarperCollins Children's ; 2013-2015.
PAGES/ILL: ~300 pages.
SERIES: The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates. Magic marks the spot, The terror of the southlands, The buccaneer's code.

PLOT: (Third book: The buccaneer's code)
Hilary Westfield, now the Terror of the Southlands, takes on Captain Blacktooth for leadership of the Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates, since he has not been nearly very nearly honorable. She will have to take on the Mutineers who are trying to take over the kingdom and rustle up enough pirates (or Delicate Ladies who wish to be pirates) to support her. Can she win against those who are not playing honorably?

REVIEW:
This book is an easy read. There are no particularly difficult themes and would be appropriate for a year 3 or 4 class read-aloud. It is a lovely good-triumphs-over-evil story with themes of friendship and not being limited to what you can do just because someone else says you can't do it.

I happened to have picked up the third book in the series, but you should start with the first (the plots of the first two books lead into the third).

AGE: 9+.
GENRE: Fantasy Adventure.
RATING: 4 stars.

21 Book to Movie Adaptations

Here's a great list of book-to-movie adaptations of 2015.

Olive of Groves (Jnr Fic)

AUTHOR: Louis Nowra (Aust)
PUBLISHED: HarperCollins ; 2015.
PAGES/ILL: 262 pages.

PLOT:
When Olive arrives at Mrs Groves' Boarding School for Naughty Boys, Talking Animals and Circus Performers, it is not the boarding school she thought it would be. However, she is determined to make the best of the situation and earn her place. She pretends to be an acrobat, and makes friends with her talking rat roommates.
She eventually earns a place in the heart of other Naughty Boys, Talking Animals and Circus Performers... All except Pig McKenzie, the most Dastardly Fiend who is Up to No Good.
Eventually she foils a Dastardly Plot, and Pig is kicked out of the school. And all ends well.

REVIEW:
This is a rather cute story about acceptance, belonging, friendship, and standing up against bullies. It is quite silly - maybe a little too much at times, and not quite to the sophistication of Roald Dahl's silliness, but young children will love it.

AGE: 7+.
GENRE: Realistic Fantasy fiction.
RATING: 3 1/2 - 4 stars.

Series: The True Trilogy (YA Fic)

AUTHOR: Gary Meehan (UK)
PUBLISHED: Quercus ; 2015.
PAGES/ILL: 390 pages.
SERIES: True Trilogy.
BOOK 1: True Fire.

PLOT: (Book 1: True Fire)
When Megan's village is destroyed by witches, she goes searching for her twin sister, believing her to be kidnapped. Together with new friends, she discovers that what she was taught about the witches and the history of her land is laden with secrets and falsehood, created by priests who will do anything to protect their power. As she uncovers the truth, she realises that her sister hides an even darker secret. Her sister is actually leading the witches (who, incidentally, don't use magic - at least, not in the first book), believing that her child, together with Megan's child, will lead the witches to rule the world.

REVIEW:
This story didn't grab me. The plot is ok. The writing is ok (but could be better). It has its moments, but overall, the story drags and character development feels forced at times. Megan has basically never held a sword in her life but all of a sudden is killing people left right and centre. I wouldn't recommend it, but a 15 year old might find it exciting. It is part of a trilogy, so perhaps the story gets better as it goes. I'm not going to waste my time to find out.

AGE: 14+.
GENRE: Fantasy.
RATING: 2 1/2 stars. It's average. Nothing brilliant.

The Sleeper and the Spindle (Pic Fic)

AUTHOR: Neil Gaiman (UK) ; illustrated by Chris Riddell.
PUBLISHED: Bloomsbury, c2014.
PAGES/ILL: 66 pages, ill.

PLOT:
A thrillingly reimagined fairy tale from the truly magical combination of author Neil Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddell weaving together a sort-of Snow White and an almost Sleeping Beauty with a thread of dark magic, which will hold readers spellbound from start to finish. On the eve of her wedding, a young queen sets out to rescue a princess from an enchantment. She casts aside her fine wedding clothes, takes her chain mail and her sword and follows her brave dwarf retainers into the tunnels under the mountain towards the sleeping kingdom. This queen will decide her own future and the princess who needs rescuing is not quite what she seems.

REVIEW:
This dark fairy tale adaptation (not for young children) is spectacular (but I have a bit of a soft spot for Gaiman's work). The story has threads of the familiar, but at the same time is a new story. The black and white illustrations are enhanced with gold accents. With the Vellum cover, it's a delight.

AGE: 8+.
GENRE: Fairy tale
RATING: 5 stars.

Series: Take Back The Skies (Jnr YA Fic)

AUTHOR: Lucy Saxon (UK)
PUBLISHED: Bloosmbury, c2014.
PAGES/ILL: 378 pages, map.
SERIES: Take Back The Skies.
FIRST BOOK: Take Back The Skies.

PLOT:

Catherine Hunter is the daughter of a senior government official on the island of Anglya, in the world of Tellus. Since the monarchs went missing during a war, the government officials have controlled everything. She lives a privileged life, unlike the Commoners, whose children have been Collected for a war no one knows much about. Unhappy with her caged life, she stows away on the skyship Stormdancer. As they leave Anglya behind, Cat learns about other lands in Tellus and that her government is involved in a despicable secret scheme and has been lying to the people of Anglya. With the help of the crew of the Stormdancer, she vows to set things right. (And along the way, she falls for one of the crew members.)

REVIEW:
First of all, cudos to a 16 year old for writing it, but I was really disappointed in this story. I really wanted to like this book, and for the first half I did.

The world Saxon has created is rather great. A little steampunk, a little fantasy. The main and supporting characters started off quite likeable. However, the story falls down with some of the plot and character developments.

The plot is developed (if you can call it that), reaches the climax, and ends way to fast. As for the love interest, you can see Fox and Cat falling for each other a mile off. Unsurprisingly (because the characters and the author are teens), it's a fairly juvenile relationship, going from 0-10 in a matter of chapters, and, annoyingly, with constant "saying the wrong thing and being taken the wrong way" back and forth they keep up for almost the entire book.

The progression of events is thus:
- Cat leaves her privileged life and stows away on the skyship Skydancer where she makes friends with the crew and falls for Fox, who does the whole "I'll act like an arse because I secretly like you" thing while Cat does the "I'm independent and I'll overreact" thing.
- The government plot comes to light - they are kidnapping kids for something and lying to their people about being at war.
- The adults on the Skydancer have known something was up for YEARS, but Cat gets them to mount an offensive in one conversation (obviously only those on the Skydancer have a clue and none of the other nations know what is going on, and obviously they should do something without finding out more details or alerting authorities in other lands).
- They plan what they are going to do for all of a day or two, managing to find blueprints of the government building they need to infiltrate, along with making secret video and audio equipment, explosives, etc.
- Once in the building, they discover exactly what is going on (turning children into half-machine soldiers), find the missing monarchs, and Fox and Cat realise their feelings for each other and are in 'love'. (And the previously-missing prince gets an instant crush on Cat that makes you gag).
- The next day, they rescue the monarchs as well as a lot of children, broadcast to the world images of what is going on, and go after the skyship on which the completed child/machine soldiers are being kept. - They find the ship, kill the main baddie, Fox dies (in an unlikely scenario), the Prince makes a move on Cat, she swears she will never love him or marry him (all this within a few hours).
- "Two years later" Cat marries the Prince. The end.

Riiiight. The first part is fine. I'll even overlook the Mission Impossible plot of infiltrating a secret government plot in a matter of days.
What would have made it more interesting, though, is the baddie getting away, finding out there are MORE ships with child/machine soldiers, and Fox living to fight another day in the next book where they continue to hunt for the baddie and try to find the other ships and eventually maybe having to fight those machines. (This also means the prince can get over his nauseous little infatuation and find someone else, Cat and Fox's relationship might actually develop into something quite good while providing the romance in the story, and then the trio could actually work quite well).

Instead, they kill the baddie, and we immediately jump to 'two years later'. So.... a government conspiracy just magically vanished like smoke after destroying one building and killing some people? What about the child/machines? What did they do with them? What about the kids who hadn't been made into machines yet? How far did the conspiracy reach? What was the punishment for those captured? What did the other lands make of it? How did people react to learning about the plot and finding out what had happened to their kids? How about learning that the missing King is actually part of the conspiracy? Or that some people in other nations are in on it, too? There are a lot of options to take this plot further, but instead it's over in one chapter and 'two years later'.

Oh, and Cat goes completely against the 'tough independent' character she's been (sometimes taking it a little too far) for the whole book and goes from a 15 year old losing the 'love of her life' to a 17 year old 'doing her duty' and marrying the sack-of-wet-cement prince which she swore she never would (I HATE predictable and obvious foreshadowing), while still, apparently, being in love with the memory of Fox.

Since a 16 year old wrote it, yes, the writing is juvenile with a lot of "telling" rather than "showing" (although it's still very good for her age). This is another book which is a bit of a let-down and could have been much better (see my review of 'Death & Co.').


AGE: 11+.
GENRE: Fantasy/Steampunk fiction
RATING: I'd give it 3 1/2 - 4 stars until the end. The end gets a 2. Overall, I'll give it 3, but I can see some pre-teen girls giving it a 5.

Series: Death & Co. (Fic)

AUTHOR: McCune, D.J. (Ireland)
PUBLISHED: Hot Key Books, c2013.
PAGES/ILL: 279 pages
SERIES: Frankie Death & Co.
FIRST BOOK: Death & Co.

PLOT:
Lumen are charged with guiding souls down their Light after death. Luman can move fairly freely between the real world and the Hinterland where they meet the souls. Adam belongs to a Luman family, but he's not sure he wants the job. He likes being 'normal' - having friends, going to schools, and beginning to date girls. But Adam has a special gift, and when he starts to embrace it, he realises he can change more than his own destiny. But not without a price...

REVIEW:
This is one of those books which, for the most part, I liked, but which didn't live up to potential. Some parts of the story I'd give a strong 4 stars. Other parts get a 2.
For the potential appeal to children, I give it 4 stars.

The premise of the plot (adapting the 'Ferryman' folklore) is great and it's such a pity that the author didn't do it justice. The target audience is supposed to be teen, but it reads more like a middle grade book.

I found Adam and his friends fairly juvenile. A sub-plot has Adam and his friends playing pranks on a head teacher, fooling and humiliating him. The story shows this teacher as a bully and dumb enough to fall for the pranks - a very juvenile idea. This sub-plot was not necessary and just took time away from the main story line (exploring the world of the Lumen). Sure, it introduced us to the 'normal' part of Adam's life, but it wasn't done particularly well. It felt too lower and middle grade (Captain Underpants-esque) compared to the other themes (you'd think a boy who has grown up with the responsibility of helping souls move on after death would have a little more maturity).

There were missed opportunities for character development and world-building. Children won't notice the lack of development so much, but it would have contributed making the book higher quality (obviously).

Overall, I did enjoy reading the book and will read the next one. Unfortunately, it could have been so much more (hopefully the next book/s will build a bit more guts into the story line).

I can see that it does have appeal for children (suitable age depends on the child). While it's promoted for YA, it's more pre-adolescent (9 or 10+), although you'd have to know the 9 y.o to know how much 'death' is ok for them (for example, in one scene Adam and his family are in the Hinterland, helping souls who have just been mass-executed in a military coup). It's for kids who have moved way beyond Diary of a Wimpy Kid/Captain Underpants, but are no where near ready for Hunger Games. It's about on par with the early Harry Potters or Skulduggery Pleasants.

AGE: 9-14.
GENRE: Fantasy fiction.
RATING: 3 1/2 - 4 stars.

Series: The Mapmaker Chronicles (Fic)

AUTHOR: A.L. Tait (Aust)
PUBLISHED: Lothian, c2014.
PAGES/ILL: 238 pages.
SERIES: The Mapmaker Chronicles
FIRST BOOK: Race to the End of the World

PLOT: (Race to the End of the World)
Quinn is just a farmer's son. And one of the very few not of the nobility to know how to read and write, thanks to his mother. He also has a phenomenal memory. It is these skills that the King is looking for when he decides that his kingdom should be the first to map the entire world, so Quinn must leave his family and embark on an adventure he's not sure he really wants.

The King has decided three ships will compete against each other to be the first to bring home the most detailed map. Quinn is recruited to a ship captained by a slave who is competing for his freedom, and along the way they encounter strange creatures, barbaric tribes, and subterfuge from the other competitors.

REVIEW:
Promoted as being the next 'Ranger's Apprentice', this story was enticing enough that I read it in one sitting (about 3 hours or so) one night and will be on the look-out for the next book. While, as an adult, I would have liked a little more character and story development, there is enough to make it accessible for younger children and still interesting for older readers. The journey is based on how explorers created maps in the past and includes encounters with unknowns such as a narwhal and the aurora borealis. Told in the third person and mostly from Quinn's point of view, it deserves a solid recommendation.

Would be a good class read-aloud for grades 3-5.

AGE: 7-12. (Reading age about 9+).
GENRE: Fantasy fiction
RATING: 5 stars.

Aviary Wonders Inc. (PB)

FULL TITLE: Aviary Wonders Inc. Spring Catalog and Instruction Manual : renewing the world's bird supply since 2031.
AUTHOR: Kate Samworth (USA)
PUBLISHED: Clarion Books, c2014.
PAGES/ILL: 31 pages, illustrations.

PLOT:
In a future when deforestation and other environmental factors have caused many bird species to go extinct, businessman Alfred Wallis offers a catalog of parts for creating replacements, from hand-carved beaks to Italian-leather feet. Mix-and-match wings, beaks, crests, legs, and more. Clients discover problems when they try to mix and match parts that don't work together.

REVIEW:
The book takes a humorous look at a future where you can create a bird in much the same way that one would make something out of Lego, or in a build-a-bear store (except that this pet is alive). It is very creative, funny, and though-provoking.

It would be a good discussion prompt in sustainability and environmental lessons - what will the future be like if our wildlife disappears? For light-hearted imagination, children can imagine what bird they would create themselves.

AGE: 7-12. This picture book may be read/browsed by children aged 4+, but the deeper storyline, the environmental message and the humour is ideal for older children.

GENRE: Fantasy fiction
RATING: 4 1/2 - 5 stars.

Series: The League of Princes (Fic)

AUTHOR: Christopher Healy (USA)
PUBLISHED: HarperCollins, c2014.
PAGES/ILL: 516 pages, illustrations.
SERIES: The League of Princes / The Hero's Guides
FIRST BOOK: The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom

PLOT: (The Hero's Guide to Being and Outlaw -#3)
Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. Known as the League of Princes, but we know them simply as "Prince Charming". These are the princes who live in a land with Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel. And they must join forces to fight evil and save their kingdoms.

When an evil wizard plots to take over the 13 kingdoms (and his plot is a good one - frame the princes for murder, kidnap the 'victim', and get the bards to sing songs about how horrible they are), the League must pull together to clear their names and defeat evil, all while escaping prison, trolls, witches and more.

REVIEW:
Lighthearted and easy to read, with the occasional suspenseful moments, this is a fun romp.
It maintains the reader's interest with challenges which aren't solved in a single chapter, and reasonably well-developed characters.

Recommended for those looking for something in a similar vein but a bit meatier than Treasure Hunters.

Would be a good class read-aloud for grades 3-5.

AGE: 8-13. (Reading age 9+).

GENRE: Fantasy fiction
RATING: 4 - 4 1/2 stars.

Series: Princess DisGrace (Jnr Fic)

AUTHOR: Lou Kuenzler (USA)
PUBLISHED: Scholastic, c2014.
PAGES/ILL: 224 pages, illustrations.
SERIES: Princess DisGrace
FIRST BOOK: First term at Tall Towers

PLOT:
When Princess Grace arrives at Tall Towers, she ruffles some feathers. She is not what a "Princess" is "supposed" to be. She is clumsy and bedraggled.
But her heart is in the right place, and she quickly develops strong friendships. Her cousin, Princess Precious, bullies her, picks on her, and is downright nasty - so nasty her behaviour is very "un-princess-like" and a special honour (leading a parade) is taken away from her and given to Grace.
Even then, Precious tries to derail her, but Grace saves the day in the end.

Tall Towers is a boarding school for princesses, where they learn princessy things like walking with books on their heads and looking after their unicorns.

REVIEW:
To be honest, the writing is average and the plot is sappy and predictable, however it will still engage very young girls with a loveable character, while giving a positive message about friendship, trying hard, and taking pride in being yourself and doing your best.
This is one book which won't cross gender lines. You might get one boy in thousands who will read this, but only if he is a voracious reader who reads anything he can get his hands on, including his sister's books.

Recommended for girls who are looking for something a step up from Rainbow Magic.

AGE: 6-9. Interest age is 6+, but most 6 year olds won't have the ability to read at this level yet. The recommended age on the back of the book is 8+, but the storyline is unlikely to capture much interest beyond 9 (depending on the child, of course. Some girls stay happily in light fantasy about fairies and unicorns for most of primary school. There is nothing wrong with this, but this book will be scorned by girls who are starting to look for meatier reading).

GENRE: Fantasy fiction
RATING: A solid 3 stars.

The Adventures of Sir Roderick, The Not-Very Brave (Fic)

AUTHOR: James O'Loghlin (Aust)
PUBLISHED: Australia : Pan, c2014.

PLOT:
Being a knight is the last thing Roderick wants, but that's what he becomes when he saves the Queen's life. When the Queen bids her knights to seek out a wizard, he must go where he is sent, and thus begins an adventure involving an invisible girl, a talking bear (who is rather funny), the wizard, a kidnapping, giant cockroaches, and more!

REVIEW:
The bear adds some light humour, and the plot has enough twists that it stays interesting till the end. There are some moments that could be scary for some children (but certainly not as scary as Goosebumps and the like). There are themes of magic, friendship, betrayal, bravery and courage, questioning authority, trust, and self-actualisation.

It would be a good option for a third-grade read aloud (the plot would go way over the heads of some 2nd graders).

AGE: 8-12.
GENRE: Fantasy fiction.
RATING: 4 - 4 1/2 stars.

Heap House (Jnr Fic)

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Edward Carey
PUBLISHED: London : Hot Key Books, 2013.

PLOT: (spoiler alert)
In an alternate England, all of London's garbage is owned by one family (the Iremongers), and has been for generations. All the garbage is shipped to one location - the Heaps, which spread for miles in enormous mounds. In the middle of the heaps is a mansion, put together from bits and pieces of houses that have been acquired over the years by the Iremonger forefathers. Here live the Iremongers - generations of them. All the aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc. They also intermarry by pre-arrangement (the fact that this leads to genetic abnormalities is not addressed directly, but is hinted at). The 'pure blood' Iremongers live in the top part of the house, and the non-pure bloods, distant relations, are their servants. Because the family's wealth is built from what is scavenged from the heaps, objects are treasured. In fact, they have a bizarre ritual that every Iremonger (pure-blood and servants alike) are given a birth object at birth. (We find that they mix a piece of the object with the Iremonger's blood and then inject it back into the Iremonger, which causes the object and Iremonger to be bound to each other - the Iremonger will die without their birth object).

Clod, a pure-blood, has the unusual gift that he can hear the birth objects talking. They call out names; their own names. Clod's birth object, a bath plug, says 'James Henry Haywood'.
We discover that there in a strange disease around which causes people to turn into objects, and in fact that is what all the birth objects are - people. If a birth object and Iremonger are separated for too long, the object will turn back into a person (with no memory), and the Iremonger will turn into an object.

Trouble starts when a non-Iremonger, Lucy, is accidentally bought into the house as a servant and given a birth object. This is such a terrible trespass that the objects take on a life of their own beyond simply saying their names; they being to move of their own accord and revolt, joining together to form a Gathering (they become sort of robotic, the objects becoming one Being intent on destruction and growing larger with every object that joins it). If it escapes the house into the heaps, it will become a monster, gathering all the objects from the massive heaps of garbage surrounding the house.

Lucy, being a non-Iremonger, can't understand their way of life, but she strikes up a friendship with Clod, who, predictably, falls in love with her. Any relationship between the servants and the upper house is forbidden, so their friendship is secret, until the chaos starts and it comes out that a servant has been mixing (even kissing! oh the horror!) an upper house Iremonger. This sin is, of course, part of the reason why the objects are in revolt, and the servant Iremongers are out for Lucy's blood (literally).

As chaos rages through the house, Lucy escapes and hides about the house, and Clod is chased by the Gathering. Eventually, they meet up again, with plans to escape the house (another thing that is forbidden) and live together happily ever after. Just as the Gathering is about to let all hell break lose, the Grandfather comes in and destroys it. Clod and Lucy are then turned into objects, their birth objects turn back into people. and here the story ends, presumably with life for the Iremongers returning to how it has been - uninterrupted by Iremongers, servants, and objects which don't know their place.

Woven throughout the story are themes of dysfunctional families, friendship, bullying, death, and social taboos.

REVIEW:
I have to say, I found it really hard to get into this book. The story struggled and dragged in many parts. Everything was predictable. The author failed to draw the reader in, and I had little empathy for anyone other than Clod and his friend, Tummis (a bullied and misunderstood teen who eventually commits suicide).

The story is slightly enhanced by portraits of the different Iremonger family and servant members and  illustrations of the cross sections of the upper and lower house on the front and back pages, but these illustrations are not enough to pull it up a notch.
Apparently, the book is the first in what will be a trilogy, but I will be avoiding it. It's not the most rubbish book I've ever picked up (it was a struggle, but I did finish), but I found it a waste of my time and I would not recommend it to anyone. For children who like quirky ideas, there are FAR FAR better titles (such a Lemony Snicket, Skulduggery Pleasant, or The Graveyard Book - comparing The Graveyard Book to Heap House is like comparing chocolate mousse to a mud pie).

AGE: it is marketed at ages 9-12, but I would hesitate to recommend it to under 11's.
RATING: 2 stars

The Boring Book (PB)

AUTHOR: Vasanti Unka (NZ)
PUBLISHED: 2013

PLOT:
There was once a book so boring that everyone who tried to read it fell asleep. One day the words in the book said "We're tired of standing in rows, let's have fun instead!" So they escaped from the boring book, went out into the world, and things would never be the same again. The words jump into street signs, they leap onto shop signs, they decorate pathways and roadways and ponds. They change size and font. But one day they go too far...

REVIEW:
This is quite a complex book, complete with lift-the-flaps, fold-outs, and pull-out inserts in the form of books within books (ingenious and delightful). The Boring Book explores the importance of books and words in a fun and imaginative way. Children and adults alike will love it. The Boring Book is NOT a boring book.

AGE: 4-9
RATING: 4 1/2 stars