The Kidnapped Kitten by Holly Webb

"Laura! Laura!" Tia waved, as she rushed down their street on the way home from school.

Her neighbour stood up and waved back. Laura was planting something in her front garden and her beautiful cat, Charlie, was sitting next to her, staring suspiciously at the turned-over earth.

Published by Stripes on the 6th January 2014

Pages - 124

Summary From Stripes

Tia has always wanted a cat and is thrilled when her family get a Bengal kitten. Milly is the most beautiful cat she has ever seen – and the cleverest, too!

When Tia hears rumours about local cat thieves she decides to keep Milly inside. But Milly is far too lively to stay shut in the house for long. One day, Tia comes home from school and Milly is nowhere to be seen. Tia has a very bad feeling. What if her adorable kitten has been stolen?

******

Review by Liss Norton

Best-selling author Holly Webb has built quite a reputation as the author of animal, and other, books. In this one, Tia loves her new Bengal kitten, Milly, to bits, and tries to keep her safe when she hears that there are cat thieves in the neighbourhood. But despite all of Tia's best efforts, Milly manages to get out of the house and disappears. At first, Tia's parents think she's simply wandered off and got lost, but eventually Tia manages to convince them that she's been kidnapped. They call the police but there's not much for them to go on, so it's up to Tia to find more information for them. She's willing to do anything at all to track down her lost pet, and Milly is equally determined to find her way home.

This is a heart-warming story about the close bond between a girl and her mischievous kitten. It's full of details about the fun and responsibilities of owning a pet which makes it perfect for animal lovers. The book is printed in fairly large type, with black-and-white line drawings every few pages. The chapters are just the right length for bedtime reading and the story moves along at a cracking pace, leaving the reader eager to find out what will happen next. A good read for animal-loving girls aged around five to eight. 

Sammy Feral's Diaries of Weird by Eleanor Hawken

Friday 3rd April

Hi, I'm Sammy Feral. I've never had a reason to keep a diary – until now. Today my world did a total 180°. I've lost my family, narrowly escaped death and discovered that werewolves are more than just a story made up to scare kids.

Published by Quercus in August 2012

Summary From Quercus

Sammy Feral's life was pretty normal until his entire family turned into werewolves. Now he's on a race against time to find a cure for the virus that has them all howling at the moon! With his dad growing fur and his sister baying for blood, things are getting seriously weird for Sammy…

An action packed adventure that will leave you hungry for more!

*******

Review by Liss Norton

This story is set out as a diary that documents the weird things happening in Sammy Feral's life. Set mostly in the zoo run by Sammy's parents, it's an action-packed danger fest written in a chatty, modern style that will appeal to children aged eight and over who like a fast moving plot. When Sammy's parents and two sisters turn into werewolves, the race is on for him to find a cure before the next full moon. With the help of two people with special powers, he begins a quest that brings him into conflict with his best friend, his teacher, an evil professor and a horde of journalists. 

The book is easy to read, with a few jokey asides from Sammy that lighten the tension. I have to say that I felt the author rather overdid the similes and some of the characters are a bit one-dimensional, but that doesn't detract from the plot which is what this book is all about. I'd certainly recommend it for children who don't like reading much, especially (at risk of sounding sexist) boys who think books are for girls. 

This Week In Review (1)

I’ve been meaning to write a post like this in ages, especially as I seem to do so much more than read books. So I hope to regularly, (and I say that rather loosely, as I am not the most regular of people when it comes to posting certain styles of posts on the blog) post about all the things I’ve been upto this week. These will relate to reviews and posts that I have posted, as well as how well I am doing with my writing. Not to mention my adventures into the crafting world!

Posts This Week

The blog was a bit all over the place this week, so apologies to my regular readers. I’ve been suffering with rheumatism, which has made long periods of writing on the PC impossible, so the posts have been sporadic.

Monday – Us Minus Mum by Heather Butler – reviewed by Liss Norton

Thursday – Defy The Stars by Sophie McKenzie

Friday – New Adult Tour – Finding It by Cora Cormack

Saturday – What Are Agents Looking For by Literary Agent Claire Wilson

Reading

Where I haven’t been too well, I have had more time to read. I think that has helped me to a certain extent get back into reading.

So this week, I managed to finish reading the following books.

Truth Or Dare by Laura James – Kindle read

Defy The Stars by Sophie McKenzie.

I also read Losing It by Cara Cormack as well as reading the first book for the Young Writers Competition, which I am helping to judge this year.

I started to read A Little Night Magic by Lucy March too.

Writing

A completely pants week for writing, which hasn’t been helped by not feeling too good.

Monday – 1118 words written on first draft of New Adult book. I really don’t have far to go with this one now, so I need to give it a good push to reach the end.

Rewritten 2 chapters of my children’s novel. The novel was originally written in third person, but I am rewriting it in first and finding that it works so much better. So far I have had really good responses from my online critique group, so I will keep going.

But that was it for the week! A huge burst of writing energy on Monday, then sidetracked the rest of the week.I bet you are thinking I sat around doing nothing, well you would be wrong. On Tuesday, I cleared out ALL my kitchen cupboards. ALL! And filled seven bin liners full of old crap. You know the type of things, the last dish from a service, a cracked mug with the kid’s handprints on  and some Tupperware lids without any containers. I was ruthless and now my kitchen feels so much bigger and organised.

Crafting

I have been bitten by the crafting bug lately and I am considering setting up a little business. I have always loved making things and I am finding it quite therapeutic when my writing brain frazzles.

Here are a couple of things I have made recently.

This is a shadow box made with oragami dresses. Ideal for a little girl’s room. I am going to make a boy’s version this week, following by a nursery one. The dresses can be made to suit any colour scheme.

I made this for one daughter and upset the other one, as I hadn’t made one for her. So I will be be making another one of these this week. I am really pleased with how well it has turned out. I am also pleased that it appeals to teenage girls!

So that is my week rounded up. I did also go to two book events yesterday, but I will give you more details of those during the week. I hope you all had a productive week too.

What Are Agents Looking For? by Claire Wilson

Before Christmas, I put a tweet out to the publishing world, to see if any literary agents would be interested in coming on the blog to talk about the kind of books they would like to see arriving in their inboxes. A literary hit list of sorts.

Thankfully the lovely Claire Wilson from Rogers, Coleridge and White Literacy Agent, offered to write a post. Claire joined RCW in 2007, after previously working in publishing sales and rights. She looks after the agency’s  YA and children’s authors and represents one of my personal favourites, Tanya Byrne, among others.

What are agents looking for?

I always admire agents who have a keen eye out for a particular gap in the market, or even just a very specific desire to read a particular sort of story. It’s likely that if they have realised a certain type of book they love is underrepresented then publishers and readers will have had the same thought, and there will be a hunger out there to fill that niche.

However, on racking my brains I’ve realised that I haven’t ever been so strategic. I’ve taken on around twenty new authors since starting to build my list, and I can’t think that any of those decisions were made because the author was writing something I had already realised I wanted. In every case, the author’s work landed on my desk out of the blue, and convinced me that a fantasy/love story/thriller was exactly what was missing, what editors would jump on, and what readers would love. Often in fact, the novels will fall into a category that I feel exactly the opposite about – a subject to which I’m not naturally drawn, but such a brilliant, genre-transcending example that it is impossible to resist. To be pulled into a novel almost against your will is a sign that it’s really good. 

So, in terms of useful lists of what I want, I am not very helpful.... I know that all aspiring writers have been told a hundred times that agents are looking for ‘a strong voice’ and ‘a fresh story’, so while I definitely am seeking those things I don’t expect that will be particularly useful feedback. The best advice I can possibly give is not to write something because you know that people are looking for it. Write the book that keeps you awake at night, and the story that speaks in your head louder than anything else around you. I’d love to read it, and I’m always waiting to discover what I’m looking for next.

Thank you Claire, for such a brilliant post. Let’s hope you find what you are looking for.

If you are a literary agent and would like to write a post about the type of stories you are looking for, then please send me an email at vivienne_dacosta@hotmail.com .

New Adult Tour–Finding It by Cora Cormack

As part of the New Adult tour, organised by Faye from Daydreamer’s Thoughts, I am reviewing Finding It, by Cora Cormack. At the end of the post, you will find details of the Scavenger post which is running alongside the tour.

Everyone deserves one grand adventure, that one time in life that we always get to point back to and say,’Then …then I was really living.’

Published by Ebury Press, an imprint of Ebury Publishing which is a company of Random House in October 2013

Pages - 307

Kelsey Summers is looking for love in all the wrong places.
Spending a few months travelling around Europe - with no parents, no responsibilities and a no limit credit card - Kelsey's having the time of her life.
But when she completely embarrasses herself in front of the hottest guy she's ever seen, she soon realises there's more to life than the next party.
What she doesn't realise is that although she's on a journey to find herself, she will end up finding The One...

*****

This is the third book in the Losing It series, but like so many New Adult series, it doesn’t need to be read in order. This was my first book and I didn’t feel as though I had missed out in any way by not reading the first two books to begin with. It was clear that Kelsey had appeared in the previous two books but this one was completely about her and her journey into adulthood.

To be honest, I didn’t like Kelsey much to begin with. She came across as spoilt, brattish and immature. Though as the story unfolds, you start to realise why she acts the way she does. Events in her childhood, scarred her future and molded her into a person she didn’t really want to be. It was quite sad to see how little her parents actually cared about her; they were only interested in how they appeared to the outside world.

When Kelsey met Jackson, there was an instant attraction. And what a hottie he was. He practically slid off the page. I kept imagining the more recently buff, Zac Efron, taking the role, should the story ever reach the screen. He was ever so gentlemanly and as I always say, if a man can hold your hair up, while you barf down the toilet, then he’s a keeper.

The book sets off on an exploration of Europe as their relationship jumps continuously between hot and  cold. This got annoying in the end. I just wanted them to end up together and it just seemed to go on forever. I am not a patient person when it comes to true love! In the last third of the book, they finally get together, only to be ripped apart by the truth. Now I will be honest and admit, I did not see these events coming. I had my own ideas as to why Jackson kept pulling back, and they definitely did not match the real reason.

The book ends on a happy note, which pleased me. Although after reading this one, I’m not sure I want to read the first two. I just found the on and off monotony of the relationship dragged too much for me. The book had an extremely strong opening, but by the end I was losing interest.

*****

Your scavenger hunt clue is:

7

To find out more about the Scavenger Hunt, please click here

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Defy The Stars by Sophie McKenzie

Dad woke me in the middle of the night.

I opened my eyes to find the weather-beaten face looming anxiously over mine. The room was dark, though a faint light crept in through the window.

‘River?’'

I blinked, bleary-eyed at him. ‘What time is it? What’s wrong?’

Published by Simon and Schuster in January 2014

Pages – 266

Final book in the Flynn Quartet which also includes:

Falling Fast

Burning Bright

Casting Shadows

Book Summary

After months apart, everyone thinks that River is successfully building a future without Flynn. Indeed, she has almost convinced herself that she is moving on. And then, one day, Flynn is back, bringing with him tales of his glamorous new life. River suspects his lucrative new work involves some form of criminal activity, but will she let herself be drawn back into Flynn's world? Or is this, finally, the end of the line for them both?

*****
Seriously? Did this series have to end this way????

My heart is broken, shattered into a million pieces and now stamped into tiny molecules by everyone who has walked past me – that’s how I feel after reaching the end of this series! I loved Flynn and River. I loved their tempestuous, explosive relationship. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve known a Flynn in my past, so this series has always hit home with me. So the ending was a bit of a shock. The epilogue left me in tears.

I know, I shouldn’t be surprised, as the series has always been so closely linked to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It was laid out for me, right from the start, and an undercurrent has weaved it’s way throughout the series. However, I still wasn’t  prepared for the ending.

This has been one of the best YA contemporary romance series I have ever read. The intensity of the relationship between Flynn and River could be used to support a guide to dealing with teenage romance. These two were meant for each other, no matter how hard they tried to escape from it, destiny always drew them back to each other. Others saw it as destructive, I saw it as undying, eternal love. Sigh.

I want to return to the epilogue which I mentioned above. There was something about it that made me wonder if the author had experienced a relationship similar to this in her past. Perhaps it is the journey that River’s life takes in the following years that gave me the idea. I have always believed that to write about something so passionately, you have to have experienced it to some degree.

I do have a little niggle about this book. The cover. That isn’t Flynn on it! How do I know this? Flynn has dark, longish hair. If you don’t believe me, read on.

His dark hair was slicked back, the ends lost against the collar of the dark suit.

See? It has always been long and dark. That was something I loved about  him. He had that dark, mysterious, traveller feel about him. He didn’t have his head shaved. Sorry to moan about this one. *whines in a school girl voice* But I wanted him to look like the Flynn I had always imagined.

Anyway, enough about the cover. This book was a fitting ending to the series. Not the ending I would have liked and I am not sure I can forgive Sophie McKenzie for that just yet. But I understand why the series ended that way. *grumbles*

I really hope Sophie McKenzie writes more contemporary romance because she is extremely good at it. She writes about real romance, giving it the raw, gritty, honest emotions that actually surround it and doesn’t sugar coat it. A series I will be recommending for years to come.

Us Minus Mum by Heather Butler

FACT NUMBER ONE

Mongrel means your parents are not the same breed.

We are on our way to look at a dog.

"Mr and Mrs Warren?" the man says.

Mum nods.

Dad nods.

Theo nods. He is holding Mum's hand because he has never been to a Dog Rescue Centre before.

Published by Little Brown Books for Younger Kids

Pages - 304

Summary From Little, Brown

George's life is full of FACTS. His little brother, Theo, is a pain; nobody ever disagrees with their Nana; and their new dog, Goffo, is the best dog ever (despite his uncontrollable bowels). But the biggest fact of all is that his mum is absolutely, completely brilliant.

She tells great stories, can wave the fastest of anyone on the planet and, most importantly, she was the one who suggested they adopt Goffo. The boys think she's invincible. But they're wrong.

Because Mum is ill. Really ill.

It's up to George and Theo to keep Mum smiling. Which will almost probably definitely involve wellies, shepherd's pie and Goffo's victory at the pet talent show…

Heart-warming as well as heart-breaking, Us Minus Mum is the unforgettable story of two brothers and their lovable mongrel finding laughter in the face of loss. Written by child bereavement expert Heather Butler, the novel sensitively and authentically depicts a family pulling together in the face of grief.

*****

Review by Liss Norton

This has been a difficult book to review because it deals with such a sad subject – 

the illness, decline and death of George and Theo's dearly loved mum. Told in the first person, from George's point of view, it begins by showing his close family having fun together, then moves into a troubling time where the boys try to cope with Mum's illness without really understanding how serious it is. Finally they discover that Mum has terminal cancer. Her death comes very near the end of the book.

The first part of the story, before Mum falls ill, shows a normal family adopting a new dog and making up limericks. There's a lot of farting in it, which children will find funny. Gradually clues begin to emerge about Mum's illness, though these are fairly subtle and easily missed at first. As the illness progresses, the boys' routine alters and friends and extended family members rally round. Mixed up with this is a subplot about a bully in George's class.

George goes through many different emotions during the course of the story, but is haunted by the possibility that Mum's illness is his fault. This is a common misconception amongst children trying to cope with the illness and death of a parent, and Butler handles it with a gentleness and compassion which will help children in a similar situation. However, the story ends too soon after Mum's death, in my opinion, with the boys and Dad making up a new limerick about Mum and vowing to remember her. The front cover states: 'one family, their dog and a new beginning', but I didn't feel that the book showed this new beginning. I wanted to visit the family again a couple of months later, to see the boys and Dad moving forward in their life without Mum.

Butler's writing style is unusual, very spare and with paragraphs which often consist of only one sentence. This may help young readers to access the story more easily, but the subject matter is more suited to an older age group. I would recommend this book for children facing the death of someone they love, not least because it will help them to understand the emotional turmoil they're experiencing. However, I imagine it would be a worrying read for those whose lives aren't touched by such a tragedy; few children even consider the possibility that one of their parents might die and maybe it's best not to encourage them to think about something which, thankfully, happens to only a few. 

Secret Serendipity Seven with Keren David

To follow on from my review yesterday, I am really pleased to welcome Keren David onto the blog, to tell us seven things we might not know about her new YA novel, Salvage.

1) I lost my kindle and found a title. I got the idea for the title because I lost my kindle at Brent Cross shopping centre. It was found by someone called Anna, and her husband Russell and their son Michael looked at the books I had listed and worked out that something called Keren’s kindle with books listed by Keren David probably belonged to that person.  They emailed me - I hadn’t even realised that I’d lost it -  and I went round to their house the next day to pick it up. Russell told me about his shop, The Salvage Store in Burnt Oak, north London, and the notion of trading in goods which have been damaged or written off seemed to fit with the book and characters I had in mind. 

2)  I did my research on the football field.  I was watching my son play football when one of the other mums said ‘I know what you should write about next, adopted kids whose birth parents trace them through Facebook’.  Funnily enough I’d already thought of the same idea. She’s a social worker, working with families at all stages of adoption, and she gave me a lot of very helpful information and insights. 

3) Will’s sister’s cats Lily and Barney belong to my agent.  I feed them when she goes on holiday.

4) I had three characters called Matilda, completely accidentally. There was a relatively late Matilda cull.

5) Cass is probably the most frustrating character I’d ever written. I knew exactly what she’d do, but rarely why - probably because she is so lacking in self-knowledge. It was only towards the end of the book that I really understood her.

6) Large chunks of the book were written in Nando’s, Carlisle.

7) In an earlier version, Aidan has a reluctant affair with Clive’s daughter. 

Thanks Keren for letting us into the secrets from Salvage. Salvage is available to buy from all good book stores and is published by Atom Books.

Salvage by Keren David

Pretty much everyone in town knew my name, although not because there was anything special about me. That was fine, or, at least, I was used to it.

Published by Atom in January

Pages – 309

Book Summary

Before she was adopted by a loving family and raised in a leafy Home Counties town, Cass Montgomery was Cass Jones. Her memories of her birth family disappeared with her name. But when her adopted family starts to break down, a way out comes in the form of a message from her lost brother, Aidan. Having Aidan back in her life is both everything she needs and nothing she expected. Who is this boy who calls himself her brother? And why is he so haunted?

********

This might be the first book I’ve read by Keren David, but I am absolutely certain it won’t be my last. I was hooked from page one and carried it everywhere with me until I finished it. And what an emotional ride I took! The story tugs on your heart strings while keeping you completely engrossed. Encompassing difficult subjects such as foster care, families breaking down and physical and mental abuse, you find yourself desperate for a happy ending.

The story has a dual narrative and each character jumped off the page. It was fascinating to read such contrasting lifestyles. Cass has been brought up with the best of everything, where as Aidan had made do with the world’s left overs. Yet neither are happy with their lives. Cass  feels pressured to perform well at school by her crumbling family while also dealing with the fall out from her father’s rather public affair. Aidan is just waiting for the past to catch up with him. These characters are so different in some ways, but very similar in others. They were both lonely and looking for the missing piece in their lives; not that Cass realised that in the beginning.

The story unfolded at a steady pace and you soon realise there is more to Aidan than we are first shown. He is finally in a place where he is happy, yet he knows it could all easily shatter before him. As the book suggests, he is broken, but with the help of Holly, he is slowly mending.  Yet as I mentioned above, he has a past, which is threatening to ruin his new found happiness.

The ending was brilliant. I loved the way the family dynamics changed and finally both characters seem to discover and realise what they had actually been looking for. When I finished reading the book, I realised the story had stayed with me. It left me with hope for the children who do experience difficult upbringings; that perhaps hope can be salvaged to finally bring a little ray of happiness into their lives. That perhaps they won’t let their unfortunate beginnings define the person they become.

If I had to compare it with another book, it would be Blood Familly by Anne Fine, which also looks at the effects of adoption on a child coping with their past. This is a gritty and realistic read - a perfect example of UKYA at it’s best.

The Box of Red Brocade by Catherine Fisher

The bomb fell in a split second of silence.

Racing down the street, Jake felt the unbearable pressure in his teeth and nerves; he grabbed at the unlit lamppost and threw himself to the ground.

The explosion was terrifying, a white starburst on his retina. It blew out every window. Bricks and dust roared down, glass shattered on his back and head and arms. Lumps of rubble thudded on him.

Published by Hodder Children’s Books in October 2013

Pages – 361

Summary

On a mission to recover his father lost in time, Jake finds himself in 1940s London. From the rubble of the Blitzed city, a clue leads him to an eccentric seer of ghosts, three sinister children and three strange prophesies. Two of them soon come to pass, but what is the Box of Red Brocade? Does it hold the secret of destroying the Obsidian Mirror?

*****

I simply adore this series! This time travelling, fantastical epic adventure has me firmly on the edge of my seat and I can’t wait until the next book comes out. Catherine Fisher has created a fictional masterpiece, which keeps you absorbed from beginning to end.

From the very first paragraph you are thrown right into the action as a bomb drops on London during WW2; one of many detailed and descriptive time settings in the book. With a tightly written plot, the book curves back and forth through time as the characters try to unravel the secrets of the Obsidian Mirror.

I can’t say I love one character more than another as they all stand  out  uniquely from each other.  Jake is strong willed and determined; he will stop at nothing until he finds his father, yet even he isn’t prepared for what he finds. Janus scares me; I am sure he has stepped straight out of the Terminator films.

This book has a little bit of everything, making it the perfect piece of fiction for anyone with eclectic tastes. It has elements of Doctor Who mixed in with Goodnight Sweetheart, hinted with subtle flavours of The DaVinci Code.

I loved it! And I really hope I don’t have to wait too long for the next part!

The Big Break– Part 2 with Lara Williamson

Just before Christmas, I featured the lovely debut author Lara Williamson in part one of the Big Break interview. To read the first part, please click here.  Today I would like to share part two.

1) The first chapter of A Boy Called Hope is currently available to read online. What kind of reaction have you had from the public?

The reaction has been brilliant and I couldn’t have asked for more. Everyone has been so supportive and kind and I can’t thank them enough. That support means such a lot to a début author.

2) The cover has recently been revealed, what are your thoughts on it?

The cover has now changed due to the feedback from readers and buyers, which is quite normal in publishing and although I loved it before I love this new cover even more. I think it’s brave and striking and it will stand out on the bookshelves. It’s also the sort of cover that would appeal to boys, girls and adults. There is a calm simplicity about it that makes it feel special. For me it’s like looking into the night sky and feeling hope and that sums up the entire book.

3) What did you do before you turned your hand to writing?

I used to be the beauty editor on J-17 magazine where I styled and wrote the beauty pages. It was a great job and I got to travel the world to do shoots. But the best part of all was being lucky enough to work with so many hardworking, talented people. I was in awe of them then and I’m still in awe of them now because so many have gone on to be celebrated authors.

4) I know you are presently working on your second novel. How are you finding that in comparison to writing your first?

Writing the second novel is very different to writing the first. When you’re writing the first one you’ve got all the time in the world but with the second you’re working to a deadline.

5) Do you try to write every day and if so, when is the best time for you to write?

I tend to write through the week and try to keep weekends free. But if I need to I’ll write at the weekend too. I start writing at around 9.30 and continue until 3. After that I stop for a couple of hours and I might do a little bit more in the early evening. It just depends. Some days the writing doesn’t flow and I can sit for hours but write very little and then other days I can write a good amount. No two days are exactly the same.

6) How do you deal with your internal editor, waiting to jump on every mistake you make?

My internal editor is loud. The only way I can deal with it is to keep my head down and keep going while my internal editor continues shouting at me to work harder.

7) How do you feel about the growing demand for writers to have a greater online presence these days?

I can only speak for myself when I say I quite enjoy having an online presence. It’s just a matter of balance. I like being on Twitter and I’ve made lots of lovely friends who have supported me along the way. I’ve been able to ask questions, support others, celebrate successes and above all be part of an incredible writing community because of it. On the flip side it’s important not to get so carried away with being online that you don’t get any work done. Again, balance is the key.

8) What is the grossest thing you have ever done?

When I was a bit younger I really loved eating those chillies that come from jars. I would eat those with everything to give the food a little kick. Anyway, one day I got a bit carried away and ate way more chillies than were good for my stomach. A few hours later I was explosively sick, self inflicted, I might add. Part of that explosive sick came up through my nose and lo and behold there was a little kick inside my nose and out popped a chilli. I’ve also sprained my ankle on dog poop but that’s another story. J

A Boy Called Hope by Lara Williamson is out on 1st March 2014. To read the first chapter go to www.usborne.com/readHope. 

Magic Marks the Spot by Caroline Carlson

Ever since the letter had arrived from Miss Pimm's, Hilary had spent more and more time talking to the gargoyle.

Her parents disapproved, she knew perfectly well, but she much preferred the gargoyle's company to theirs. Hilary and the gargoyle did not always see eye to eye, but she found his opinion of finishing school to be thoroughly refreshing.

Published by Simon and Schuster in January 2013

Pages - 368

Summary From Simon and Schuster

Hilary Westfield has always dreamed of being a pirate. But the Very Nearly Honourable League of Pirates rejects Hilary's application because she's a girl – outrageous! – and her father ships her off to Miss Pimm's Finishing School for Delicate Ladies instead. Ugh.

Expected to wear woollen dresses (petticoats not provided) and enthusiastically throw herself into activities such as Viennese Waltzing for the Eager Novece, Hilary discovers Miss Pimm's to be every bit as horrid as she feared.

However, a true pirate never lets dire circumstances stand in her way and 

after a mostly dreadful first week, Hilary escapes and applies for a job with a freelance pirate known as the Terror of the Southlands. He offers her a place on his misfit crew, on one condition: she must find the famous treasure that's rumoured to contain most of the kingdom's lost magic.

Hilary soon finds herself caught up in a dangerous quest, and on the run from her school governess and the most villainous pirate on the high seas!

Packed with quick-witted dialogue, a feisty heroine, a talking gargoyle and a whole cast of other larger-than-life characters, Magic Marks the Spot combines classic storytelling, charm and humour to create a riveting story for boys and girls aged 8 – 12.

*******

Review by Liss Norton

Arr – this book be bursting with piratical fun from start to finish! It's a fast-moving yarn with plenty of twists and turns, entertaining characters and a thoroughly worthwhile quest. 

Hilary Westfield wants to be a pirate. Turned down because she's a girl, she refuses to give up her dream, even when her parents send her to Miss Pimm's finishing school. She lives in a world where magic used to be widely available; now magical items mostly belong to High Society and some of the wealthiest misuse their magical power to make life difficult for everybody else. 

The pirate known as the Terror of the Southlands plans to change all that. When Hilary runs away from Miss Pimm's and joins his crew, he believes that they can find the Empress's lost magical treasure and, like seafaring Robin Hoods, distribute it to the ordinary people who have no magic of their own. 

The book is written in a droll, understated and delightfully prim and proper voice designed to give a flavour of a time gone by. Seeing finishing school language applied to pirates is a bizarre but very funny experience. The style rather reminded me of Eva Ibbotson's Journey to the River Sea, a book I love, and I found myself reading late into the night because I simply had to find out what was going to happen next. Mostly the story is straightforward narrative, but occasionally there are letters or pages from a pirate's training manual tucked in. They help to speed the plot along, but I have to admit that I found the letters hard to read because they're written in a small, loopy, sloping font intended to look like handwriting. Don't skip them, though, or you'll miss out on a big chunk of plot. (If anyone from Simon and Schuster is reading this review, could I respectfully suggest that a larger font size for letters would benefit the reader in the next two books of the trilogy.)

The font size, though, is my only criticism of this book. It's well-written,  well-plotted and well worth reading! Don't miss it! Arr!

Fleeced by Julia Wills

Our story begins in the Greek Underworld.

And yes, I do know Greek Underworld sounds a bit like Greek underwear, but let me assure you that our story has nothing to do with pants. In fact, the ghosts who haunt this Underworld don’t even wear pants because pants hadn’t been invented by the time they died. So please, do stop talking about pants and let me get on.

Published by Templar in January 2013

Pages – 383

Meet Aries, the wise-cracking ghost-ram of the Golden Fleece!
Aries, the ram of Golden Fleece fame, remains furious at the loss of his beautiful coat - stolen by Jason and the Argonauts centuries ago. So he hatches a plan to return to earth, along with his friend Alex, zookeeper of the Underworld. But instead of arriving in ancient Greece, they teleport slap-bang into the British Museum in modern day London.
Aries and Alex soon discover that the Golden Fleece is in the clutches of evil immortal sorceress Medea - now a world-famous fashion designer. With the help of twelve-year-old human girl Rose, Aries and Alex must foil Medea's wicked plans and save Aries from an eternity of being bald!

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This isn’t the type of book I would normally read, but I was attracted to the story instantly. Being an Aries myself, I was curious to know more about the mythological ram with the Golden Fleece and quite intrigued on how I would get on with a story whose main character has four legs!

Aries bursts on the scene straight away in this book and constantly batters you for attention – he is not a creature to be ignored. He is entertaining and full of zest at times, while naive at others causing him to jump hoof first into a hilarious adventure as he searches for his Golden Fleece. I really enjoyed the friendship between Aries and Alex as he accompanied the eager ram back to Earth. I was slightly lost in the Greek mythical world to begin with, but that is mainly due to lack of knowledge rather than the story. For me the book really got going, when Alex and Aries made they debut in modern society. I loved Rose – what a gutsy, go-getting girl she was, instantly catching the attention of Medea, who wasn’t the nicest of characters.

Once back on Earth the book sets off at a mad pace, as the characters search for Medea and the Golden Fleece. I was thoroughly entertained as I swept through the fashion world and encountered a variety of breeds of sheep.

I loved the footnotes provided by the author. I always feel like we have been given something free by the author when these are included; little glimpse into how their writing mind works. The author has also provided a glossary at the end of the book, so that any unusual Greek terms can be easily understood.

This was a thoroughly entertaining tale, that brings Greek Mythological in an easily understandable and entertaining way to the 9 to 12 age bracket. It would appeal to both boys and girls with the witty humour and madcap adventure.

Reading Resolutions for 2014

In December I hit the biggest reading slump I have ever had. I had some awesome books to read, but I just couldn’t get into them. Nothing interested me and I watched miserably as my Goodreads challenge to read 150 books for 2013, slid right through my fingers. I actually thought I might never read again. Shocker, huh!

Luckily after a good break, I am now ready to start reading again and I am pleased to tell you I am already on my second book of the year. I know there are others on their third and fourth, but I am happy to be on my second. I think that might be one of my problems; I get so caught up with how many books everyone else has read and I start to panic that I am not reaching similar levels. I curse myself for slow reading, which in the eyes of others is probably quite fast. So this year, I refuse to see how many books other people have read. I will concentrate on what I am doing and not worry about everyone else.

I do have a few reading goals and resolutions which I would like to share with you. Firstly my Goodreads challenge.

I hope to read 120 books by the end of the year. This is a lower amount than I have previously ever agreed to and I know I can achieve it. I can also add to it, if I do achieve it. I didn’t want to set myself too high a limit, only to crash and burn again by the end of the year.

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I aim to read 10 physical books and 4 Kindle books each month. The Kindle books will be made up of the back log of Netgalley books I have. I will not add any more to my NetGalley list until I have read at least five and then I will only add one that doesn’t have an archive date. Though saying that, if a publisher should dangle something rather lovely in front of my eyes via email, I  can’t promise that I will be able to resist.

This year I also plan to read one non fiction creative writing book each month to help my own quest to be a better writer. I have so many, as well as a list of ones I need to read, so now is the time to get on with it.

I also plan to tackle some of the chunksters that have sat on my shelves for years. The first one I plan to read is A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. I have already started it and I am reading one chapter a day. So far I am loving it and I really wish I had started it sooner.

I would like to read more short stories, but I am worried if I set myself a target I might just fail. So realistically I would like to read 4 short stories a month, but if I can’t do it then that is fine with me.

I also plan to resurrect my American Challenge, but probably on a smaller scale. I really do want to read my way around America and so far, I have only read through Alabama, Alaska and Califormia. I probably won’t be doing a big blog week special like I did before, but you never know I might change my mind when I get into it. For now though, I hope to start next with a book set in Arizona, so if you know any good ones, let me know.

I won’t be taking part in any challenges run by other bloggers as I find maintaining the information tiresome. I get bogged down by reposting and keeping challenge list, that I stop enjoying them.

What are your reading goals and resolutions for the year?

Kicking 2014 into order!

Hello everyone!

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year.

I most certainly did. In fact I think it might have been the best I have had in years. It was lovely to spend quality time with family and my girls seem to now be reaching an age where they don’t have to argue about everything anymore!

As many of you know, I haven’t been blogging for a few weeks and looking back, I now realise that was the best thing for me to do. I definitely needed a blog break. I had got to the point where I didn’t want to read, let alone write about books. Thankfully after such a long break, I am feeling revitalised and I have nearly finished my second book of 2014.

I have also been very busy organising and planning for the future. I realise I still want to write, which I had doubts about all through December. So I have been busy planning and creating some awesome organisation and motivational material, which I want to share with you.

After scouring Pinterest, which has become rather addictive, I came up with the following motivational board, which in reality is more organisational than motivational, as I couldn’t print off the awesome sayings I also found on the site.

This isn’t the clearest picture, so I will break it down with some close up ones. All it is, is a normal cork pin board.

Firstly the pretty post-it notes all down the side. I bet you are wondering what they are. Well I’ve discovered that apparently it takes 21 days to form a habit and by keeping a note like this and taking off a number each day, I should form a habit by the end of the period. I have a lot of things that I would like to become a habit, but I am starting with just one – drinking seven glasses of water a day.  This might sound like a weird choice, but I very rarely drink water and my skin is really beginning to tell because of it, so with the help of this chart and reminders on my phone, I am hoping to gain this healthy habit by the 21st of Jan! This can also be used to break a habit too.

So what else have I got on my board?

Well I am trying to keep a visual of all the books I read each month. So I have set myself a target to read 10 actual books as well as 5 Kindle books each month, which is less than I normally would read. However I really don’t want to have another reading slump again, so I am hoping by keeping a visual of my list I will be able to stick to it.

Below my reading targets, I have my January Goals; these have been broken down from yearly goals and include every area of my life. On the right hands side, next to my habit stickers, I have a numbered grid. Well these represent the miles I hope to walk this month. I am aiming to walk 150 miles, which may sound a lot, but as I have a dog and already walk 3 to 4 miles most days according to my pedometer, this really isn’t that hard a target to reach. If I do reach it, I will increase it next month. At the end of the day, I just cross off the miles walked so I can see how many I have left.

On the left hand side of my board, I have a month plan of January which has each day broken down into 3. This is where I will record my writing each day. I hope to write 1000 words of my new project, edit one chapter of my children’s book and spend 15 minutes planning out another idea. I know it sounds mad having more than one project on the go, but it works better for me, than just concentrating on one. And that doesn’t mean I just do this and nothing else; this is the minimum I hope to achieve each day.

Below that, I have my weight loss chart, showing how much I plan to lose by Summer. I haven’t been very good over Christmas at all, and everything is feeling tight, so it is back to the drawing board for my diet plans for the year.

Now you would think that would be enough creativity for one day. Well it was, until I decided to make a weekly goal chart too.

I saw this idea on Cornflower Blue Studio, via Pinterest and thought it was  a great way of keeping the goals I really needed to do that week in focus. When they are done, I can just peel them off and put another one up.

So as you can see I am raring to go. Alongside tidying my shared office completely, I have the space as well as the motivation to make 2014 a more productive year.

Tomorrow I hope to list my reading resolutions for the year before I start the reviews back on Monday. I look forward to jumping into 2014 with you all.