Human Handybook, anyone? by Maudie Smith

 “What's the Human Handybook?” asked Martha.

 “It's a new study of human behaviour. To go with the Earth Manual. So Carnelians who come to Earth will know who they're dealing with.”  Opal reached into the pocket on her shirtsleeve and took out the tiny book and a stubby pencil. “Shouldn't take long to write. I'll have it done and dusty in no time.”

 Martha didn't think the book looked big enough for a study of anything. 

 “Yes it is,” said Opal, reading her thoughts. “Uncle Bixie says human beings are very simple life forms, not much more complicated than those blobby things you have in your oceans.”

 “Jellyfish?” offered Robbie.

 “That's the fellas,” said Opal. 

When Opal Moonbaby arrives back on Earth she announces that she's been asked to compile a Human Handybook, a new supplement to go with the Earth Manual. She's chosen a very small notebook for the job. It's the sort of book that would look well in a doll's house and the things Opal ends up putting inside it are decidedly strange. Here are some of them.

1. Humans like cheesy puffs

2. Humans like pirates

3. Humans pick things out of their noses

4. Humans like to stare at a box called TV 

5. Small humans keep furry toys

6. Bigger humans keep furry toys that can run around and say woof or miaow.

7. Humans cry tears when they are sad or when they are happy, or for no reason at all.

8. Humans have a thing called jealousy - this sounds like a pudding, but it isn't.

Opal thinks she's more or less finished by the time she gets to Number 8 but she goes on to discover that humans are really quite a complex bunch of creatures and her notebook isn't nearly big enough to describe them properly. 

Of course, for Opal, Earth is another planet but I sometimes wonder if children viewing the adult world, the one they're supposed to grow up into, must think that's like another planet too.

If you were writing the Human Handybook for Opal Moonbaby, what would you include?

About Zooming Time Opal Moonbaby is the second book in the series and is published on the 7th February by Orion Children's Books. £6.99 - paperback, £4.49 ebook.

Book Summary

Opal Moonbaby is spending a year on Earth. A whole year! Martha can't wait to take her to school, to introduce her to her friends and to recreate all the fun they had during the summer.  But things don't turn out quite as expected and before Martha knows it, Opal is off making new friends, doing new things and throwing herself into life on Earth - and Martha can't keep up.

When Opal's Uncle Bixie warns them that the nasty Mercurials, enemies from their home planet of Carnelia, are on their way to Earth, planning mischief, Martha begins to worry. But Opal is far too busy making friends to be bothering about those stupid Mercurials. Besides, her eyes would z-ray them immediately and she'd dazzle-kick them all the way back to Carnelia.  

 Wouldn't she?  

 

About the author

 Maudie Smith started work as an actress, but moved to Bath with her TV screenwriter husband. She gave up touring theatre when she had children. In the last couple of years she's written a libretto for a newly commissioned opera and run a very successful school drama club, whilst raising two daughters, cats, chickens, guinea pigs etc. She is currently doing an MA at Bath Spa in Writing for Young People. 

 

The Ten Rules of Skimming by Zelda Compton & Jess Swainton

Published by Mogzilla in September 2012

176 pages with illustrations

‘Adam opened his eyes lazily, his grandfather’s muttering was proof that breath still made it in and out of his lungs. He sat perfectly still, trying to prolong the dream. He’d been so cold. But now the heat was creeping through him, inch by inch spreading upwards into his arms and into his hands. Hands that lay encased in his grandfather’s hands. How had that happened?’’

Summary from Mogzilla site

Half book, half graphic-novel The Ten Rules of Skimming is the debut novel by Zella Compton. It has artwork by artist Jess Swainson on almost every page. 

Ever had the shivery feeling that someone is ‘walking over your grave’? It’s someone skimming your soul. Adam finds that skimming brings an amazing rush but joy-riding across minds comes with risks.

When he meets Jenny-Ray, he learns about the Board, with their list of approved ‘hosts’ to visit. The consequences of disobedience are terrifying.

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 Review by K. M. Lockwood

Zella Compton’s first published novel is a dark and imaginative story with an intriguing central premise. What if you could slip into other people’s consciousness, leap from one mind to another?

 The format is also unusual -like Henry Tumour by Anthony McGowan & Andy Horan, or Slog’s Dad by David Almond & Dave McKean, there are black and white illustrations throughout. These break up the text and give breathing space for some pretty extraordinary ideas. It would be interesting to see this as a larger format, full-on manga.

 The identity of the sinister Questioner is not revealed till the end making for ongoing mystery and threat. The element of psychological peril increases as Adam’s interrogation proceeds and a small cast of distinct characters make the storyline easier to follow. There is a nicely drawn relationship between Adam and Spod, and the family tensions with his mother and little sister Marion come across well.

This book would particularly suit older 10+ readers looking for big ideas presented through a mix of text and graphics: it’s not as visual as a graphic novel but far less intimidating than long blocks of text in a more traditional format. Distinctive, interesting and likely to appeal to gamers.

The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver

Review by KM Lockwood

246 pages

published by Hodder & Stoughton October 2012

One night when Liza went to bed, Patrick was her chubby, stubby, candy-grubbing and pancake-loving younger brother, who irritated her and amused her both, and the next morning, when she woke up, he was not.

In fact, he was quite, quite different.

Goodreads Summary

“When Liza's brother, Patrick, changes overnight, Liza knows exactly what has happened: The Spindlers have gotten to him and stolen his soul. She knows, too, that she is the only one who can save him. To rescue Patrick, Liza must go Below, armed with little more than her wits and a broom. There, she uncovers a vast world populated with talking rats, music-loving moles, greedy Troglods, and overexcitable Nids . . . as well as terrible dangers. But she will face her greatest challenge at the Spindlers' nests, where she encounters the evil queen and must pass a series of deadly tests--or else her soul, too, will remain Below forever.

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 Both the cover and the short extract above give an accurate flavour of this charming fantasy book, ideal for 8-12 year olds. The world Lauren Oliver creates is full of colour and magic - with a good deal of creepiness. The reader encounters a host of strange creatures such as Lumer-Lumpen, Nocturni , Scawgs and of course, the wonderfully scary Spindlers.

If it sounds all a bit Roald Dahl, that’s not an inappropriate comparison, though there are touches of classical myths and legends, and a dose of traditional folk-tales too.

The author clearly revels in the rhythms and sounds of language, and enjoys detailed description - but that doesn’t mean the story lacks a strong plot. The love and loyalty of a young girl are at the heart of the action. The story is easy to follow, yet the characters are engaging and well-drawn: Mirabella the talking rat in particular.

There are moments of fanciful whimsy and sheer prettiness- and some which are decidedly scary. It won’t suit everyone. Some chapters would not make good bedtime reading for more sensitive souls!

I have only one real criticism - couldn’t somebody have told her that spiders have eight legs and are not insects but arachnids? The copy I read was an uncorrected proof so I rather hope that this has been amended in the final version.

All-in-all, this is a delightful and compassionate read for its intended audience. It would suit being read aloud for less confident readers - or just for fun - and there some important ideas to be discussed about family and friendship. Recommended.

Dork Diaries: Skating Sensation Extract

I am so pleased today to be able to share an extract with you from the new Dork Diaries book: Skating Sensation by Rachel Renee Russell. My daughter read this book and loved it. The review will be up later today.

Check out Wondrous Reads, The Bookette and Chicklish for other extracts over the next few days!



Skating Sensation Pg15-19

The Treasure House by Linda Newbery

Pages - 214
Published by Orion Children's Books in May
If Nina had been feeling anything like her normal self.she wouldn't have sat by herself at the back of the bus. In any other mood, she'd have liked coming home across the high moorland road, instead of walking from the primary school in Chapel Street, the way she'd done for four years. Usually, she'd have loved seeing the slopes patched tawny-green in afternoon sunlight, and the stone buildings of Crowdenbridge huddled in the valley; the town looked so small, from up here, surrounded by moorland in every direction, wide and wild and windswept as far as she could see. 
Goodreads Summary
When Nina's mother, Miranda, mysteriously disappears, Nina's father goes to look for her, leaving Nina with her two eccentric aunts who run a charity shop in town.
Nina soon discovers that working in the shop can be funny, intriguing and rewarding as she takes in weird and wonderful donations, makes new friends and uncovers strange secrets! But Nina is determined to solve the mysteries that have taken over her life - where has her mother gone? Why did she leave so suddenly? And just what is the secret she's been hiding?

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I have heard so many good things about this author I was very excited to get my hands on her latest book. The book is set mainly in a charity shop, which had me intrigued. I couldn't believe you could create an interesting read around other people's cast offs, but that is exactly what Linda Newbery managed to do. I will definitely look closer for second hand treasures after reading how Thea, a secondary character created beautiful outfits for a fashion show with the items that she found in Second Hand Rose. She reminded me of Molly Ringwald in Pretty In Pink. 
There were quite a few descriptive passages within the book, which really helped to bring the story to life. I could clearly envisage the charity shop and the llama park, really adding to the enjoyment of the story.
I loved the characters. The author is excellent at creating realistic and believable people in her stories. They all  so well crafted, they stood out with their uniqueness. Jake was definitely my favourite - like a modern day Lenny from Of Mice and Men, but much more in control of his thoughts.  The only character I had a real problem with was Nina's mother - she just didn't work for me. I was surprised by her decision to leave her daughter just before she began secondary school. Many parents will know how traumatic and life changing that transition period can be and it would only take a close parental death to pull you away, leaving very little contact. Yet she was willing to desert her child during such a stressful period for something extremely less important. She just appeared really self centred and frivolous to me and would definitely be struck off my Friends list for this.
The book took me a little while to get into, although that may have been my state of mind rather than the book. Once I got into the story, I really began to enjoy it as Nina went into Nancy Drew mode and solved the mystery of her mother's absence.
A warm, light hearted story which will have you scavenging in charity shops in search of your own treasures.

The Mystery of the Whistling Caves by Helen Moss

Pages 168

Published July 7th 2011
Book kindly sent for review by publisher.

Stone Cottage was quite possibly the most boring place Jack Carter had ever seen. The walls were grey, the roof was grey, grey rain was falling from a grey sky: even the pigeons huddling on the chimney were grey and sort of fed-up looking. 


Scott and Jack have been shipped off to Great Aunt Kate's house in Cornwall for the summer. They are both annoyed and fed up on arrival and worried that the holiday will be extremely boring. Until they meet Emily Wild and her dog, Drift who takes the boys out to see the Whistling Caves. Only when they get to the caves, they find they are no longer Whistling.

They are informed that a legend surrounds the castle that when the caves stop whistling, the castle will come under attack. So when priceless treasures are stolen from the castle, the children begin to believe that the legend is true. Can they solve the mystery of the whistling caves?

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Whilst reading this book, I found myself instantly transported back to my childhood, reading my beloved Enid Blyton books. Helen Moss has captured that Blytonesque essence, bottled it,  added a dash of real life and and a slice of modern times to create a whole new series for today's generation.

The characters Jack, Scott and Emily appeared to be very similar to the teenagers of today. Yet they each  have that thrill of adventure bursting to get out. Emily reminded me a lot of Harriet the Spy, as she spent many hours investigating her neighbours. The dog, Drift, could definitely have been a descendant of Timmy, from the Famous Five, or maybe even Lassie, with his quick instincts. This is quite a short book, so a lot of the secondary characters didn't really make an impression on me. However one did, Mrs Loveday, the cleaner,  who had me in stitches with her inaccurate word usage. 

The crime happened quite quickly in the beginning of the book, and then the plot moved along at quite a fast pace. The children found themselves in quite a few dangerous situations which had me worrying that they wouldn't get out safely. 

I really enjoyed reading this book, especially as the mystery kept you hooked right until the end. Quite a few red herrings are thrown in, before the real thief is discovered and then we are supplied with some climatic scenes to get us to the end. In the same way as Enid Blyton would, the case is solved by the last page, the thief is put in jail and the reasons for the theft are laid bare for everyone to see.

 A good spirited fun adventure that will have you reminiscing your childhood. I would definitely recommend this as a summer read for all nine years old, especially those who are embarking on the journey for their own holiday of adventure.

I am really pleased that the rest of this series will be brought out in quick succession. There are six books written altogether and I can't wait to read the next. Though I may have to stock up on lashings of ginger beer first! 

The Worry Tree by Marianne Musgrove

Pages - 130
Published by Catnip Books in 2010
Aimed at 9 years old and older.
Book kindly sent to me by publisher for an honest review.

Juliet Jennifer Jones opened the door, stepped out of the toilet and walked straight into her little sister. 
'Eight minutes and forty-seven seconds,' said Ophelia, clicking her stopwatch. 'What were you doing in there?'
'Mum! ' shrieked Juliet. 'Oaf's timing me in the toilet again!'


Being a former teacher, I always get excited when I find a book that can be used in the classroom and actually be the basis of a topic to work throughout a term. Well The Worry Tree is one of those books. This is a book that could be used as a PSHE ( Personal, Social, Health and Economic) resource with ease allowing children to produce their own worry trees.

The book introduces us to Juliet, a worrier. She worries about a lot of different things - she worries about her annoying little sister who always interferes with her stuff, her parents constantly arguing, her Nana getting old and her two friends constantly fighting over her.

She finds relief when her parents finally give her her own bedroom which upon decorating,  she discovers a painting of a worry tree that had been on the wall since her grandmother was little. Juliet wonders if this tree will be able to help her with all her worries.

This book is a delightful read which is rather humorous in places, as well as poignant in others. The characters within the book are adorable and keep you entertained throughout the book. Oaf is definitely an annoying little sister, but a funny one at that. Any parent reading this book alongside a child, will want to comfort Juliet and help her to deal with her worries. I have seen so many children pass through my classroom who would have benefited from a book like this; it is the type of book you want a good supply of  in each school to hand out to the parents of the children who worry about everything.

The book holds a moral within the story. It shows that all the worries Juliet has are not really her worries and she needs to let others deal with them so that they don't play on her mind. It deals with a sensitive issue that plagues many (both adults and children alike) and helps the reader to let the worries disburse like bubbles.

At the back of the book, there is a section where a child can write their worries down allowing the animals from the worry tree to take care of them for a while whilst the child gets on with being just a child and enjoying the moment.

I would have loved this book as a child, as it really puts things into perspective. I actually came away thinking about all the things I tend to worry about and realised I also had a lot I could discard. If a book can have that affect on a adult, imagine how it would help a child.

An ideal, quick and easy read to help the worriers you know lighten their worry load.

Run, Rabbit, Run by Barbara Mitchelhill and a UK Book Giveaway

Pages - 221

Published in 2011 by Anderson Press

Book kindly sent to me by the author.

Rochdale 1942
You know how it is when you've got a secret and you can't tell anybody? And you have to got to school and pretend everything's normal, even when you know it's not?  Well, it was like that on the first day back after Christmas. 
The war had been going on for ages - horrible things like rationing, blackouts and air-raids sirens happened all the time. On and on and on. But that day I had a secret, and I had something to look forward to.


Lizzie's dad is a conscientious objector to killing people and refuses to fight in the Second World War. Often seen as cowards, Lizzie suffers the abuse from the children at school due to her father's refusal to fight. The police come looking to arrest Lizzie's father, so they all go on the run in the middle of the night, in a desperate attempt to stay together as a family. For a while, they manage to live happily in the idyllic  Whiteway, until their past catches up with them and pushes them on the run again.  Will they ever be able to find peace and live together as a family again?

This book is aimed at the 9 -12 age range and is one of those books that I would find myself recommending to school teachers. If I was still in the classroom, I would definitely use this book as a starting point for the World War II topic often carried out in Year 2.  I think it is a wonderfully descriptive story of life as a child during the world, from the viewpoint of a family vehemently against the war.

The characters are beautifully written and the plot shows the sharp realities of war and how it affects families.  Before reading it, I had never considered how families coped with the separation, and this book really brings home the difficulties and the heartbreaking emotions caused by children being evacuated. The way families are torn apart by war is such a strong theme throughout the book, that I felt it would be a fine example for the children of today to read, who never seem to realise how lucky they are. I think that today's school children would get so much from reading this book, allowing them to visualise what life was like for someone of their age, during hostile times.

I loved Lizzie as a character, I found her very grown up for age, dealing with a lot of difficult situations. I honestly could not see my own children, managing as well as Lizzie.  I could understand her father's decision, but felt he struggled to consider what was best for his children.

This book is quite a short book, so it could easily be read to the class within a few days. If you know any teachers, studying World War II with their class, then I would highly recommend this book.

Barbara Mitchellhill has brought World War II to the children of today.

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Barbara Mitchelhill is offering a signed copy of her book 'Run, Rabbit, Run' on my blog today. If you would like to win a copy of this book, then please leave a comment with your name and your email address so that I can contact you if you are a winner. You don't have to be a follower to enter, but it would lovely if you could promote this competition either via Twitter, or on your blog. The competition closes  on Friday 6th May at midnight.  I must stress again, that is a UK only competition.

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Come back tomorrow to read Barbara Mitchelhill's guest post.