3+: Educational - I Can Draw Series - Simon Abbott

BOOK BLURB:

A new series that encourages very young children to develop first drawing skills

Child-friendly ‘wipe-clean’ spreads allow children to draw and copy pictures and shapes. Each book has a special pen and six spreads. The wipe-clean element allows children to copy pictures again and again, as well as teaching them basic drawing skills. The colourful design treatment makes these interactive books highly appealing.


REVIEW:

After reading the greatest gift you can give a child is perhaps the skills to help create things from their own imaginations or from real life, in short the gift of art. Contained within this series of eight books is a great way to get them started and will once begun give them hours of fun as they learn to hone the skills that they’re developing.

My own target for this was my nephew who whilst having art teachers for parents, is only just starting to learn the basics. What makes these titles so much fun is that they’re easy to follow, use white board technology so that they can draw inside the book and improve until they perfect the task at hand.

Its great fun and you can, with these titles, help generate a great start for your child alongside teaching yourself some of the basics. After all, a great many of us were never taught to draw as children and as such always disliked classes that forced us to face our fears yet these books make sure that no matter what skill level you have, you can learn the basic shapes to turn out a reasonable effort that will delight and amuse the child concerned.

Add to this at the end of the day that you can pick up the ones that appeal most and help them learn the basics so that they can then draw and colour in pictures for family and it really will make your day. I’ve also managed to turn it into not only drawing fun but Garden fun as my nephew is currently obsessed with Bugs. So after practicing drawing a selection of garden creatures (as well as using some of the others such as Pets, Park etc) we had creatures we had to spot on our paper. When he saw one, he had to shout out and point to the picture and we’d add a tick and see what we saw most of.

He had tons of fun in not only playing and spotting but perhaps more importantly learning that a curve here and a straight line there make animals that he can identify. You can imagine the fun that he’s going to have on our next trip to the beach…

On a side note the only thing I will add is make sure you know where the pens are and keep them safe as to be honest you don’t want your budding artist to practice on wallpaper etc.

5+: Little Ogre's Surprise Supper - Timothy Knapman and Ben Cort

BOOK BLURB:

Everyone knows that ogres eat children. Everyone except Jack.

So when Little Ogre meets Jack and says, "I want you for supper," Jack does a funny thing. He doesn't scream or run away - he's delighted to be invited! Poor Jack doesn't realize he IS the supper - a special birthday supper for Little Ogre's Mum! But Little Ogre and Jack get along well, and when it's time to put Jack in the cooking pot Little Ogre is faced with a very difficult decision. Will Jack become a meal, or a new best friend?
A deliciously dark and funny tale, in which friendship comes before food.


REVIEW:

Tales for children have to have a couple of things going for them. First of all they need to be well written and engaging for the reader and likewise they tend to need some seriously beautiful artwork to enchant the reader. That’s exactly what this offering has, a tale about a party, a friendship against the odds and above all else a surprise ending that readers will just love. It’s a great offering and when you top it off with a moral it makes it an offering worth pursuing.

12+: Urban Fantasy: Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins

BOOK BLURB:

In the wake of a love spell gone horribly wrong, Sophie Mercer, a sixteen-year-old witch, is shipped off to Hecate Hall, a boarding school for witches, shapeshifters and faeries. The traumas of mortal high school are nothing compared to the goings on at Freak High. It's bad enough that she has to deal with a trio of mean girls led by the glamorous Elodie, but it's even worse when she begins to fall for Elodie's gorgeous boyfriend, Archer Cross, and frankly terrifying that the trio are an extremely powerful coven of dark witches. But when Sophie begins to learn the disturbing truth about her father, she is forced to face demons both metaphorical and real, and come to terms with her own growing power as a witch.


REVIEW:

When you’re looking for a new book in the Urban Fantasy genre its always refreshing to find something a little different to a number of titles out there. Whilst other authors like Richelle Mead have covered a supernatural school prior to this, its tended to be a more mundane single race establishment rather than a melding of the variety out there.

Within this offering is a whole host of people who learn in a reform school about how to meld with human civilisation and live in harmony as well as learning how to live with their powers. Add to the mix typical human emotional conflict accompanied by some great character growth and you have a special title for the 12+ market.

3+: Colour me Happy - Shen Roddie, Ben Cort

BOOK BLURB:

When I'm funny, colour me pink. When I'm bored, colour me grey ...The host of vibrant colours and humorous illustrations help toddlers explore and learn to express a range of emotions. Small children will fall in love with the adorable kitten as they turn the pages of this colourful book.


REVIEW:

There’s always a market for colourful books for young readers that not only keep them amused but also make sure that they have a story that the can associate and understand. Within this title the author’s utilise colour with emotion and help the reader understand what they’re feeling which will make this a title that will be remembered.

Jack Flint Trilogy Review - Joe Donnelly

BOOK BLURB:
Jack Flint is 13. He's never known his mother and has - literally - lost his father. On a stormy Halloween he steps from his humdrum world of school, chores and getting by, into a maelstrom. Scaling the dark-walled coppice known as Cromwath Blackwood he and his best friend, Kerry Malone, find a mysterious circle of thirteen standing stones. Stones that almost seem to be breathing, pulling the boys to a place of myth and mayhem. From playing fields to battle fields they stumble into the legendary world of Temair. Here Celtic myth comes to life as Jack, Kerry and Corriwen Redthorn, the orphaned daughter of a Temair Chief, face the terrifying cunning of Morrigan, goddess of death and her servants, the Scree and the cruel, black-feathered Roaks. Their quest is fast paced and furious. Along the way, startlingly, Jack realises they are not just saving their own lives, they find clues that might lead him to his father. Stepping through portals to other worlds is a favourite device - Narnia, Harry Potter, our own DOOMSPELL and LEGENDEER trilogies - but it's one of the most successful if it's done properly, as it is here by Joe Donnelly. Drawing on Celtic myth with his own original embellishments, he knows the world he's created inside out.


REVIEW:
As a late comer to the series I was unsure of what to expect from this author yet strangely feeling pretty safe with the author. Why? Well for an author to continue to receive press as well as continual publication you know that they not only have talent but also a good idea of what pleases the audience. What Joe does within each title is take elements of Ancient myths and blend them to suit the storyline whilst also allowing the reader a greater story arc hidden within that entertains as well as allows the reader to postulate as to future events. This offering, the first was not only entertaining but kept me glued as I really didn’t know what to expect. Add to this realistic banter between the principle protagonists and a strong minded female lead and it’s a title that will entertain both genders.

REVIEW RATING:

BOOK BLURB:
The battle with the Morrigan may be over but Jack Flint's quest is only just beginning. As the Morrigan struggles with our three adventurers, she hurls Corriwen Redthorn through a gateway and into an unknown world. Jack and Kerry know they must follow and find her - and, unlike Corrie who is alone and afraid, they have the Book of Ways to help them. They step into Eirinn where the land seems held in the grip of an everlasting winter. Jack and Kerry are aided and abetted in their search by friendly Leprechauns, a gentle giant and a troupe of travelling players with magical powers. They soon discover that others are hunting her too. They're up against the treachery of Dermott the much feared Wolf Lord and Fainn, his Spellbinder. They have stolen the legendary silver cauldron of plenty and the golden harp which keeps the seasons in check. But it's also been foretold that Dermott will meet his fate at the hands of a fighting woman with red hair. Could Corriwen be his nemesis? He's desperate to destroy her and anything, or anyone, who gets in his way. Corriwen meantime has saved Connor, a local boy, from being killed by Dermott's men. He's a boy, as it turns out, with quite a story to tell. And Jack Flint is beginning to unravel the mystery of who he might be - his adventures in Eirinn reveal clue after clue that might lead him to his father.


REVIEW:
Here, in the second novel of the series, Jack and Kerry cross the gateways to rescue Corriwen after the cliff hanger of an ending in the first tale. As with the previous offering, Joe brings elements of myths and legends to the fore blinding it together in his own magical spell within the pages of this title. The characters continue to grow with the three way dynamic bringing a greater strength to the tale and as the authors pace alongside descriptive prose brings another cracker to the readers imagination.

REVIEW RATING:

BOOK BLURB:
Continuing Jack's quest to find his father, Jack, Kerry and Corrie have passed through the gate into the peaceful summerland of Uaine. Hoping for a period of respite after all their adventures, they quickly discover that all is not well. The power-hungry spellbinder, Bodrun, has stolen the Copperplates - protective magical talismans - and released the terrifying Nightshades into the world. These creatures stalk the night, searching for a way to break through to other worlds and wreak havoc. They will do anything to get their claws into the heartstone. With The Book of Ways to guide them, Jack and his friends must travel deep into Bodrun's lair, facing gargoyles, giant spiders, walls of fire, shrieking all-consuming Nightshades, before a final confrontation with the evil spellbinder himself. And as Jack finds himself in the midst of this nightmare, he is forced to face up to what really happened to his father so long ago.


REVIEW:
The third cracking instalment by Joe Donnelly that will keep the reader up long past their normal switching off time as you’ll be heard muttering to yourself that you’ll enjoy just one more chapter. Like the others its addictive, it brings the myths and legends from Irish past to the fore and builds upon the rich tapestry of what has gone before. A great book by the author and one that leaves me sad to leave the intrepid trio for the time being. Add to this a title that delivers what the readers been demanding alongside cracking prose with great character empathy and you’ll be recommending this trilogy to young readers left right and centre. Great stuff and I’ll definitely be demanding more titles by Joe as soon as he’s written them.

REVIEW RATING: