Penny Dreadful is a Magnet for Disaster - Joanna Nadin
Follow the disastrous misadventures of Penny Dreadful; madcap mischief-maker, and a national treasure in the making!
This book is really funny. Penny Dreadful is a young girl who always finds herself getting into trouble, or as she puts it, trouble finds her. Split into three short stories, each one finds Penny into a different disaster.
As it is written in the first person, occasionally it has a run on sentence that would leave, even a fast talker like me, gasping for breath. However, this makes the characterisation more realistic.
This book is great for a child looking for some more independent reading especially as the short story style means that it feels like 3 books in one.
"They can't send you away. What will we do? We need us. I stop your angry, Jack. And you make me strong. You make me Rosie."
Rosie loves Jack. Jack loves Rosie. So when they're separated, Rosie will do anything to find the boy who makes the sun shine in her head.”
This book was mesmerising. The story of a 16 year old girl with Downs Syndrome, Rosie, who, after her boyfriend is taken to an institution to get help for his anger issues, decides to go to find him. The book follows Rosie as she journeys across London, encountering a variety of trials and tribulations, some quite harrowing.
The writing perfectly captures the issues that Rosie faces, not only due to her Downs, but also as a young girl trying to find her way across the city. The vulnerability of the main character is not only gripping but gets you routing for her to be safe and to find “her Jack”. There are some moments in the book that are quite dark and you really worry that Rosie is going to get caught up in something really bad. The Author allows you to see the world through different eyes but with the guts and determination to reach an end goal. The constant pushing that Rosie can be independent was beautifully contradicted by the help (not always welcome) that she found along the way.
The age recommendation for this book is definitely appropriate as there are quite a few dark themes and some rather colourful language.
An easy read, though not particularly light hearted at times, I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone.
Rosie Loves Jack can be ordered here or through myself
Age 14+
£7.99
This book is also one of our chosen books for our Charity fundraising. 15% of all sales on this book will be donated to The Lowdown, a local charity who support children and young people with counselling and support.
Laura can't remember who she is. But the rest of the world knows. Because Laura is famous - a dying girl who was frozen until she could be cured. A real-life Sleeping Beauty.
This book was gripping from start to finish. The story of a girl who has woken from cryopreservation, finds herself in a world she doesn’t recognise. The story follows Laura as she comes to terms with new technology in a future that she doesn’t belong, whilst discovering the truth about her past.
The writing in this book is excellent. The chapters are split between two characters which gives a different perspective and, although to begin with it is not clear how they are linked, as the story develops it becomes more obvious. However, this doesn’t lose anything from the story itself.
The only mild criticism I have of the book is that it comes to a rather abrupt end. The epilogue does tie up all the lose ends but I felt that there could’ve been a bit more development to the story. Again, that doesn’t detract from the rest of the book and it was a very well-paced story
For a young adult novel, it is definitely one that an older audience can enjoy.
Crown Princess Lily of Waldenburg has a secret. When she’s not writing speeches and practising curtsies, she’s filming amazing outfits for her style vlog, Tiara Girl. The trouble is the royal family would NOT approve. But as the royal rebel becomes an online star, can Lily keep her identity secret?
I’ll be completely honest I didn’t like it. Now don’t get me wrong, if you have a 9 or 10 year old girl who loves vloggers like Zoella etc they’ll probably love it. It follows the story of Lily AKA Tiara Girl who longs to be a successful vlogger. The story has her panicking a lot that her true identity (hidden by sunglasses and a pink wig) is going to be found out by both her family and others.
I really wanted to like it, and the story seemed to have a lot of promise. However, it was definitely written with a series in mind as it doesn’t seem to go anywhere. Also I found the structure a bit frustrating (lots of bullet points, written more like a diary).
As I said, obviously as a football loving tomboy 30 something, I’m certainly not the target market for this book. However, I’m sure pre-teen will absolutely love it.
If you’d like to order a copy it is £6.99 and aimed at 9+
Freak The Mighty is the story of two boys who couldn’t be more opposite. Max is a quiet boy who is often called ‘stupid’ by his peers but his size means that everyone is scared of him. Kevin (Freak) is often called ‘dwarf’ due to his size. However, his opinions and knowledge make up for his small stature. Together, they are unstoppable in their adventures.
I’ll be honest, I found this book a bit hard to get into at first. I just found the main character, Max, and his initial interactions with Kevin, a bit clunky. However, once the story picked up and their friendship grew, the book became easier to read. It’s a good tale of no matter how different you are, you will always find someone who you can relate to.
The ending, without giving too many spoilers away, was not too much of a shock but was written with such emotion that I did shed a tear.
Overall, it was a pleasant read and is definitely a good book for developing empathy for characters and there are plenty of social themes to engage in discussion.
Teacup House: Meet the Twitches by Hayley Scott, Illustrated by Pippa Curnick
Meet the Twitches - four tiny rabbits who live in Teacup House. They belong to Stevie but they hold a secret. They come alive when Stevie isn’t looking.
This book was a pleasant little read. The illustrations on every page were beautiful and engaging. The story itself was delightful. A mixture between reality and make believe, this story has moments that have great talking points with your children. There are bits with some suspense and little twists that really make the story engaging.
I really liked this book and the large print makes it good for the more confident reader to read on their own but also a good book to readalong.
Dino FC are known as the craziest team in the Jurassic World. In this adventure, Terry Triceratops wants to buy a new player but because the team have played so badly that they have lost fans. The story takes us through the trials and tribulations of trying to get the fans back. This was a lovely little story and did make me laugh in parts as some things rang true of my own football team.
The book has a clever mix of prose and comic strips which is great for younger readers and it will keep them entertained throughout. It is a nice short read with a larger font so suitable for those more confident readers but also ideal for readalongs too.
It’s a book that any small (or large) football fan would love.
