BfK 8 – 10 Junior/Middle continued


readers, the first surprise will be that there were, in fact, lots of ceratopsid dinosaurs, all of whom shared the Triceratops’ long triangular frills and horns. Classifying dinosaurs is clearly a complicated science, and Garrod uses drawings and labels to make things easier, but he knows that children aren’t afraid of long words, and doesn’t shy away from complex, scientific vocabulary. Once the Triceratops’ place in the


dino-family tree is clear, readers are given an in -depth look into where and when they lived, what their skull was really like, and how they would fare in a fight with a huge sawfish. Though the book is separated into standard chapters, there is variety within each, including conversations with experts, checklists and quizzes, as well as a comprehensive glossary. The result is that readers have both a useful reference book and an enjoyable chapter book that can be read from start to finish. As well as delivering fun facts to remember, Garrod also helps readers to realise that paleontology requires guesswork and hypothesising. There are a plethora of dinosaur books on the market, of all shapes and sizes, but this new series may have the necessary ingredients to stand out. It is very collectable, with many more dinosaurs yet to be covered, and


sticks to a formula without


becoming too predictable. It is also eye-catching, with plenty of diagrams and illustrations, and children


will


enjoy it as a book to share with one another. SD


Mollie on the March HHH


Anna Carey , O’Brien, 350pp., 9781788490085, £7.99 pbk


Mollie is an irrepressible character, at fourteen an enthusiastic suffragette in Dublin. When it is announced that Mr. Asquith, the Prime Minister is paying a visit to the city, Mollie and her friend Nora are determined to be part of any action taken by the movement. Unfortunately


Mollie’s elder sister


Phyllis has other ideas and is only persuaded to let them help when she hears about their painting of a post box, which happened in the first book, The Making of Mollie. The girls put their hair up at the back of a friendly shop and change into long skirts and heels and join the protest from the private room hired for the occasion. They are raided by the police but make it home undiscovered


and


decide to go to the open meeting held by the Suffragettes.


This however is


a much darker affair and results in Phyllis nearly being thrown into the River Liffey. Mollie and Nora live to fight another day for their cause. This story is told in a series of letters


sent to Mollie’s friend Frances who has gone to America and therefore missing all the action. The letters are lively and funny and relate not


just to the activities of the two young suffragettes,


but also their family


life, the visit of cousin Grace who is very disliked, and the difficulties of older sisters and brothers and a younger sister who prays a lot! What is missing is a real sense of period, particularly in the use of language. ‘You’re welcome’ is not a phrase used in 1912, and young girls and young women would have been more closely supervised, for example. But Mollie’s sense of fun, and light hearted attitude to life win the day for the reader and girls of 12+ will really enjoy this story of young suffragettes in an unfamiliar setting, reminding them that suffragettes were not found only in London. JF


To the Edge of the World HHHH


Julia Green, OUP, 228pp, 978 01 275845 3,£6.99 pbk


Set on a remote and


and


West coast of Scotland this is an atmospheric


to escape


island off the vivid adventure.


Jamie and his family have moved from the mainland to be nearer his grandparents


the


relentless bullying at his previous school.


He misses his father who


only returns from the mainland one weekend in two as his work is still in Glasgow.


Jamie is largely left to his


own devices in the holidays helping in his grandfather’s boatshed, playing football with friends or walking on the beach. He is terrified of the sea though and keeps well away from the water’s edge. One day he is surprised to see pawprints in the sand and a boat tacking along the shore sailed by a girl he has never seen before. He envies her confidence and ability to handle the boat. When Jamie asks about the girl his grandfather tells him she lives with her mother but no-one knows much about them as they keep to themselves.


Jamie is intrigued and


gradually he and the girl Mara develop a tentative friendship. Jamie adores her dog Django and little by little he conquers his fear of the sea as Mara teaches him to sail and even to swim. But Mara has an odd obsession with the uninhabited islands further out to sea especially St Kilda and talks about them constantly. One


day Jamie spots Mara


readying the boat for a journey and he realises what she is about to do. He surprises her and although he cannot convince her to stay he cannot let her go alone so finds himself a semi-willing accomplice in her journey to the remote and desolate island of St Kilda.


gripping and perilous.


peril and danger dealing with storms, strong tides yet eventually landing on St Kilda. It is Jamie who finally persuades


Mara nature they must then


return home as their supplies begin to run out. Julia


Green’s connection depiction with


is very strong and the of


the wild beauty and


power of the wind, waves and how life or death can hang on a knife edge is portrayed extremely well. It is beautifully written although I did feel it stretched credulity in a few places and Mara’s mother’s difficulties were perhaps glossed over a little. The story gives a powerful message about facing up to your fears and being true to yourself. JC


Meet the Artist: J.M.W. Turner HHH


Lizzy Stewart, Tate Publishing, 32pp, 978 1 84976 518 3, £6.99 pbk


If you really want to appreciate works of art, then the best thing to do is to visit a gallery and if you want to learn about the works of Romantic painter, printer and water-colourist J.M.W. Turner then you’re likely to head to the Tate which houses many of his hundred favourite works that he bequeathed to the nation. In collaboration with the good folk


at the Tate, illustrator Lizzy Stewart has created an art activity book that introduces some of Turner’s works to youngsters. There are brief details of his life


and information about sources of inspiration for landscape,


the


his paintings: the sea, the weather,


buildings, literature and portraits. The


In all book contains small


reproductions of a number of Turner’s works with accompanying snippets of information about them and activities to try.


thirteen pictures are


Their epic journey is both Jamie comes


to understand that Mara’s life is not that easy and she may be neglected. And Mara has her own demons to deal with as she has never been to formal school and does not want to go to the secondary school off the island. Both children face extreme


26 Books for Keeps No.229 March 2018


included, although many are little more than the size of a postage stamp – too small to really appreciate them. Throughout the book, the reader


is invited to try emulating the artist through suggestions such as carrying a sketch book and using it to record everyday sights and things; drawing or painting a landscape on a full blank


page of the book, experimenting with capturing the moods of the sea in tiny rectangles, drawing a favourite building, or writing a story relating to The Fighting Temeraire. Strangely, the


pages are not


numbered as the final spread giving page numbers for the specific works featured, their date, size and where they may be seen, is presumably intended as a pictorial index. Strangely


too, Turner’s portrait is


omitted altogether from this index. Editorial oversights perhaps? JB


Fabio the World’s Greatest Flamingo Detective: The case of the missing hippo


HHHH


Laura James, ill. Emily Fox, Bloomsbury, 134pp, 9781-408889312, £5.99 pbk


Fabio is a flamingo detective-a rather good one as the title


tells us - but


sometimes he likes to relax with his giraffe associate detective, Gilbert. He and Gilbert drop in to the Hotel Royale for their favourite tipple-pink lemonade – but don’t get as far as relaxing because Fabio is asked to judge the hotel talent show. Things become even less relaxing for Fabio (and Gilbert) when one of the contestants vanished into thin air when she is performing on stage. Her name is Gloria, she is a hippo, and we get to know all the other colourful animal characters as Fabio gets to work on solving the mystery. The book is one of


those very


popular sizes like Laura’s other funny titles about Pug. The size and layout of the book would appeal to beginner readers and older readers alike and like many of the others with similar layout it’s suitable


for encouraging


reluctant readers. The layout isn’t text heavy – there is a good interspersing of Emily’s comical animal characters on full pages and little inserts. The colour combinations of pink, green, grey and black make for a striking visual appearance and this colour scheme is also on the background of select page so of text. The font also helps the eye to read as it is clearly spaced and not cramped at all, again making it a really accessible chapter book. This is a funny tale and all the


characters are drawn very well both with language


and pictures. This


would be a great addition to anybody’s library. SG


Fantastically Great Women Who Made History


HHHHH


Kate Pankhurst, Bloomsbury, 32pp,978-1408878903, £6.99 pbk


This is book which is a must have for anybody – girl or boy, man or woman – it’s enlightening for one and all. Kate Pankhurst gives us a great introduction to finding out more about these fantastically great women along with her sister book (another must have) Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World. Her


layout is quirky and gives


you instructions as to how to read the pages with different tracks to


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