BfK 10 – 14 Middle/Secondary continued Ed’s Choice The Crossover 


Kwame Alexander, Andersen Press, 978-1-7834-4367-3, 240pp, £7.99 pbk


Josh and Jordan are twins and both passionate about basketball; a passion inherited from their father who played professionally. But when       relationship starts to unravel. The themes that run through this


award winning novel will be familiar – sibling relationships, jealousy,       a slightly less familiar background, the basketball court. However, what makes this novel different is the voice. Told by Josh aka Filthy McNasty, it is written as a verse novel. This is a form that is making  temptingly easy. I would suggest it is far from that and should not be tackled lightly. Here, it is handled with consummate ease. The rhythms match the bounce of the ball on the court, the speed of the player darting from one end to the other in a way that avoids lengthy and wordy description. Thoughts and dialogue have a directness that is instantly engaging. This is the strength of the verse novel; the stripped down narrative that makes for immediacy and vivid snapshots.


An Eagle in the Snow 


Michael Morpurgo, HarperCollins, 978-0-0081-3415-0, 272pp, £12.99 hbk


Michael Morpurgo’s new book was inspired by the true story of Private Henry Tandey, the most decorated Private of World War I. This book is set in World War 2.


The danger is that characterisation and depth of emotion get lost. This is not the case here. Both boys are very


relationship with each other and their father completely believable and sympathetic. Though the setting and references may be less familiar – it is indeed an American book, and basketball is less well known in this country – this should be no barrier. The hip-hop beat of the writing draws the reader in. Films and television will inform young readers, while anyone with a passion will understand Josh and JB Highly recommended – and not FH


just for the sporty.


Barney and his mum are taking the train to Cornwall via London, having lost all their possessions in the Coventry bombings. Sitting opposite them is a man who Barney soon recognises as the air-raid warden who had carried him down from the rubble of his former home. It’s not long into the journey when the train comes under attack from a German plane, and is forced to shelter in a tunnel.     than the attack. The man lights a match, but he only has four and they won’t last long, so to while away the time he tells the story of Billy Byron. The man has known Billy all his life.


They were in an orphanage together, joined the army together, and when the First World War broke out, were sent to Belgium together. One day they marched past a small girl crying and shivering by the side of the road. Billy, against the orders of the Sergeant,  thereby saving her life. He never forgot their encounter. Billy drew endless pictures of the girl Christine, talked about her all the time, and said that he


would do everything he could to end the war as quickly as possible so children like her would not have to suffer. This, the man said, was the reason why Billy volunteered for the most dangerous jobs, took incredible risks, and fought as hard as he could to destroy the enemy; he wasn’t interested in the rights or wrongs of war, or in being brave, he just wanted it to be over. At the end of their last, victorious battle, a lone German soldier emerged from the smoke, but Billy forbade anyone from killing him – there was no need as they’d clearly already won the war. Peacetime came, Billy eventually tracked down Christine and they ended up getting married. Life was good – until Hitler came into power. When  cinema, Billy suddenly recognised him – he was the German whose life he’d saved. Billy realised that had he killed him, he would have prevented another war, and he is determined to make amends for this mistake. Billy’s story is loosely based on


Tandey’s, although Morpurgo has embellished the facts to create a moving, gripping, sometimes heart- warming account. At the same time, he     bravery and guilt, and shows how even our very best actions can have disastrous consequences. There’s a gentle, satisfying twist at the end of this thought provoking book, when the man  the train begins to move again.


RW 28 Books for Keeps No.215 November 2015 real schoolboys, their


The Edge of Me 


Jane Brittan, Blowfish Books, 978-0-9932-3340-1, £6.99 pbk


16-year-old Sanda lives in North London with her Serbian immigrant parents. Home life is grim with her mother in particular taking little notice of her, and her parents always arguing. Sanda knows nothing about her background other than that her parents arrived in England after the 1992-1995 Bosnian War, and no family or friends ever visit. School’s pretty miserable too, until the gorgeous Joe Mullins asks her out. Meanwhile, Sanda’s parents have been acting strangely since the arrival of a letter bearing a French postcode.       herself when young – her different coloured eyes make her immediately       underneath is not hers. She comes         completely empty house, and both she and Joe are abducted by two menacing Serbs, before they’ve even  Sanda and Joe are smuggled to Bosnia, where they have a truly action- packed time. They try to escape, are caught, end up in an orphanage, escape again (with an orphan in tow), get injured, are separated, and come across an array of goodies and baddies – including Sanda’s ‘mother’ who turns out to be evil     the secrets of her life, and faces the truth about her parents. Her spirit is awe-inspiring throughout – she never gives up no matter how impossible the situation seems. Jane Brittan paints some truly gruelling pictures: the description of beatings at the orphanage were particularly harrowing. The book really is an impossible-to-


It is a jolly romp very much in line with the period it is set, characters and motives  novel from the ‘Golden Age of Crime’. There are no deep messages hidden within the narrative but it does acknowledge the casual racism of the time in the attitudes towards Hazel and her father from some of the other characters. A light read to keep you occupied on a long train journey, preferably without a corpse.


CD


National Theatre: All About Theatre





Marina McIntyre, Walker Books, 978-1-4063-5869-8, 128pp, £14.99 hbk


put-down page-turner; just when the pace seems to let up, there’s another drama. As well as inadvertently teaching the reader about the Bosnian         ending comes as a huge relief – and      after all she’s been through.


RW First Class Murder 


Robin Stevens, Corgi, 336pp, 978-0-5525-7074-9, £6.99 pbk


This is the third outing for the Wells & Wong Detective Society and fully acknowledging Mrs Christie’s work it  Hazel’s father hopes to keep the girls out of trouble by taking them on        suspicious characters, each obviously with something to hide. Not least is Mrs Helen Vitellius whom we have met before under a different name. Just like the original, the train is held up,  and as we wait the wealthy heiress with the fabulous jewels is murdered in her sleeping compartment. As with the other books in the series, the story rattles along with red herrings galore. Finally Daisy and Hazel       Arcady of the Junior Pinkertons. I shall reveal no more of the plot.


Theatre brings people together to experience a story.’ This large and comprehensive book,        introduction for children from about age nine or ten to all that is involved in  curtain’. It opens with a brief history  aim of the National Theatre over its  of English Theatre – and not least the plays of William Shakespeare. Each spread is lively with information, comment and illustration. Take, for            comic timing, crying on cue and        word, ‘knaps’ – the noise actors make to create the sound of a slap or punch – and there are lively photographs of actors in action. Young readers learn that work on a play begins long  many people including the playwright, director, actors, producer and stage      costumes, make-up, lighting, sets, special effects, sound, music and  such a wealth of information I found the diagram ‘Making a Play’ very helpful in showing how all these elements interact as the play takes shape, going from casting and       to preparing for the opening night. A welcome aspect of the book is its encouragement to young readers to be creative: to get involved in their own script writing, acting and designing. In       part of the script for Treasure Island is reproduced. Teachers and children        here how workshops are a place for  The challenge for a writer of a book


like this, which covers such a wide and rich landscape, is to include interesting detail as well as the ‘big shapes’. This Marina McIntyre achieves by giving us the thoughts of writers, directors and actors, shared with us in their own voices. The playwright Lucy Prebble urges young readers and writers to, ‘Look for areas and subject matter which fascinate you. Look for worlds that are unexplored’. Marianne Elliot shares War Horse (with co-director Tom Morris) and insists ‘... the most important thing is to have an emotional connection to the material. Then everything else


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