reviews


exam in their fifteenth year. Those who fail this Territorial Allocation Assessment (TAA) are sent to almost-certain death in the disease-infested Wetlands. The brightest people must survive so they can solve all the problems.


One problem that has been solved is how to ensure children pass the TAA. Those who are rich or well connected enough now breed Childes in womb pods. These Childes have Nodes that, from the age of 9, they plug into Ports to upload information directly into their brains. With the TAA heavily weighted towards factual knowledge, they have a huge advantage over Norms like Noa and her friends who have to study the old-fashioned way. Exams have never been so stressful! Noa’s mother works for the Ministry so her parents could have had a Childe but they chose not to. They were obviously aware of the downsides – uploading stifles creativity and individualism. Luckily Noa is super bright and studious so she’s likely to pass the TAA anyway, but that’s not the case with her best friends, the artistic Jack and boy-mad Daisy. The Childes look down on the Norms and the Norms look down on the ‘freakoids’ as they call them. But then Raf arrives at school. He’s a freakoid, but he doesn’t behave like one, and Noa soon falls for him – which upsets the intensely jealous Jack. But Noa is a robust girl, and nothing gets her down for long, whether it’s the demise of a friend, finding out the truth about her mother, or behaving in ways that have fairly dire consequences for other people.


The book’s told in the first person by Noa, whose language is very much that of a contemporary teenager. The winner of The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Prize, it’s an enjoyable, fast-paced read, and raises some interesting questions about how you would behave in difficult situations, as well as being a clear indictment of the UK education system. It’s the first in a trilogy and I’ll be interested to see how the story progresses.


RW


The Endless Trials of Tabitha Baird


HHHH


Arabella Weir, Piccadilly Press, 978-1-84812-436-3, 208pp, £6.99 pbk


Tabitha Baird is the Queen Bee of her gang – her ‘bezzies’. She is the one they expect to be outrageous (never malicious, just outrageous). She is determined to keep her position – but the arrival of Alexandra with her striking goth appearance and her supercilious air is a serious threat.


There is nothing serious about this book. From the teenage preoccupations to the arrival of a litter of puppies, we see the world through Tabitha’s breathless voice and self-centred eyes. Yes, there is the possible – probable – divorce of the parents; there is the problem of Sam and of course, Alexandra. But the narrative fizzes along with all the verve of an elderflower spritzer (strictly non-alcoholic) bringing a smile to the


face and skip to the step. If the result is slightly exhausting for the adult reader, this is just the book to recommend to lively younger teens who will recognise Tabitha and her world – and enjoy it.


FH


Completely Cassidy: Accidental Genius


HHH


Tamsyn Murray, illustrated by Antonia Miller, Usborne, 208pp, 978-1-40956-271-9, £5.99 pbk


Cassidy is about to start Year 7 in her new secondary school, complete with her brother’s too big blazer, and her shoes with the kittens on them as her dog has chewed one of her new pair. This sentence really sums up Cassidy’s worries about starting a new school, even though her best friends Molly and Shenice will be there. In fact things go quite well and when her parents are called in to see Mr Bearman, and Cassidy learns she has come top of the CATs test and is invited to join the quiz team to compete against other schools, life feels pretty good. But then Molly begins to fancy her older brother Liam who has a rock band, and the dog chews her knickers in front of the boy Cassidy fancies who leads the quiz team and things go downhill. Cassidy then finds out that the other C Bond in her year is in fact the one who came first in the CATs test not her and she decides to leave the quiz team. Nathan persuades her that she is needed and she is instrumental in winning the regional quiz round, Molly comes third in the school’s Got Talent competition and her brother’s band comes second and the twins are born, making way for a sequel!


This is great fun, capturing perfectly the difficult transition to secondary school, especially wearing a too-large blazer, hand-me-down or new. It is good that Cassidy is thrilled to be top of the tests instead of being the most sought-after girl – it makes being a bit clever the thing to be which is a good role model for girls, and the jokey style, with inputs from Cassidy’s lists, does not mask the picture of her normal home life, especially when her dad pays for the rectifying of her disastrous experiment with highlights for her hair! The angst of falling out with a friend is not hidden and the difficulty of making it up rings very true. Girls from 9+ will enjoy this and be looking out for the sequel.


JF The Yelling Stones HHHH


Oskar Jensen, Hot Key Books, 240pp, 978-1-47140-411-5, £5.99 pbk


This is the story of Norse Gods, legends, magic and humans trying to deal with a time of great change. Astrid is the daughter of the Danish king and, whilst riding out one day, she is attacked by wolves. Luckily she is saved by a young poet, Leif, who is on the way to her father’s court. He has a vision in which he warns of dark dangers that are threatening the kingdom. Can Leif and Astrid stop the danger or will the Danes be


Princess Olivia is the only daughter of the ruler of a magical version of Venice. The waters of the lagoon are kept at bay by the rulers of the city and the rituals surrounding the gift for the spirits of the water. But the waters are rising, Olivia’s father is seriously ill and her aunt is plotting to put her own son on the throne. Our heroine knows that she has to be the one who leads the effort to save the city, but this seems an impossible task, that is until she meets one of the supposedly mythical Water Horses that are said to control the waters.


Holly Webb has an amazing ability to weave together history and magic and with this, the first in a new series, she


overwhelmed by the unknown threat, and what is the importance of the three standing stones, called the yelling stones, which dominate the area around the palace?


This is a strong story which is absolutely steeped in Norse mythology. The characters are very much of their time and have a firm belief in the magic that surrounds them. However, this is also a time of great change across northern Europe as Christianity moves across the lands. What does stand out with this book are the great similarities with the modern world, where several religions have groups who believe in an aggressive form of conversion. This book would make an excellent starting point for a discussion or for research because it combines action, strong characters and a plot that is complex, yet in some ways is simply the clash of two opposing belief systems.


It is very much a book that grows on you and which repays the effort of reading. Norse mythology has seen a resurgence of interest from authors over the last few years, but this has a feel of reality and darkness that is often missing from other interpretations. This will be a great read for the KS2 pupils it is intended for.


MP The Water Horse HHHH


Holly Webb, Orchard Books, 250pp, 978-1-40832-7623, £6.99 pbk


has taken us to a world that is at once both known and yet magical. The character of Olivia develops well as she begins to understand the realities behind the privileged life that she leads. She shows an inner strength that augurs well for the future, when she will eventually become ruler of the city. The story itself is fast paced and full of action, yet at a level that remains believable. There are true villains in the characters of Lady Sofia and her son Zuan and we long for them to be brought to justice. The author has managed to give us a real feel for the city of Venice; we can almost smell the water and hear it lapping against the foundations of the houses and we can understand the connection that the people feel with the water that is actually the lifeblood of their home. This would make a great series for younger readers who can then move to series such at the Stravaganza books.


MP Dog Ears HHH


Anne Booth, Catnip, 978-1-84647-188-9, 216pp, £6.99 pbk


Anna confides in her dog Timmy as her home life is somewhat chaotic. She has a new baby brother, born prematurely, and all her mother’s time is taken up looking after him. Her father travels for his job so relies on Anna to keep things going at home. Gradually things go downhill and come to a head when Anna can never get her school uniform and PE kit washed: the machine is permanently full of nappies, and washing them seems to be Anna’s job according to Gran.


At school Anna, her two best friends and another girl, Lauren, are practising for the talent competition as one of the school’s old girls, now a pop star is coming to record a charity single. Not daunted in any way by the fact that Anna has only been playing the violin for two months and is finding it difficult to practise because of waking the baby, the four girls form a band, although Lauren is absent from most of their practice sessions. Anna discovers the reason for this when she meets Lauren in the launderette where she has gone to wash her clothes in desperation (her two friends have told her she has started to smell): Lauren is a carer for her siblings as her mother has died. The arrival of a monster internet shop, ordered because Anna thought it would prove to be useful to buy two months’ worth of food, is the final straw for her and she runs off with Timmy.


Well written in a confiding tone, this sad tale tugs at the heart strings. Hopefully readers will notice the change of confidant at the end when Anna writes to Jack the baby, rather than Timmy. The school do not appear to have noticed Anna’s somewhat dishevelled appearance and inability to turn up with the correct ingredients for her cookery classes which is a little worrying and perhaps not quite true to life – and would her mother and Gran really not notice her smelly uniform, or expect her to do an internet shop unaided? In the main, however, this is a story that convinces. Anna is a


Books for Keeps No.212 May 2015 29


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