reviews 8 – 10 Junior/Middle continued New Talent The Magic Place HHHHH


Chris Wormell, David Fickling Books, 294pp, 9781788450157 £11.99 hbk


Clementine has never seen the outside world. She is kept shut up inside No 10 Blackstone Street, home to her aunt and uncle. When not locked in her cellar room, she must clean and tidy for them. Her only companion (when he feels like it) is the white cat she calls Gilbert. Her only consolation, to lie looking up her chimney to catch a glimpse of a blue sky – and to dream about a special, a magical place; a place she is determined to find because she knows she must escape. But can she find the courage – and the strength? Chris Wormell is already well


known to be a master of the picture book as the author


–illustrator


of such classics as Molly and the Night Monster and George and the Dragon. Now he is turning his talent


for storytelling to writing


with a longer text. He is to be congratulated. Here is a Cinderella story to delight, perfect for reading aloud – or, if confident, reading oneself and especially for those who have already been introduced to Dahl. The narrative voice is assured and direct,


inviting the


to take part in the storytelling; a collaboration. The characters may be fairytale (no princes or princesses, though) – the orphan, the wicked


Back in New Zealand Ella is


becoming increasingly uncomfortable with her uncle’s obsession realising that perhaps the yetis do not want to be found and understands that if they are their whole existence could be destroyed. This is a page-turning


eco-


adventure drawing on the myths and legends of yetis across the world. The yeti culture and their way of living is well-realised down to the details of the different food they like to eat. Always fascinating to child readers! And we discover that the different yeti setts are responsible to some degree of keeping the eco-systems in place. There is an important message here of the dangers of altering the delicate balance of nature and of working together


for are there greater gain.


The key characters are well-drawn and insightful, standing up for what they believe in but although all the elements


it somehow


doesn’t quite add up to the sum of its parts. The Illustrations were not seen but no doubt they will be delightful judging by Katy form. JC


Riddell’s previous


between them. We have the tale of Uki and his compatriots, but again the story is being told by ‘The Bard’ who is also on a journey with his apprentice Rue. The plots are interlinked and there


appears to be a common


Aunt and Uncle – splendidly nasty creations, the animal familiar - but no magic, rather the magic is the power of the imagination and of hope. To accompany the text there are Wormell’s own illustrations – spreads


that give Clementine’s


world reality, page decorations to highlight elements of the narrative, complementing the text with little vignettes from the hand of a great draughtsman;


black and white


until the final glorious revelation. In addition the production values are excellent. From the attractive cover


designed by Wormell, reader the


end pages where the neat designs subtly mirror the passage of the story to the excellent choice of font, clear and unfussy, here is a little volume that demands to be picked up and read. This is to be highly recommended. FH


Uki and the Outcasts HHHHH


Kieran Larwood, ill David Wyatt & Fernando Jaurez, Faber & Faber, 386pp, 9780571342792, £12.99hbk


We were introduced to the magical world trilogy


of the of Podkin One-Ear and we


are now introduced to a new hero from another of these realms. Uki is a rabbit, attacked and thrown out by his tribe because of his piebald (black and white) fur and during his flight from danger his mother dies and Uki is left near to death. He is saved when an ancient spirit called Iffrit finds him and joins himself with Uki. This is the beginning of a quest, that will take Uki and several companions that he collects on the way on a long journey to re-capture four evil spirits who had escaped from a hidden prison and were hoping to regain their power. In simplistic terms this follows


the plot structure of a quest and we have the usual sequence where new members join the group. Following the same style as the previous books the story is told from two different perspectives, with a time


lapse Five Realms in the


theme based around the importance of an old tower. However this is also about the meaning of family and friendship, as the entire group have problems with their families and are looking to find a new life. For Uki there are also issues around his differing fur colour; something that makes him different and not part of the tribe. What we do see is that this discrimination is not because of any real threat that he poses but is part of the fear that Uki’s own tribe has for anything different. This is a story full of adventure, thrilling escapades and many challenges that will keep the audience hooked into the story until the end; it is a brilliant read for young, and not so young, readers. MP


Ariki and the Island of Wonders HHHH


Nicola Davies, ill. Nicola Kinnear, Walker, 144pp, 978 1 4063 6980 9, £5.99 pbk


This sequel to Ariki and the Giant Shark continues the Pacific Island adventures


of the


courageous girl who can read the stars, navigate the ocean


impetuous, and


communicate with sea creatures. When Ariki and her friend Ipo are washed up on an unfamiliar island they meet a fellow castaway and help him to save the wonderful, gigantic blue birds that live there. This is a magical adventure story with appealing characters and an exotic Pacific setting, all beautifully brought


to life in Nicola Davies’


descriptive text and Nicola Kinnear’s gentle, curving and expression-filled illustrations.


Nicola Davies is both


zoologist and author, and this shows in her ability to present such eco themes as biodiversity, non-native species threat, seed dispersal and extinction danger whilst telling a fast- paced adventure story and conveying the sheer wonder and beauty of the natural world.


These further tales


about the intrepid Ariki should appeal to newly confident readers who love animals, adventure


and


settings. SR Lori and Max


HHHHH


Catherine O’Flynn, Firefly Press, 202pp, 978 1913102029, £6.99 pbk


Lori is an orphan and lives with her trendy gran who has a marvellous line in eccentric hats. She dreams of being a real-life detective following in the footsteps of her favourite gumshoes Jim and Sylvie Clandestino. But the only detecting she seems to do is to find her gran’s spectacles on a regular basis. At school there is nothing much to discover either but when a new girl Max arrives Lori is charged with showing her the ropes and interesting things start to happen. Max claims she has been expelled from every


unusual


school she has attended but Lori soon realises that this is a front and that her devil may care attitude belies a different story.


The girls strike up a


tentative friendship as neither quite fits in.


On day Lori notices that the money


in the charity box in her classroom has gone missing and everyone assumes Max has stolen it as she has also mysteriously disappeared. But Lori is convinced that Max would not have taken the money and that something has happened to her. The police do not believe Lori either and she realises she will have to solve the mystery herself. Told in alternating chapters between the two girls, this is a beautifully written story and a tender and sensitive portrayal of a blossoming friendship between the girls despite their differences and difficulties. The challenges faced by Max in her dysfunctional family are so delicately handled and startling well-observed. There is real heart-stopping peril at the end too as the story reaches a dramatic conclusion.


This is a witty,


sharp and intelligent detective story - an absolute gem. JC


Stretch your confidence. Discover what you can do


HHHH


Beth Cox, illus Vicky Barker, b small, 32pp, 9781911509967, £7.99 pbk


In collaboration with Power Thoughts founder, Natalie Costa, Level Headers.


It can be worrying to be young and lacking confidence. There are so many aspects of life where failure seems to be certain. The news is full of disaster and


peopled by characters who


appear to be super human in their achievements and presentation. It is all very well being told to be positive – but talking does not go very far. In this slim book, Beth Cox helped by lively illustrations by Vicky Barker, offers practical help and support. Identifying specific areas that can give rise to anxiety and a lack of confidence – popularity, friendships, fear – she presents each simply and directly in easy to


understand language Books for Keeps No.238 September 2019 25


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