reviews 10 – 14 Middle/Secondary continued


parenthood, and it’s no surprise when he disappears for a few days, leaving behind a suitcase full of dodgy cash and a few whispered instructions to Max to be the man of the house. Max and his sisters are initially excited about this novel adventure, but then Dad doesn’t come back. At school,


Max’s choices often


land him in lots of trouble. He finds it hard to avoid conflict and never finds time for his homework. With Dad gone, Max is the decision maker for the whole family, and his bad luck continues. His attempts to hold the fort, keeping his sisters fed and happy, while keeping his dad’s secrets safe, somehow result in him leading the three young girls to Wales, where an abandoned house, a freezing winter and a mystery dragon turn the story from a tense drama to a high-pace adventure. Each of the children in the family


are strong characters in their own right and, though the story’s focus is clearly on Max, throughout, it is clear that his sisters are dealing with loss in their own individual ways, too, be it by accumulating as much stationary as possible, or by writing romantic fiction! Day understands the complex forms that grief takes, and even Big Pete’s neglect and abandonment are somewhat understandable, given the powerful emotions of loss that are so carefully and accurately drawn. In the end, it is the kindness and


understanding of others - friends and strangers - that offer Max a way through his labyrinth


of and


When he finally begins talking to people


sharing his feelings,


things start to slowly get better. Max Kowalski Didn’t Mean It is a stirring story about the impact of grief and loss, delivered through a narrative


that has tension,


excitement and humour. It is a great book to share and discuss with a family member, but its deeply personal themes also make it perfect for independent reading. SD


The Fowl Twins HHH


Eoin Colfer, HarperCollins, 426pp, 978 0 00 832481 0, £14.99 hbk


“Because, as his big brother often said, ‘Know thine enemy, and assume everyone is your enemy, for it is ever true that the world resents genius.’ Words Myles intended to live by, even though they were grandiose and long- winded, like Artemis himself.” For some critics, “grandiose and long- winded” might well describe the telling of this novel and its predecessors, but sales for the Artemis Fowl series of 25 million reflect how much readers love Colfer’s “grandiose and long- winded” comic voice. His American publisher, Disney, clearly


share


their enthusiasm; an Artemis Fowl movie, directed by Ken Branagh and featuring Judi Dench, is due in 2020. The Fowl


Twins marks a new problems.


departure with a younger age group in mind and a series to follow. Artemis is away and (almost) out-of-touch on a 5 year mission to Mars, leaving the stage to his younger brothers, eleven- year-old twins Myles and Beckett, along with a new cast (albeit not too unlike that of the earlier series). The story involves an inquisitive troll


Elements the


called Whistle Police


Blower, Lower (LEP) Specialist


Lazuli Heitz (one of the fairy folk), and


Artemis-designed (Colfer’s word, not mine),


Artificial Neural Network Intelligence (NANNI) system. Then there’s Baddie


Nano a


Lord Teddy Bleedham-Drye, The Duke of Scilly. There’s a slightly less bad Baddie, Sister


Jeronima Gonzalez-


Ramos de Zarate of Bilbao, expert in knives and nunterrogation and chief of the Amsterdam headquarters of


ACRONYM. Sister Jeronima


paraphrases her employers’ Spanish name, which generates the acronym ACRONYM, as “an international intergovernmental


charged with monitoring fairy activity.” At the core of things are non-identical


contrasting, twins,


Myles and Beckett. Their relationship has endless comic potential. Myles has an IQ of 170, he’s brilliant in Science and Maths, precise in thought and grammar, personally fastidious, obsessively neat, though not strong on emotional intelligence. Beckett is the polar opposite of all that – “free as nature intended”, physically agile and fearless,


(the state of his bedroom drove his parents


to Mindfulness). talents,


irredeemably messy Beneath


the twins’ bickering lie a deep and growing affection and a respect for the other’s


especially


as these turn out to be seamlessly complementary in the many crises the plot throws at them. Easing the story along are countless ingenious technical gadgets and gimmicks. The narrative is driven by themes familiar to


readers of the


coupled with Lord Teddy’s search for ways of extending his life as long as possible, no matter what the cost to others or his dwindling finances. The adventure


organisation the


City where citizens are classified into freedoms, outlanders and paragons. Following a devastating hurricane, the Ark government introduce a system to meet the needs of the wealthy paragons.


Children are trained citizens rely ‘Opticare’ to


pollinate plants in the freedom fields; their small fingers replacing bees which have vanished from the city. Meanwhile other


on


meagre rations from food banks while being monitored by the deceptively benign sounding


and


policed by Ark security, nicknamed ‘Crows.’


The main character is Shifa,


fiercely brave and protective of her brother Themba who struggles to adapt to change and whose main source of solace and communication is his artwork. Their father Nabil has nurtured them by sowing seeds of stories in their minds of a former world of natural beauty. In a small act of quiet rebellion Nabil creates a secret garden of plants and a ‘story hive’, a stash of forbidden books. There is an underground movement of


resistance too, artists painting


‘Graffitrees’, adorning buildings with beautiful paintings of former natural worlds.


When Shifa and Themba receive


the call for training and then begin work in the freedom fields it is not long before Shifa realises Themba will not survive the regime and they will have to escape. She desperately seeks a plan however, it is through Themba and his relationship the aged woman Lona


that


with the


key to their escape is found. Their precarious


journey away from the


dehumanising and unrelenting regime of the freedom fields and back to their father begins. When joined by another escapee Luca, Shifa’s initial suspicion gradually


disappears as original series


she realises he offers friendship not betrayal. Her escape leads Shifa to discover the lies which have been told and the secrets hidden and triggers the hope that regeneration and true freedom can be found. There


topical environmental whirls around


the twins’ home on an island in Dublin Bay, Lord Teddy’s family seat on the Scillies, ACRONYM’s HQ in Amsterdam – and back again. Close shave follows close shave – literally and metaphorically, as it happens. Some adult readers may find Colfer’s style


at times young self-conscious and


repetitious to the point of indulgence, risking slowing the action and so deterring


readers. Colfer,


Disney, HarperCollins and those sales figures clearly know better. GF


Where the River Runs Gold HHHHH


Sita Brahmachari, Orion, 340pp, 978 1 510 10541 6, £6.99, pbk


In this dystopian eco adventure story readers are transported to Kairos


harsh context of


are powerful and highly messages


in this story as well as social and political issues of wealth distribution, responsibility and fairness. Despite the


imagined storyworld, book


drawn characters and sensitive relationships.


with real warmth, There


are family. Shifa’s devotion


themes of trust, love and the meaning of


this clearly this is a carefully


strong to her


brother Themba shines throughout and her growing recognition of the importance to her of the love of Nabil, the man she has called father all her life. A gripping read, highly recommended. SMc


Blast Off To The Moon! HHHHH


Produced in association with British Interplanetary Society and NASA. Introduction by the first British Astronaut and woman to visit Mir Space Station, Helen Sharman.


Tim Peake is quoted on the front cover as saying, “Packed with fun facts and information, Blast Off to the Moon tells the thrilling story of humankind’s greatest achievement. It will delight young, and not so young, space enthusiasts alike.” In the


introduction, Helen


Sharman, our first Briton to travel to space, suggests dipping into this book rather than reading it cover to cover. The book begins with details of the mission to the moon, readers meeting the


three selected astronauts,


Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins. There is description of their intensive training, the lead up to the launch and then the chapter headed, “THE WORLD HOLDS ITS BREATH… On the 16th July 1969 at 9-32a.m. the Saturn V launched the three astronauts on their epic journey to the moon.” The book continues to tell what life was like on board; what they ate, how they slept, how they went to the toilet, what work they had to do….. and so much more. It is based on the original NASA Press Kit and is full of exclusive never before seen content from the BIS archives. Certainly I did as Helen Sharman suggested,


turning each


page until I reached the end of the book, browsing through the pictures and photographs, and reading some captions. I wanted to know how the three returned to earth safely, despite the prepared announcement of their expected fate, to stay on the moon and rest in peace. This is an extraordinary


book,


accessible to all, and should have the widest of ownership. It has been put together in such a way that invites the youngest of readers to become fascinated by the whole idea of space. It is full of reverential but honest and factual information which can only leave readers in awe of these three men in particular, but also of all the enormous number of scientists who worked tirelessly for success towards this incredible achievement. Blast Off to the Moon should be in multiple copies in every library, every school and in all homes where families are determined to have a thirst for knowledge both for themselves and their offspring. A book full of awe and wonder. Let us be thrilled! Most highly recommended. GB


Gloves Off HHHH


Louisa Reid, Guppy Books, 308pp, 9781913101008, £10.99 hbk


Overweight teenage Lily is having


a rough time. Tormented at school she has also to cope with a loving but


seriously one obese mother who


has lost the confidence to leave the house. Her father is supportive but often works away from home. But after


particularly humiliating


episode with the classroom bully Lily tells him something of what was going on. Enraged, he gets her to start daily training and also join a female boxing academy. She does both, with startling success. She also


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