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reviews 8 – 10 Junior/Middle continued


is drawn into the world of the Night’s Realm where children are trapped by the spells of the wicked Magician who drains their energy and memory to feed his own power. Billy’s secret fear of the dark is tested to the utmost when he is trapped in the Magician’s sinister world. Here, he finds that, protected by his grandfather’s talisman, he is the only child able to resist the Magician’s spells and he has to fight his fear, step up and save himself and the other children from the clutches of the Magician and the fearsome creatures of the Night’s Realm. This spooky, magical tale presents


a positive message of overcoming fears and should appeal to readers who enjoy a bit of a scare along with the fantasy adventures. SR


Plastic Sucks! HHHH


Dougie Poynter, Macmillan Children’s Books, 184pp, 9781529019377, £9.99 pbk


This book’s subtitle, ‘YOU can make a difference’, highlights the positive tone prevalent throughout this child- friendly, accessible


guide


history, dangers and solutions relating to the world’s plastic problem.


to the The


author, musician and environmental activist Dougie Poynter, is a member of


the band McFly, co-author of


The Dinosaur That Pooped titles, a massive nature enthusiast and a campaigner against microplastics. All in all, he is well qualified to write this lively, informative ‘Guide For Children Who Want To Make A Difference’. The author addresses young people


directly throughout, in a contemporary, friendly tone, whilst always maintaining a focus on the important issues. There is a lot of information here, but it is broken up by bright info graphics with panels, tables, graphs, lists, photographs, facts and tips for action, all in bold fonts against striking black or neon green backgrounds.


Information


on the history, usefulness and danger of plastic is interspersed with interviews with inspirational individuals who are already making a difference and tips for young people on how to act now to cut down on plastic use. This lively, inspirational guide,


with its encouraging, positive tone, is a book for these urgently eco- aware


times, focussing big environmental issues, on the always


emphasising that no action is too small to make a difference. SR


Dr Maggie’s Grand Tour of the Solar System


HHHHH


Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Ill. Chelen Écija, Buster Books, 120pp, 978 1 78055 575 1, £12.99, hbk


Dr Maggie is a space scientist with a passion for


communicating information book. the


wonders of the universe to young people and that enthusiasm really comes


through in this excellent Young readers are transported


on a virtual tour of our solar system, from earth, our moon and the sun to our closest planetary neighbours and then onwards to the planets of the outer solar system and beyond. Before


setting off, time is spent


considering our home planet Earth; appreciating its beauty from space and why it is special in supporting life. As well as heading for the planets our route takes us past the international space station, the asteroid belt and even beyond the


furthest planets


to the icy zone known as the Oort Cloud. As in a real tour our virtual tour includes highlights such as the red spot on Jupiter and Saturn’s amazing rings (dubbed ‘Lord of the Rings’). We find out what the solar system


is, about gravity, the difficulties of getting


into orbit and the growing


problem of space junk. Complex ideas, such as how our star the Sun was born, are explained simply supported with diagrams when appropriate, for example when introducing the phases of the moon. The


layout is stunning


with photographic backdrops superimposed with artwork. Each double page has lots of interest, in addition to the narrative text there are extra facts and theories. There is a data base at the back of the


book which includes even more stats such as the huge distances involved in space travel. An interesting inclusion here is the double page devoted to lesser known individuals in fields of astronomy, science, mathematics and space travel who have contributed to our knowledge of space with particular reference to the role of women and including people of colour. This is a very attractive book


packed with interesting information written in an accessible


and


engaging and style which effectively communicates the beauty, mystery and wonder of space. A must for young space enthusiasts. SMcG


Eight Princesses and a Magic Mirror


HHHHH


Natasha Farrant, ill. Lydia Corry, Zephyr, 217 pp, 9 781788 541152, £12.99, hbk


When an enchantress becomes


godmother to a King and Queen’s baby daughter, she wonders how she can help her become a really excellent princess. Th enchantress consults


her servants but decides their


standard responses, about beauty and kindness do not satisfy her. Her magic mirror is particularly unhelpful. The enchantress


action and transforms her mirror


into a pocket-sized


to take magic


version


sending it on a mission to be her eyes and ears to find out what really makes an excellent princess. There follow eight stories about


extraordinary princesses the mirror encounters on its travels, through


history from ancient civilizations to the present day and across the world from desert lands to an ancient city in the mountains, fishing villages, a tower block and the high seas. The stories are linked together as the mirror is lost or given away by its owner and awaits a new home in the next chapter. The mirror did indeed step into


the lives of remarkable princesses who challenged stereotypes: whether setting sail to rescue a stranded sailor, standing up for people they care about, or finding ways to save a city memorial garden.


The mirror


finds out that what these princesses have in common is that they are brave, fierce and loyal with big dreams and big hearts. The stories are beautifully written fairy tale style


in traditional with


delightful imagery, for example one ‘princess’ who makes clothes from cast offs says wearing them feels like being ‘wrapped in stories.’ This is a beautifully presented book containing attractive


and illustrations elegant throughout including a


full-page illustration and decorative title page to introduce each new princess and their story. A book which would make a lovely for


gift, particularly young readers


keen to discover that princesses do not need to wait for princes to fight their battles or sweep them off their feet. SMcG


I Cosmo HHHHH


Carlie Sorosiak, ill. Ben Mantle, Nosy Crow, 263pp, 9781788003872, £6.99 pbk


This story follows a year or so in the life of Cosmo and his


family, but


especially Max who is Cosmo’s best friend.


Unfortunately this is a year


when there are growing frictions within the family and Cosmo feels he has to try and keep everything together. However Cosmo is a thirteen year old Golden Retriever, which makes helping out very difficult. As part of Max’s plan to help keep the family together the two start to attend dog/ human dance classes in the company of Uncle Reggie, who is an ex-military dog trainer. The idea is that they will win a competition and be given roles in a forthcoming film, so that no one will ever try and part them. How these two carry out their plan and what the end result is will have you reaching for the tissues, but whether that is in a good or bad way you will have to read the book to find out. This is a truly wonderful story of the


bonds that are created between dogs and their humans. Although we cannot know what our dogs are thinking this really does have a sense of truth about it. Having had a dog the same age as Cosmo I can relate to the issues of ageing that he finds creeping up on him. The whole behaviour of the dog will resonate with anyone whose pet has rolled in something, dug up the garden or destroyed part of the home; but of course Cosmo does not see


that he is doing anything wrong, it is just part of his nature. The other part of the story, which follows the falling apart of a marriage and the effect that has on the children will have a tremendous impact on many readers. Even young children will know people in their


class, family or friendship


group where things are going badly wrong and hopefully this will help the young people understand that it is not their fault and that their parents still care for them, even though the adults’ relationship has changed. I absolutely loved


this book and particularly


Cosmo, who is a real hero. MP Nevertell


HHHHH


Katherine Orton, ill Rovina Cai and Sandra Dieckmann, Walker, 376pp, £7.99 pbk


Eleven year old Lina was born and brought up in a soviet prison camp. She knows no other life, but dreams of escaping


from prison, colour


with her mother Katya and finding her grandmother in Moscow.


together Just


before her twelfth birthday her mother arranges for Lina to escape together with three other prisoners; then Lina’s friend Bogdan sneaks out as well, so there are five of them trying to escape in the bitter winter of Siberia. Things get even worse when they are hunted by a strange woman called Svetlana and her pack of ‘Ghost Wolves’. We begin to see the beginnings of something magical, but whether it is good or bad is difficult to judge and Lina does not know who she is able to trust.


There are ups and downs


for the main characters and a few surprises before there is a resolution to the tale. You will have to read the story to understand the very poignant title of the book and why ‘never tell’ is so vital to the plot. This book was a truly delightful The initial setting in a


surprise.


Stalinist prison camp was a very depressing prospect, although there have been several amazing stories with a very similar concept. However the author has mixed in some magic and Russian folk lore in order to give us a truly beautiful story of love and hope against all the odds.


Lina


and Bogdan are very sympathetic characters; whilst they are coping with some very adult situations and fighting to become free we do not forget that they are still children and their life experiences mean they are still learning about those around them. We are also shown the difficulties that people faced in Russia after the Second World War. The descriptions bring home how dangerous it was to say anything against Stalin and how even children were persuaded to ‘tell’ on their parents. There is also a real sense of the fear about what could happen and how this permeated society and made those who helped the needy seem even braver than they were. At the heart of this story we have the love that exists between family and friends; the years apart do not lessen the desire to see parents,


Books for Keeps No.239 November 2019 27


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