BfK 8 – 10 Junior/Middle continued


The Secret Life of Daisy Fitzjohn





Tania Unsworth, Orion, 246 pp, 978-1-4440-1026-8, £6.99 pbk


 an old country house which is falling into disrepair. Daisy’s mother is an artist, fearful of the outside world, who goes out as seldom as possible and doesn’t let Daisy go anywhere outside of the house and grounds. The house itself is chock-full of furniture,       over the years. Left so much on her own, and in this strange environment, Daisy invents friends for herself amongst the animals, paintings and statues around her. One day her life gets even stranger, when her mother drives away early one morning without saying anything. Daisy waits and waits but begins to realise that something bad has happened and she is on her own. When a strange man arrives with a big suitcase and begins to check out the house and the grounds, Daisy has to use all her resourcefulness and bravery to keep herself and her home safe. There are themes of grief and loss, and how it feels as a child living with a parent who struggles to cope. Also, Daisy is an only child, who has to rely on herself for most of the time, and the world of her imagination  Brightwood Hall is brought to life with lovely clarity, as are the places in Daisy’s imagination, and Daisy is a strong character who is engaging and fun. The story is pacy with a real sense of danger and tension. Recommended  in a really good story.


LT Spooks and Scooters 


Elen Caldecott, Bloomsbury, 978-1-4088-5273-6, 224pp, £5.99 pbk


They are back – The Marsh Road Gang – Flora, Sylvie, Piotr, Andrew and Minnie. When Dad cancels the holiday to Tenerife, something is clearly very wrong. And indeed it is. Blueprints  faces disgrace. It is up to Flora and Sylvie together with their friends to solve the mystery. After all they have  This is the third outing for the


Marsh Road Gang, and it does not disappoint. The action is brisk – indeed, by the end we are galloping breathlessly round the Breeze factory.      friends is neatly handled allowing their different characteristics to shine through. This is not the place for subtle character development, rather the young reader wants to meet the friends they met in the  no surprises. The adventure is very  appears in the title, there are no steely eyed foreign spies, rather industrial theft is the crime – entirely credible. One of the real problems facing authors writing adventures for young readers in the 21st century, is


brought back to him by a strange dog- like creature. This is when things start to get very weird. Later that day, he is visited by an angel who tells him that everything can change for the better, but he has  The angel tells him that he can


what to do with the adults? How can the young protagonists take charge? Elen Caldecott handles this skilfully – and with humour. Her grown-ups all display elements of caricature, allowing the children to take centre stage – as they should.      page to the last, this adventure will cement the reputation of the Gang and leave young fans looking for more. FH


The Box of Demons 


Daniel Whelan, Macmillan Children’s Books, 256pp, 978-1-4472-7373-8, £6.99, pbk


    rather unusual occupants – three mischievous demons – Orff, Kartofel           everything in sight. Ben had fun with the demons when he was young, but now he’s older the demons are starting to cause problems. He would love to get rid of them but does not know how. Life is not going very well for Ben. He


lives with his grandparents because his mother has been committed to Drylands Hall Hospital. Ben also feels like an outsider at school and to make matters worse, he is being bullied by three girls – the Furies. On top of all  get him into trouble. Ben is really fed up, so one day he tries to throw the        


the humans? Ben may be the only person who can prevent the end of the world.  uses a great deal of humour to pose some intriguing questions about        delightful and empathetic hero who faces the unimaginable with great bravery. He is accompanied on his  diverse characters who make this a great read for both boys and girls. AR


Complete Bird Spotter’s Kit and National Trust Complete Bird Spotter Guide: A children’s guide to bird watching 


Robin Swift illus Mike Langman, 96pp Nosy Crow, 978-0-8576-3620-1,


£9.99, pbk , notebook and binoculars package.


‘The more you look at birds, the more fascinating they become’.      book, a notebook and binoculars        rucksack. Young bird watchers taking it on forays into the outdoors will be well prepared to take advantage of special opportunities. The well organised book is divided into two parts: an introduction to birdlife and bird watching skills; a guide to  covers ways of identifying birds, nests       habitats. The information goes beyond       inviting, conversational tone. Over a  guide each described under the same clear heading list – size, where and when to see it, what it eats, sounds and looks like. The illustrations of       there is a detailed diagram labelling      and informing discussion. This would make a worthwhile gift for any young naturalist; it is detailed enough to be helpful to children in the later primary and early secondary years.


MM 10-14 Middle/Secondary


Time Travelling with a Hamster 


Ross Welford, Harper Collins, 400pp, 978-0-0081-5631-2, £6.99 pbk


get rid of the demons if he sends  this will solve all his problems and make life much easier. However, this is not the case. Ben’s misguided actions unleash an Apocalypse. It is a monumental battle between good and evil – but who is on the side of


26 Books for Keeps No.217 March 2016


In October last year there was media      Marty McFly was due to arrive as foretold in Back to the Future 2. I would guess that Ross Welford was              original Back to the Future, moving locale from California to North East England, and setting his 2015 time machine’s destination to 1985, the year in which Marty began in the       Brown’s DeLorean was appropriately upmarket for the West Coast, Albert Einstein Hawking Chaudhury has to make do with a zinc bath, an old Apple Mac laptop, a mysterious black       wires, all put together by his recently


deceased dad. But, while it doesn’t look as impressive, the machine  mysterious letter from his dad given to him on his twelfth birthday, Al sets off with the intention of preventing the childhood accident that sowed the seed of his dad’s later death. If this isn’t the ‘truly original’ debut novel the blurb claims on the proof copy, it rings some interesting changes on         down-to-earth North Eastern common sense and Indian wisdom. Despite its length, it holds the attention with humour and invention, in a time twisting series of adventures, in which nothing quite turns out as Al would like, including being responsible for his dad’s premature death and so (shades of Marty) putting his       imitation this, but an ingenious homage and variation. CB


Jim Reaper: Son of Grim 


Rachel Delahaye, illus Jamie Littler, Piccadilly Press, 224pp, 978-1-84812-487-5, £5.99, pbk


Jim Wimple lives with his health- mad mother, accountant father and clever little sister, Hetty. Jim and his best friend, Will, travel to school on their scooters, together with Will’s big sister, Fiona. Jim has a huge crush on Fiona. Fiona is both frightening and awesome. But when Fiona gets a Bazoom! – a motorised scooter – Jim  up on their ordinary scooters. This means no more travelling to school with Fiona. It is a disaster! Jim asks his dad for a Bazoom! However, his dad refuses to get him one, so Jim  persuade his father. Jim and Will form a clever plan. Jim


composes a Letter of Persuasion and intends to leave it on his dad’s desk at work. However, this means that       The boys think it is going to be easy  boring accountant. But is he? Jim has often wondered why his dad is so awful at maths … The boys go to Mallet & Mullet, where Jim’s dad works. Astonishingly,         room full of of people. However, these people don’t look like accountants as they are wearing dark cloaks and nifty sneakers. This seems a rather strange        wear. Maybe things are not quite as they seem at Mallet & Mullet … This is a comic story, full of hilarious episodes and containing a clever      in equal measures. Jim and Will are likeable but hapless protagonists who embark a series of funny adventures.  clever illustrations that actively engage       accessible to young boys.


ARa


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