reviews 8 – 10 Junior/Middle continued the new technologies change our


today. Hunter Gatherers had to search constantly for plants and for animals to capture, using stone tools. The discovery of how to make fire meant people could now cook food and keep warm. Marcia remarks that if fire had not been invented ‘my brilliant cooking skills would have been wasted and your poor toes would have dropped off in the cold!’ Another significant development was when wolves were tamed and other wild animals such as goats, sheep and pigs were domesticated. Over time some wolves evolved into the dogs that worked with and befriended the clan. ‘From Nomads to Farmers’ shows how from small beginnings farming seems to have grown and, crucially, advances in tool use meant people had more control over their environment. The Stone Age ended and the Bronze Age began when copper and tin were combined to make bronze, a strong alloy from which more sophisticated and effective weapons could be made. This book does not hide the harsh


Stone Age progressed just as lives


However, Howard does not treat the situation as a comedy; when Freddie becomes a tiger, he is indeed a real tiger. Nor does she see Freddie’s situation as black or white; there are great attractions to being a dog. But all turns out for the best. An enjoyable piece of whimsy from the pen of a master. FH


A Year Full of Stories HHHHH


Angela McAllister, ill. Christopher Corr, Frances Lincoln, 126pp, 978 1 84780 859 2, £12.99 hbk


and brutal side of Stone Age life. The weather could be cruel as the Ice Age took hold and attacks from bears and other beasts were ever present - ‘you were as likely to be eaten as to eat!’ Did these early people have a gentler side – perhaps loyalty to their clan and some feeling for children? Seven year old Rafael was touched when I read about a young girl called Mouse who rescues a Neanderthal baby whose mother had been killed by wolves. This is one of those exceptional books that help young readers acquire a cognitive space where their knowledge and understanding about a period before history began can be expanded and refined as they learn more. And who knows, perhaps new discoveries will inform their understanding – our knowledge about the past is not static but dynamic and ever changing. Rich with information in text and illustration, this book is a hugely


achievement. Teachers will find it has considerable potential for


classroom activities: writing, perhaps in the role of one of the characters, discussion, art work and improvised drama would all help children


assimilate what they have learnt. MM


The Amazing Adventures of Freddie Whitemouse


HHHH


Elizabeth Jane Howard, illus Bethan Woollvin, Mantle, 978-1-4472-8345-3, 140pp £9.99 hbk


Freddie is a young mouse – but he doesn’t want to be a mouse. So when he meets a sorcerer – a toad – he leaps at the chance to become something else for a week. How will he fare being a tiger? A dog? The


something else is a familiar one, often explored in picture books. Here Elizabeth Jane Howard has written a more extended version that would be ideal as that longer bedtime story. It has an old-fashioned air, and there is certainly a message to be learnt.


theme


imaginative inspiring


With 52 folk tales and legends this fascinating book takes the reader through the year and around the world through stories chosen to link to festivals and other special days. Each of these is explained in a useful appendix at the back of the book. Familiar tales such as The Frog Prince and The Little Red Hen are included as well as stories from classical tradition (Androcles and the Lion and Persephone) and stories from world religions (Jonah and the Whale and Rama and Sita).


How to Catch a Witch HHHH


Abie Longstaff, Scholastic, 9781407162515, 176pp, £5.99 pbk


Charlie and her


moved into their new home. But, Charlie is finding it difficult to settle - the house makes a buzzing noise, there is a frog that gave her a strange look - in fact her List of Strange Things has reached 11 items. Now there is a new school to face; her stammer is worse. She needs a witch. This an attractive story that is just


right for KS2 readers. There is the fun of finding out whether Charlie is a witch, there is danger and threat from the past, there is the familiar world of school and school


Young readers who have enjoyed the company of Mildred Hubble (The Worst Witch) will certainly take to this reworking of the theme - and will look forward to further adventures involving Charlie and her friends. FH


The Fox and the Ghost King HHHH


Michael Morpurgo, illus Michael Foreman, HarperCollins Children’s Books, 144pp, 978-0-0082-1577-4, £9.99 hbk


Football, a family of foxes and a ghost king are key ingredients to this cleverly plotted adventure story, told from the point of view of a young fox cub. He is the oldest, peskiest and friskiest cub in a family that is football mad. Ardent Leicester City fans, he and his Dad often sneak into Leicester City’s grounds to watch their team play. There is even a rumour that their presence brings the players good luck. But tonight, the magic has vanished – and their team is beaten by Chelsea. As they dejectedly wind their way home across an empty car park, father and son hear an unfamiliar noise - a ghostly voice from deep below the ground. It pleads with them, then begs a favour, for which, in return, it promises a reward beyond their imagining. The author has an extraordinary for


knack


familiar, for example The Runaway Pancake probably better known to British readers as The Gingerbread Man. There are also many stories which will be completely new to young readers which will expand their knowledge of world and indicate the important role of story within cultures. There are stories which explain the mysteries of the world, such as the American story Why the Evergreens Keep their Leaves and stories which teach the value of friendship and kindness or warn against greed. This is a wonderful collection with


There are stories with echoes of the of wanting to be


simple and highly readable retellings of a diverse range of stories. The book is beautifully designed with very attractive and decorative illustrations. A great addition


to libraries and


classrooms and for anyone with a love of story. SMc


news items into a story pitched at


City’s remarkable championship win against formidable odds in 2015- 16 and the discovery of Richard III’s bones are woven into a fresh and imaginative tale filled with talking- beast protagonists – the Foxes also being the familiar name of Leicester City Football


threads are held in place by the author’s easy storytelling style. An entertaining read, the story inspires young readers to think for themselves and to discover more by suggesting that the king was not as villainous as history and Shakespeare’s play make him out to be. Michael Foreman’s elegant,


establishing setting and mood are the perfect complement. AF


Middle School: Dog’s Best Friend


HHH


James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts, ill. Jomike Tejido, Penguin, 219pp, 978-1-7847-5388-7, £9.99 hbk


softly drawn pictures Club. The various young readers.


weaving snippets Here,


of Leicester friendships. family have just


James Patterson’s immensely popular Middle School series continues in this new children’s comedy. This story features the same popular characters as previous episodes but with a host of brand new problems. Regular readers will be aware that Rafe, the narrator of the Middle School books, is currently experiencing the worst years of his life. School is not easy, his family are very short on cash and, worst of all, he has to tolerate his evil genius little sister, Georgia. In Dog’s Best Friend, Rafe has


a serious problem to which many children will relate: he can’t afford the latest games console. Everyone has the brand new WormHole platform, even his best friend, Flip. Rafe is desperate to get his hands on one so he can start playing TrollQuest at home. To achieve this he has to raise hundreds of dollars and he is only qualified for one profession – dog- walking. He begins walking his neighbours’


dogs and soon the cash is flowing in, but Rafe has been through too many disasters to think this luck can last and - guess what – it doesn’t! Rafe is not the only local school kid trying to make a few dollars walking pets. He soon finds his own Dogs to Go posters ripped down and replaced by adverts for Cheap Walks. There is a new kid in town: he is a ruthless business competitor; he is determined to put Rafe out of business; and he has a twin brother to help him! The longsuffering Rafe is no


stranger to such adversity (he has already


unfair punishments and unrequited love in previous books) and it is his actions in response


challenges that make him such a likeable protagonist. Rafe exchanges pranks with the heartless Cheap Walks twins and even press-gangs his menacing yet studious sister into helping him, but only after attempting reconciliation


means. Rafe has learned a lot from all his previous hard luck stories, and, though he doesn’t always make the right choice first time round, readers can be confident that he always has the wellbeing of his family and friends (especially his hardworking single mum) at heart. As well as having sympathy for its narrator, children will enjoy the cheeky cartoon illustrations in Dog’s Best Friend, especially the comic strip extracts, which come direct from Rafe’s imagination and feature his hapless alter-ego, Loozer. Though there is little new or unexpected to surprise readers, the latest Middle School episode follows a tried and tested


of fun and drama to maintain the interest of loyal fans. SD


What on Earth: Water 978 1 78493 554 2


What on Earth: Wind 978 1 78493 553 5


HHHH


Isobel Thomas & Pau Morgan, QED, 64pp, £8.99 pbk each


Two parallel titles that explore important aspects of our world and introduce


science, encouraging Books for Keeps No.222 January 2017 25 formula that offers plenty through to such tackled the school bully,


peaceful


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