reviews 10 – 14 Middle/Secondary continued


can be carried has the ring of truth without being as harrowing as it might have been. Partly this is because it is told through the eyes of the middle son, Omar, a resourceful ten year old, whose survival skills and


aspirations remain undimmed and uncorrupted by his experiences, even as the family ekes out a living in the refugee camp. It is also, too, because the worst atrocities take place off the page and Laird provides just enough of the situations she describes to alert us to their possibly horrific and tragic consequences without risking traumatising her readers. There is also a lot more of interest going on in the novel than the family’s experiences of the developing civil war. Omar’s intelligent elder


palsy, a condition that necessarily has repercussions for himself and the other family members, and Omar acts as his protector from school bullies. But this does not prevent Musa from joining in the protests against the government. Omar’s older sister, Eman, has hopes of an independent life as a teacher, ambitions that her more traditionally minded father does not share and that in the chaotic political situation seem even less likely to be fulfilled. An adult reader may find that there is much in the novel that is not entirely convincing, particularly at the end, where Eman’s and the family’s futures are resolved rather too neatly. However, in bringing


brother, Musa, has cerebral entrepreneurial


the fate of the victims of the Syrian conflict to life for young readers, both to inform and encourage sympathy and understanding, it is much to be admired. CB


Winter Magic HHHH


Abi Elphinstone (editor), Simon & Schuster, 385pp, 978 1 4711 5980 0, £9.99 hbk


Author Abi Elphinstone has compiled a collection of eleven winter-themed stories by a range of children’s writers, from the well-known and established, Berlie Doherty, Michelle Magorian, Geraldine McCaughrean to name a few, to more recent names such as Emma Carroll, Katherine Woodfine and Piers Torday. The


landscapes with a variety of themes including magic, gift-giving, time travel, ballet, folk lore, family and adventure and an assortment of characters and objects from snow queens to snow dragons. The


appeal, enticing cover, reasonable price


obviously seasonal


information make this an attractive book for readers of 9+ to dip in and out of as they curl up in the warmth and escape into an imaginative and magical wintry world. SR


Heartless HHHH


Marissa Meyer, Macmillan, 453pp, 9781509814138, £7.99 pbk


The world of Lewis Carroll is familiar to so many of us from our childhood and over the last few years there has been a desire to develop this world and its characters. The 150th anniversary of its publication gave a definite boost to the number of titles set in the magical, mythical world of Alice in Wonderland. This story by Marissa Meyer follows the story of Catherine, who just wants to bake, have a shop and enjoy life. But in the kingdom of


14+ Secondary/Adult The Diabolic HHHHH


S.J. Kincaid, Simon & Schuster, 403pp, 9781471147142, £10.99 hbk


Nemesis is a Diabolic, a human teenager that has been bred and enhanced to act as a companion and bodyguard for a wealthy owner. In this instance her owner is Sidonia, the daughter of a powerful and radical member of the ruling elite. The world they inhabit is an Empire of numerous planets,


imperial family; a cruel Emperor and his even more evil mother. When the Emperor feels threatened he orders all of his elite/aristocracy to send their heirs to the capital, in reality as hostages. In order to save her mistress, Nemesis is moulded into a replacement for Sidonia and sent into the Imperial court with all of its intrigues and dangers. As she tries to negotiate the deadly web surrounding her she catches the attention of the heir to the throne; a seemingly mad young man called Tyrus, but is he what he appears to be and what does he want from Nemesis? It is extremely rare for me to give a book 5 stars and I approached this book with some trepidation and the hope that this would not be just another dystopian novel. Well, I had nothing to worry about. This is a true science fiction novel which pays homage to Roman history and


ruled over by a despotic particularly I,


background elements of the book. Right from the start it grabs you and keeps you hooked to the last dramatic moments of the story. Nemesis is a totally flawed heroine. She has been raised as a killing machine and has to learn empathy and how to relate to others as well as acting like a human being. The author has succeeded brilliantly in creating someone that we dislike but then gradually begin to understand and relate to, even her name, Nemesis, reflects her purpose; she is an instrument of retribution and lives but to serve her beloved mistress Sidonia. This feels like one of those books that will be a highlight of the year and I look forward to having lots of discussions in the future. MP


I’ll Be Home for Christmas


Stripes Publishing, 369pp, 978 1 84715 772 0 £7.99 pbk


This collection of 13 short stories, prefaced by Benjamin Zephaniah’s poem, was commissioned by Stripes to celebrate their ten years of publishing; and while they were doing so, to support the charity Crisis, which works to help people out of homelessness and is perhaps best known for its work at Christmas, ‘offering warmth, comfort and companionship for more than 4,000 homeless people’. Stripes plan to donate at least £10,000 to Crisis, with £1 coming from the sale of


HHH Claudius with the


each copy. So, given this context, you’d not expect too much conventional festive merriment as the writers explore the idea of home – literal and emotional – at the Christmas season. And you’d be right. There are, however, reasons to be


cheerful about the world of YA fiction. The number of titles published for Young Adults is at an all-time high in the UK; there is now a YA Literature Convention


information and opinion about the field via social media and blogs. The review pages of BfK in recent years have welcomed new writers in a field which can claim to be as exploratory and exciting as any area in publishing. The cast list here includes relative newcomers such as Non Pratt, Lisa Williamson, Holly Bourne and Sita Brahmachari, established


Brooks and Marcus Sedgwick. Stripes have also included a story from Tracy Darnton, the winner in their YA Book Prize Competition, run in collaboration with The Bookseller. Inevitably, given


connection, many of the contributors focus upon those who feel excluded or ill at ease among the celebrations of


their homes. Though loneliness and alienation


share a Christmas


the settings vary widely. In Marcus Sedgwick’s spaceship, three astronauts


families and friends, secure in recur in the collection,


the Crisis Melvin alongside Burgess, Kevin the well- as well as much


nightmare about the fate of Earth – the home they have left behind. A student takes the train home from Uni in Juno Dawson’s ‘Homo for Christmas’,


to his mum. Kevin Brooks offers a glimpse of two worn-out men drifting through a December day in a weary town, squatting in a crumbling mansion with little money or food – yet at home with each other. A couple


exceptional. Sita Brahmachari’s narrator Amir has been selected to appear in the finals of the George Orwell National Writing and Public Speaking Competition, at a school somewhere in the North of England. He stands to speak – he’s going to tell his own story, which he’s practised so many times – and dries


Humiliated, he escapes to a dressing room, where he suddenly notices the figure of Orwell behind him in the mirror; Amir’s seen his painting elsewhere in the building. He tells the attentive ‘George’ his history: his family crushed beneath a wall, the long march from Iraq, the desperate boat journey, his adoption by caring adults


village, their wait in the Jungle. It’s a powerful account of a quest freed from the constraints of TV news clips and here made acutely fresh through its detail and Amir’s voice. In Lisa Williamson’s ‘Routes and Wings’, Lauren is working all the


Books for Keeps No.222 January 2017 29 originally from his home up. of stories dreading coming out and interesting author stories combine snowy


hearts this is easier said than done if you are a member of the aristocracy; especially if the King of Hearts loves your baking and has become smitten by you. Add a handsome jester into the plot and a cast of some very unusual support characters and there is a fascinating story to be told. I was not sure about this concept


at the start of my reading but it did not take me long to become totally hooked. The main character Catherine is not a great realist and she is full of dreams for the future. The problem is that no one seems to be telling her what is practical. There are lots of characters from the Lewis Carroll stories and they are blended seamlessly into this tale. The only niggle I had were several instances of American terminology and creatures, but given the mythical nature of the world the latter could have found their way there. The author seems totally at home


profound changes to her character. There are shocks galore and a real sense of sadness and even horror as we witness these changes.


really did become a complete page- turner and I was totally caught in the tale that was unfolding. The linked minor stories add elements of horror and pathos; making this a story that plays on the emotions. A really great addition to Alice inspired books. MP


This Catherine to suffer some


with the world she has taken on and her manipulation of the characters is superb. The changing circumstances and some very nasty occurrences lead


seem


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