I wish I’d written…


Lyn Gardner admires Maurice Sendak’s profound picture book Where the Wild Things Are.


Even if you live to be 100, you are never too old for picture books. Particularly not one as profound as Maurice Sendak’s 1963 story about Max, the small boy banished to his bedroom by his mother for being ‘a wild thing.’ Max transforms his rage into an imaginative adventure sailing to an island in the mind where he encounters the wild thing monsters before returning to the safety of home and the smell of tea. I didn’t actually read Sendak’s book until


long after I was grown up but as soon as I did I recognized Max’s anger from my own childhood: that feeling that your rage could obliterate the world and the fear of the devastation you might wreak with it.


Lyn Gardner’s new book, Rose Campion and the Curse of the Doomstone (978-0-8576-3844-1) is published by Nosy Crow, £6.99 pbk.


Apparently the book was not published in the UK until 1967 because it was thought too scary. That’s to misunderstand it. It’s a comforting story because it’s so psychologically acute, acknowledging that we all sometimes act like monsters, whatever our age.


Good Reads


The Art of Being Normal Lisa Williamson, David Fickling Books, 978-1-9102-0052-0, £7.99 pbk The Art of Being Normal focuses on a very emotional and grown up topic. Gender identity. The book is narrated by two characters, David and Leo. David wants to be a girl, and he desperately wants to tell his parents but he never plucks up the courage to tell them. Leo’s POV is definitely more realistic as it talks about his dad leaving him and his mum and how his mum always has a different boyfriend. This book is an amazing topic to learn about as it never gets talked about by anyone and it’s very nice to see tons of more books coming out focusing on LGBT+ topics like this. I have recommended this book to many friends and I would definitely tell more people to read it.


By Kai B, aged 14


Skulduggery Pleasant Derek Landy, HarperCollins Children’s Books, 978-0-0072-4162-0, £6.99 pbk Skulduggery Pleasant is an incredible book as it’s witty and very enjoyable. At first it can seem slightly confusing, but turns into a cracking read – fast paced but measured so it stays interesting. Landy blends current myths and monsters with twists of his own, creating a world that is deep and immersive, pulling you ever further into it. You won’t want to put it down even when you have finished the last page – and you don’t have to, as there are another seven


Where the Wild Things Are (978-0-0994- 0839-0) by Maurice Sendak is published by Red Fox, £6.99


The genius of Sendak’s illustrations is that for


all the grotesqueness of the wild things, they are endearing and loveable too. Like a naughty toddler. Sendak acknowledges their power but defuses their capacity to hurt or terrify us. It’s a book that unfrightens us. That’s a real gift.


Our Good Reads were chosen by young people at Cambourne Village College, a Free School which forms part of the CAM Trust in Cambridgeshire. Thanks to school librarian Alison Tarrant, who is one of the four librarians on the 2016 School Librarian of the Year Honour list.


books currently in the series! This book is definitely one of my favourite books ever.


By Ivan K, aged 15 (we’re very excited about the new Skulduggery Pleasant to be released in June... )


Let It Snow John Green and Laura Myracle, Penguin,


978-0-1413-4917-6, £7.99 pbk


Let It Snow is three different stories in one book. All the stories are based around one story but all told by different characters. The book is about three different teenagers who experience a big snowstorm in their town of Gracetown during Christmas and their lives during the snowstorm. The first story is very gripping but also funny in parts. The second part is about two friends who have known each other for a long time, there are some very funny bits but it is also quite sad in some parts. The third story brings the other two stories together, it was quite hard to understand this section as there were lots of characters involved and I found it difficult to know who was who. Overall the book was very good. It’s perfect for teenagers and


for people who have enjoyed reading John Green’s other books.


By Imogen R, aged 15


One Sarah Crossan, Bloomsbury, 978-1-4088- 2721-5, £7.99 pbk


One is an intriguing read which keeps you hooked until you unfortunately end the book. On picking up the book we knew it was about conjoined twins – but the expectation was of a descriptive novel, rather than a plot driven novel. It being in poetry made it much easier to get into the book. The poetry allows the emotion to take centre stage without being overwhelmed by text. This is at the cost of description, but it is the best format for the novel. Reading the book, we experienced sadness,


curiosity, empathy, confidence


in their reading and sympathy for all the characters. The poetry allows the story to progress and allows Crossan to tightly control the pace at which the reader goes. Alexandra, Ellie and Annie aged 13


Books for Keeps No.223 March 2017 19


By Kai B


Ivan K


Ivan K


Alexandra, Ellie and Annie


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