A Good Read


Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris


Now that the summer is upon us what better excuse do we need than to escape to the hot summers of the 1970s and a gentler pace of life in both Yorkshire and the South of France? Published just one year after her hit novel Chocolat this split-time novel will transport you to the magic of the countryside and the simple pleasure a bottle of wine.


Londoner Jay is a writer who published his greatest work - ‘Jackapple Joe’ - 10 years ago, but has since struggled to replicate this success. Travelling between the present and the summers of Jay’s childhood we learn of the unlikely friendship he struck up with an old man called Jackapple Joe. From him Jay learns about the magic of nature and the secrets of home- made wine. In the present Jay returns to Yorkshire hoping to find some sense of meaning and inspiration. Instead he finds only some old bottles of Joe’s special brew.


The wine has more of an effect on him than he bargained for and under the ruse of working on his next novel Jay buys a house in the French village of


Lansquenet-sous-Tannes (the setting for Chocolat). In reality, he is escaping his city life and his girlfriend, and his sense of failure.


As the wine works it magic Joe finds his inspiration. But is it the wine, or is it the ghost of an old friend? Magic can be found in many unlikely places: the magic of nature; the magic of friendship; and the magic of belief in ourselves.


Tom Gates: Dogzombies Rule (for now) by Liz Pichon


The eleventh instalment in this hugely popular series will not disappoint fans. Tom is once more trying to cope with life at school, his annoying sister, Delia, and plotting to make his band, Dogzombies, the best band in the world ever.


Tom and his friends decide that if their band is going to be successful they need to do more than play at an old people’s home. So they set about trying to make it big by doing what all bands do: writing new songs and producing a music video. This doesn’t prove to be as easy as they had thought as they struggle to find lyrics that rhyme. It also turns out that music videos take a lot of planning and are made harder when an animal runs off with your dad’s phone during filming!


An enticing mixture of text and cartoons this book is a nice easy read, despite being over 200 pages long. Aimed at 9-12 year olds it certainly isn’t the most challenging book as far as vocabulary is concerned and there are many readers of the series that are younger. However, if you have a reluctant reader – especially a boy – this is an excellent choice.


36


To advertise in thewire t. 07720 429 613 e. fiona@thewireweb.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100