reviews 8 – 10 Junior/Middle continued


been taken by the Robbersons – yes, a family of highway bandits who travel the summer roads on their way to the great Summer Shindig. Maisie has to work out how to get back home. It is a journey that is full of surprises and self-discovery. Madcap, anarchic, a riot, this is


an adventure to delight. It has the almost surreal qualities of Alice in Wonderland – a family of bandits on the highways taking random items but especially sweets, enjoying the summer with an infectious joie-de- vivre. These are the events of the imagination – a childlike imagination – which even adults can recognise. Who would not want to abandon the rigid constraints of the everyday? But chaos has its own dangers – and not everyone wants to live without a framework. It is Maisie who is able to suggest alternatives and in so doing learns to understand herself and her own family better. This may be a story that turns the everyday upside-down, but running


through


it there are serious themes around families and


family relationships


with a clear message at the end. The reader meets a galaxy of characters they can recognise, both adult and child, with Maisie very much at the centre. The writing, captured in the translation by Ruth Urbom, matches the energy of the story - contemporary language,


lively dialogue and a


setting that is familiar but with just enough difference to open the mind to a wider world. This is brought to us from Finland, an Honour title in BookTrust’s In Other Words campaign and is a welcome addition to shelves where


by one of our new wave of brilliant fantasy authors. Vashti Hardy is well known for her books Brightstorm and Wildspark, but this time around she is writing for a slightly younger audience. The world is a mix of fantasy and science fiction and makes the reader think about what is possible and how much we depend on technology in our lives. George Ermos has brought Harley to life and given her the look and attitude that exactly re-enforces the image that we get from the descriptions. The pictures throughout the book are a fantastic way of adding to the atmosphere and introducing us to many of the other characters, including Harley’s two Grandpas and Cosmo. Look inside the back and front covers to see the fabulous versions of some of the ‘plants’ to be found in the forest; it shows the depth of detail that the author and illustrator have achieved.


This is a wonderful book


about friendship and how we can find it in unlikely places, as well as about family and learning to understand the needs of others and I can’t wait to read about more adventures for this feisty young hero. MP


How to Save the World With a Chicken and an Egg


HHHH


Emma Shevah, ill. Kirsti Beautyman, Chicken House, 296pp, 9781910655474, £6.99 pbk


Emma Shevah has written the perfect book for eco-aware young readers as


it combines Moomintroll is already


resident. This is a book to promote and share – a joyous adventure that expands the boundaries of belief with confidence without losing sight of its gentle message about family and self- identity. FH


Harley Hitch and the Iron Forest HHHH


Vashti Hardy, ill. George Ermos, Scholastic, 236pp, 9780702302558, £6.99 pbk


Harley Hitch is one of those characters that always seem to get in trouble. She means well, but finds it difficult to keep to the rules. Harley would rather being off having adventures


with


her robotic dog ‘Sprocket’ and her best friend Cosmo and living in the fantastical world of Inventia gives her plenty of opportunity. This is a world ruled by science and there is even an “Iron Forest”, where mechanical parts grow on trees and supply the needs of the populace. When Harley discovers a fungus attacking the forest everyone is given the task of trying to find a cure.


Will they succeed in saving the


forest and hence Inventia’s ability to create scientific wonders and more importantly will Harley win “Pupil of the term” at school? This is a highly entertaining story


positive action,


humour, and plenty of animal facts with mystery, adventure, and a large dose of the author’s own passion for the animal world.


The two central


characters, Ivy and Nathaniel, spring vividly to life and complement each other’s skills and traits so completely that


they form chapters that with her the ideal team,


although it takes the two of them the whole book to realise this fact. The narrative is first person with alternate


Ivy and Nathaniel in a very amusing way.


parents on


Lively, high-spirited Ivy lives foster


Suffolk coast and uses her ability to communicate with animals to try and help them wherever


between the possible.


Nathaniel, who has moved to live with his mother after the death of his beloved grandmother, has Asperger’s Syndrome and finds it hard to adapt to change and copes with difficult social situations by communicating abstruse animal facts. Both children, in their different ways, have a passion for saving the natural world and when the wondrous ‘impossible possible’ happens and a giant leatherback turtle lays her eggs on their beach the pair unite to protect the baby turtles. This mission to make a difference leads to Ivy’s dream of an Animal Action Agency being realised. This funny, heart-warming story, full


of quirky and appealing characters, both animal and human, is a must


read for all children with a passion for the planet and its creatures. Conservation


and eco themes


combine with humour, a celebration of diversity, fascinating facts, and top tips on protecting the environment to produce an inspiring book. SR


Noah’s Gold HHHHH


Frank Cottrell-Boyce, illustrated by Steven Lenton, Macmillan, 294pp, 9781529048261, £12.99 hbk


This story begins uncertainly with a small group of modern primary school children somehow becoming stranded on an uninhabited offshore island without adult support. But Frank Cottrell-Boyce is a master of his craft, and once into his stride disbelief soon fades away.


Witty


but also with some serious points to make, endlessly imaginative, never predictable, this is story-telling at its best. It is narrated by young Noah, who


should never have been on the school trip involved but smuggles himself onto it. His presence is not received well by his older sister and her class- mates until it gradually becomes clear that he is the one to go for when it comes to finding possible solutions. He does indeed have something like a magical touch except when it comes to anything to do with the Internet, where he manages to close down the entire world network by accident. Having then to fall back on pre-digital skills and technology is one of the main themes of this story. But the children survive as successfully as those in Lord of the Flies fail to do, a point the author briefly discusses in an afterword. He also disentangles truth from fiction where the Internet is concerned, and some of what he has to say here could well come as a surprise to his readers. Noah tells his story in the form


of letters to his parents which while never delivered are often mysteriously answered. All is revealed at the end in this truly joyous narrative, which manages to be both exciting and very funny. No doubt about it; Cottrell- Boyce is a bit of a genius, and this story is one of his finest achievements yet. NT


The Dog that saved the World (Cup)


HHHH


Phil Earle, ill. Elisa Paganelli, Barrington Stoke, 96pp., 978-1-78112-968-5, £6.99 pbk


The very experienced and talented Phil Earle explains at the end of the book that he has merged two stories here: the true story of Pickles, the dog that really did find the World Cup with his owner, Dave, and a story like that of Fara Williams, a homeless girl who became a professional and successful


footballer, notably for


Everton, 2005-2017. He turns Fara into young Elsie,


who, with her Dad, owns Pickles, and the story is told through Pickles’ eyes. He loves football too, and his


dribbling skills, he says, are better than Elsie’s – the whole family love football. Pickles sees that Dad gets a lot of letters from ‘Bill’, which cause him to worry, and when Dad loses his job he finds it difficult to admit his difficulties, but they have to move to a smaller flat. Dad puts a brave face on it, (Pickles is always on the look-out for the good things that are ‘just around the corner’) but the flat, in a converted office block, is awful, though neighbour Samir and his family invite them to watch the World Cup matches with them. Dad and Elsie queue to see the Trophy when it comes to the Tigers’ Stadium, but they learn that the Cup has been stolen. Pickles resolves to find it, and of course he eventually does. Dad is too ashamed of their life to be interviewed in the papers, but the discovery in the park had been noticed, and at the Cup Final, a huge fuss is made of Pickles as the dog that found the Cup. Elsie’s Junior team had won the opportunity to play on the pitch at half-time, and Pickles joins in with his ball tricks, so it all becomes a joyful experience, and Pickles knows that the family are a great team together. It’s a charming story, and really


works with the addition of a young female footballer. Barrington Stoke’s creamy paper and clear font make this more accessible


for readers


with difficulties, and Eliza Paganelli’s illustrations show a harassed Dad, Elsie’s fun with football and Pickles, skilfully and entertainingly. This book is sure to be popular. DB


Tragedy at Sea: the Sinking of the Titanic


HHHH


David Long, ill. Stefano Tambanelli, Barrington Stoke 80pp., 978 1 78112 966 1 £6.99 pbk


David Long writes non-fiction, the kind of books he would like to read himself, he says, for adults and for children. He has produced a few books for Barrington Stoke now, and this will be a useful addition to a school library or to that huge number of people fascinated by the story of the Titanic. He sets the scene, explaining about


the urge to build bigger and better ships, and how the shipbuilders had to modify their ways of working, gives a lot of detail about the people making this exciting maiden voyage, from the rich and famous to poor emigrants seeking a better life, and mentions the incident, almost a smaller disaster, that


happened


Docks the day before the fatal sailing. There is some information


in Southampton about


icebergs and the damage they can do, but a crucial issue was the fact that warnings about a big one in the area were being ignored as the radio operator was sending the innovative ‘Marconigrams’, telegrams, from the richer passengers to their friends and families on shore at the moment the ship hit the iceberg much too fast. It’s page 51 before we get to the chapter ‘Disaster Strikes’, and then


Books for Keeps No.248 May 2021 27


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