BfK 8 – 10 Junior/Middle continued


it all happens very quickly. The fact that there were not enough lifeboats for everyone on board meant that the ‘women and children first’ policy operated,


so that families were


separated, and there had been no safety drill, so nobody really knew what to do. Some lifeboats left with space


for more people, and the


White Star Line’s managing director, Joseph Bruce Ismay, managed to get away, which caused fury among the survivors and the families of those who had died. After all, Captain Smith had nobly gone down with his ship, as was expected. Lessons were learnt from the disaster, however, and the drills and safety precautions on all ships are now much more stringent. David Long makes this an exciting


story, even though most people know what happened, and there is some fascinating detail, well-illustrated by Stefano Tambellini. The drawing of the various levels of cabin is telling: the luxury suite is at the top with crew to wait on the passengers, then business class is in the middle, and poorer people had bunk beds at the bottom. Sketches of the various types of people needed to maintain the ship and look after its passengers add an extra level to the tragedy, as most of them died. On Barrington Stoke’s familiar cream-coloured paper and in a clear font, this book is well worth adding to a collection. DB


Twitch HHHHH


M.G. Leonard, Walker Books, 304pp, 978 1406389371, £7.99 pbk


Right from the opening tense episode in which twelve-year-old Twitch successfully


intervenes to


prevent a group of lads from hurting a pigeon, this pacey adventure story immediately grabs your attention and ensures you’re already rooting for a boy who prefers the company of birds to most humans. It’s the start of the school summer


holidays which means Twitch will have plenty of time to spend on his favourite pastime of


from his secret den in the local nature reserve. Plus, there’s


bird spotting chickens to


tend at home and a pair of pigeons he is keen to train. When Twitch hears news of a bank robber on the run and that a haul of loot may be hidden within the area of woodland where he has his hide, the scene is set for him to apply his bird watching skills in order to solve a mystery which has so far foiled the police. Set


alongside the many twists


and turns of the accomplished plot is a joyous, human story about the qualities of friendship and attaining self-confidence through being true to yourself.


Twitch is a very likable,


loyal and humorous boy with whom young readers will easily identify. The relationship he establishes with the pigeons which he patiently trains, the difficult journey of his friendship with


28 Books for Keeps No.248 May 2021


Jack (his erstwhile nemesis) and the pleasure he derives from observing bird behaviour are features which greatly enrich the story. For those readers who are fans


of the author’s previous Beetle Boy series, there is much to enjoy in the celebration of the natural world and the specialist


information which is


deftly sprinkled throughout the story. M. G. Leonard has the wonderful knack of being able to seamlessly both entertain and educate her young reader encouraging them to be more curious and excited about the birds that frequent our cities and suburban gardens. EC


When we say Black Lives Matter


HHHHH


Maxine Beneba Clarke, Wren and Rook, 32pp, 978 1 5263 6398 5, £6.99, pbk


The text in this picturebook is a powerful and moving poem explaining the Black Lives Matter movement as if to a small child. The narrator explains that the Black


Lives Matter movement reflects the need to speak out, recognising black people have not only been badly treated by history; many are badly treated now too. The writer emphasises that black people are strong, beautiful, brave and deserve respect. Look closely at the illustrations as


you turn the pages, and you will see a young child gradually grow from a babe in arms. His development is revisited in the final double page spread and the following graduation image with the implicit message that every child has potential for success. The artwork is bold, textured and


colourful. Although the figures are simply drawn with faces silhouetted, they are expressive and full of colour and movement.


There look through


windows and find bunting made from Pan-African coloured flags. Stained glass windows are a repeated motif providing an effective framework for a silhouetted figure enslaved and in chains, or for present-day placard bearing use the


protesters. Other fragmentation


of


many details to spot in the powerful illustrations-


are the


10 – 14 Middle/Secondary Show Us Who You Are


HHHH


Elle McNicoll, Knights Of, 330pp, 978 1 9133111 3 1, £6.99 pbk


When Cora meets Adrien, at his birthday party, little does she know that her life is about to be turned upside down.


Cora’s older brother Gregor


works for a secretive company, the Pomegranate Institute which makes amazingly realistic holograms of their loved


ones for recently bereaved


people. Adrien is the son of their CEO Magnus Hawkins but is somewhat of a disappointment to his father as he has ADHD and does not conform to his father’s perception of how his son should be.


care of her younger brother Dax, who appears to be ‘crippled’ but is in fact dragon touched (with his leg covered in dragon like scales). When Corbett, her mother’s assistant, brings Paisley her mother’s watch, he explains that she must be alive, because the watch is made of Nightsilver and would not be warm if her mother was dead. This sets the young people on a mission to find her mother and to protect her brother from the mysterious


‘Dark Dragon’ Cora and Magnus strike


up an unlikely but rewarding friendship as Adrien is the first person who immediately accepts Cora for who she and they soon discover they have a lot common as she is autistic. Cora’s


mother had died two


years previously and Cora becomes fascinated by the Pomegranate Institute and how it can help grieving families. She jumps at the chance to find out more and meet one of the holograms. Against her father’s wishes, Cora joins the research programme lured by the charismatic Dr Gold with the promise of making her own hologram as the scientists are keen to know more about her autism.


Cora and Adrien soon


discover that there is a much more sinister motive behind the holograms and it is up to the children to uncover the web of deceit and lies. But disaster strikes as Adrien is in a coma after a hit and run accident leaving Cora to work out the clues for herself. This insightful and highly-charged novel challenges


many of the


common preconceptions held about neurodiversity and explores pertinent issues such as AI, ethics, eugenics, grief and love in an engaging and open way. The plot gallops along and although it stretches incredulity a little in places it is more than made up for by the warmth and charm of both Adrien and Cora and their strong bond of friendship.


There are some great


images stained


glass to great effect, including those referencing African ancestors. Spot the police incident tape and the all too familiar image of an outlined figure on the ground. This book is a great introduction


to the Black Lives Matter movement for children and offers many starting points for discussion. It is beautifully written, and


the structure, vocabulary would make


repetition this


a wonderful book to read aloud or perform. SMc


witty one-liners too. Above all this is a story of what it means to be human and the importance of being brave enough to stand up for yourself. JC


The Nightsilver Promise HHHHH


Annaliese Avery, Scholastic, 374pp, 9780702306037, £6.99, pbk


This is a stunning story set in a world where science is all important, but there are memories of the past, where dragons ruled together with humans. Paisley Fitzwilliam is the heroine of this story, but it looks as if it will be for a short time as the stars on her wrist (which tell her destiny) says she will die by her 14th birthday and she is already 13 years old.


When her


mother seems to have been killed in a scientific accident, Paisley has to take


and her underlings; and the fate of her world might also depend on thwarting the evil mastermind. The author has created a world that is magical in many respects and yet is ruled by the ways of science. There is the fascinating and almost Victorian feeling ‘lower London’, where people fear the existence of dragons and those that are ‘Dragon touched’ face execution if found out. Then we have the ‘Floating Boroughs’, which literally float in the sky above the city and where dragon touched are found and not persecuted.


There is a feel


of Steampunk about the place and for those who love works by Philip Reeve and Peter Bunzl this will be a very welcome addition to their reading lists. This is very much about how we should accept difference and even celebrate it; we also learn about friendship, loyalty, self-belief and the determination to do the right thing. The story is full of action and we have a very satisfying cast of heroes and villains; not all of whom are obvious at the beginning, as we are lead through a range of dangerous situations that gradually bring the evildoers to light and give us some unexpected twists and turns. I totally loved this book and will be waiting avidly for the next chapter in the lives of Paisley, Corbett and Dax. MP


Just Like Me HHHH


Louise Gooding, illus Angel Chang, Caterina Delli Carri, cathyhookey and Melissa Iwai, Quarto, 978- 1787418486, Quarto, £12.99 hbk


This book is a non-fiction anthology giving the


reader a brief glimpse


into the lives of forty achievers from around the world who live or have lived with various impairments. The profiles include well known figures such as Stephen Hawking the astrophysicist who lived with a form of multiple sclerosis and Frieda Karlo the artist who lived in constant pain. Daniel Radcliffe, the Harry Potter actor, has dyspraxia, a disorder of developmental


coordination. Many


other disabilities are also discussed. The impairments cover a wide range of severity, from dyslexia to severe burns. Golding has clearly researched her subjects in a comprehensive and detailed manner. She views each subject


positively. Each biography


lists the achievements of its subject as well as some of the difficulties that individual has faced. It is relatively


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