THE GIRL IN THE BLUE COAT by MONICA HESSE, reviewed by Pauline Francis

It was the prologue that made me decide to review this recently published novel. 

It begins: “A long time before Bas died, we had a pretend argument about whose fault it was that he’d fallen in love with me.”

 

The story opens in occupied Holland in 1943, in Amsterdam. Clever, because I immediately think of Anne Frank and that steep, claustrophobic climb to her hidden attic. So I fear for Hanneke, the protagonist, Hanneke is a finder. She used to find coffee and chocolate. Now she finds and sells extra potatoes and meat to the wealthy people of Amsterdam. One day, she’s asked to find a person.

‘‘The missing girl is Jewish,’ Mrs Janssen says. ‘ I want you to find her before the Nazis do.’

Hanneke can’t refuse because of her own grief about Bas, who died as the Germans invaded.  

Now I’m ready to read non-stop. ‘Why and how did Bas die? Who is this Jewish girl called Mirjam, who was wearing a blue coat when last seen? And how on earth will Hanneke find her in an occupied city, before she can be transported to a concentration camp - even if she wants to? The tension is heightened by the fact that that almost three quarters of the Jewish population of Holland died during the war, so I know that Mirjam’s chances of survival are slim.

There are ghosts everywhere in Hanneke’s quest: Bas’s ghost as his older, serious and less engaging brother, Ollie, helps Hanneke; the ghosts of the already transported Jews; the ghost of a once happy city. The rare flashbacks with Bas are sensitive and tense – the first time I saw Bas; the last time I saw Bas etc.

Then just as I’m settling into the quest (which is condensed into a few days), Hesse presents me with another one. Half-way through the novel, Hanneke says: ‘I’m to blame for Bas’s death. I only got him killed.’ I’m on full alert as I race to the end.

There are so many layers to this book: history, mystery, war, duty, danger, pretending in order to stay safe, morality in war. Ollie is a member of the resistance, but when he questions helping Mirjam. Hanneke quickly asks: ‘Ollie, if the good you’re working so hard for is one that won’t work to rescue a fifteen-year old girl, then is it worth it anyway?’

There are as many twists and turns as the old city centre, but Hesse never leaves her reader behind. The Girl in the Blue Coat a sensitive and tender book that leaves nothing untold about what it’s like to be on the run in an occupied city. Hesse herself calls it “ the story of small betrayals in the middle of a big war.”

The best advice I can give you before you read this book is Hanneke’s own thought on page 299: “Nothing in this war is what it seems.”

Pauline Francis www.paulinefrancis.co.uk

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THE HOUSE OF EYES by Patricia Elliott .....reviewed by Adèle Geras

Once again, full disclosure. When I review a book, I often have to confess to knowing the writer. In this case, it's even worse. I first met Patricia when she was a student on a Ty Newydd writing course which I taught jointly with the much-missed Jan Mark. Even back then, and it was a long time ago, Patricia was obviously going to be a successful writer and since then, she has gone on to produce many wonderful books,  my favourites of which are MURKMERE and  THE DEVIL IN THE CORNER.

In HOUSE OF EYES, the intended audience is younger. It's what the Americans call Middle Grade. Any good reader of about eight and up would love it and there are not enough books being written for this age group.  Because I'm passionate about introducing younger readers to historical fiction and because I'm convinced that reading historical fiction at an early age can have nothing but good effects, I'm happy  to be able to welcome Connie Carew, our intrepid heroine, who will, if the promise of the title is fulfilled, be having lots of mysterious adventures in the future. This is reassuring. If there's one thing that avid young readers like, it's the idea that the books they enjoy are part of a series of stories which isn't going to run out any time soon. 

This first story is enjoyable from beginning to end. We start with a plan of the house in Alfred Place West, where Connie lives with her aunts Dorothea and Sylvie and her horrible step-uncle, Harold Thurston. Connie wants to be an archaeologist and is forever trying to visit the British Museum. Her horrible step-uncle is Up to No Good...we suspect  this almost from the beginning,  but it takes Connie some time to reveal the depths of his nastiness, in a climax which is most satisfying and exciting.

There's a tragedy in the background here. Ida, Dorothea's daughter,  disappeared when she was very small and is assumed to be dead. Dorothea is bereft and the story begins when she visits a medium in order to get in touch with her dead daughter. Shortly after that, a young woman called Ida turns up looking for a housemaid's job at Alfred Place West....is she the real Ida, miraculously restored, or is she an imposter, after the fortune that awaits her?

 There is romance here, and excitement and even though the story is for younger readers, Elliott doesn't gloss over the nastier side of Victorian exploitation of the bereaved. The whole world of mediums and charlatans is very well evoked. All the characters who interest us are brought vividly to life, especially the aunts and nasty uncle Harold with his creaky whalebone corsets. 

Elliott writes so well that it's hard to pick out any passage to quote. She has a light touch and there's humour everywhere in this book. Here she describes Connie's  rather sceptical reaction the séance:
"Aunt Sylvie  was sitting up half the night to watch for a ghostly girl to float in through her bedroom door. But to Connie the girl had seemed very much alive, despite her strangely luminous frock." That 'despite' is a period touch  of the lightest possible kind.

Connie's piano teacher, Arthur, is described thus: "He had long thin fingers and the rest of him was long and thin as well......his ankles and wrists protruded, knobbly but elegant." Arthur is visible to every reader and we love him, because of that subtly-placed "elegant" and which contrasts humorously with  "knobbly." It's very high quality writing indeed and it pervades the whole book.

I hope this novel reaches the audience it deserves. It's funny, exciting, well-written and has a proper plot and structure.....not something you can depend on finding in a book,  but which is immensely satisfying whenever you find it. This is a delightful book  which I enjoyed enormously.   Do try it!


Published by Hodder Children's Books in paperback.
ISBN: 9781444924695
£6.99

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Don't Call Me Choochie Pooh! by Sean Taylor and Kate Hindley, reviewed by Pippa Goodhart

This is a delight of a book.  A small dog in a big pink bow is fed-up with being called Choochie Pooh or Ickle Pickle Woof Woof or Incy Wincy Cupcake, and being carried about in a handbag.  After all, she's 'an ordinary, proper dog'.  It's so embarrassing to be seen being kissed and called those silly names!  But the other dogs, 'barking, getting muddy and doing proper dog things' let Choochie Pooh join in.  It's all going so well ...



... until her owner calls for her, "Off we go Oopsie Boopsie Choochie Pooh!"  How will the other dogs react?  After all, they'd never get called such silly names ... would they?


The glory of the story is the essential truth in it that any child will recognise; the embarrassment that a parent/owner can be, but also the fact that we've all got to suffer them!  And the pictures by Kate Hindley are full of action, beauty and comedy.  Highly recommended for children ... and for 62 year old husbands.  Mine loved this as a Valentine's present.  And, no, I don't call him Choochie Pooh!

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THE D'EVIL DIARIES by Tatum Flynn: Reviewed by Tamsin Cooke

One of the funniest middle grade books I've read in a long time!

Most parents would be pleased if their child’s school report said that they paid very careful attention, obeyed all their teachers, and worked extremely hard. But not Jinx’s dad. He is furious. 

‘What kind of half-term report do you call this, hmm? I wouldn’t mind if you failed because you were playing truant, or chasing girls, or trying to set fire to your teacher with a flame thrower.’

Then again, Jinx’s dad isn’t just any old dad. He is Lucifer. And poor Jinx is a red skinned two-horned demon, who wants nothing more than to win his dad’s approval. But however hard he tries to be bad, good things always happen. He’s sent away to be corrupted by the vilest creatures found on earth – Blackbeard and Dracula – but somehow his goodness rubs off on them.  Fearing for his future and feeling like an utter disappointment, Jinx runs away. Soon he finds himself in the middle of a fantastic adventure where the whole of Hell is at stake.  

The D'Evil Diaries is possibly one of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time.  I was laughing from start to finish.  But Tatum Flynn manages to incorporate all this witty humour without once detracting from the adventure story. There are heart stopping moments, twists and turns, and treachery.

The characters are well thought out. Jinx is incredibly likeable. Tommy, a girl he meets (who shouldn’t be in Hell) is strong, brave and feisty. There’s Loiter – the Patron Demon of Sloth or Laziness who might actually be my favourite character. I even like Lucifer – something I never thought I would say!

The D’Evil Diaries is the sort of story you can read together as a family. There is something in it for everyone. Children will love seeing how badness is rewarded and goodness is frowned upon. And grown-ups (if they are anything like me) will love the witty asides and pop culture references. Just to give you a taster – 

To set the scene: Jinx is listening to Lucifer on the phone to God. 

‘I wondered absentmindedly what the voice of God sounded like. A thousand angels singing? Thunderbolts and lightning, very, very frightening? Morgan Freeman?’

There are fabulous black illustrations throughout the book that bring the story even more to life.

Book two, Helles Belles has just come out, and it is definitely on the top of my TBR pile!

Tamsin Cooke

www.tamsincooke.co.uk

twitter: @tamsincooke1

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FIRE GIRL by Matt Ralphs: reviewed by Penny Dolan

This magical fantasy - is set in an alternative 1661, supposedly “twelve years after the end of the Witch War”. Cromwell’s merciless Witch Finders have been destroying the witches of England, and the old friendship between ordinary people and the Healers seems to be over. Many witches have become no more than piles of ashes on pyres but some – both good and bad, male and female – remain in hiding or in disguise.

As the start of this story, Nicolas Murrell, the former “King’s Chief Minister of Magic and Witchcraft”, forces his way into the home of blind Mary Applegate, asking for information about Hecate Hooper. He restores the old witch’s sight but only to show her the foul demon Rawhead, a “skinless beast of flesh and sinew”, ready to consume Mary unless she answers . . . 

The outcome will not be good and makes it clear that the writer, Matt Ralphs, will be creating scary scenes and a variety of demons, ghouls and nasty characters for his readers.

Because of this, Fire Girl may not be the best night-time story for the younger pre-teen, but for those who don’t mind good dollops of menacing evil, foul slime and bad magic alongside the heroine’s quest and a creature of sarcastic cuteness, Fire Girl could well be just the right adventure.

The young heroine, red-haired Hazel Hooper, has lived a secluded life in the forest, her home protected by an enchanted hedge. Twelve-year-old Hazel fears she has no witch-like skills but when her mother is abducted, Hazel’s latent power is unleashed. She will be a Wielder, a witch able to generate streams of flame, but for now she is a fire-child, unskilled in managing the powers that surge through her body. Ralphs likens the strong emotion of rage to the dangers of fire: a power that Hazel must learn to control.

Hazel sets off into the world, deciding the best way to find her mother is by employing the services of Titus White, a drunken Witch-Finder and David Drake, his handsome Apprentice. She starts out on  a quest that will lead her to the new master of evil, Nicolas Tyrell himself but unfortunately, along the way, Hazel reveals her magical powers. David, horrified, cannot accept a witch as a friend: he now sees her as a deadly enemy who must be caught. There are now dangers on all sides . . .

The short, fast-paced chapters travel through classic fantasy settings:  deserted cottages, unfriendly towns, unholy fogs and forests, all leading to the malign turrets of Ravenspike castle and spooky church where Tyrell’s foul accomplices gather for the climax: Lilith the pale Frost Witch with her bloated spider, the wizened Petrov, Rawhead and worse. Hazel finds her mother, of course, but the story does not end quite as clearly as Hazel would have wanted . . .

I have emphasised, so far, the scarier aspects of the book, but must add that the mood is often lightened by one particular charming thread: Hazel’s relationship with Bramley, a dormouse who has become her loyal familiar. His grumpy mutterings and remarks coax Hazel through many difficulties and the warm affection between these two brave companions lets the reader know that all will be well, or at least partly all right. 

The final part of the story – or is it? - won’t arrive until Matt Ralph’s sequel, FIREWITCH, which his website suggests will be published in July 2016. 

Ps. An aside: Please be patient if I end with a bit of grumpy muttering - and do note that my complaint is not specifically about this book, which I enjoyed, or this particular publisher. It’s about my reaction to something as a reader.

As a big fan of story (and an occasional storyteller myself) I can’t help feeling disappointed when a book’s ending starts to lead towards a sequel, not to the full rounded conclusion I’m expecting for that particular plot, especially for young readers. 

I know, I know! This niggly response might just be me - and if so, I apologise - but I’ve come across the twist of the “sudden sequel” a couple of times recently and it’s never delighted me, even when the book itself has done. It's almost as if I hear enthusiastic "marketing" voices hiding under the pages

I do wish that, somehow, sometimes, publishers would just let one story “be” before another was so obviously started, rather than this practice of combining the two - or else find a way to indicate this expectation on the cover. 

Harumph! Grump over.

Penny Dolan

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More of Me by Kathryn Evans - reviewed by Dawn Finch

First the blurb....

Teva is sixteen. She goes to school, studies for her exams and spends time with her boyfriend, Ollie, and best friend, Maddy. To the rest of the world, she’s normal. But when she goes home, she’s anything but. Because at home there are twelve other Tevas – nearly one for every year she’s been alive. Because once a year, Teva separates into two, leaving a younger version of herself stuck at the same age, in the same house…watching the new Teva live the life that she’d been living.

More of Me is a beautifully original concept - each year Teva separates and another Teva tears herself into the world to live out her life. The first-person narrative takes us further and further into Teva's complicated existence as she is forced to take her place with her predecessors, becoming cut off from the world while yet another Teva quite literally steps into her shoes.

Evans handles this complicated plot with ease and delivers a novel that is at once gripping and fascinating. Teva is instantly likeable, and yet she is legion and we are pulled back and forth with her tangled lives. Each version of Teva is subtly different from the next, manifesting all of the personality facets within our own lives. As Teva ages she steps outside the child she once was and moves on, until the time she knows that she can't keep doing this for the rest of her life.

The story twists and turns and we feel torn as we identify with Teva and the emotional wrench she faces each time she has to let the new Teva take over her life. For a while we feel that there can't possibly be a way of resolving this story......  but don't worry, trust the writer on this one!

More of Me is Kathryn Evans' first book, and if this is the standard we can expect from her I'm sure that there will be many more. Teva's story is so well rounded that it is a very accomplished story and I am very much looking forward to reading Evans' future books.

More of Me by Kathryn Evans is published by Usborne on 1 Feb 2016
ISBN - 978-1474903028

Reviewed by Dawn Finch
President CILIP, Children's author and librarian
www.dawnfinch.com
New book - Book of Worth

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Railhead, by Phlip Reeve: reviewed by Sue Purkiss

Philip Reeve is a remarkable writer, with an imagination the size of one of the many planets he writes about in this book. I've read several of his Mortal Engines books, and also his Larklight series, for sightly younger readers: and I've been lost in admiration after reading all of them, at his exuberance and inventiveness and the sheer range of his characters and the worlds they explore.

Railhead is set in this universe, but far into the future. There are knowing and funny nods back to our time; Casablanca is referenced, and ancient earth languages, including Ancient Geek and Klingon. (Who knew?) In this 'world', travel among the planets takes place by means of trains. But these are no ordinary trains: these are trains with souls, which feel joy, love, sorrow and anger. And they are not the only sentient forms which Reeve creates. There are also the Hive Monks: hybrid beings made up of lots of beetles which somehow coalesce around a flimsy framework to form the simulacrum of a human being - and the Motoriks, dismissively known as 'Wire Dollies'. These are androids, not meant to be individuals with feelings - but one, Nova, is very individual indeed. Her quest for a soul is indicated by her creation of freckles to spoil the perfection of her 'skin'; like all of the characters, human or not, she is multi-layered and we come to care for her, to respond to her warmth and complexity.

The hero of the story is - at the beginning - a small-time thief called Zen Starling. He, like many a fantasy hero, soon finds out that he has a back-story and a destiny of which he has been hitherto unaware. He is plucked from obscurity by an ambivalent master-criminal named Raven, because he is uniquely qualified to infiltrate a powerful family called the Noons and steal from them something that Raven very much wants. But, being a hero, he is not inclined to meekly fall in with anyone else's plans, and everything goes horribly wrong.

This is a beautifully written book with a story that moves along with the pace of a high-speed train. The characters are complex and varied; there is humour, there is pathos, there is love. And all this in a world which Reeve has constructed with dazzling aplomb. In his 'ThankYou', at the end of the book, Reeve pays tribute to Sarah McIntyre, with whom he has written books for much younger readers: he says that she 'made me want to write more stories at a time when I felt ready to give up.' We must be very thankful to Sarah for this - because if this writer gave up, it would be a desperate waste of an extraordinary talent.

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