Tag Archives: fiction

Apr16

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

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IMG_9101Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, paperback novel, 280 pages, first published by Viking in 2001, this edition published by Puffin Books in 2002.

Artemis Fowl is not an average twelve year old boy. He is a criminal mastermind isolated on an enormous estate in Ireland, where he is constantly accompanied by his bodyguard, Butler, but is not restricted by any parental or guardian influence. His family’s vast fortune, accrued over many generations of criminal Fowls, has been lost, and Artemis is determined to restore it. A spot of supernatural kidnapping for ransom should do it, all he has to do is find a fairy to kidnap. Though he is a genius with an elaborate and thorough plan, when he captures Captain Holly Short of the Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance Unit (LEPcon), he gets more than he bargains for.

I’d been thinking about reading Artemis Fowl for a while (I wanted to see whether it lived up to the hype), when I came across a copy in excellent condition in a secondhand bookstore. It was also on sale, so I think it was a sign that it was time to read it! I was not disappointed. From the first chapter I was hooked. It is a fast paced adventure full of fantastical creatures, villains and plenty of action. There are fairy police, an egotistical centaur, a humongous troll, goblins and a tunneling and devious dwarf, all of which come to life in the pages of Artemis Fowl. And Artemis himself is a very interesting character. There are many stories of young heroes saving the day, but not too many telling the exploits of a young criminal using his excessive intelligence to create havoc and amass a fortune. I liked this different perspective, even though he is undoubtedly the baddie, Artemis didn’t seem like the enemy. I found myself hoping there would be some way for both Artemis and the fairies to come out on top.

The plot of Artemis Fowl contained suspense and surprises, and it wasn’t predictable as some novels for younger readers are. The characters developed throughout the story too, providing a richness to the tale, and leaving me wanting to find out more about the Lower Elements, the People and Artemis. There were also little things left unknown, which could be revealed later in the series.

The complexity of the storyline and some elements of violence probably lends itself more towards upper primary to lower high school students, though with guidance younger children may also enjoy this book. I thoroughly enjoyed Artemis Fowl, and I had trouble putting it down to sleep at night. When I can, I will find more of the books from the Artemis Fowl series to read. I am very interested to find out what trouble Artemis is plotting next.

Apr8

Two Little Pirates by Ruth Paul

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IMG_8894Two Little Pirates by Ruth Paul, paperback picture book, first published by Scholastic New Zealand Limited in 2010, this reformatted edition was published by Scholastic New Zealand Limited in 2013.

As the day draws near, two little pirates attack the King and Queen where they lay in their bed sleeping. They tickle the Queen’s feet, and the King falls down, but soon the tide turns and the little pirates are hung over the side of the ship. Captured, they have to pay for their pirate ways, but soon punishment is exchanged for snuggles and cuddles.

This is a lovely book, with gorgeous illustrations and rhyming text that makes the idea of being woken up by young children seem like a fun and engaging experience. The language is just right for the subject matter, with humour and pizzazz. Two Little Pirates is a great book for sharing and reading aloud with young children. Slightly older children, lower to middle primary school age, will also enjoy reading this themselves, and listening to it being read of course!

Apr8

Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby

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IMG_8867Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby, paperback novel, 321 pages, first published by Scholastic Press in 2011, this edition published by Scholastic Inc. in 2013.

Solveig is a princess growing up in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Asa, and that of her younger brother, the heir, Harald. To the King, she has always been the plain, unpromising and unimportant middle child, but when the three siblings are trapped behind an icy fjord for the winter, Solveig comes into her own. As their father fights a war, the princesses and prince are being protected in the King’s Hall with some loyal servants and a band of violent berserkers, that normally serve the King in battle. They cannot leave their ice safe-hold until the spring thaw arrives, but that is a long time away through a bitter winter. It soon becomes apparent that there is a traitor in their midst, but it’s hard for Solveig to imagine that one of these trusted few could betray them and their father. What appeared to be a protected haven, has now become a place of uncertainty, distrust and danger. They must wait for the thaw that will allow them to escape the trap that they have found themselves in, but maybe it won’t come soon enough.

I suppose Icefall could be described as a ‘coming of age’ story, as Solveig begins to define herself outside of her father’s narrow view of her during a period of stress. She matures and finds a strength she never knew she possessed, and in turn she finds herself. Also, Icefall is a mystery which was exciting and interesting.  The characters were well developed, and the storyline was compelling. The story is told from Solveig’s point of view, and the reader is able to grasp how she feels and thinks about the situation she finds herself in, and those she shares it with. I could also visualise the berserkers and the location in which the story is set. I really enjoyed this book, it was definitely a page turner for me. I think it would probably be best for upper primary and high school children, but mature younger children might also enjoy this adventure.

Mar27

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

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IMG_8648The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, paperback picture book, published by Macmillan Children’s Books in 1999.

A little mouse strolls through the woods, several predators offer for him to join them for a meal. He frightens each of these animals away with his description of the fictitious monster, the Gruffalo, but then he actually meets one. The Gruffalo thinks he would like to eat the mouse as well, but the mouse has a clever idea to escape becoming lunch.

This is a beautifully written and illustrated picture book that is extremely well loved in our home. The kids can recite this story because we have read it so many times. I love it too, and I am always happy when one of the kids choose it for story time. The story is written in rhyming text, and the mouse’s description of the Gruffalo is delightful. It is amusing and original, and not at all scary. It is a wonderful book to share with children of all ages. The Gruffalo is a must have for every child’s book collection.

 

Mar26

Alice-Miranda at School by Jacqueline Harvey

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IMG_8590Alice-Miranda at School by Jacqueline Harvey, paperback children’s novel, 281 pages, published by Random House Australia in 2010.

Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones is a precocious seven year old who is starting at her new boarding school, Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale Academy for Proper Young Ladies. There is something not quite right about the school though. The headmistress, Miss Grimm, never emerges from her office,  the school cook has never had a holiday, and the Gardner is not allowed to plant flowers. Alice-Miranda decides to set things right, but she must also deal with Alethea, the school bully, and a series of difficult and near impossible tasks set by Miss Grimm as an entrance test.

The Alice-Miranda series is written by the same author as the Clementine Rose series, but these books are longer and more challenging. While this book is probably best for middle primary school children, I decided to read this with my second grader, each of us taking turns to read. She was quite capable of reading it, but we did come across some words that were new to her. We took this as a learning opportunity and discussed these words, and then we looked some of them up in the dictionary. This didn’t diminish her enjoyment of the story though, and she has already begun reading the second book in the series by herself.

As Alice-Miranda is the only child of very wealthy parents who have spared no expense in raising their daughter, she had the potential to be a bit spoilt, and she is quite outspoken, so I expected her to be somewhat annoying, and ergo unlikable, but that actually wasn’t the case. She is very forthright and opinionated, but she was also intelligent, charming, interesting and confident, adventurous, charitable and kind. I found myself hoping that everything would work out for her as we read. The story is well written and interesting, with plenty of description of both characters and surroundings allowing for an immersion in the tale. I really liked sharing this story with my daughter.

Alice-Miranda’s future adventures are definitely on our to-read list!

 

 

Mar25

Ava Anne Appleton Accidental Adventurer by Wendy Harmer

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IMG_8596Ava Anne Appleton Accidental Adventurer by Wendy Harmer, illustrated by Andrea Edmonds, paperback chapter book, 90 pages, published by Scholastic Australia in 2013.

There are a lot of ‘A’s in Ava Anne Appleton’s life. Her parents are Alan and Anne Appleton, and her dog is called Angus. She even lives at 3A Australia Avenue. She is very comfortable in her ordinary and predictable life, but all that changes when her father brings home a large mobile home named the Adventurer, and announces that their whole family will be traveling around Australia for the next year. Ava isn’t sure this sounds like a great idea, but as her parents are obviously thrilled about their trip, she just has to go along with it. When they set down for the night near a lake, Angus runs off into the bush, and Ava follows after him, quickly becoming lost in the unfamiliar surroundings. She has to find Angus and get back to her parents. Luckily she meets a new friend that can help show her how to enjoy her first adventure.

This is a chapter book with easy to read (and largish) text, and a simple storyline with simple language. This book would be great for lower primary school kids that are moving into independent reading of chapter books. There are some black and white illustrations through the book, and the chapters are reasonably short. At first I thought Ava didn’t seem much like an ordinary eight year old, with her need for order and neatness, but perhaps I just have too much experience with kids that whip through the room like a tornado! Perhaps Ava has been attributed with some more adult-like qualities because she is an only child in the story. Despite her reluctance to adventure, run about and get dirty, she is still a likeable character, and my own children liked her. I read this to my preschooler, and she loved it. We have now started reading Ava’s second adventure. Though this was a very easy read for my second grader, she still enjoyed the story too.

Feb15

The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey

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IMG_8258The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey, paperback, 121 pages, published by The Blue Sky Press/Scholastic Inc. in 1997.

Harold and George are two rather mischievous and naughty boys. They like to play pranks on their fellow students, and their teachers, clown around in class, and just generally be pretty silly. They also write their own comic books together, creating various super heroes and villains, with Captain Underpants being their best loved hero. They sell their home-made comics to other kids at school.

The very mean and grumpy principal of Harold and George’s school has been trying to catch them playing their pranks for years, and finally he gets them on video destroying an important football match. He uses this tape to blackmail the boys into being his personal slaves. The boys have an idea to escape their slavery involving a hypnotic ring , but things don’t go quite the way they imagined when the principal believes himself to be Captain Underpants, and wants to go and save the day.

This book is the first in a series of Captain Underpants adventures. It was pretty silly, but still entertaining. My seven year old and all her friends love reading Captain Underpants’ adventures, again and again. Toilet humour is big with the kids at the moment, and this book really caters to that obsession. This is an easy read great for early primary school children with funny black and white illustrations throughout. With short chapters and text broken up with plenty of pictures, this book would be good for reluctant readers too. There is also a ‘flip-o-rama’ section, where one is instructed to flip the page back and forth to animate some of the pictures, which was fun. Overall, not a literary classic, but good as a light and amusing read for kids.

Feb15

Spot Goes to School by Eric Hill

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IMG_8247Spot Goes to School by Eric Hill, paperback lift-the-flap book, first published in 1984 by William Heinemann Ltd, this edition was published by Puffin Books in 2013.

This was the very first Spot book I can ever remember reading, and there was a lovely feeling of nostalgia when I first read it to my own children. I think every child likes Spot books. Lift-the-flap books are lots of fun, and Spot and his friends are quite lovable.

In this Spot adventure, he is off to school for the first time. All his friends are there, and they sing, and play and build and paint. It’s so much fun Spot doesn’t want to go home.

Great for young children, from about two years, this book was also enjoyed by my seven year old. The lure of lift-the-flaps is high, and I had to make the kids take turns, but the flaps add some extra fun to the story. The illustrations are big and bright, yet simple. The text is also large with simple language, good for children beginning to read. Spot is a firm favourite for us.

Feb9

Pooh’s First Day at School by Kathleen W. Zoehfeld

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IMG_8113Pooh’s First Day at School by Kathleen W. Zoehfeld and illustrated by the Disney Storybook Artists, paperback picture book, 32 pages, published by Funtastic Ltd in 2007.

Christopher Robin is starting school tomorrow, but the school is outside the 100-acre-wood, and only Christopher Robin gets to go. Roo and Tigger want to go too, but Piglet and Eyeore aren’t so keen. Since they can’t come with him, Christopher Robin sets up a classroom just for his friends, with singing, drawing, building, counting and even a snack of honey. He tells his friends all about school, and shows them it will be lots of fun.

This is a nicely illustrated picture book featuring the familiar characters from the 100-acre-wood. My kids love Winnie the Pooh and this book is no exception. They liked seeing some of their favourite characters enjoying a day at school. Even though Piglet was a little scared to go to school, and Pooh didn’t think he was smart enough to go, they both enjoyed the experience, as Christopher Robin shows them that school can be fun for everyone.

Feb8

Usborne First Experiences: Going to School by Anne Civardi

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IMG_8110Usborne First Experiences: Going to School by Anne Civardi and illustrated by Stephen Cartwright, paperback picture book, published by Usborne Publishing Ltd in 2005.

This book is part of the Usborne First Experiences series which is designed to introduce young children to new things, taking some of the anxiety out of these new situations. Going to School follows twins Percy and Polly Peach on their first day at school.

Getting ready for the day, going to school, meeting the teacher and the other children can all be a little daunting. Polly is a bit shy, but that’s okay because her mum can stay for a while to help her settle in, and there are lots of fun things to do at school, like painting, craft, music and playing in the playground. The day goes quickly and soon it is time to go home, going to school was pretty good after all.

This is a simple story showing that school can be a fun and safe place where children can make lots of friends. While reading this book, children can try to find the little yellow duck that is hiding on each page too. This adds an extra element of engagement for young children when reading this book. Another good book to read to children just about to start preschool or school.