Interdimensional Explorers
Written by Lorraine Gregory
Illustrations by Jo Lindley
As a member of FCBG I am lucky enough to have my school as a tester school, this means my school children are able to read books and judge them to win a book prize. The children absolutely adore doing this and it makes them feel special. One of these books was this one.
And of course as a truly caring librarian I couldn’t let the children read this before I did. This was purely for research reasons of course. So I disappeared off to bed early one night and jumped straight into an adventure. The first line left me with a lot of unanswered questions.
Nothing exciting ever happens on twelve-year-old Danny’s estate. That is until he falls through a locker in his grandad’s workshop and finds himself in an Interdimensional Lost Property Office! And – even weirder – his new boss is a giant purple squid on a segway! Now Danny, best mate Modge and annoying cousin Inaaya find themselves in charge of returning alien items to all corners of the universe. But someone – or something – is determined to stop them. And there’s NOTHING these evil aliens won’t stop at to achieve complete multi-dimensional domination . . . even trapping Danny and his friends on a planet a million light years away from Earth. If the fate of the entire multiverse was in your hands, what would YOU do?
And this is such a fun adventure, the three main characters are really good and completely different from each other. Danny, the narrator, is a mixed-race kid from a council estate, which is so nice to see in a book. This is a book that takes the stereotypes about council estates and explores the reality – the lack of council investment in services, the communities living there, and more. I grew up at the intersection of two estates, with another two really close by, and it just felt like my neighbourhood.
This is wonderful for children to see their neighbourhood in a book as often some children never see their neighbourhood in books. The three main characters all have issues on their minds and Danny is unable to see past his own problems.
But as the book progresses they all realise that they need to work together to work through the problems. It was lovely to see the main characters progress throughout the book, and grow into themselves. The first in a brand-new sensationally spacey, action-packed and adventure-filled middle grade series written by the incredible Lorraine Gregory – perfect for fans of MG Leonard and David Baddiel!
The Spirit Snatcher
Written by Cat Gray
Published by Usborne
I loved the spellstoppers so I was eager to read this and I finished this in one day. I was completely hooked by the first chapter and I really wished I was there.
Welcome to Elbow Alley, secret home to all things magical, eerie…and deadly
Pip always worries about fitting in – which is tougher than usual when his new neighbours are vampires, banshees and ghosts. Worst of all is the mysterious spirit snatcher, which appears out of nowhere and sucks away people’s personalities. When it attacks Pip’s parents, the only way to save them is to destroy it. But first Pip has to find it.
I absolutely loved Pip’s parents and when I read the description out loud my oldest son rolled his eyes and asked if I knew the author, turns out my oldest thought the parents sounded really like myself and my husband, I thought this was brilliant, my oldest not so.
It was truly amazing, the book was everything I like in a book, and I loved the mystery. I really fancied living in that street, and meeting these characters. The book is written so that we follow the two main characters Pip and Fliss around and we learn things when they do, of course there are many red herrings and I couldn’t decide who the snatcher actually was.
And of course when it was revealed I had to reread back to see if any clues were given, I couldn’t see any. I was lucky enough to have been given a proof copy which had an amazing cover, but I’ve seen the final cover and it’s going to scream at people Pick Me Up.
An added bonus was the quote on the front cover by author Thomas Taylor, so you know if his name is associated with the book, it will be a good one. I’d love to see another adventure from these two.
The Golden Swift
Written by Lev Grossman
I adored the silver arrow and I’ve read it so many times that I was so excited when the golden swift came out.
I couldn’t wait to see what happened next to Kate and Tom.
A lot has changed for Kate in a year. She and Tom are now full-fledged conductors of the steam-powered, animal-saving Great Secret Intercontinental Railway. Life is good!
Or good-ish, anyway. Her uncle Herbert has gone missing, and the worsening climate means that there are more and more animals that need help all the time. How many times does Kate have to save the world before it stays saved?
And her real life isn’t exactly perfect either. She flunked her audition for the junior high musical and got stuck in the chorus, while her archenemy Jag got a lead.
So, out of desperation, Kate breaks the rules and takes the Silver Arrow out on an unsanctioned mission, to find Uncle Herbert and bring back balance to the world. But she quickly discovers she’s not the only one on the Great Secret Intercontinental Railway. There’s a mysterious train called the Golden Swift out there too, with an agenda of its own. Is it an ally? A rival? An enemy? A bit of all three?
The question will turn Kate’s world upside down, take her from the Scottish Highlands to the Australian outback to the bottom of the Bering Sea, and lead her straight on a collision course with the mysterious masters of the Great Secret Intercontinental Railway itself. Because when you’re a human being fighting to save nature, are you the hero or are you the villain? There are no simple answers.
I was so pleased to be back on the silver arrow.Kate and Tom are both older, and are finding they want more out of their lives, and are also growing into the people they’ll eventually become. Consequently, there’s a little conflict to their interactions this time, which keeps things interesting. This book looks at changing relationships and changes in ourselves.
They discover another conductor, Jag, working on the Golden Swift, a different train, who is not only moving animals around the world, as Kate is doing, but is also attempting to return certain creatures to their original habitats. Interestingly, Jag also goes to Kate’s school, and made the school musical, so Kate’s a little annoyed with him.
Kate and Jag soon discover that moving animals to different habits will bring more consequences. This is one of the best series/books for young readers exploring environmentalism, conservation and the impact of humans on the world I’ve come across.
It’s thoughtful, sensitive and honest, whilst still being full of adventure and offering hope.
The author shows us how restoring balance to the environment is complicated, and fraught with errors and danger. It’s a disheartening thing for Kate and Jag to discover, but shows the book’s readers how restoring an environment is something that involves countless individuals and communities working together.
I really hope there will be more adventures aboard The Silver Arrow.
Monster in the Woods
Written by Dave Shelton
I always enjoy a Dave Shelton book. They are all different and I read this book in one day.
Rumour has it that there’s a monster in the woods. But why doesn’t anyone do something about it? Frith is determined to save the day, and with her hard-working dad, younger brother, Spuggy, and dog (called Cabbage), Frith will travel to the big city to convince the king that Something Must Be Done. Along the way, she’ll encounter a Big Wise Head, a mysterious squirrel, and discover that, perhaps, not all is as it seems . . . Full of wit and wisdom, Monster in the Woods is a future classic tale about family, friendship, and first impressions.
This was such a great adventure, There were a few red herrings and you thought the story was going in one particular direction but didn’t.
This is a fast paced story which will leave you thinking of what you would do in that situation.
It is funny in places.
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