The Snow Merchant by Sam Gayton

Hurrah for Lettie Peppercorn! This is her story. A story full of magic, action and adventure. The most imaginative tale I’ve read in a very long time. We join Lettie in what first appears to be a Cinderella sort of scene. She lives in a house on stilts and her days are filled with cooking, cleaning and attending to demanding guests. Her only friend is a pigeon made of stone, Periwinkle. Her father is a gambling drunk and they’re both grieving for the loss of her mother who mysteriously vanished long ago. Enter the Snow Merchant! This conspicuous character claims many things, one of which is that he’s an inventor of something that will change Lettie’s life forever – snow. And so begins a fantastical escapade, we’re flung into Lettie’s world as she discovers family secrets, makes friends as well as enemies, encounters danger and faces her fears. You simply must join Lettie, I love her and you will too. I promise.

Sapphire Battersea by Jacqueline Wilson

I was so pleased to receive a proof of the sequel to Hetty Feather, knowing there would be thousands of eager fans dying to get their hands on a copy. I immediately delved into this to conjure up ideas for the Jacqueline Wilson Festival happening in October, and I wasn’t disappointed. We join Hetty; or Sapphire as she likes to be called, back in the Foundling Hospital with the mother she finally found. Yet the feistiness that makes me love this character so much, was about to get her in to trouble once more. Soon enough she is separated from her mother again and sent to work as a scullery maid. After upsetting her employer she sets off to be reunited to with her mother. This time her adventures lead her to the seaside, as well as unexpected sadness.

Sapphire Battersea is full of wonderful things, descriptive scenes of a Victorian Britain, comical and fearsome characters, fabulous friendships and romantic suitors. Yet as with all Jacqueline’s books there’s an undercurrent of seriousness throughout. Hetty is a pleasure to read, she makes me laugh. I love her honesty and admire her bravery and ambition. The sad thing is; she really does have to be brave as the story takes a turn for the worst.  Some parts of this book are genuinely upsetting.

Though it seems nothing can keep our Hetty down for long, her determination shines through and we’re left waiting to see what will happen next to this extraordinary girl.

A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle

I’ve never read Roddy Doyle before but I’m sure I couldn’t have encountered a better introduction. This is the story of Mary and four generations of feisty Irish women ‘heading off on a car journey. One of them dead, one of them dying, one of them driving, one of them just beginning’. Mary’s Granny is dying, and although this story wouldn’t be told if this wasn’t the case, I feel this book is about something else. It’s about family bonds, friendship and relationships never forgotten. It’s about the things in life that make us incredibly happy, and some of the things that make us terribly sad.

I followed Mary along on her journey with these women. One of whom was her great grandmother, Tansey. She died when Mary’s grandmother was only a baby and has stuck around ever since to make sure her little one managed through life, with an aim, when the time was right, to guide her on to the next. It’s difficult to explain really. Perhaps this book isn’t Mary’s story at all, instead it’s like Doyle has produced snapshots of a family over 100 years.  I got to know these individual characters and the people in their lives. I liked them all immensely, mainly because they were so real. This story can be enjoyed by any age, we can all relate to it.

Legend by Marie Lu

Another sensational addition to the ever growing dystopian list. Legend is set in what was once western United States and is now the Republic.  A nation at war with its neighbours and stricken with poverty.

Though where there is poverty there is always riches, and we’re introduced to two characters that represent each end of the scale. June’s brother is killed in a suspected terrorist attack against the Republic, she’s a highly skilled prodigy and hired by the government to track down his killer. Day, an outlawed criminal is suspected of the crime. Yet, we as readers are with Day when this supposed killing takes place. We’re lead to question the truth right from the start. I had my suspicions and couldn’t read fast enough to discover what really happened. Why does the Republic hate Day so much? Why has he decided to rebel? When will June discover the truth?

Both characters are intricately written and I really liked them both. I love how each chapter alternated between the two voices. We get very different sides of the same story. Day has been compared to Robin Hood, and I can see the resemblance. Nobody really knows who this legendary character was, and no one really knows who Day is. Like Robin, he’s fighting for what’s right, against a conspiring Republic and for those he loves.  Orphaned June is feisty, strong and defiant – a brilliant heroine.

As these two people’s lives collide terrible and sinister truths are uncovered. At first June is determined to destroy Day, but what she has been led to believe all her life is somewhat different to what she now faces. With clues left by her brother she realises that perhaps Day isn’t such the villain he has been portrayed as. With the film rights already sold and the producers of the Twilight Saga on board, I’m certain this new series is going to be a global success.

Lu’s writing was a thrill to read, very fast paced, lots of action, anxiety, and the all important traces of a powerful romance.  Together June and Day are a force to be reckoned with. Their journey represents truth, their story will become legend.

Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson

With the current hype surrounding the release of the latest X Men film, this comes at the perfect time. Yet Hunting Lila has a refreshing twist. The first part of this book focuses on Lila’s decision to leave her father in England, seek refuge with her ‘marine’ brother in California and his best friend Alex. She’s still dealing with the loss of her mother, the special power she can barely control, and her agonising devotion to Alex. As the plot thickens we discover her brother and Alex are part of a secret government organisation, hunting people like her. People with super powers! It all kicks off; we’re fed action, excitement and mystery as Alderson leads us through Lila’s discovery. But of course, things are never as they seem.  This is a great pace setter for a new trilogy, the perfect mix of a lustrous romance and hard hitting action.

Dark Lord - The Teenage Years by Jamie Thomson

Meet Dirk Lloyd, or Dark Lord as he prefers to call himself. He has fallen to Earth from the Darklands and found himself trapped in the body of a thirteen year old boy. This is stupendously inconvenient as he is desperate to find his way back, and not many people tend to take a teenage boy insisting he’s the all powerful Dark Lord very seriously. After waking up in hospital he is placed in care of the Purejoie’s and soon befriends their son Chris, and his school friend Sooz. Together they devise a plan to send Dirk back, yet they never quite take him seriously. As readers, we’re inclined to follow Chris and Sooz’s thoughts, surely there’s no such thing as the Darklands ....

This is hilarious, and is set to have us inferior puny humans laughing out loud. The language is quite sophisticated but you couldn’t really expect anything less from a Lord. Dirk is witty and offensive, the way he views our world, as if from the outside looking in, is particularly comical. As he struggles with human relationships, emotions and morals it becomes difficult not to love him. I was more than pleased to discover this was the first in a new series and I’m pretty certain Dirk will follow along the same route as Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It really is ‘a work of evil genius’.

Published October 2011

We Can Be Heroes by Catherine Bruton

Ben’s dad was killed in the 9/11 attacks in New York. This alone sparks an unnerving feeling within, it is the first story I’ve read on the subject and I was anxious about the content. I needn’t have been though. Bruton is brilliant.

Ben is a young boy who is dealing with the loss of his father, but it’s also a story about other things too. Family, friendship, bereavement, racism, anger, love as well as hate. Ben is staying with his grandparents and Cousin Jed over the summer whilst his fragile mother is in hospital. Here he meets one of the best characters I’ve met in a long time, Priti. She’s just moved onto his grandparent’s street with her family, they’re Muslim and are trying to fit in with their predominantly white neighbours. Priti is feisty, funny and bold, yet with the innocence that comes with childhood. By just being herself she helps Ben deal with his conflicting feelings about his Dad and his Mum. My heart hurt for Ben. Kind, carful, caring Ben. He is drowning in guilt for not remembering his father, his mother’s illness and ‘burdening’ his grieving grandparents.  He’s the complete opposite to Jed. I disliked him at first, mainly because he was insensitive about his Uncle’s death and his blatant racist attitude and anger, but as the story developed it became clear Jed was grieving too. The absence of his mother and the influence of his own father’s fury were hurting him more than he wanted to show.

The three of them become friends whilst trying to uncover an elaborate honour killing and terrorist attack. Yet, as always, things are never what they seem. Bruton is ambitious with the topics she covers; she is pushing boundaries all of the time and forcing people to recognise their own unspoken prejudices, thoughts and beliefs. Amidst all the action are descriptions of Ben’s comic drawings. He sketches all the time about things going on, his thoughts and feelings. I feel it necessary to mention these as they’re a key aspect of the book; I really hope they’re included in the finished text. This is an exceptional debut, an important book that is tender, funny, sometimes uncomfortable but also incredibly sensitive.

Published by Egmont - August 2011