I'm very excited to be a part of the Rivet Boy Blog Tour with such amazing other bloggers and reviewers!
Based on real events, Rivet Boy is set in 1889 when Scotland built a true wonder - it's Fourth Rail Bridge. The bridge was voted Scotland's greatest man-made wonder in 2016 and is considered a true symbol of Scottish ingenuity and workmanship. The book follows a boy named John, who is twelve when he gets a job as a riveter on the bridge. He knows it's not a safe job, four children have already fallen to their deaths working on it. By the end of its construction, 73 people died making the Fourth Rail Bridge. John, however, has no choice but to work because his father is no longer around and he must create an income for his family if they are going to survive. There's just one issue, John is deathly afraid of heights, not a good start to someone who has to work on a bridge of this size. On his journey John finds solace in a squirrel friend, a new library that's been built and Cora, someone he can relay his fears and worries to. However, nothing is smooth sailing when he's sent to work with a group that is tough, mean and with a bully for a boss. It's a very hard life, and John must learnt to navigate it without getting himself hurt or even worse. Loved this story, a thrilling read on a topic I knew nothing about, I very much recommend it!
0 Comments
It's London, 1601, Shakespeare is about to perform his new play for the Twelfth Night festival. Honesty is a girl who unfortunately does not live up to her name. She loves to tell a tale purely for her own entertainment. She's escaping into London in order to run away from a big problem in her Welsh village. When luck falls on her side and she meets the Queen, it results in a lot of new opportunities that she could never dream of before. Alice is the complete opposite, she wants to be away from people, for her own reasons, secrets she must keep hidden away. Alice is willing to do jobs that keep her in the shadows. Both girls have these secrets that they're trying to keep buried deep. Alice and Honesty become unlikely friends and must rely on each other in order to survive. The Elizabethan setting is gorgeous and terrifying at the same time. This is amazing historical fiction that covers friendships and secrets with a great description of Shakespearean times. Don't miss it! Thank you to Zephyr Books for this review copy!
Circus Maximus: Rivals on the Track is a fantastic story full of bold characters that will stick with you long after reading. Dido and her beloved horse Porcellus are on the run. The insane emperor Caligula has put a bounty on her head, as well as Porcellus'. It's up to Dido and Porcellus to outrun and outsmart the bounty hunters. Along the way she must cope with a huge family secret that could put her even further in danger. I love this series, it combines, mystery, thrills, adventure and epic action that keeps rolling on page after page. I recommend it for ages 9+ Recently, Annelise was asked about her five favourite female characters in children's books, here is her response: My Favourite Female Characters in Children’s Fiction The seed for the Circus Maximus series was planted when an image of my main character, Dido, popped into my head while I was watching a Formula One race on television. There was never any story without her. Growing up, I loved books and films centred on quirky, brave and clever female characters who found growing up as difficult and awkward as I did. Dido’s closest literary cousin is probably Velvet Brown from Enid Bagnold’s National Velvet. But there are others here with whom I think she would have made friends. Velvet Brown in National Velvet by Enid Bagnold I’ve made no secret of the fact that National Velvet was one of my main inspirations for the Circus Maximus series. It’s the story of a girl who wins a horse in a raffle and dreams of training and entering him for the Grand National, where female jockeys aren’t allowed to compete. Part of what I love about the book is the relationship between idealistic, brace-wearing Velvet and her stoic mother Araminty, who lends Velvet the entry money for the National from the winnings she earned as one of the first women to swim the English Channel. A gorgeous story about the power of ordinary women and girls to do great things. Anne Shirley in the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery Anne (with an ‘e’ as she would be quick to remind you) is a passionate and eccentric eleven- year-old orphan who is adopted by Matthew and Marilla, a childless pair of siblings living in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. Over the course of six books, we see Anne dealing with what she perceives as the curse of her red hair, finding lifelong friends, getting into scrapes, negotiating a long love-hate relationship with her schoolfriend Gilbert Blythe and eventually going to college and beginning her adult life. This series captured my heart when I was growing up and I still re-read my very dog-eared copies. Mildred Hubble in The Worst Witch series by Jill Murphy I loved this series when I was young, partly for the brilliant set-up (a boarding school for witches) but also because of Mildred herself, the worst witch of the title. There was something so comforting in reading about a character who despite her best intentions, cannot help getting things wrong. Her struggles against her bullying nemesis Ethel Hallow and the imperious Miss Hardbroom are relatable and funny. You just root for her all the way. Dinah Glass in The Demon Headmaster series by Gillian Cross When we meet Dinah Glass in the first book of Gillian Cross’s series, we see her holding out a ‘cold, rigid hand’, to her new foster family. Fiercely intelligent but private with her emotions, Dinah finds herself isolated at her strange new school but soon realises that her classmates are under the mind control of the sinister Demon Headmaster of the title. Only Dinah is smart enough to outwit him. I felt a strong affinity with Dinah, who like me, found it hard to open up and let people in, but found great friends in the end. Rebecca Mason in the Trebizon series by Anne Digby Rebecca Mason is a shy loner when we meet her in the first book of these terrific boarding school stories and that – plus the fact that she is a keen writer - made me empathise with her immediately. Eventually, over the course of the series, Rebecca makes friends and discovers she has a talent for tennis, which was also my favourite sport at school. Anne Digby is brilliant at writing sporting set pieces and I still remember vividly the excitement of Rebecca’s big match against her friend and rival Joss Vining. When I spotted last year that Anne Digby was following me on Twitter, I have to admit I let out a blood-curdling howl of excited disbelief and had to message her immediately to tell her how much her books inspired me. Makepeace is 12 years old and has the ability to harbour ghosts within her body. The problem is, she doesn't know it. It's a secret her mother has been keeping from her throughout her life. When she's separated from her mother, she inadvertently inherits the spirit of a recently deceased bear. It is wild and angry, hungry and confused and it's in her brain and trying to control her body. After a series of devastating events, Makepeace is sent to live with her father's ancestors. They are a strange group of people who have secret powers. They see Makepeace as a troublesome girl with only one use, a use that won't be revealed to Makepeace until much later therefore I won't spoil it here. What Makepeace does know is that she needs to escape the clutches of these people. What follows is an epic adventure where Makepeace must befriend ghosts and those of the living whom she doesn't really trust. The country is engaged in a civil war, it's the 17th century and Makepeace must gather every ally she can if she is going to survive. I really loved this novel, there are multiple plot twists and side adventures to keep readers of fantasy fiction with some history thrown in engaged for hours. Makepeace and Bear are an unlikely yet amazing duo, and with each turn for the weird, I was on board. You'll really fall in love with Makepeace and be rooting for her every step of the way, she is defiant, brave, clever and cunning, yet she is honest and honourable throughout. The villains in this tale are many, and they are truly evil and disturbing. Makepeace's father's ancestors are about as dastardly and dark as they get, they have harnessed a power that has made them mad-drunk and desperate at the same time. They will stop at nothing to secure their name in the history books, this makes them very dangerous, as many characters in the novel find out the hard way. Another triumph from Frances Hardinge, I really recommend it! Samkad wants to be a warrior, but he's told he's not ready. His friend Luki also wants to be a warrior, but she's told she'll never be one because she's a girl. It's 1899 in the Philippines, and big changes are in the air. When Samkad's long lost brother reappears and brings with him a strange American visitor, Samkad's entire life is thrown upside down. A gritty story about truth, family, war and loss. I really loved Bone Talk as it is steeped in history. I had no idea of the American invasion of the Philippines and even if I had, the stories out there are primarily from a U.S. perspective. Bone Talk allows the reader to see things from the point of view of those having their entire lives taken from them, their choices taken away by foreign invaders who say one thing and do another, who do not keep promises, who bribe and lie and steal. It's a damning and fascinating look at political meddling and war but told through a very human lens. Samkad is a wonderful character who wants to be tough and brave like his father but who harbours very real fears and anxiety just like anyone. Luki is brave and fearless on the outside but deep down wants nothing more than to be friends with Samkad, that is her biggest fear. She is tough and loyal and a great character as well. When the Americans arrive, prepare for some really tough scenes that will make your blood boil, it's a riveting story that taught me a lot, loved it. In 1947, India gained its independence from British rule and was split into two countries, India & Pakistan. This change created a huge amount of tension between Muslims & Hindus. As people desperately tried to run for safety, thousands were killed. Nisha is twelve and is half Hindu, half Muslim. She doesn't understand why her family is suddenly in danger, but her physician father bundles her and her younger brother and their grandmother up and make a run for the Pakistan border where they hope they'll find safety. Along the way, Nisha writes diary entries to her deceased mother, whom she never knew. Nisha chronicles the heartache and danger the family faces as they walk towards Pakistan, desperately hoping they will find her mother's brother who has agreed to take them in. Faced with dying of starvation, crazed killers and unfathomable conditions, Nisha's story is as heart breaking as it is exhilarating. I really couldn't put this novel down, Nisha's letters to her mother are funny, sad and poignant. She is a brave voice in an uncertain world. The novel also educated me on a time period and place I hadn't really paid attention to before. It's a tragic moment in history that is made interesting and heartfelt through this compelling novel. I really think all students ages 10 and up should read this fantastic book. Paris is on the cusp of a Revolution, but all Camille cares about is putting food on the table so her and her sister Sophie don't starve to death. Her parents deceased, Camille must try to survive famine, disease and her brother's drunken squandering of the little money they own. However, Camille has a secret. She can turn worthless metal into coins, for a short period at least. This magic skill buys her and Sophie some time while she figures out a plan. After delving into much darker magic, magic that her mother warned her about, Camille is able to disguise herself as nobility and enter the famed halls of Versailles, where she partakes in expensive and dangerous card games where the rewards are great. It doesn't take long for Camille to discover that she might not be the only one at Versailles with a dark secret. Throw in the fact that she's fallen hopelessly in love with a daring young balloonist, Camille doesn't know if she can keep up her double life much longer. As the stakes become higher and the suspicions out of control, Camille finds herself in great danger, it doesn't help that Paris has turned completely upside down with violent anger at those who enter Versailles. Enchantée is a great novel containing magic realism and historical facts about Paris, Versailles and the French Revolution. Camille's brother is a great villain, as are the other characters at Versailles although I don't want to spoil this as it's not clear who the real villain is right away. I felt like the novel moved a long at an excellent pace and was really interesting from start to finish. I was genuinely concerned for Camille and Sophie and the sections of the novel where they were starving were really effective. I don't think anyone who loves YA will want to miss Enchantée at all when it's released in 2019! It's 1944 and Jakob is hiding from the Nazis in a horse stable in Austria. When they come to investigate the possibility that Jakob's guardian is harbouring a Jewish boy, the SS officer is angered that he can't locate him. To compensate, he shoots and kills one of the guardian's acclaimed Lipizzaner horses. Fearing they will return, Jakob and his guardian escape in the night with the remaining horses. Their goal is to reach a village across the mountains where they feel it will be safer. Along the way they meet Kizzy, a Roma who has her own tragic story to tell. Kizzy is an adept rider and great at hunting and fishing and makes a valuable companion. To reach safety, the trio must enter Nazi held territory and areas crawling with Nazi sympathisers. To make matters worse, they aren't even sure what will be waiting for them on the other side of the mountains. Flight is a harrowing tale of survival, cunning and adventure. Jakob and Kizzy make a great pair as they try to outwit and out-manoeuver the many threats to their safety. When Jakob's guardian becomes seriously injured, the hope of saving the horses becomes even smaller. It's a story of desperation and grit that any 10 year old will love. Fans of WWII, horses and friendship will really sink their teeth into it! Jerome is twelve and lives in a neighbourhood where you need to be on your toes at all time. When he's shot to death by a policeman who mistakes his toy gun for a real one, he emerges as a ghost and watches helplessly as his family tries to maintain sanity after his death. Jerome watches the preliminary hearing of the policeman who shot him and visits the policeman's' daughter, who, miraculously, can see him. Joined by Jerome is the ghost of Emmett Till, who tells him of his horrible encounter with violent racism in America's deep south. Till helps Jerome work out why he was murdered and how he can process it and what needs to be done to make sure it stops happening. Throughout this journey, the policeman's daughter learns several valuable lessons as well. I think Ghost Boys should be required reading in high schools around the world, infuriating, mortifying and heart-breaking, it reflects both historical and current divides regarding race in America. It's a fast, always compelling read that I cannot recommend enough. I recommend it for ages 10 and up. Jane Mckeene is born into a world of terror. Zombies, known as shamblers, have risen from the Civil War battlefields and torn the nation apart even further. Jane is sent to special combat schools based on a government law known as the Native and Negro Reeducation Act, In the school she learns to dispose of the undead in an efficient manner. Her and the other students are told that the area around Baltimore is shamble free, but when this turns out to be a lie, Jane and her friend Katherine are plunged into a conspiracy that will take them out west where shamblers aren't the only thing that's rotten. I only gave this book two stars on Goodreads simply because I felt it was around 100 pages too long. I had such high hopes for it but nothing happens, it seems to be a string of mildly entertaining zombie attacks that are wedged into a huge amount of info dumps that go on for pages. It had a lot of promise in the beginning, but I have to say that the book is really boring which should have been near impossible when writing a book about zombies during the American Civil War. |
Categories
All
Follow These Guys: 100 Scope Notes No Flying No Tights Pretty Books Reading Rants! Sophisticated Dorkiness Teen Librarian |