Book Reviews: Kids' Books
Lisa Hoult - Taranaki Daily News
Feb 25, 2008
Teaspoon of Courage for Kids, by Bradley Trevor Greive (Random House, $22.99)
Subtitled A Little Book of Encouragement for Whenever You Need It, this is a gorgeous inspirational book aimed at under-12s. Simple language explains how every obstacle can be overcome, but it's the photos that make this memorable. Animals in various predicaments and posses, illustrate the messages on each page perfectly and will inspire the littlies to believe in themselves - even when the going gets tough. This is a lovely book to have and it's one that even we over-12s could do with reading every once in while!
H.I.V.E. - Overlord Protocol, by Mark Walden (Bloomsbury Children, $19.99).
In this sequel to H.I.V.E. (Higher Institute of Villainous Technology), star pupil Otto Malpense and best friend Wing Fanchu are under threat of assassination. They must use all of their villainous powers and super-cool gadgets to discover who is behind the plot and what exactly is the truth about the mysterious Overlord Protocol.
Think Artemis Fowl turned bad and you'll know what's in store when you pick this up. Tongue-in- cheek, with fantastic gadgets, whizzy machines and brilliant one-liners, this is adventurous fun the whole way through. I hadn't read the first HIVE book, but it didn't matter at all.
I loved this so much, I'll be buying the first - while keeping any eye out for the next!
Wicked Lovely, by Melissa Marr (Harper Collins, $24.99).
I'd always thought faeries were lovely, tiny little things, flitting about leaving fairy dust and warm sunshine in their wake. The ones in here are anything but; these faeries are life- size, mean, dangerous, conniving - and invisible to most humans. But Aislinn can see them - she has "the sight", as does her grandmother and her mother when she was alive.
Normally she manages to ignore them, pretend she doesn't see their mean games and they way they taunt humans, but lately they've started stalking her, trying to talk to her and one in particular, Keenan, is asking her questions she is afraid to answer.
This is a fantastic tale, haunting and intriguing and it certainly casts a new light on faeries! This is more for young adults, though, as it touches on topics that are definitely for more mature readers and the underlying darkness could disturb under-12s. I would have loved this to be even longer than it is so I could read more - particularly about the faery world and the various kingdoms that are mentioned. If there does happen to be a sequel, it will be high on my to-read list.
Mystic and the Midnight Ride; Blaze and the Dark Rider; both by Stacy Gregg (Harper Collins, $14.99).
This is a new series called Pony Club Secrets and it features Issie and her best friends Kate and Stella. They are pony-mad and spend all their spare time at the Chevalier Point Pony Club with their ponies, Blaze, Toby and Coco.
In Mystic and the Midnight Ride, Issie is asked to care for Blaze, an abandoned pony. She knows that it will take all of her skills to handle his high spirits, but there may be more to it than that; it seems that danger is lurking just around the corner . . .
In Blaze and the Dark Rider, the girls have been picked to represent their club at the Interclub Gold Shield - the biggest competition of the year! The intense training schedule is hampered when equipment is sabotaged and someone is inured. Issie is determined to find out what is going.
Horsie they are, but there's well-planned mystery and thoughtful plots - not to mention excellent writing style. The New Zealand touch makes them even more appealing.
The Silver Donkey, by Sonya Hartnett (Penguin Books, $24).
It is springtime in the woods, somewhere in France. Coco and her older sister Marcelle discover a soldier who has been blinded in the war. In return for food and kindness, he tells them tales, wonderful tales that all relate to the tiny trinket he carries at all time - a tiny, silver donkey. As they work in secret to help him find his way back home, they learn that there is more to this donkey than they thought.
A beautiful and poignant story, this won the CBC Book of the Year Award for Younger Readers. Containing four tales about famous donkeys, this is something different to tantalise the inquisitive mind. I felt the ending was a little rushed and left things unresolved, but despite that, this is still an excellent read.
Missing Toby, by Jill Harris (Longacre Press, $17.99).
I was nearly put off this by the cover - a bland photo of a dog by a fence. It was only because I recognised Jill Harris' name that I picked it up - her first novel was Sil, which is absolutely fantastic.
Once again, Harris narrates from a non-human perspective - this time Gus and Max, two dogs who keep the rest of the neighbourhood dogs in check.
There's also a narration from Harriet - she is missing her brother Toby and wishes he would come back to his messy bedroom so her parents would be happy like they were before. She notices the dogs' behaviour and soon joins them on their rounds. But who is leaving things in her letterbox? Is the big Old House really empty? And, will Toby ever come back?
Emotional, thought- provoking and beautifully written, this is another fine example of Harris' talent. The readership target of nine- to 12-year-olds will be treated to a superb insight of how, with imagination and care, one can turn an ordinary tale into a touching, warm-hearted story. Despite the cover, this is one not to miss.
My Place in Space, by Robin and Sally Hirst (Allen and Unwin, $17.99).
When asked a simple question about where they live, Henry Wilson and his sister Rosie embark on a detailed explanation that includes not only their street, town and country, but also their hemisphere, planet, solar system . . .
From a tiny little street address, this heads into the big open space of galaxies, arms and superclusters - pretty much everything you needed to know about the universe.
Groovy pictures help to illustrate each section as it's discussed, but I have to admit, it got a little confusing near the end. I also found the typeface a little distracting - a simpler one would have been easier to read.
Apart from that, this is a good introduction to astronomy and may help to simplify where all the stars and planets fit in together.
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