Help! I'm an Alien by Jo Franklin

Review by The Mole

Daniel Kendal is different—different to the other Kendals anyway. After all, he’s the only one with brown hair and brown eyes and what’s more, he’s taller than his family, his friends and probably everyone else in the entire world.

Big sister Jessie has made it clear just how different Daniel is, by explaining that he is in fact, an alien, kindly adopted by her parents. Confused, Daniel turns to his best friends, Eddie and Gordon the Geek, for help. Together perhaps they can work out where he really belongs.

When well meaning friends come to the rescue nothing is guaranteed to go well. Moving rapidly from disaster to disaster, his friends try to help him sort out his dilemma and end up getting his parents taken hostage!

An easy but funny read which is bound to appeal to young readers. Listed as age 7-9, advanced readers will enjoy it sooner and older kids may enjoy it in secret - it's not a 'cool' type of book for the older child but they will enjoy it. Frequent black and white illustrations add substance to the well written characters and help to bring the story to life.

Fun and full of silliness but also touching on some slightly deeper issues of phobias and friendships.

Publisher - Troika Books
Genre - Children's 7-9 humorous fiction

The King's Revenge by Philip Womack

Review by The Mole

The third book in The Darkening Path trilogy follows on from The King's Shadow to conclude the story of Simon's and Flora's efforts to retrieve their siblings from the Broken King.

In finally killing the king a trap has been triggered - a trap that is to bring an end to all three realms. If they can't stop the trap from closing fully there will be no world for them to go home to.

Much has happened to get the story this far with everything the young reader could want - fights, monsters, tension, triumphs and tragedies - this book delivers in the same abundance as the previous books. Fast and furious from the off, the reader will find it difficult to put down until the last page has been turned.

The narrative unfolds mostly from Simon's perspective although he is not the real hero - nor are the demi-gods. The "hero-ship" is shared pretty evenly between the four children and the youngsters from the silver realm with, arguably, the girls slightly ahead of the boys. Because of this it's difficult to see how this book wouldn't appeal to any youngster who is into reading fantasy.

A really great end to a great trilogy with an opening left for them to meet up again in one of the realms. Described as for the 11+ reader I would say it would also appeal to younger readers with its easy to read format and vocabulary.

Publisher - Troika Books
Genre - Children's fantasy, 11+

The Mark by Rosemary Hayes

Review by The Mole

Jack has been sent to find his next "mark" - who they are or why he's been sent is not something he knows. He doesn't even know who his last mark was but he will know them when he finds them. When he finds them it will be a quick "in and out" and he will move on to his next.

When he finds Rachel it turns out that she's his mark but Jack for some reason finds he can't just do his job and get out like he normally does. There is something about her naivety that Jack feels a need to help her. She is in danger and she doesn't know it.

Jack and Rachel go on the run for their lives and a dependence upon each other flourishes into much more - too much more.

A Young Adult book also suitable for teenagers I found this book to be compelling to say the very least. The reader starts in some confusion, which (coincidentally) is also how we find Jack. How can he know his mark on sight? What is he to do when he meets the mark? Who is he and who is he working for? Yet when we reach the end of this story the ending is just so right and so wrong in so many ways. Yes, we start to get an idea how it will end quite a way before the last chapter and that makes it all the more painful. The story has progressed from a thriller to a thriller with a strong love story element and you want it to end well for the couple - but you know it can't so can anything be salvaged for either of them?

The cover of this book gives nothing away about the story "Two teenagers on the run from their past"... doesn't that sum up so many YA or teen books? But I found I was totally blown away by this one.

I don't really care how you get hold of a copy but find one and read it - I am sure it will have a huge impact on you too. And get your teenagers to read it - they will enjoy it immensely if nothing else.

Publisher - Troika Books
Genre - YA/Teen, Thriller

The King's Shadow by Philip Womack

Review by The Mole

The second book in The Darkening Path trilogy follows on from The Broken King to continue the story of Simon's and Flora's efforts to retrieve their siblings.

It feels like it presumes the reader is still very familiar with the story so far so you would benefit from reminding yourself what's happened or, if you haven't read it, reading book 1 first - it's well worth it.  The tale picks up from where it was left and continues apace with new and gruesome new monsters on almost every page. And who to trust?

As they try to find their brother and sister they find out that they've been used from the very beginning by the people they thought were their friends and that they are puppets playing out someone else's wishes. But things don't go the way that had been planned for them...

An excellent second episode of this fast paced fantasy for the younger reader that will leave you on a cliff hanger ending. And while I am a little slow to getting around to reading this one (sorry, guys) the good news is that if you read this now you won't have long to wait for the third and final part of the adventure - The King's Revenge is out on 28th May and I'm sure it will round off a truly magnificent journey for the younger dark fantasy readers.

Described as suitable for 11+ I'm sure this series does, and will, appeal to many younger and capable readers as well.

Publisher - Troika Books
Genre - Children's fantasy, 11+

Blue Balloons and Rabbit Ears by Hilda Offen

Review by The Mole

This is Offen's first collection of poems although she has had picture and story books published - many of which are still in print and have been award winners.

While this book is packed with very entertaining black and white illustrations (also by Hilda Offen) it's not at the cost of the poems so every page is jam packed but not in a daunting way for the young reader.

As a child one of the most important things a poem had to have for me was laughs, and many in this collection would suit such a child admirably. Others are more serious and try to prompt a bit of imaginative thinking:- Nasturtiums spreading rapidly like an invader - Kale standing tall like a forest to the young child - "Memories" of a past life.

The poems are collected into 4 themed groups of 8 or 9 and this makes the book just 62 packed pages long.

These poems stretch from poems for the very young through to about age 10 with something for everyone. My favourite? "Letter" - very funny.

Publisher - Troika Books
Genre - Children's illustrated poetry

Bocchi + Pocchi and the Bird by Noriko Matsubara

Review by The Mole

Readers may remember Bocchi and Pocchi in A Tale Of Two Socks and this book is structured along very similar lines.

Once again, both written and illustrated by Noriko Matsubara, the colours are bright, the pictures simple and the text brief and vocabulary uncomplex.

In this story the socks meet a bird who has hurt her wing and they offer their help.

Another good book for the very young reader to quickly read and enjoy while, perhaps, reading aloud to a parent or teacher.

The only comment I have about both these books is based on the socks names - why are they spelt like that, how are they pronounced, and if they are pronounced "bocky" and "socky" would it not be easier for the young reader to spell them that way?

That aside they are both lovely books for the very young reader to have a go at.

Publisher - Troika Books
Genre - Children's Picture book/first reader

The Broken King by Philip Womack

Review by The Mole

When Simon's sister, Anna, starts to tease too much, Simon loses his temper and, to frighten her, recites a nursery rhyme that invites the Broken King to take her away. The poem doesn't bother Anna but terrifies Simon when Anna is taken away in front of his very eyes. The next day, before his parents waken, he finds that she really has gone and flees the house looking for her. Meeting a winged deer he learns he must go to the Broken Kingdom to get her back. On the way he meets Flora who did exactly the same to her elder brother, Johnny, and is starting a similar quest. On their journey they meet people who can't exist, go to places that are impossible, solve insoluble riddles and encounter terrifying enemies.

This is the first in a series entitled "The Darkening Path" and it really is a great start to the trilogy. While we know Simon and Flora are the "good" guys they learn to doubt everyone they meet along the way - even the ones that give them real positive assistance and this keeps the reader looking at every nuance of the story for some sign that may lead to betrayal. With the reader so heavily engaged the book flies by and then... Well it's a trilogy as I say and they must wait for book 2!

Plenty of horror, plenty of monsters, lots of action - everything the young fantasy reader will love. Described as for the 11+ reader it will be enjoyed by any competent reader as our two young protagonists set out on a quest of atonement to try to retrieve their siblings.

Publisher - Troika Books
Genre - Children's fantasy, 11+

Bocchi and Pocchi A Tale of Two Socks by Noriko Matsubara

Review by The Mole

Bocchi and Pocchi are a pair of socks and are always found together. That is until Pocchi gets a hole in the head - then, during the night Pocchi goes missing.

Bocchi is frantic trying to figure out where Pocchi has gone and all sorts of possibilities go though Bocchi's mind.

This book is both written and illustrated by Noriko Matsubara and the look, feel and story all are ideally suited to an early reader - if not a first reader. The colours are all bright and eye catching and each one dominates the page beautifully with just a small amount of worded narrative so the young reader progresses rapidly and so feels that they are making real progress with their reading and with the book.

A really delightful first reader and/or bedtime story book.

Publisher - Troika Books
Genre - Children's Picture book/first reader

Buy A Tale of Two Socks: Bocchi and Pocchi (Bocchi & Pocchi) from Amazon