Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff

Review by The Mole

When his father is killed by the Program and the boy is left alone in the world he is befriended, homed and trained by the Program. He turns up in a new school, makes new friends and then assassinates one of their parents and disappears. This is what he does. He believes in the Program - the Program works for justice and national security.  He has almost forgotten who he was until this new case - to kill the mayor of New York. Something awakens in him and stirs - this case can't be right can it? These people cannot be any sort of risk can they? And the case becomes even more complicated when the target changes at the last minute. There is no way he can complete this mission. Is there?

Throughout the story I could not find it in myself to like the boy. There was no subterfuge being played against him, he knew exactly what he was doing and trusted others too much. His training in a few short years amounted to a lifetime in others and somehow it felt like a man's personality in the body of a child. The ending also disappointed me immensely - which I can't explain for obvious reasons.

Did  enjoy the book? Well.. yes I did - except for this age thing which irritated me throughout the story. If they had used some high tech training method, such as the Matrix or Joe 90, then I would have enjoyed this a great deal more but for me this felt like it should have been an adult of at least 20.

If you like thrillers then you will enjoy this and perhaps teens can see themselves in this role as a warrior of justice believing their own youth gives them the ability to put a lifetime's training into a few short years.

Publisher - Orchard Books
Genre - Teen Thriller

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Under the Jewelled Sky by Alison McQueen

review by Maryom

Under The Jewelled Sky is the story of Sophie Schofield who, shortly after WW2, goes to India where her father has taken up a post as doctor in the court of a wealthy maharajah. There she finds her first love and bitter heartbreak.
Ten years later, she is heading back to India but this time as the wife of a junior, but very ambitious, diplomat, Lucien Grainger. The India she encounters this time is very different to the one she knew before but the country still has the ability to stir up the past and all the forbidden emotions from then.

Alison McQueen has cleverly constructed a tale of dark family secrets that moves between the here and now of the late 1950s to the past of a decade earlier, weaving the two time-lines together seamlessly.
The characters are all sharply drawn individuals - not merely the main 'triangle' of Sophie, Lucien and Jag but the supporting cast of gossipy bored ex-pat wives or the Maharani in her splendid isolation are all brought to life on the page.
Sophie's story plays out against the magnificent backdrop of India - or rather of four very different aspects of it  - the fairytale like setting and splendour of the Maharajah's palace, the squalor and desperation of refugee camps following the partition of India and Pakistan, the rarefied life of British embassy staff cut off from the reality of India and the peaceful setting of the Nilgiri hills. All of these are described so vividly that I felt I was there.
A very enjoyable read and a newly discovered author that I'd like to read more from.

A slight aside thought is that although this novel definitely falls under the historical fiction category I've heard such a lot about India from my father's time spent there during WW2, that it feels strange to consider a period after then as history.

Maryom's review - 4.5 stars 
Publisher - Orion 
Genre - adult, historical fiction

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SOS Lusitania by Kevin Kiely

Review by The Mole

When 13 year old Finbar Kennedy dreams of a ship sinking at sea he decides it's an omen that his dad, Jack Kennedy- the Staff Captain of the Lusitania, is in danger and so decides to run away from home, stow away on the Lusitania and protect him. Little did anyone know of the events that were to unfold when the Lusitana was making her return to Liverpool.

We all know of the fate of the Lusitania on that trip. Or do we? In this story for the younger reader Kiely unfolds that history for the reader. Sadly I have to admit that many of the facts he includes I was not aware of - but the historical notes in the rear of the book make it clear what was fact and what was fiction and I make no dispute. Some things, like a conspiracy theory, he speculates on and does not purport to be fact but other parts, like the carrying of arms for the war and gold for the Bank of England, he states as documented fact.

But lets not get carried away with the history, yes it's there but primarily this is a work of fiction to entertain the younger reader - something it will do in aces. It's a great story and it's told extremely well. When Finbar describes the ship and it's size from his perspective and not in feet, yards, football pitches or anything else,  I felt, for the first time, that I knew just how big such a ship actually was. And when Finbar sees New York for the first time... I really felt like I was seeing it through his eyes. Clearly this story, in which 1200 people will die, is not all happy and Kiely will bring a lump to the reader's throat more than once.

An excellent read for girls and boys alike. And I'm sure there are bits of history adults will meet for the first time too.

Publisher - O'Brien Press
Genre - Children's Historical Fiction 10+

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The Wilful Eye (Tales from the Tower Vol 1)

 review by Maryom

Edited by Isobelle Carmody and Nan McNab The Wilful Eye is the first of two volumes of re-told fairy tales from Allen and Unwin.
This collection takes six stories familiar to most of us -  The Tinderbox, Rumplestiltskin, the Snow Queen, Beauty and the Beast, Babes in the Wood and the Steadfast Tin Soldier - and  lets six authors  - Margo Lanagan, Isobelle Carmody, Rosie Borella, Richard Harland, Margaret Mahy and Martine Murray - loose on them to reinterpret as they feel fit.
Margo Lanagan is the only one with which I'm familiar, through her novel The Tender Morsels which re-works the story of Snow White and Rose Red in a sometimes rather disturbing and distressing manner. While not quite as dark in tone, this collection is NOT for younger readers. The stories have been taken away from the cosy nursery setting and back to their darker folk tale roots via sex, drugs and violence.
Some are set in the traditional 'once upon a time' vague past, others in the more-or-less present. I liked most those, such as Wolf Night by Margaret Mahy, that took the basic tale and removed it to a modern setting, emphasizing the timeless quality at the heart of these tales.
There's an introduction by Isobelle Carmody about the inspiration behind the whole collection and notes from the authors explaining what influenced their choice of tale and what shaped their reinterpretation.

Recommended by the publisher as a 'young adult' read, suitable from ages 16 to 18 but I think many older adults (if that's the correct term) will love it too; I certainly did.

Maryom's review -  5 stars

Publisher - Allen and Unwin

Genre - YA fantasy, fairy tales
 

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Guinea Pigs Online - Viking Victory by Jennifer Gray and Amanda Swift

Review by The Mole

When a builder threatens to build houses on the copse behind Coco's house the guinea pigs are forced into action to to stop him. Writing blogs to drum up support they then move to direct action. They make a new friend in Olaf who is a Viking who promises big things as he leads them into action but will they succeed?

My favourite guinea pigs are back. This mixed bag of misfits cause more laughs than actually achieve anything but they are masses of fun. With black and white illustrations throughout and easy read pages this book will delight the early reader and the established fans as well.

The book also contains bonus activities and a recipe so parents can join in the fun and make Banoffee's Banana Boat of Yum. There is also more stuff to do on the Guinea Pigs Online website and so keep them reading.

A great series of fun adventures that kids will really enjoy.

Publisher - Quercus Kids 
Genre - Readers 5+

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Crow Boy by Philip Caveney

Review by The Mole

Tom Afflick has had his life torn apart by his mother who has taken him to Edinburgh when she left his father to set up home with her new boyfriend. Tom is an outsider and is shunned and bullied by everyone at his new school. On a school trip to Mary King's Close he falls through the floor and a bizarre adventure starts when he is transported back to the seventeenth century.

Timeslip novels are a popular way of introducing history into novels but this is no ordinary timeslip story. It's more of a slip/slide/crash/slip type story and while it contains a lot of important history, that's not it's focal point. It focuses on the fiction added on and has the reader wondering "alternate universes? dreams? changed timelines?". Frequently in timeslip stories you get a feeling  that parts are merely a pretext to explain another part but this doesn't happen anywhere in Crow Boy - it just flows seamlessly along. It's exciting and engaging and readers won't want to put it down.

Extremely enjoyable and excellently done. This book will be enjoyed by readers of nine and older, surprisingly fifteen/sixteen year olds won't feel it's too young for them either. And while the hero is Tom, I can imagine it appealing to girls just as much.

Publisher - Fledgling Press
Genre - Children's/Teen's, historic, thriller

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The Things We Never Said by Susan Elliot Wright

review by Maryom

 Maggie wakes up in a psychiatric hospital having no idea of where she is or how she got there or even who she is. In fits and starts, prompted by the awful electric shock treatment she undergoes, her memory returns revealing the traumatic events that led to her being committed...
Meanwhile teacher Jonathan's life is in meltdown. He should be happily looking forward to the birth of his first child but he's plagued by nightmares, feeling angry and out of control. His father has always been a cold authoritarian figure and Jonathan is determined that he'll not be the same. But then his father dies suddenly and Jonathan's problems increase - lashing out at a pupil leads to him being arrested, police interest in a 'cold case' is reawakened and secrets from the past come tumbling out.

The Things We Never Said is a stunning debut novel about family - the relationships within it, the secrets that are kept and everything that's never said. The two strands, Maggie's and Jonathan's, weave round each other and gradually the pieces of their history emerge and slot together like a jigsaw puzzle. It's a very compelling read and, no matter how I tried to pre-empt the plot twists, I wasn't ready for the final missing link that shed light on all that went before.
The story looks both backwards and forwards. At this pivotal point in his life Jonathan feels a need to find himself, visiting his past haunts and old friends in the hope of making sense of what is happening to him now and settling the deep sense of loss that has pervaded his life before being able to move forward and embrace his role as husband and father.

This is an amazing first novel and an author to look out for in future.

Maryom's review - 4.5 stars

Publisher - Simon & Schuster

Genre - adult fiction

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