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+

Buy Guinea Pigs Online: Viking Victory from Amazon

Picks of 2012 - The Mole

My selection of from 2012 is driven from the books that have made an impression with me and I remember. Rather more in my selection than in Maryom's - perhaps I'm just greedy?


Historical Novels
Empire Of The Moghul : The Tainted Throne by Alex Rutherford
This is the first historical novel I have read and it left me wondering why I hadn't tried them earlier. Definitely I will be reading more in 2013 - particularly if they are as good as this one was.

Fantasy
Shadow Blizzard by Alexey Pehov
Shadow Prowler by Alexey Pehov

This year saw me reading the second and third books in the Chronicles of Sala trilogy and, unusually, found each book better than the last - a series well worth a read.

Liberator's Ruin by P J Johns 
This book came as a bit of a surprise but Maryom described it as "Star Wars as it should have been written". Bear that in mind and you will see that justice is a relative thing.




 

Classics/Nostalgia/Sci-Fi
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
This is a book that disappeared from my own collection many years ago and when given the opportunity I jumped at it. It ages remarkably well.




Children's
Red, White and Black by Matt Cartney
Danny Lansing is a youngster who has caught my imagination and I'm sure he will catch many more. This is his second adventure and it's even better than his first.

Wolfie by Emma Barnes
A story to delight children from 1-101

Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer
The final adventure for Artemis Fowl - a truly memorable last adventure it is too.

Guinea Pigs Online by Jennifer Gray and Amanda Swift 
This is about memorable and enjoyable books and this one certainly is both.

Edwin Spencer: Shadow Magic by J D Irwin
 Edwin is a true reluctant hero - But he loves IT!









YA
Ramshackle by Elizabeth Reeder
Surprisingly, of all the YA I have read this year this is the one that truly stands out. Plenty of award nominations but not enough awards - it deserves far more




 
Thriller/Crime
Uncommon Enemy by Alan Judd
A story of a spy betrayed.



Midwinter Sacrifice by Mons Kallentoft
My first Nordic Noir - and I plan on more.





The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
A modern Sherlock Holmes - and thoroughly enjoyed.









Humour
Everything's Fine by Socrates Adams
I was warned it was a little eccentric and it was - but it was also great fun and you may never see your Sat Nav in the same light.


The Fart by Cynan Jones
During the year of the short story - here is a VERY short story that I found very amusing!



Non-fiction
Bridge of Spies by Giles Whittell 
An era that I knew less of than I thought and told with a cynicism that will amuse
 
Red Bull Racing F1 Car 2010 (RB6) Owner's Workshop Manual 
OK, it's not REALLY aimed at owners but it was a Christmas present and it was hugely informative.


How To Win Friends and Influence People
Something we all aspire to.









Short Stories

Unthology No. 3 edited by Stokes Ashley and Robin Jones 

And 2012 was the year of the short stories - well it would have been but that is actually explained in the forward to this collection that warmed me more to short stories that I have ever been. Perhaps all anthologies should be like this?

Guinea Pigs Online by Jennifer Gray and Amanda Swift

With illustrations by Sarah Horne

Featuring - The Internet
Review by The Mole

 Coco was found in a handbag but tells everyone about her life with the Queen. Fuzzy watches cookery programs on TV and fancies himself as a chef. They live in a guinea pig cage with Ben and Henrietta. One day Fuzzy sees an advert 'Guinea Pigs Wanted' for a new restaurant being opened by a celebrity chef. Believing it to be a job advert he sets off to apply for a job, despite Coco saying that they are looking for test customers. After Fuzzy has run away Coco reads again and concludes a third interpretation of the advert:- "Guinea pigs wanted FOR CASH". Frightened for Fuzzy's safety, Coco sets off to rescue him and finds a new friend on the way.

So where does the internet figure? Well Coco needs to find the address so she can go rescue Fuzzy and she receives an email from someone she doesn't know offering help. BIG mistake as the the young readers will find out - it turns out to be not what she expected and underlines the perils of 'people' that are met on the internet and may be pretending something other than they say.

Reading this book was a real delight, not exactly a challenge but a real delight. The font is a good size, the language is simple (but not overly) and the pictures are simple yet appealing. My only problem is that the publisher describes it as 5+. I believe that children of 5 and 6 may find the idea of 179 pages a bit long. But I'm sure it will appeal to the confident young readers or be enjoyed by the younger ones when read with a parent or teacher. I did like the ending that sort of said not to doubt others just because something sounds unusual.

Publisher - Quercus Kids
Genre - Readers 5+

Buy Guinea Pigs Online from Amazon