Sometimes by Rebecca Elliot

Review by The Mole

It is a stressful time when a child is hospitalised. But it is also stressful and distressing for their siblings.

In this book Clemmie's brother tells of his sister's trials and tribulations in being hospitalised and how he becomes involved in trying to make her time in hospital more bearable for them both.

The bright and busy pictures are snapshots from their imaginations during their games.

Shared with a child this book will help siblings come to terms with illness, including long-term, in their brothers and sisters and to cope with many of the emotions that everyone feels. Tips for parents and a help for a sibling to see how it can be approached.

Publisher - Lion Children's
Genre - Children's 5+

Buy Sometimes from Amazon

Big Low Tide by Candy Neubert

review by Maryom

On the small Channel island of Port Victoria everyone knows their neighbours' secrets. it's barely possible to walk down the street or argue behind closed doors without someone noticing.

In this atmosphere live Peter, his estranged wife Brenda and their two children. Unable and unwilling to cope with the demands of motherhood, Brenda has abandoned the old family farmhouse and now lives in a flat in town, working as a barmaid. She's also found herself a new boyfriend - even if he doesn't seem to share her feelings.

My review copy of Big Low Tide arrived with a press release quoting the synopsis which appears on Amazon - "In Candy Neubert's novel 'Big Low Tide' set on a small island in the Channel, Brenda, a feisty barmaid at the local pub suddenly finds herself raising her two young boys alone as her estranged husband, Peter, realizing he cant take the children with him leaves for Ireland in search of better prospects and a trip at sea. Worn down by the constant struggle and pregnant with a third child whose father is nowhere to be seen, Brenda's spark begins to dwindle and her children become more and more unruly. No longer able to cope she moves in with her sister in law, Elsa, who without warning walks out one day leaving the run of the house to Brenda. Seeing Brenda's slow decline, a friend persuades Peter to return and soon after on a wild and windy night, her youngest son disappears. As they search for the boy little do they know how close they are to finding something dark and terrible."

Having read this, I had expectations of what the plot would be, how it would evolve and, even to a certain extent, conclude. Therefore, I was considerably wrong-footed as half the book passes before these events unfold. I think this spoiled  my appreciation of the story as a whole - it is much more one of father/son bonding, of a woman's renunciation of her children and obsession with a new boyfriend and unbreakable ties to the island.

I loved Neubert's descriptions of the island, zooming over it with a bird's eye view and her image of it as an amoeba-like entity, drawing its sustenance in through the port and washing away its waste with the tide.
Big Low Tide is a book I want to come back to at some future point as I think it will improve with further acquaintance. 

Maryom's review - 3.5 stars

Publisher - Seren Books

Genre - adult fiction
Buy Big Low Tide from Amazon

Kate Maryon - Guest Post

Today we welcome a post by Kate on some of her books and their inspirations.

I was stunned and excited to received an email late the other night telling me that the Cornish Adoption Service have made my latest book, A Sea of Stars, required reading for all prospective adoptive families in Cornwall. I’d been sitting for a few weeks, biting my nails, waiting for feedback and reviews to roll in but this news far exceeded my expectations.

Veronica Yates, manager of the team said: “I read your book last night and once started I could not put it down. FANTASTIC! It will now be on our required reading list for prospective adoptive parents. I cannot believe how accurate you have got not only Cat’s feelings but also Maya’s and her parents.  I am going to tell all the other adoption agencies about it.”

I decided to write, A Sea of Stars, after reading an article on adoption in a Sunday paper. I kept looking at all the little faces shining out; longing for a family, so badly needing to be loved and something just pinged in my heart. I knew this was a story that needed to be told.

Whilst researching my book I spoke to many social workers, adoption agencies and to families who had adopted children. And wherever I went the message was the same. Adoption can be a challenging process for all concerned, not just for the adopted child. So that got me thinking about families in general and how being a sibling, blood related or not, can be a challenging process too. I wanted my story to be a truthful portrayal, not a happy ever after tale, and so on Veronica’s advice I decided to tell it from the point of view of Maya, the daughter of the parents adopting, rather than Cat, the girl being adopted. I wanted to weave a story of sisterhood that showed how to navigate these challenges by relating with them. I wanted to present the possibility of love and hate holding hands and existing side by side, because in most sibling groups, both are true. I wanted to show that family life is never perfect but when the chips are down love is much thicker than blood.

You can see the launch of A Sea of Stars on Frome TV and hear me talking about it by following this link: http://www.frome.tv/2012/06/kate-mayrons-new-book-sea-of-stars-is-out-now/
I’m now in the process of approaching the prison service as I feel my first book, Shine, could work well in supporting children with a parent in prison.

My next book, Under a Bright, Bright Moon, about a girl called Gabriella Midwinter, due out spring 2013, tackles the issue of under 16’s living on the streets. I was inspired to write this after reading shocking statistics telling that something in the region of 100,000 children runaway each year and find themselves living on the streets.
 
Many thanks and we look forward to the next book due out next year. Kate's previous 4 books have been reviewed (and enjoyed) by us


Shine
Glitter
A Million Angels
A Sea of Stars

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

review by Maryom

Jackson Brodie, ex- police inspector turned private detective, has three old Case Histories on his hands: - in 1970, after spending the night sleeping out in their garden in a tent with her older sister, 3 year old Olivia goes missing.Despite a police search there are no clues as to what occurred until many years later when amongst their recently deceased father's belongings her sisters Amelia and Julia discover Olivia's favourite toy, Blue Mouse, believed to have disappeared with her ; - in 1979, Michelle, a young mother kills her husband. While in jail she cuts off all contact with her family but now her sister Shirley is trying to trace her and her now grown-up baby ; - and in1994 teenager Laura Wyre was helping out in her father's office and murdered seemingly at random by a knife-wielding man who was never caught. Her father Theo has tried for 10 years to track down the culprit but with no success and has now decided to enlist the help of Jackson Brodie.
Jackson also has several missing cats to trace and an airhostess, believed by her husband to be having an affair, to follow. And if he can find time, there's his relationship with his ex-wife to sort out ... and someone intent on causing him grievous bodily harm, perhaps even trying to kill him!

That's a tremendous number of storylines to juggle and keep all up in the air but Kate Atkinson pulls it off with seeming ease. Actually the movements of a folk dance might be a better comparison - the plots move along together, then separate and circle round before coming together again. At the centre of them all is Jackson Brodie, sometimes seeming bemused by all the things happening around him, sometimes feeling like he's the one calling out the moves.

It's taken me a long while to get round to reading this, the first of the Jackson Brodie novels. I didn't read Case Histories when it first came out but jumped into the series at book 2, One Good Turn, and then bought the third, When Will There Be Good News? Having seen the TV adaptation, I determined to go back and read the whole series in order but at the time the library was overwhelmed by demand for Case Histories. I was reminded of my plan when I read about Subtle Melodrama's Scottish Summer reading challenge and, although I'm not absolutely sure that it qualifies, decided to revive it. So I'll soon be reading the two books I own and hopefully have time to borrow the fourth, Started Early, Took My Dog, before the challenge ends.

As with so many TV/film adaptations various things had been changed and moved around - I was very surprised to discover that Case Histories is NOT set in Edinburgh  - but much further south in Cambridge. It also seemed far darker than its TV counterpart being more of an exploration of loss and guilt that a simple whodunnit. A compelling read whether you've seen the TV version or not. I'm off now to read the rest of Jackson's story...

Maryom's review - 5 stars

Publisher - Black Swan (Transworld)

Genre - crime, adult fiction, TV tie-in

Buy Case Histories: (Jackson Brodie) from Amazon

Camilla Lackberg on Sweden (Sponsored Video)

Meet Camilla Lackberg
Report by The Mole

Camilla Lackberg's latest book to appear in the UK is "The Drowning" and it was read, reviewed and enjoyed by Maryom. "The 'real' detective is Erica. In a friendly, gossipy way reminiscent of Miss Marple, she chats to people and teases out the secrets they wouldn't reveal to her policeman husband, Patrik. An interesting new 'find' in Scandi-crime reading and an author I'll be reading more from."

Camilla Lackberg has actually written 12 books of which "The Drowning" is the 6th to appear in English. The seventh to appear in English will be The Lost Boy and it will appear here in 2013. But since her first book "The Ice Princess" appeared in Sweden in 2003 she has sold 10 million books into dozens of countries!

Camilla Lackberg's books come at a time when a lot of Scandinavian crime writers are enjoying success in translation into languages around the world. It does beg the question "What is so special about Scandinavian crime fiction all of a sudden?".

It's also important to remember that Lackberg's books have not been televised here in the UK, yet they are still hugely popular. Clearly they stand on their own merit as stories and have developed a fan following of Detective Patrick Hedström and writer Erica Falck, in fact some readers read as much for the relationship of Hedström and Falck as for the crimes themselves - now that clearly indicates a fan following of characters that people can truly identify with.

In this short sponsored video, Lackberg talks a little on what she believes the foreign view of Sweden is like and how she see Sweden.
Sponsored Post

Wolfie by Emma Barnes

The Ultimate Pet
Review by The Mole

Lucie loves her Uncle Joe because he always brings presents and one day he brings her a dog. Only Lucie can see it's a wolf not a dog, despite everyone insisting it is a dog. Then one day people start to notice that Wolfie might be a wolf, despite Lucie insisting he's a dog - and there is great danger for Wolfie because of it.

Emma Barnes has created some great characters in this story and I especially like the parents who come over as out of touch and unbothered - but are in fact, very typical modern busy parents seen through the eyes of a child. There is Marcus, a neighbour, bully and sneak who must always be the centre of attention. Alexis is the big brother type - protective and kind. Then of course, there's Wolfie. Wolfie is magical in that she can talk, but she is also a great friend and protector of Lucie - the perfect friend let alone the ultimate pet.

I simply loved Lucie and Wolfie and their magical relationship which sort of just happens from the moment they meet (I have a dog like that!) and I'm sure that children will love them too.

At 132 pages in length, the story is the perfect length to attract the 7+ reader and printed in an inviting format that makes an easily read book for younger readers. Although the main characters are female, because the story is about a 'dog', well a pet I suppose, it will appeal to boys and girls alike. Throughout the story there are delightful black and white illustrations by Emma Chichester Clark which add appeal for the younger reader.

Throughout the reading I found myself imagining this as a screenplay of some sort - everything just sort of fitted. A book I really enjoyed, and one that would be great as a bedtime read - although there are cliff hangers that may keep them awake!

All in all a delightful story of love, loyalty and trust and told with magic and fantasy that will captivate children of all ages.

Publisher - Strident Publishing
Genre - Childrens' fantasy

Buy Wolfie from Amazon

The Enchantress by Michael Scott

The Fall Before The Rise
Review by The Mole

In this, the 6th and final episode in the The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series, Scott sets about the many threads started in the previous 5 books together and brings the story to the conclusion we have been waiting for. With the characters spread over two worlds and separated by more than 10,000 years there are a lot of story lines to finish.

Moving at the break neck speed of the previous 5 books in the series, the story continues as we conclude only 6 days elapsed in the life of Josh and Sophie. As for the other characters.... well to name some of them gives spoilers to readers who haven't yet read the previous 5 books, but let just say, as with any book where characters jump across time, some characters we enjoy more than 1 version of, with some of them denying knowledge of their friends from other times and others hiding their identity from characters that would otherwise recognise them - especially themselves.

This series of books has not all been brilliant. I have reviewed them all for Nayu's Reading Corner (and I summarise books 1-5 in The Warlock) and found book 3 to be a big disappointment. The reason was that the plot was very similar to book 2 and the feeling was that while the plot was moving fast then each book was going to build repetitively to the final conclusion. But then book 4 came along and the plot was nothing like books 2 & 3 and started to become as enthralling as book 1. And in the last 2 books the story became as exciting and engaging as book 1 and actually moved on. The reader of book 1 will have their own ideas of where the plot will go, as I did, and how the twins will save the world from Dr Dee, but the conclusion is far from the initial expectation - more complex and more challenging. With allies found where totally unexpected and enemies hidden in plain view. The Enchantress is a truly awesome read. If like me you started to turn cold around book 3 then start again and enjoy the conclusion - it's everything you could want.

This book is labelled as 10+ but is actually totally readable by fantasy lovers of all ages from 10+.

Genre - 10+ /Teen fantasy
Publisher - Kids At Random House

Buy The Enchantress: Book 6 (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel) from Amazon