Making room (on the broom)

The extreme hiatus this blog has suffered recently is down to the birth of my son - who arrived 2 days after the publication of my review of Soupy Twists on this here website.

He is now 3 months old and charming all he meets. He is also - unsurprisingly in a household stacked floor to ceiling with books - an interested reader, who sits through whole stories (which are longish for his age!) with great attention, as well as enjoying 'reading' soft books on his own.

Being a full-time mother who is soon to become a full-time working parent, I will have to work even harder to make room for my own reading and writing, as well as fostering my son's own love of reading. I can only apologise for the gaps between postings that may well result.

Prior to my son's birth, this blog was also an excellent venue for my poetic endeavours, during projects such as NaPoWriMo. However, as I am now trying to carve out a serious career in poetry-writing, and many publishers do not accept your work if it has appeared elsewhere (even on a personal blog), no more poems will appear here.

So what with poetry-writing, reviewing, reading, full-time working, co-parenting, gym-going, (occasional) socialising, and much more besides, it's possible that posts here will be infrequent. However, for now, let me leave you with a list of some of my son's favourite books:

Cuddles/Ploum series (translated from French, originally by Micheline Bertrand and Lise Marin)
Being a bilingual household, we have some of these in French and some in English. As well as admiring the simple illustrations and cute characters, we find the effects of the translation interesting: the original French books rhyme and give a jollier feel, whereas the English ones do not rhyme and as such are more calming. Both, however, are perfect for bedtime, including length-wise - and thanks to being written in the 1980s, provide a nostalgic element for parents too. You have to enjoy a challenge, too, though - many are sadly out of print, so hunting through eBay and charity shops alike is essential. Nonetheless, you won't regret it!

The Storm Whale series (Benji Davies)
I admit that we often read books to our son that are pitched a bit above his age group! This series is intended for 3-7-year-olds. However, he sits through them happily and really focuses on the frankly beautiful and detailed illustrations. There are also little puns hidden in some of the pictures for parents (and, eventually, older children) to find. These are therefore really books that will grow with your child, which include moral messages without being preachy.

Juste un petit bout (Emile Jadoul)
Emile Jadoul's delightful little book is another one that's perfect for bedtime, with clearly recognisable (yet appropriately flawed) characters that are repeated throughout the pages, and a concise story that emphasises sharing. This one has been translated into English under the title Just A Little Bit. Some of his other books are also available in English, such as Look Out - It's The Wolf, and Push Me Higher!, as well as in other languages (such as Spanish and Italian). Our son's liking for it is testified via the corner of our copy which has been lovingly chewed upon.

Little Hedgehog series (Christina M Butler)
This series is another one recommended for its beautiful illustrations, which again hold our son's attention wonderfully. Aspects of the books are also textured, making them appropriate for even the very smallest readers, as well as offering well-constructed and rhythmically-told stories. Most of our copies are in French, but again the series is available in many languages, including Dutch.

Goodnight Everyone // A Bit Lost, by Chris Haughton
Our baby's bedtime routine is without a doubt enhanced by Chris Haughton's unique illustrations of adorable baby animals who are looking for their mummies, insisting they aren't tired, and more. Haughton's distinctive style and skill with different graphic weights makes this very different and much more modern than the more classically-illustrated books I have mentioned above, and are economical with the text too (with not a word wasted) while still incorporating humour (and maintaining that delicate balance of not making the little one too hyper before he goes to sleep). We have one in French and one in English, so you can probably take your pick of languages too.

Usborne Very First Cloth Books
Believe it or not, though, our son does actually possess some age-appropriate reading material, and he loves his Cot Book with a night-time theme from Usborne. Its detailed and brightly-coloured images offer contrasts that he spends ages looking at - and with a woodland theme on one side and a space theme on the other, there's plenty to keep your little one entertained. This was an impulse purchase in Exeter that has turned out to be excellent value!

****

I'm sure I'll probably think of, and discover, even more as our little boy grows up. What are your children's favourites? Don't hesitate to comment below!

Heidi (Johanna Spyri)

--The blurb--
"the orphan child, Heidi, is sent to live with her embittered grandfather high in the Swiss Alps. Heidi's innocent joy of life and genuine concern and love for all living things become the old man's salvation. From the goatherder Peter and his family to the sickly girl Clara and her desperate father, Heidi's special charm enriches everyone she meets. Unselfish to the core, Heidi's goodness overcomes all obstacles - even those seemingly insurmountable."

--The review--
In the midst of work by modern children's authors such as JK Rowling, Suzanne Collins and Rick Riordan, it's easy to forget the classic works that appeal to children generation after generation. 

Heidi is one such classic work, and in some ways it's easy to see why children pass it up in favour of Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Percy Jackson. It's not the traditional setting that's off-putting, but the strong religious values that Spyri presents in Heidi are not going to hold the same universal appeal as they did at the time of publication in 1880. Some adults reading it to their children may also find it a little twee - but this is arguably going to be of less concern to the target audience, and Enid Blyton regularly draws the same criticism.

However, the enjoyable aspects of Heidi outweigh the more dated elements, and make it clear why it is one of the best-selling books ever written. Beautifully-described landscapes gradually stretch children's vocabulary skills and the power of imagination, while simple yet powerful characters stick in the mind and drive the plot forward in a concise and energetic manner. 

People of all ages are able to relate to the emotions expressed in Heidi, whether it's jealousy, anger, happiness or hope. Furthermore, the basic messages of the story can be taken as universal truths, and while some may be irritated by this didacticism, others may find it comforting, and a good basis for children's literature.

It therefore seems reasonable that while the works of JK Rowling et al continue to proliferate, there is no reason why works by classic children's authors such as E Nesbit, Susan Coolidge and Johanna Spyri cannot be enjoyed alongside them. Heidi is ultimately a joyful book containing many useful lessons about friendship, family and hope that deserves to be enjoyed still for many years to come.

A list of Johanna Spyri's other works can be consulted here.

A Little Love Song (Michelle Magorian)

--The blurb--
"It is the summer of 1943 and war continues to rage. For Rose and her sister Diana, it’s a time of independence and self-discovery as they find first loves. But when Rose unearths a love story from another war, she realises that wartime intensifies emotions, and maybe she isn’t in love with Derry as she first thought she was. Rose is about to discover a secret that will change everything..."

--The review--
With the centenary of World War One's beginning now less than twelve months away at the time of writing, it can at times be difficult to believe that something that still seems so close, in that it affected the lives of many of our grandparents, is yet so far back in the past. Michelle Magorian's 1991 novel A Little Love Song helps to revive certain aspects of how life was for young people at this time - pivotal not only for being in the synapse between childhood and adulthood, but also pivotal due to taking an important place in a changing world.

This wartime setting is typical of Magorian's novels, and here it plays a background rather than mainstream role, while still not being without significance: as a result of the difficulties of the mid-war period, young people are reflected in the novel as more independent, down-to-earth and capable. Even when confronted with challenges, Magorian's characters are still prepared to rise to these and to do their best, even when they are finding these moments tough. Even if this is not an accurate reflection of how adolescents actually were during the early 1940s, this depiction serves not only to give the book's teenage audience an example of good character, but also to inspire readers to admire the characters' resilience.   

Equally, though, there is much in A Little Love Song to resonate with today's readers - not just in terms of burgeoning independence and sexual awakening, but also in terms of feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy, which are perennially adolescent problems. Magorian is a master at building up sympathy and revulsion in equal measure: in our heads, we rebuke characters for being silly, recoil at arrogant and misogynist behaviour, relate to their feelings, and rejoice in their triumphs. The pace at which this is done is carefully constructed and concise, and we will the characters to cope and to move towards the outcomes that we hope for. 

All of this shows just why Michelle Magorian has been one of the most successful children's writers of the past forty years, thanks to her reach not only across present generations but also her ability to extend a hand into the hearts of the past.

other works by Michelle Magorian
Goodnight Mister Tom (1981)

Back Home (1984)

Waiting for My Shorts to Dry (1989) 
Who's Going to Take Care of Me? (1990) 
Orange Paw Marks (1991)   
In Deep Water (1992) 
Jump (1992) 
A Cuckoo in the Nest (1994) 
A Spoonful of Jam (1998) 
Be Yourself (2003) 
Just Henry (2008)

Five Children and It (E Nesbit)

--The blurb--

"When Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane and their baby brother go digging in the gravel pit, the last thing they expect to find is a Psammead – an ancient Sand-fairy! Having a Sand-fairy for a pet means having one wish granted each day. But the children don't realize all the trouble wishes can cause . . ."

--The review--

With books more easily available than ever before, and a lack of exposure to the classics in school, it can be argued that young people are reading children's classics less and less. However, rereading Five Children And It as an adult reveals plenty of reasons to keep children reading the golden oldies.

This is not to say that there are not aspects of these stories that adults of today may find questionable. The fact of Five Children and It being written in 1902 means that it contains some spurious reasoning, and the class bias of its author at this point in time seems to reflect a dying breed, with not many children in twenty-first century Britain being able to identify with the protagonists' social class or living situation. However, plenty of children's books today also have a class bias, with Jacqueline Wilson being perhaps the most notorious.

Nonetheless, the curiosity shared by almost all children will never date, and the sense of delight in these tales is instant (in spite of the nicknames given to the children that may seem silly to adults: 'Pussy' for Jane? Really?). Nesbit is drily humorous and packs the stories with creative imaginings of how fossils came to be, combining this with moralism as she points out the pitfalls of getting what we want. Teaching children that actions have consequences can be no bad thing, and Nesbit mixes entertainment and didacticism perfectly. While occasionally too rambling, the chapters are ultimately short, strong and readable, enabling them to be read as separate stories or part of a cohesive whole.

With the stories being 110 years old this year, parents and teachers could be forgiven for feeling that these at times less-than-politically-correct narratives are not relevant to today's children. However, they at the very least paint a picture of an age gone by - and at their best, do not fail to capture the mind with their magic.

other works by E Nesbit

The Story of the Treasure Seekers (1899)

The Wouldbegoods (1901)

The New Treasure Seekers (1904)

The Phoenix and the Carpet (1904)

The Story of the Amulet (1906)

The Railway Children (1906)

The Enchanted Castle (1907)

The House of Arden (1908)

Harding's Luck (1909)

The Magic Castle (1910)

The Wonderful Garden (1911)

Wet Magic (1913)

*Nesbit also published 11 novels for adults (1885-1922), as well as several short story and poetry collections for children and adults.

Across The Barricades (Joan Lingard)

--The blurb--

"Kevin is Catholic. Sadie is Protestant. In Belfast they are supposed to be enemies - so what chance do they have when they fall in love?"

--The review--

In spite of having studied history at school until I was 18, I know disarmingly little about the history of the world in which we live. Perhaps mercifully, however, Northern Ireland and the Troubles were among the units of study, and while of course several aspects of this tale are fictionalised, Joan Lingard unmasks some of the extremities suffered by people living there without pulling any punches. People were, it appears, quite literally prepared to die for their personal choices, and prepared to equally risk the deaths of other innocents.

Even though the basis of the story is fairly harrowing, Lingard introduces these issues gently to the teens and pre-teens at which this book is targeted, concentrating mainly on the human interest behind the love story while keeping history on the periphery. The plot is of course affected by political goings-on, but jargon is kept to the barest minimum, and focus is maintained on what has happened, rather than on why it has happened, making for a good introduction to this time in history (for the target age group, why these things occurred can come later). It is also helpful and moving with regard to showing how close our world has been to terrorism for so many years; even with the tenth anniversary of 9/11 approaching, it is important to remember the sad fact that terrorism did not start or end with September 11th.

The author has also taken care to write concisely, packing a compelling story with believable characters into a text of readable length. A short story that can be read in one or two hours, this novella is an easy read in terms of length, vocabulary, and the success with which the author sustains readers' interest in the plot. However, it is of course not an easy read given the gravity of the subjects that are raised, and while young readers will naturally have questions that need answering after and during reading, adult readers too may well feel compelled to go and learn more about the country's devastating history - it being crucial also to remember that Across The Barricades, having been written in 1972, precedes by quite some years the pivotal Good Friday Agreement and the decommissioning of the Provisional IRA.

Finding out that Across The Barricades is part of a series (of which this book is the second of a quintet) that continues to feature the protagonists, Kevin and Sadie, is heartening: we have engaged with these main characters and do not wish to leave them just yet, and perhaps with further books, we are able to see not only what becomes of them but also of Northern Ireland, as seen through the author's eyes.

Other works by Joan Lingard*

The Twelfth Day of July (1970)

Into Exile (1973)

A Proper Place (1975)

Hostages to Fortune (1976)

*All of these books comprise the remainder of the Kevin and Sadie quintet. A far more exhaustive list of Joan Lingard's books for children and adults is available on Wikipedia.

The Wind Singer (William Nicholson)

--The blurb--
"After Kestrel Hath rebels against the stifling rules of Amaranth society and is forced to flee, she, along with her twin brother and a tagalong classmate, follow an ancient map in quest of the legendary silver voice of the wind singer, in an attempt to heal Amaranth and its people.After Kestrel Hath rebels against the stifling rules of Amaranth society and is forced to flee, she, along with her twin brother and a tagalong classmate, follow an ancient map in quest of the legendary silver voice of the wind singer."

--The review--
Not being a regular reader of fantasy should not put off potential readers from reaching for this book; the narrative hook of a nation controlled by exams and tests and the engaging nature of the very human characters soon, in a funny sort of way, draws you into this fantasy world quicker than you can say "Lord of the Rings". It is the mixture of human and fantastical elements which, woven together with William Nicholson's clear dexterity, make this book so appealing to children and adults, and while it certainly does bear some similarities to the great fantasy precursors that have gone before it (such as Lord of the Rings, the works of Diana Wynne Jones, and, to some extent, the works of JK Rowling and Garth Nix), The Wind Singer is clearly all its own book.

Nicholson's skill in blending the chilling, the humorous, the touching and the suspenseful is to without doubt be commended. He is also to be praised for introducing the dystopian genre to children in a way that is fully accessible, with enough adventure and nightmare without being too terrifying. In addition, the storyline is concise and absorbing, leading to a label of being literally 'unputdownable' as readers hang on eagerly to see the story's denouement play out in all its eventually triumphant glory.

However, there is one criticism; for reasons that are not completely fathomable, the ending seems rather rushed. Did the author run out of steam? Was his deadline looming? Or was it just so clear in his mind about how the story would end that it all just came out in a rush naturally? Either way, the ending itself deserved more development, attention and care.

After following the adventures of the unique cast of goodies and baddies, though, it's easy to forgive the author this one transgression - particularly as it is already arguably quite long for the target age group. One could say that even more detail could have caused readers to give up and wander away - although given the book's action-packed nature, this is perhaps unlikely.

A rollicking tale that keeps up the pace, The Wind Singer is an expert portrayal of character and adventure that immediately draws readers towards not only the other works in the Wind of Fire trilogy, but to Nicholson's other works thereafter.

Other works by William Nicholson
Slaves of the Mastery (Wind of Fire Trilogy; 2001)
Firesong (Wind of Fire Trilogy; 2003)
The Society of Others (2004)
The Trial of True Love (2005)
Seeker (Noble Warriors Trilogy; 2005)
Jango (Noble Warriors Trilogy; 2006)
Noman (Noble Warriors Trilogy; 2007)
The Secret Intensity of Everyday Life (2009)

Whispers in the Graveyard (Theresa Breslin)

--The blurb--

"Solomon is full of anger - with the teachers and his father, who mother who has left him and with himself. He cannot bear to be at home or at school. His refuge is one corner of the kirkyard, where nothing lives but a rowan tree. When workmen cut this tree down, a terrible force comes to life."

--The review--

Upon reading through Theresa Breslin's impressive Carnegie Medal-winning bibliography, I wonder to myself if I have in fact been living under a literary rock since the dawn of my life, for here is a woman who has been active in children's fiction since I was barely out of nappies and who has continued to be amazingly prolific since, putting out a book every two years as an absolute minimum and even in some cases putting out more than one book per year. And yet in spite of this track record, and despite teaching in a school that caters for children aged 2 to 18, I had not even heard of her before 2011. While remaining dumbfounded as to how this could be, I simultaneously had an excellent introduction to her work in the form of Whispers In The Graveyard.

I was the sort of child who was a fan of the Goosebumps and Point Horror series of books and made a habit of watching Strange But True Encounters on the television, so this would have been then, and still is, right up my alley. With a surly young child narrator, Roald Dahl's old tactic of setting the adults against the child so that as the reader you want the child to win out, and a creepy graveyard as the setting, Breslin has plenty of strong ingredients for a good story, which serve as a hook to draw the reader in right from the start. Solomon's miserable home life leads naturally into the kindness and support that he receives from the at times unorthodox Ms Talmur, and Breslin also helps to build up the background of the story and Solomon's personality by directing him there whenever times get tough. Various desolate and creepy descriptions are used to make the graveyard scary (but not too scary) and fascinating in equal measure, and not too much is given away about where the story will go; you could even argue that by the end of it we still aren't 100% aware of what has gone on, which is perhaps taking things to new heights for the book's target audience (the protagonist, after all, is only ten or eleven years old, and we can more or less assume that the average reader of this book will not be much older).

Perhaps the only weakness in the book is of the five-year-old character, Amy Miller. She seems to be used by the author merely as a catalyst for the rest of the storyline, with little thought to characterisation: she is an insipid character whose level of dialogue is inappropriate for a five-year-old child, and while this may have been done in keeping with the adult and sinister nature of the rest of the book (in addition to the spookiness of the story, we have the subplot of Solomon's father's alcoholism, and the fact that even Ms Talmur can sometimes seem a little sinister), the fact that this character is unrealistic and jars with the rest of the book still remains.

Whispers In The Graveyard is still nevertheless hugely readable and delivers a satisfying and inspiring conclusion without us feeling that all of the horrifying buildup has gone to waste. An excellent introduction to Breslin's work that should leave readers - whether adult or child - wanting more of the same.

Other works by Theresa Breslin

Simon's Challenge (1988)

Different Directions (1989)

Time to Reap (1991)

Bullies At School (1993)

Kezzie (1993)

A Homecoming for Kezzie (1995)

Alien Force (1995) 

Missing (1995)

Death or Glory Boys (1996)

Across The Roman Wall (1997) 

Blair, The Winner! (1997) 

Name Games (1997)

Bodyparts (1998)

Blair Makes A Splash (1999)

Starship Rescue (1999)

The Dream Master (series: 1999-2004)

Duncan of Carrick (2000) 

New School Blues (2002)

Remembrance (2002)

Saskia's Journey (2004)

Prisoner in Alcatraz (2004)

Divided City (2005)

The Medici Seal (2006)

The Nostradamus Prophecy (2008)

Prisoner of Inquisition (2010)

The Growing Summer (Noel Streatfeild)

--The blurb--
"The four Gareth children have always led a very quiet life in London with their parents -- until Dad suddenly gets ill abroad, and Mum has to go out to look after him. The Gareth children are shipped off to Great Aunt Dymphna, who lives wild in an extraordinary half-ruin in Ireland. Here they are not only expected to look after themselves, they also discover that they have company -- a mysterious boy who announces that he is on the run. The children hide him from his pursuers -- but who are they? And who is the boy? The children are determined to find out..."

--The review--
While less didactic than Enid Blyton's canon, Noel Streatfeild's comforting formula is still held affectionately in the hearts of children and adults everywhere, and The Growing Summer is no exception to this: it is a successful story of family life turned upside down in the most positive and fantastical of ways, combined with a dexterous mystery element, and it is surprising that it is not more popular, particularly given that it has in the past been adapted for television.

The fabulous character of Aunt Dymphna is a triumph of children's literature who easily ranks on a par with Supergran, Mr Toad and other equally insane, madcap and hilarious characters who should know better (but don't or choose not to). She is a very welcome interlude in the lives of the prim children who are used to doing very little for themselves and who are made to learn to do things for themselves very rapidly. The story therefore also becomes a great journey of independence and self-discovery, which reinforces the themes commonly found throughout Streatfeild's work.

This could have risked making the story seem schmalzy or sugary or as if the author were trying to overdo it in the 'inspiring' stakes, but this is well-tempered by the subplot of the odious young boy that they take in and hide, and whose real background is only discovered later and his lies seen through. This is just one of the narrative hooks keeping the reader impelled to read on; add to this the descriptions of the beautiful Irish landscape and the marvellous outdoor expeditions that the children and Aunt Dymphna embark upon, and the resultant magical blend makes for excellent rainy-day reading, allowing we as readers to escape our own universe completely.

It also serves as an appropriate touchstone for Streatfeild's work as an example of memorable characters and a high-quality, well-executed storyline. What is perhaps even more remarkable is the fact that by this stage (1966) Streatfeild was already thirty years on from her children's fiction debut, Ballet Shoes (published in 1936), and that in spite of that, at the age of seventy-one, she showed no signs of waning.

Other children's fiction by Noel Streatfeild
 

• Ballet Shoes (1936)
• Tennis Shoes (1937)
• The Circus is Coming (1938) (also published as: Circus Shoes)
• Curtain Up (1944) (also published as: Theater Shoes)
• Party Frock (1946) (also published as: Party Shoes)
• The Painted Garden (1949) (significantly abridged and published in the U.S. as: Movie Shoes)
• White Boots (1951) (also published as: Skating Shoes)
• The Fearless Treasure (1953)
• The Bell Family (1954) (also published as: Family Shoes)
• Wintle's Wonders (1957) (also published as: Dancing Shoes)
• Apple Bough (1962) (also published as: Traveling Shoes)
• A Vicarage Family (1963)
• The Children on the Top Floor (1964)
• Away from the Vicarage (1965)
• Caldicott Place (1967) (also published as: The Family at Caldicott Place)
• The "Gemma" series (1968-9)
• Thursday's Child (1970)
• Beyond the Vicarage (1971)
• Ballet Shoes for Anna (1972)
• When the Siren Wailed (1974)
• Far To Go (1976) (a sequel to Thursday's Child)

Gemma and Sisters (Noel Streatfeild)

--The blurb--
"Gemma, once a child film-star in Hollywood, is living with her cousins in a small provincial town. Having thought that she would find it a terrible backwater, she now finds that her cousins are much more talented than she is! There's tremendous excitement in the Robinson household. Gemma and her cousins have put together an act using all their talents, and they're an instant hit! Everyone wants to see Gemma & Sisters. Robin, the younger brother, has swirled some new tunes, and his friend Nigs is on the drums. Ann sings solo and Lydia, the show-off of the family, is thrilled to be able to dance in front of an audience again. Gemma is a sensation on the banjo, but she has an awful feeling of foreboding. Then one day disaster strikes. Lydia, in a stupid moment of revenge, has an accident and badly injures her hip. It looks like the end for Gemma & Sisters; but much more important: will Lydia ever dance or even walk again?"

--The review--
Acclaimed effectively as a writer of modern-day fairytales, Noel Streatfeild's appeal is not just restricted to wartime Britain. Ballet Shoes, for instance, remains a children's classic, and it was recently made into a movie for television starring Emma Watson. Perhaps lesser-known, though, is the Gemma series, published in the late 60s just as the author's career was beginning to wind down. She was already over 70 by this time, and while like other prolific children's authors such as Enid Blyton she tended to recycle character types and plot bases, this made her books no less enjoyable. The Gemma series is no exception, and the story is continued smoothly in Gemma and Sisters, the second instalment in the series of four (the other three being Gemma, Gemma Alone, and Goodbye Gemma).

Just as in her other books, the common themes of performance and of unexpected modern-day fairy godmothers saving the family's skin just at the right moment are prominent. The characters are vivid, pace is kept tight, and suspense is built effectively. Gemma and Sisters proves supremely comforting and readable for all ages and is something that families can enjoy together, allowing hope to be instilled that all will come right in the end.

The book is dated and thus may not appeal so much to some young people, although it may be of sociological interest to those who work in this field of study. A very definite picture is built of the time in which it was written, and while the situations can at times seem contrived (Streatfeild characteristically ties things up perhaps a little too neatly), the characters never do, seeming genuine and largely likeable. Readers want to know what will happen to Gemma and all of the others next, not just in the context of the series but also in the twists and turns of the book itself. Streatfeild delivers humour, tragedy, feistiness, seriousness, mischief and happiness in equal measure, packing a lot of variety into what is in reality just a few short pages.

Streatfeild's work may prove a little too twee and sentimental for some, and ultimately the ending is happy, as it usually is for the author's heroes and heroines. However, it's perhaps worth throwing in the idea that sometimes the "best" books are not always the most well-written or perfect: just look at Twilight and Harry Potter.

Selected works by Noel Streatfeild (for children)
Ballet Shoes (1936)
Curtain Up (1944)
White Boots (1951)
Apple Bough (1962)

Selected works by Noel Streatfeild (for adults)
Saplings (1945)
Grass In Piccadilly (1947)
Mothering Sunday (1950)
Judith (1956)
The Silent Speaker (1961)

The Orange Girl (Jostein Gaarder)

--The blurb--
"At fifteen, Georg comes upon a letter written to him by his dying father, to be read when he is old enough. Their two voices make a fascinating dialogue as Georg gets to know the father he can barely remember and is challenged by him to answer some profound questions."

--The review--
Gaarder appears to possess, in all of his books, an effortless capacity to blend the haunting with the thought-provoking, the ordinary with the extraordinary, and the inspiring with the sad. The Orange Girl is no exception to this, introducing children to the rudiments of philosophical thought and deeper contemplation through the medium of a highly readable story.

Regular readers of Gaarder's work will find that a few things grate: those familiar with Sophie's World may find that the "Are you sitting comfortably..." beginning lacks hugely in originality, and, more generally, that the novella's ending is on the side of cliché. On a more personal note, the use of existing brand names in fiction is something that annoys me greatly, and the annoyance was not lessened here. Nevertheless, there are many positives to be found in this story: the characters are few, but simply and vividly drawn, while the story is simultaneously touching and compelling in its mystery and sadness. Anyone who has ever suffered a bereavement will find that this strikes a chord, and as a novella it stands as a useful precursor to Gaarder's longer and more harrowing Through A Glass Darkly, with both exploring many of the same themes, albeit through different prisms.

The story is essentially one long chapter, but it is easy and intriguing to read, flowing well. Gaarder successfully lulls the reader into a genuine sense of security and awakening: the cogs turn in your mind as you read, but slowly and without taxation. The effects linger gently, and despite the story's slight element of predictability, it is a pleasing and worthwhile read for adults as well as children. Carrying a great sense of simultaneous personal and universal history, it is a reminder to us all to never forget our origins, and to remember always that even our own parents were once young too.

Other works by Jostein Gaarder
The Frog Castle (1988)
The Solitaire Mystery (1990)
Sophie's World (1991)
The Christmas Mystery (1992)
Through A Glass Darkly (1993)
Hello? Is There Anybody There? (1996)
Vita Brevis (1996)
Maya (1999)
The Ringmaster's Daughter (2001)
Checkmate (2006)
The Yellow Dwarves (2006)
The Castle In The Pyrenees (2008)

The House in Norham Gardens (Penelope Lively)

--The blurb--
"Clare's grandfather brought back a shield from New Guinea seventy years ago, and now Clare's dreams are haunted by images of New Guinea. It is up to her to lay the ghost of an encounter between a Victorian anthropologist and a Stone Age New Guinea tribe to rest."

--The review--
Penelope Lively has proved herself during her career as being one of the few authors who can appeal crossgenerationally (Roald Dahl is another famous example), not only by writing several books that were distinctly for adults (e.g. Moon Tiger) and several that were distinctly for children (e.g. The Ghost of Thomas Kempe), and being successful in both arenas, but also by writing books that appeal simultaneously to adults and children alike. A book to fall into this latter category is The House in Norham Gardens; while it may appeal more narrowly to older children (age 10+), it equally has many appealing aspects for adults, with its various historical settings and serious characters.

Lively interweaves the historically academic yet slightly wilder and more countrified setting of North Oxford with aspects of New Guinean history, twinning them via an artefact that seems set to change the protagonist's outlook on life for good, combined with the timely appearance of a new lodger. The author tames this at times complex historical setup (in addition to which the narrative itself is non-chronological) by reining in the rest, keeping the description blissfully simple (while still eloquent) and keeping character numbers and interactions down. The images of Norham Gardens leapt to life with ease, but it should be noted at this stage that my perceptions are biased given that I spent a year of my life living on this North Oxford street (and hence my attraction to this particular novella). Whether the house and road would come to life with such ease for others is arguably a different question.

Dream figures heavily in the story as Clare's subconscious concerns rise to the fore, and Lively does not keep readers hanging, instead allowing the novella to culminate in a satisfying climax, the reader feeling that all has been resolved. While the author has written a few series for children, I do not feel that a sequel (or indeed a prequel) would work well in this case: we have seen Clare through one of the most significant historical and emotional learning curves of her life, and anything else would seem a letdown in comparison. Penelope Lively's talents in the eccentric and the wonderful, in the borders between illusion and reality, are exploited in this novella to their fullest, making a delightful read for children and their parents.

Other works by Penelope Lively (selected)
CHILDREN
The Ghost of Thomas Kempe (1973)
The Voyage of QV66 (1978)
Dragon Trouble (1984)
Good Night, Sleep Tight (1995)

ADULTS
The Road to Lichfield (1977)
Treasures of Time (1979)
According to Mark (1984)
Moon Tiger (1987)
City of the Mind (1991)
The Photograph (2003)
Family Album (2009)

The Thief Lord (Cornelia Funke)

--The blurb--
"Winter has come early to Venice. Two orphaned children are on the run, hiding among the crumbling canals and misty alleyways of the city. Befriended by a gang of street children and their mysterious leader, the Thief Lord, they shelter in an old, disused cinema. On their trail is a bungling detective, obsessed with disguises and the health of his pet tortoises. But a greater threat to the boys' new-found freedom is something from a forgotten past - a beautiful magical treasure with the power to spin time itself."

--The review--
www.amazon.com 's description of this novel invites you to "imagine a Dickens novel with a Venetian setting" in order to get a sense of The Thief Lord, and this is both an intriguing and accurate description, even though any feelings of trepidation and/or cynicism experienced upon starting to read are certainly understandable. It is, after all, just a kids' book. However, this particular kids' book exceeds expectations: the characters are realistically sketched, the writing is sublime, descriptive, vivid and accessible, and these things combined with the unique plot and setting make this a riveting read (and, for adults, a quick one too).

Funke's Italian is also accurate and used to good effect, without seeming pretentious or precluding understanding (though she does also include a glossary in the back of the book in order to be extra helpful); the vocabulary used is also suitably stretching without being offputting. However, in contrast, there are some careless clangers dropped in English that were obviously not picked up by Funke's editors. This is easily compensated for, though, by the fact of pace being kept tight and chapters being kept short, which facilitates reading even without the virtues of Funke's skilful imagery and characterisation. The cast of characters is varied but small, and each has their role to play in the storyline. They come and go like shadows, but all loose ends are tied up by the novel's end (and with quite remarkable cleverness at that - not just in the field of children's literature, but generally).

Better than this, though, is that almost Roald Dahl-style, every character gets their just desserts. Upon closing the book, there are no more questions left to be asked; the reader is assured that Fate has had its way and that justice is appropriately dispensed. We no longer wonder what will happen to the novel's main characters, but we do wonder what is next for Cornelia Funke, as more of her work sets sail for the harbour of children's literature that is set to echo down the ages.

Other works by Cornelia Funke
Inkheart (2003)*
Dragon Rider (2004)
Inkspell (2005)*
When Santa Fell To Earth (2006)
Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost (2006)¨
Ghosthunters and the Gruesome Invincible Lightning Ghost (2006)¨
Igraine The Brave (2007)
Ghosthunters and the Totally Moldy Baroness (2007)¨
Ghosthunters and the Muddy Monster of Doom (2007)¨
Inkdeath (2008)*

*part of the Inkworld trilogy
¨part of the Ghosthunters series