Monthly Recap - March 2012

Here are the books I reviewed this month:

1st: The Great Easter Egg Scramble

2nd: Brotherband: The Outcasts: Book One

3rd: Handling Edna: The Unauthorised Biography

4th: What We French Think of You British and Where You Are Going Wrong

5th: Herb 'n' Lorna: A Love Story

6th: David Feckham: My Backside

7th: Prince of Dorkness: Diary of a Wimpy Vampire (Book 2)

8th: The Family Fang

9th: How To Forget

10th: The Masters of Sitcom: From Hancock to Steptoe

11th: 10,000 Zombies

12th: The Adventures of the New Cut Gang

13th: Soul Beach

14th: Operation Alphabet (The Ministry of Letters)

15th: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

16th: Buzz Aldrin, What Happened to You in All the Confusion?

17th: Muddle Princess Palace

18th: Secrets of the Magic Ring

19th: Whizzy Wheels: London Taxi

20th: Little Learners: Baby's First Buggy Book 'Words & Animals'

21st: Little Learners: Touch % Feel 'Animals'

22nd: You Are Awful (But I Like You): Travels Through Unloved Britain

23rd: I Married You For Happiness

24th: Practice & Learn: Maths (Age 5-6)

25th: Practice & Learn: English (Age 6-7)

29th: Briefs Encoutered

And here is my to read list:

Briefs Encountered by Julian Clary

This book was written by comedian Julian Clary, but if you're thinking it's a laugh-all-the-way-through type of novel then you'd be sadly mistaken. This is a serious novel about a house with a history (hence ghosts).

For me it was a novel of two halves: the first being a plodding affair mainly concerning relationships, mainly man-on-man, but the second, following a death or two, got interesting with an element of foreboding to it all.

Throughout the story is told in two different eras, the 1920s-1950s covering Noel Coward's tenure at the property, and the modern day telling the story of actor Richard Stent's stay there having bought the house from one Julian Clary (a character in his own book - he has one big ego doesn't he). Then at the end the two eras collide in a satisfying climax (having read a few double entendres in the book it seems to be rubbing off on me; I'd better stop now before I get ahead of myself).

End of review. 

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on Amazon here.)

Practice & Learn: English (Age 6-7) by Richard Parsons

I got this for my 5-year-old who is in Reception Year. It's mostly too advanced for her; it is aimed a higher age group after all so it'd be wrong if it wasn't. There is some stuff she could do but the rest we'll wait until later to teach her. The topics in the book are:

- Phonics

- Air and ear sounds

- Plurals

- Sentences

- Prefixes and suffixes

- Tongue twisters and riddles

- Compound words

- Adjectives

- Questions

- Punctuation

- Words that are the same and opposities

- Joining sentences

- Poems

- Non-fiction and fiction

- Finding facts

- Checking over your work

The book has an answers section which can be pulled out of the centre so the answers can be checked. This will be useful for parents to check their child's work, but do take it out before you give the book to your child in case they are tempted to cheat.

Overall then: a useful aid to your child's learning if they are 6-7, but to be used in conjunction with other teaching. 

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on Amazon here.)

Practice & Learn: Maths (Age 5-6) by Richard Parsons

I got this for my 5-year-old who is in Reception Year. Whilst steadily working through it she said it was the sort of stuff she was learning at school which is good as it means the book is focusing on the correct topics for the agegroup it says it is catering for, these topics being:

- Numbers and words

- Counting in 1s, 2s, 5s and 10s

- Ordering numbers

- More or less

- Adding and subtracting

- Pairs of numbers

- Money

- Patterns and ordering

- Measures

- Time

- Shapes

The book has an answers section which can be pulled out of the centre so the answers can be checked. This will be useful for parents to check their child's work, but do take it out before you give the book to your child in case they are tempted to cheat.

This book is similar to other learning tools that are out there such as the website Mathletics. There are differences though - this book cannot be used again once done. That's ok I suppose seeing as you want your child to progress to the next level anyway, but not so ok if you want another child to also do the same exercises. On the other hand this book does have some exercises which are not available on those electronic mathematical games, such as colouring in the correct number of things, which was one of the exercises my daughter liked doing the best.

Overall then: a useful aid to your child's learning, but to be used in conjunction with other teaching. 

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on Amazon here.)

I Married You For Happiness by Lily Tuck

This book tells the fictional story of Nina reminiscing over her and her husband's (Philip's) life through one night after she finds him dead in their bedroom.

She flits from one memory to another before maybe going back to the same time of the previous memory before moving on again, in a sort of stream of consciousness way. For me this made it a rather fragmented book with the best bits being when a memory was expanded in full before she moved on to the next recollection. (This approach means that if you put the book down you may forget characters by the time they reappear.

Memories mainly focus on their times spent abroad, notably in Paris. In fact this is where they met and there are lots of little bits in French so a passing knowledge of French would be useful (Italian and Spanish also feature but not to the same extent). There are also a few imagined scenes where Nina fills in the gaps, for example Philip's time spent with a woman called Sofia.

Lastly there is a lot of mathematical talk. Maybe Philip is a really boring guy as Maths is pretty much all he talks about. Or maybe he is a really interesting guy because he has such knowledge of his topic. Make up your own mind. Or perhaps that is unfair as he also has an interest in yachting, and an interest in Nina of course, and their daughter Louise (although there are not that many memories with her in which is perhaps a surprise).

So a fragmented story although well-written and quite a quick read too.

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on Amazon here.)

You Are Awful (But I Like You): Travels Through Unloved Britain by Tim Moore

This book is a recollection of a journey by the author taking in some of the awful places of Great Britain such as Great Yarmouth in England, Methil in Scotland and Merthyr Tydfil in Wales. To make the journey as awful as possible he took it in the worst car, did it whilst listening to the worst music, think novelty hits and albums, and was directed by the worst sat-nav voice, that of Ozzy Osbourne. He stayed at the worst hotels and ate the worst foods whilst visiting the worst tourist attractions. And he did it all at the worst time of year - in the bleak mid-winter.

Initially this book works. I particularly liked the story as to why the Austin Maestro was selected as the transport. However after the umpteenth town visited where the reason for it being awful was that it had some industry which had now disappeared made the book get a little repetitive and a bit stale as it went on. Other running themes in the book were that he'd visit a place, say a pub or museum, and it would close shortly after he'd been there. It became a bit sad after a while.

The selection of towns for the awful places was a bit random too. For example Hull was selected because it was voted worst town in the publication "Crap Towns" (in part it must be said) yet Luton wasn't selected despite being voted worst town in "Crap Towns II". Similarly Skegness was chosen by the author simply for its name sounding, to him, awful. Admittedly there was also a lot of research that went into the selection of other places, mainly through a Location, Location, Location list, but I think the final selection was made to make the most convenient journey around the country for the author.

Then at the end the last few towns were whizzed through in a rush so all you residents of Coventry, Northampton and Slough may feel short-changed.

The book was best when it involved people rather than just descriptions of the places themselves. For example there was an altercation with a Scottish Ned that was gripping. Also the author did well to get regional accents across when he did met people.

Other plus points were that I was able to follow the descriptions whereas with other travel books I have sometimes struggled to get the words to form the correct pictures in my head. Also there is a useful map on the inside front cover of the journey he took so if your town is on the route you may want to delve into the book.

Overall I felt the book could have been made better by being made shorter. For example there is one part where the author can't take it anymore and makes for home. That would have made for a good ending - Britian, you were so awful that you defeated me - but as it is it is too long resulting in the story getting stale with the issues getting repetitive.

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on Amazon here.)

Little Learners: Touch & Feel 'Animals'

This is a touch and feel book of which there are many such as those in the "That's not my..." series. The artwork is beautiful with pastel colours and simple artwork throughout. The book is made of card with various materials used for the touchy feely bits (all of which you've probably come across before in books of this kind). Not all the animals have touchy feely bits though, there are a couple that don't (pig and the dog inside - the dog on the front does have touchy feely spots). I like the curved corners that remove potentially sharp edges.

So choose the "touchy feely" book you want from the wide selection available. 

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on Amazon here.)

Little Learners: Baby's First Buggy Book 'Words & Animals'

What you get here are two little books that have Velcro-fastened fabric straps that you can attach to your baby's pram or pushchair. The artwork is beautiful with pastel shades and simple art style used throughout.

The animals book has the following contents:

- cat

- dog

- rabbit

- pig

- cow

- horse

- lion

- monkey

- elephant

- mouse

The words book contains the following contents:

- blanket

- bye bye

- ball

- book

- teddy bear

- doll

- cup

- bottle

- Mummy

- Daddy

I think these are better suited to prams rather than pushchairs because my daughter prefers to look around when in the pushchair rather than play with toys or books. 

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on Amazon here.)

Whizzy Wheels: London Taxi by Marion Billet

This book, part of the Whizzy Wheels series, provides four scenes of London's most famous landmarks. For extra authenticity it is even raining in one of them. The scenes are pretty good representations of the actual landmarks although they are of course cartoonified. The taxi stops at each of them before you drive it off to the next one on the strong cardboard wheels the book comes with. The balance in the pictures is just right for the pre-school audience too with plenty to see in the scenes whilst they are also not too cluttered.

There is also a London Bus version that does visit other London landmarks missing from this book.

There could of course have been more scenes, although with the London bus version and this together you've got the lot covered.

To sum up then with a bad pun:

Wheel-y good book. 

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on Amazon here.)

Secrets of the Magic Ring by Karen McQuestion

Whenever I see a book with a magic ring in it I immediately think of Lord of the Rings. Well this is not Lord of the Rings; it's a lot shorter for a start. In fact there aren't many similarities (this is a tale set in the real world whilst LOTR isn't for example) but the ring does seem to have a pull that makes people want to wear it which has LOTR written all over it.

The story follows only-child Paul who finds a magic ring which allows the wearer one wish and one wish only. Trouble is if the wish is a selfish one then things will go wrong. And things do go wrong.

I think the tale is for younger readers rather than older readers because the language is quite simplistic. It also should appeal to girls as well as boys with fairies making an appearance.

Overall, for me, the pace started slow but picked up and when it did the book was very exciting and drew me in. It is a bit short though, although for the young readers it is designed for this is probably a good thing.

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on Amazon here.)

Muddle Princess Palace by Jennie Poh

Good points:

The design of this book is brilliant. The magnets are stored in a carriage and can be released by pulling out a piece of card. Also the book can be carried from place to place with a handle and a clip that closes the book. The 4 play-scenes are good too with the right sort of things my daughter likes to play: a maze, a dressing-up area, a ballroom and a play scene matching princesses to their respective butlers. The book also has replayability unlike a lot of my daughter's other books.

Bad points:

The story is not as good as it could be, although because this is an activity book more than a story book it probably matters not a jot. There are only 4 play-scenes when there could have been more and only 16 magnets leaves a limited amount of playing. Plus the magnets can easily get lost.

Overall though I like it, she can take it to her friends houses and she has played with it more than once. 

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on Amazon here.)

Buzz Aldrin, What Happened to You in All the Confusion? by Johan Harstad

Well, the story, for it is a story and not a biography of the astronaut Buzz Aldrin (that's clear because it says so, on the cover no less - "a novel"), follows the Norwegian Mattias. He has a job and a girlfriend but then he loses both in quick succession, goes into meltdown and ends up in the Faroe Islands. There he is taken into a sort of psychiatric hostel. He then grows to love his adopted country because it mirrors the way he is, a person that doesn't like the limelight (hence the title referring to one of his heroes, Buzz Aldrin - the second and not the first man on the moon). And all done with a lot of rain in-between.

This is a rather wordy tome of a book. However as the book is narrated by Mattias, a character that does a lot of thinking and speculating, this style fits. I did find it a bit odd though that for key moments in the book the conversations would be long, long speeches made by these otherwise quite private individuals suddenly revealing their long-held secrets and whatnot. Also there are a lot of Norwegian and Faroese references to place names in the text but you can get by without having heard of them before although if you do know them it'll help you better imagine the journeys etc. the characters were taking.

As a whole I enjoyed the book very much right from its artistic front cover of a boat out at sea being dwarfed by the Faroe Isle it has just left through all the pages organised in their "The Cardigans"-album named chapters and on to the positive ending.

As for Buzz Aldrin I guess I'll never know what happened to him in all the confusion.

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on Amazon here.)

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

Essentially this book is about one man and his journey, by foot, from Kingsbridge in Devon all the way up the length of England to Berwick-upon-Tweed. But really this book is about more than just a walk. It's about relationships; it's about life and death; it's about how someone can think themselves as ordinary when in fact to others they are someone special.

The book starts with Harold Fry, retired, receiving a letter from an old work colleague, Queenie Hennessey, who he has not seen or heard from for 20-years. She informs him she is dying of terminal cancer. Harold writes a response and goes out to post it, but he doesn't just do that - he starts a pilgrimage. After meeting a girl in a nearby garage he is inspired to walk the length of England to keep his friend alive.

I have to say that for me the first part of the book was the worst. The conversations seemed unrealistic. The garage girl's inspirational speech didn't, to me, seem that inspirational. The characters Harold met seemed weird. But then at this point he is still umm-ing and arr-ing about whether a walk was the right thing to do anyway so maybe the two are related. Eventually he fully commits and the story picks up. We learn that ordinary Harold Fry touches so many people along the way with plenty of tear-jerking moments. We learn why he is estranged from his son. We learn about Harold Fry's life as he reflects upon it during his walking time. What he is doing is special and the person he is doing it for is special too for what she did for him all those years ago when they were colleagues. The lesson from the book is that we are all special to the people we interact with, no matter how ordinary we may appear.

Overall this is a read that took a little while to get going but turned into a belter of a book by the end.

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on Amazon here.)

Operation Alphabet (The Ministry of Letters) by Al MacCuish

This is a beautiful book. It reminded me of the Christmas annuals I used to get because it is similar in size. It comes in hard-back with a dustcover which doubles up as an Alphabet poster by turning it to the reverse side. Inside the story is about the alphabet so is ideal for young children who have a knowledge of the alphabet. My 4-year-old, coming on 5 loved it. She especially loves looking at the poster and going through it, from A to Z.

But this book isn't just words. It is illustrated with double-page full colour spreads throughout with the art style evident from the cover. This art and the story bring the alphabet to life, literally. All in all I thought this book was beautiful and perfect for its intended audience. It would make an ideal gift for a young child.

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on Amazon here.)

Soul Beach by Kate Harrison

Soul Beach is the first part of a trilogy of books. Therefore there are some loose ends at the end although the book also works in isolation too. It's just you may want to read them all together just to find out what happens to all the characters because the book does draw you in.

The story follows central character 16-year-old Alice Forster. Her older sister, Meggie, was murdered and no-one knows who by. So after her death when Alice gets an email from Meggie she dismisses it as a prank. However it turns out it was her sister that sent it from a paradise full of dead people who died young - Soul Beach. But it turns out it isn't such a paradise after all and it falls upon Alice to help guests get out of that place.

The book turns out to be quite sinister in places, which is what you'd probably expect given it is about life after death. However it was an intriguing read and there is resolution to one part of the storyline. I'll just have to wait now for the other books in the trilogy to be released to see how the rest of the story unfolds I guess.

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed there here.)

The Adventures of the New Cut Gang by Philip Pullman

This twosome of books is about the New Cut gang, a gang of well-meaning children based in Victorian Lambeth. On Philip Pullman's website he says:

"Thunderbolt's Waxwork and The Gas-Fitters' Ball are two of my favourites among my stories. There was going to be a series of six of them, but the editor who commissioned them at Puffin left to go to another publisher, and somehow they got abandoned.

"They're funny (I hope) tales about the children in the New Cut Gang, a mixed bunch of vagabonds and rascals in late Victorian Lambeth, and their adventures among the petty crooks and the showmen and the market traders of the time. I like the characters very much, and I love the setting; and one day I shall write some more stories about Benny Kaminsky, and Thunderbolt Dobney, and their friends."

I thought they were funny in places too, and I thought the Victorian setting really came across through the dialect and the use of objects from the time.

"Thunderbolt's Waxwork" tells the tale of how the gang got to the bottom of a counterfeit coins crime and "The Gas-Fitters' Ball" details how the gang solved the mystery over who stole the gas-fitters' hall's antique silver.

Of the two I preferred "The Gas-Fitters Ball" with its concurrent love story which was filled with humour and had a very poignant ending.

My main concern was whether modern day children would still be interested in reading about a gang of children from yesteryear but the stories flowed easily and probably kids of today would love the stories like I did.

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on Amazon here.)

10,000 Zombies: Create More Than 10,000 Zombies and 10,000 Stories by Alexander Cox

First thing to say is even though there are scissor marks on the front cover you don't need to cut the pages of this book as it comes pre-cut with all the bits attached to a swivel spine.

Second thing to say is that I haven't tested all 10,000 combinations of stories and pictures but I have studied all the component parts. The stories are well written and action-packed although it is obvious that there are breaks in them and sometimes they don't work (e.g. he was an armless zombie, then I grabbed his hand). The images are good too, and imaginative.

Third thing to say this is a novelty gift really. It might be good for zombie lovers like people that play zombie games such as Dead Island, Dead Rising etc. A book to look at every once in a while for a bit of fun.

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on Amazon here.)

The Masters of Sitcom: From Hancock to Steptoe by Christopher Stevens

What you get in this book is a celebration of Galton and Simpson's work. The layout includes snippets of biographical information or anecdotes followed by extracts of scripts from throughout their career - from Hancock through to Steptoe.

And the scripts, even in written form, are funny - particularly early on.

As someone who would like to write comedy too it was interesting to hear that they agonised over each line making sure it was absolutely right before committing it to the page. For them it was turn of phrase that was important, not just jokes.

My only gripe though is the end is rather condensed. After faithfully reproducing extracts from many of Galton and Simpson's early works through to the fourth series of Steptoe their work after that, and indeed the reasons for quitting scriptwriting, are given next to no coverage. I guess this may have been due to deadlines but overall I very much enjoyed this book.

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on their website here.)

How To Forget by Marius Brill

This is a book about a magician and a con-artist as written by a brain-scientist. The magician gets tangled into a con-artist scam and so ends up on the run from the authorities in a particularly thrilling chase. The brain scientist is trying to help the magician forget about his old life and start a new one, one with no recollections of his past, and this novel is his way of recording the magician's past.

So it's not your normal book what with the outline above, the many twists and turns within the plot and it's story being organised around various academic articles on memory and how the brain works.

Indeed I have to say these articles did somewhat get in the way of the main narrative and could have been edited out but it sort of added to the authenticity of the author being an expert in the field of thoughts so I can understand why they are there. That aside the book was a cracking read with a really good story which always left me guessing as to where it would go next. It was a very clever plot full of humorous metaphors and excellent repartee.

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. This book is listed on Amazon here.)

The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson

This book is basically a story about a family (you may have discerned that already from the title). We follow family Fang who are a foursome comprising of parents Caleb and Camille and adult children Annie and Buster. The story follows the children having to move back to live with their parents for help but it all goes wrong when their parents disappear presumed dead.

The book includes flashback chapters to fill in earlier periods in the family's life that have helped shape their later-selves. However these aren't simply flashbacks but are actually chapters shaped around artworks as created by the artists of the family - Caleb and Camille. These chapters were particularly clever ways for some of the characters of the real-time part of the story to be introduced.

The story is a quirky read with a quirky layout too. I got a little bit confused with some of the logic in the conversation at times but overall I found the book a really good read with a particularly gripping ending.

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on Amazon here.)

Prince of Dorkness: Diary of a Wimpy Vampire (Book 2) by Tim Collins

Nigel Mullet is a teenage vampire, albeit a wimpy one, and this book is his diary of a school term where he has to suffer all the woes that befall normal (i.e. non-vampires) teenagers such as having a girlfriend and having a petty rivalry with another student.

I haven't read twilight before but others have said this is a parody of that. Nigel does attempt to write a vampire-romance novel and extracts are in the book which I thought did mock how I imagine the Twilight series would be but the overall book I think stands alone on its own.

I have to say that I enjoyed this book. It really did come across as if it were written by a teenager, and all the vampire clichés were in here as well - such as them drinking blood. I think the pictures added extra imagery to the words too.

And the humour - it wasn't overstated or too silly. I thought it was just right. The length of the book was correct as well (with humour it can sometimes wear if the book is too long).

I couldn't really fault it.

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on Amazon here.)

David Feckham: My Backside by Ivor Baddiel & Jonny Zucker

Every inch of this book has been designed for the laughs - right from the cover and title mocking David Beckham's autobiography "My side" through to the faux index, even the autographs hidden underneath the dust jacket.

The story follows football-obsessed David Feckham. He is the opposite of David Beckham because he is rubbish at football. Trouble is he can't see that and assumes that when people tell him he is rubbish that it is just typical football banter.

His career follows a similar path to Beckham's in that he plays for a football team in Manchester, a pub team; he remarkably makes the England national team (the pub one), even becoming captain. He then moves to Spain working for a timeshare company there but is much more interested in playing for their football team than in making sales. He even meets the real Beckham a few times along the way with the accumulation of these meeting bringing about a fitting ending to the book.

The humour may wear after a while but I still loved it and all other football fans will love it too. Recommended.


(This book is listed on Amazon here.)

Herb 'n' Lorna: A Love Story by Eric Kraft

This is the first Eric Kraft book I have read. I was intrigued to find out what it would be like after finding out that all his books form part of the Peter Leroy saga - this book being about Peter's maternal grandparents.

The book is written as if it were a historical essay. It delves into family trees and sources evidence from books, films etc. (all fictional evidence I believe) and also includes quotes of a good friend of the title characters too. This made it different in style to any other fiction book I have read but didn't detract from the story.

The story itself is just that of an ordinary American loving couple going through life from the beginning of the 20th century, through 2 world wars and into retirement. The only difference being that they have a secret.

But apart from that secret there is little to differentiate this couple from any other couple of the period (the author admitted his aim was to make them ordinary but for their secret) so it makes for a pleasant story but maybe not a spectacular one.

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on Amazon here.)

What We French Think of You British - and Where You Are Going Wrong by Marcel Lucont

Marcel Lucont is a stand-up comedian, a character created by Alexis Dubus. You can see some of his stuff on YouTube and it gives you an idea of what to expect inside this book. (In fact I noticed a lot of his stand-up routines made their way into the book.)

In the book Marcel looks at the British from the viewpoint of the Frenchman that he is and he sees us and recognises that a lot of what we do is... well, ridiculous. This book allows him to point out to us just how ridiculous we are before he tells us how he would do it, as a Frenchman. And he does it with great humour because a lot of the things he mentions do ring true.

Although the book does poke fun at the British, and I am British, I didn't find it offensive. It's done in a light-hearted fashion. But then again I am not a member of the Royal Family...

The book is organised into themed sections, for example Britain by country and a words section. All through the book the points are bite-size so the book lends itself to being ideal to be picked up and put down again. Also it isn't too long in total either.

C'est tres bon.


(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on Amazon here.)

Handling Edna: The Unauthorised Biography by Barry Humphries

This book is about Dame Edna Everage and is written by Barry Humphries from the viewpoint of Edna's agent. As it is focused on Dame Edna there are gaps from Barry's life although he has written two other autobiographies such as "More, Please: An Autobiography" (which he says only mentions him playing Edna in his shows because of the pressure he was put under at the to,e by his publishers to write the story in that way to maximise sales) if you want to fill those gaps.

As for Dame Edna's life all the peripheral characters such as the invalid husband Norm, the housemaid Madge and the sons and daughters make an appearance. It is amazing how many times the author mentions the similarities between his mother and Dame Edna. It's as if Dame Edna could have been a character creation based on his mother?

There is also an appendix with a few different bits and pieces of Dame Edna's material as a sort of DVD extra section.

All in all this was an informative read about a comedy icon even if it is a work of fiction (or not as the case may be).


(This book is listed on Amazon here.)

Brotherband: The Outcasts: Book One by John Flanagan

If you think Vikings on boot camp then that's pretty much what this book is.


The book begins with a guide to sailing terms with definitions to terms such as starboard and yardarm. Well, personally I would have put this at the end. Anyone picking this up and reading from the beginning might plough through this technical bit before giving up because it is a little bit of a chore, or was for me at least, and that would be a real shame.


After that false start the book follows 16-year-old Hal, a thinker, who ends up in charge of a brotherband - brotherband teams being formed each year from the 16-year-olds in the town to compete against each other at a training camp with the purpose of training them for their futures as sea-faring warriors, such is the Skandian life. Unfortunately Hal ends up with the left-overs, the outcasts, the boys no-one else wanted in their team and he has reduced numbers too compared with the other two brotherbands. Nonetheless using Hal's ingenuity they perform well through the assessments.


Simultaneously their town Hallasholm is being targeted by pirates which leads on nicely to the tale that will be covered by the next book in the series.


The book has a bit of humour in it too which I enjoyed, especially during the night attack assessment.


The hardcover version is beautiful with a nice shiny, well-designed cover and a spine with a number 1 at the top. It's obviously been designed for the bookshelf so that you can get the other books in the series, line them up and complete the collection. I notice the next couple of books are coming out as paperbacks though so you may want to get the paperback version of this one too.


(I received this book through Amazon Vine. It is available to buy here.)

The Great Easter Egg Scramble by Timothy Knapman and David Walker

This is a big sized book with beautifully painted colour pictures throughout telling the story of the Easter Bunny delivering his eggs in a hurry. It is a rhyming story and features all the characters on the cover: the Easter bunny, the chicken, the crocodile, the duck, the emu, the penguin and the turtle. All of it's good except for one flaw. The Easter bunny is delivering real eggs rather than chocolate eggs thus destroying the Easter bunny myth. If it weren't for that I'd give this book a higher recommendation.

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed on Amazon here.)