Review: The Girl Who Stole An Elephant by Nizrana Farook.

Extract:

Chaya stood up and ran. A searing pain shot through her leg and all the way up. It was useless. She was in too much pain. This was it; they’d find her here eventually. 

And then in the distance, through a blur of pain, Chaya saw her getaway vehicle. 

(The Girl Who Stole An Elephant by Nizrana Farook.) 

Synopsis:

Chaya can solve anything. A broken leg that requires emergency medical treatment, education fees, roof repairs … Chaya is happy to steal from the rich if it means that the people in her village are able to cover the cost of their basic needs. Then Chaya steals the Queen’s Jewels and her best friend Neel takes the blame.

The King doesn’t take kindly to thieves. Even falsely accused ones. Unless Chaya acts fast, Neel will lose his live.

Together with rich, lonely Nour, Chaya breaks Neel out of prison. Together with a stolen elephant, the King’s elephant Ananda, the children escape to the jungle.

They need to find a solution before the village suffers for their actions.

 

Review:

Are you ready for adventure? Chaya is the new daredevil protagonist to win readers’ hearts. Her habit of causing real trouble is matched only by her determination to do the right thing. Think break-ins and breakouts and epic getaways. And an elephant named Ananda.

This novel challenges us to question our definition of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. Chaya does something illegal when she breaks into the palace. However, the people of Chaya’s village aren’t able to meet their basic needs without the theft and the King hasn’t raised a finger to help. He lives off the profit of the land and allows the villagers to go without. This context opens some interesting questions about morals and actions. How far would we go to have a secure life? Does this make Chaya’s actions right? We see very early on that what Chaya does is a gamble and that it can lead to greater and more desperate trouble. However, there was no doubt for me as a reader that my empathy lay with her. This is a brilliant middle grade novel to introduce topics about social injustice – a topic which is sadly all too relevant in the present day.

 This is also a story about revolution, without the focus on the bloodshed and sacrifice that is more common in YA. We see that scary things happen, desperate things, but the story itself is mainly about Chaya’s escape and return to the village. This allows younger readers to learn about the idea of revolution without seeing the scarier parts in lengthy detail.

That’s not to say the stakes aren’t high. We know the King won’t relent unless he is fought.

The friendships in this story are wonderful and the tensions between the children are clear. Chaya wants to do right. Neel can see that the cost of Chaya’s actions might be too high. Nour wants company and friendship – a big thing to her, but she struggles to see that Chaya isn’t playing games. I loved what Nour brought to the story. Middle-Class children are too often derided in fiction without any consideration given to the fact that they are young too, and only know their ‘normal’. This story empathises with Nour while gently showing that she hasn’t seen enough of the world yet to understand the wider picture. She is naïve and often frustrating to the other characters, but she is also good-hearted and willing to stick by her new friends.

I love stories where the main characters aren’t natural bosom buddies. The development, and the way they come together, is often deep and memorable. This is the case with The Girl Who Stole An Elephant.

This is pure middle-grade brilliance and deservedly Waterstones Book Of The Month for January 2020. Prepare to have your heart opened and to fall in love with this fantastic adventure.

 

Thanks to Nosy Crow Ltd for my proof copy of The Girl Who Stole An Elephant. Opinions my own.

World Animal Day: Guest Post from ‘Wild Lives’ author Ben Lerwill.

About

October 4th is a very special day. It is World Animal Day – a chance for every one of us to raise awareness of the other creatures who share our planet. This is a sentiment I believe in as a vegetarian and friend to animals.

Ben Lerwill is a travel writer, whose love of wildlife comes from the amount of time he spends outdoors. Wild Lives is his first book for young people, and it tells the stories of 50 amazing animals throughout history. From the two male penguins who hatched an egg to Elsa the lioness who changed the way we think about conservation, the stories in this book prove just how much we can learn by looking at other animals.

In his guest post, Ben Lerwill talks about three of the places which informed his stories. From Tasmanian streams to the mountains and beaches right on our doorstep, he teaches us that animal encounters can be found just about anywhere in the world.

Thanks to Ben Lerwill for your time, and to Catherine Ward PR for organising.

Guest post from Wild Lives author Ben Lerwill.

Gathering together the 50 stories that make up WildLives has been enormously enjoyable, largely because it’s allowed me to bring in animals from all over the world. There’s a wolf, an orca, a giraffe, a silverback gorilla, a red-tailed hawk… we even managed to fit a giant tortoise in there!

Part of my passion for the project came from spending the past 15 years as a travel writer for different magazines and newspapers. I’m extraordinarily lucky that this has led to some unforgettable wildlife encounters, from watching penguins in Antarctica to tracking chimpanzees in East Africa. Selecting just three of the most memorable experiences is difficult – but I’ve given it a go.

 

Kakadu National Park, Australia

Few places in the world rate so highly for wildlife as Australia. I have family living out there, so it’s somewhere I’ve spent a lot of time. Where animals are concerned, the joy lies in the variety: platypuses drifting down Tasmanian streams, cassowaries high-stepping through Queensland rainforests, red kangaroos hopping across the Outback. The book’s adorable Aussie representative is Sam, a koala who survived a horrific forest fire.

But topping the list, for me, are the saltwater crocodiles of Kakadu, a magically expansive national park in the Northern Territory. Five or six years ago, I joined an early morning sailing along the park’s Yellow Water Billabong. Our small boat was the only vessel out. The day was warm and still, with egrets in the shallows and eagles overhead. Then the crocs appeared. The sight of ton-weight dinosaurs basking in the mud, slithering into the water and swishing their thick, tree-trunk tails within feet of the boat was impossibly thrilling.

 

Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire

I’m an ardent believer in the fact that you don’t have to venture outside of the UK for a fantastic travel experience. We live in a truly spectacular part of the world – for proof, you need only look at the peaks of Snowdonia, the coast of County Antrim, the islands of Scotland or the hills of the Peak District. Our wildlife is fantastic too, whether you’re spotting otters in Shetland or snorkelling with seals in Scilly. And the birdlife, of course, can be sensational.

For me, the seabird nesting season is my birdwatching highlight of the year. I’ve gone in search of puffins everywhere from Orkney to Northern Ireland, but my all-time highlight was a two-night trip to Skomer Island, off the coast of Pembrokeshire. It’s a birdlife bonanza – not just puffins, but huge numbers of guillemots, razorbills, fulmars and gannets too. Watching them all circling above the waves, on a small, high-cliffed island miles from the mainland, is truly special. At night, meanwhile, Skomer gets taken over by more than half a million Manx shearwater – which is as mind-boggling as it sounds.

 

Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda       

Most wildlife-centred trips to Uganda focus on the mountain gorillas in the brilliantly named Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Mine certainly did, and I found the experience of seeing a troop up close almost overwhelming. However, a trip further north to Queen Elizabeth National Park has also seared itself into my memory. This was, I think, mainly because I had almost no expectations, so was rather giddy to find a wildlife reserve not only packed with animals but low on other visitors.

The park’s Kazinga Channel is a long, wide waterway, where the banks were alive with elephants, warthogs and great honking pods of hippos. The real highlight came on one early-morning game drive, however, when we spotted a herd of panicked deer skittering over the plains in the distance. Minutes later, we crested a hill to see the cause of the commotion – a stunning leopardess, no more than ten metres away, her spotted coat glowing in the dawn light.

No leopards feature in WildLives, but we’ve made space for a tiger and two lions – because no animal book would be complete without a few big cats.

 

Wild Lives by Ben Lerwill, illustrated by Sarah Walsh, is out now, published by Nosy Crow £16.99 hardback.

 

 

Review: I thought I saw a … series by Lydia Nichols

I thought I saw a penguin. Is it behind the sunshade?

A trip to the beach gets exciting as a penguin pops up in different places, while a monkey causes havoc in a supermarket. Everywhere is made more exciting by the appearance of an animal friend, and what better game to play than hide-and-seek. 

Slide the picture across, around and up and down. A sandcastle pops up, doors open and close and monkey slides out behind the shelves. These innovative sliders add heaps of fun as the animals are found in whole new ways. Readers will enjoy guessing and remembering how the animal will be revealed. 

There’s heaps of fun to be had on a trip outside. 

These books are not only great games, but they also introduce different things which happen in ordinary locations. Vocabulary is built as the reader is introduced to location-specific words like sunshade, beach hut and parasol. This will be absorbed without anybody noticing – they’ll be having far too much fun with the sliders to realise that they are learning. 

While the cardboard is sturdy and the sliders are friendly to little fingers, they also move in complex ways. It is recommended that this book is shared with an adult or older reader, and smaller readers might need help to manipulate the sliders. This is actually fantastic news because it helps develop fine motor skills.

A friendly and fun series which introduces readers to the outdoor world. 

 

Thanks to Templar Publishing for my gifted books. Opinions my own.

Review: Milton The Mighty by Emma Read

Extract:

‘You and me, Mr Macey. Together we’ll clear this house of invaders.’ 

‘So, you’ll kill them?’

Felicity smoothed down her corduroy skirt.

‘Every. Last. One.’ 

At this point, Milton stopped having thoughts altogether. He went cross-eyed, eight different ways, and fainted.

(Milton The Mighty by Emma Read. P30.)

Synopsis:

When spider Milton discovers he has been branded deadly by a popular internet story, he realises his life is in peril. His house human has a phobia of spiders and will go to any length to destroy them, which makes him an easy target for Felicity Thrubwell whose pest control business thrives on fear.

Milton’s only hope is to prove he is not a deadly spider. Luckily he has help. Milton’s eight-legged friends are on board, and so is the younger human Zoe. Together they set out to straighten out the facts.

But will that be enough to stop Felicity Thrubwell?

Review:

A story about a little spider with a big heart. Milton’s quest to clear his name and save spider-kind is the sort of animal tale I loved when I was small. Dick King-Smith was one of my favourite childhood authors, and this reminds me of his work. It has the same mix of charm and resilient characters, with up to date technology.

Milton’s campaign for justice is balanced with a whole load of creepy crawly fun.

The theme couldn’t be more relevant to our times. Milton has always had trouble from some humans, but a piece of viral internet content turns the whole world against him. And it’s just not true. Milton isn’t a killer spider. Emma Read resists an anti-internet stance. Instead the book shows that the internet can be used for good or bad and that we must trust our own judgement and knowledge.

Zoe is a wonderful character. She’s having trouble at school because she just refuses to cave into the anti-spider hype. She knows better. It is good to see a role model who sticks to her principles and is determined to make a change. Like Greta Thunberg, the young climate activist who has turned heads and opinions, Zoe knows that making a change isn’t about being big or special. It’s about being unafraid to get your message out.

This is also a book about friendship and the power of changing our habits. Fears and actions can be ingrained. It takes kindness and understanding – not anger – to help people change their ways.

A fantastic story with two heroes (a spider and a girl) whose resilience, determination and kindness make them perfect role-models to us all.

 

Thanks to Chicken House Books for my gifted copy. Opinions my own.

 

 

 

Review: The Closest Thing To Flying by Gill Lewis

Extract:

Many years ago, another girl her age had sat looking at this bird. 

Something about it had changed her life. 

Semira wondered if she and the diary were somehow connected, as if her whole future were bound up within its pages.

Maybe this small green bird could unlock the secrets of Semira’s past. 

Maybe it could even change Semira’s whole life too. 

(From The Closest Thing To Flying by Gill Lewis. P19.)

Synopsis:

Semira and her mother have no choice but to live with abusive, angry Robel. If they tell immigration the truth Robel says they will be sent back to Eritrea. When Semira breaks the rules and buys an old hat at a junk store, she finds a diary written in the 1800s written by a girl called Hen.

Hen writes about the social expectations of women, and how fearless aunt Kitty is for forming her own opinions. Reading about Hen and Kitty makes Semira feel braver, but will it be enough to help herself and her mother?

A touching and beautiful story about the powers and limitations of bravery.  

Review:

There is a saying. The battle’s lost but not the war. This is a story about knowing where we stand against injustice and oppression, but also knowing the limitations of what we can do alone.

Both strands of the story were beautiful. I felt I knew Semira straight away. She’s been through some difficult times and has learned through necessity to keep her head down, but she is also a fighter. A rebel. She hasn’t allowed Robel to dictate her thoughts.

Hen lives in a society where women are forced to adhere to strict rules, but the earliest signs of rebellion are happening underground. After riding a bicycle and feeling liberated, Hen questions what else women might do.

The other character who deserves mention is Semira’s real-life friend Patrick. Patrick is bullied at school and misunderstood, but he shows Semira true friendship and loyalty. As his story unfolds the reader is reminded people have experienced far more than we know from the surface.

This is also a brilliant historical and political novel, showing how the formation of the RSPB (then the Society for the Protection of Birds) was founded by a woman in protest to the use of feathers in fashion. We also see the social undercurrents which later lead to the women’s suffrage movements, and the trials faced by refugees in Britain today.

What could have been a serious book is exceptionally uplifting. We can find friends in the darkest of times, and those friends can be the catalyst we need to challenge ourselves. They also offer cake and company and an open door.

A beautiful story from an established and popular author. This made me desperate to seek out Gill Lewis’s earlier work, and I look forward to catching up on her other stories.

 

Thanks to Oxford University Press for my gifted copy of The Closest Thing To Flying. Opinions my own.

Review: Endling – The Last by Katherine Applegate

Extract: 

And then I saw them.

All of them.

My mother.

My father. 

My siblings.

They were piled on the ground like discarded hides, blood pouring, white and pearly, soaking the leaves, eyes glassy and open, mouths open. Torn and stabbed.

They lay in a mound, as if they’d been too late to scatter, my parents on top, protecting as always. 

I ran. 

(Endling – The Last by Katherine Applegate. P45.) 

Synopsis:

Humans are not the only intelligent species. Byx is a Dairne – one of the governing species. Dairne have been hunted for generations. When her pack is killed, Byx is forced to confront the possibility that she may be the last Dairne alive.

Joined by Tobble the wobbyk, and a girl who disguises herself as a boy, Byx sets off in search of the legendary haven which is said to protect and home other Dairne. As new friends and allies join her, she confronts a secret which may threaten every other creature in the world.

The first book in a new trilogy.

Review:

An extraordinary middle-grade adventure which explores the way humans treat other animals. Set in a world which humans govern alongside other intelligent species, Katherine Applegate shows how the human urge to dominate leads to death and destruction.

Not all humans in the story are bad – some, like Khara, seek only to survive under the rule of the Murdano. Khara’s storyline explores gender roles and gender stereotyping. She disguises herself as a boy so she can use her gift for tracking in order to survive and send money home to her family.

The book is not solely about extinction – at its heart is the last remaining member of a species, trying to figure out what it means to be something which almost doesn’t exist. Anybody who remembers the news stories about Lonesome George – the last-known Pinta Island tortoise – will remember how he became a figurehead for the damage wrought by humans.

None of the characters are perfect – Khara initially holds Byx captive, and Byx herself has eaten Wobbyk. This makes the story feel more realistic and the themes more pressing -this is not about poor, innocent animals and nasty humans. It is about the difference between taking to survive and taking through greed and power.

Katherine Applegate writes the perfect scene – short and concise, giving the reader a little more information every time.

A wonderful addition to the canon of children’s books our place in the natural world. Empathising with Byx will make it easier for readers to empathise with other animals. This is an ambitious world but the fact that totally fictional species are made so believable is an achievement. I look forward to continuing the trilogy.

Review: Hello World Animals by Nicola Edwards and L’Atelier Cartographik

A lift-the-flap atlas which explores the wildlife by location, teaching readers simultaneously about wildlife and geography. 

The book is a large-format with thick cardboard pages. There is something exciting about holding a book this size. It demands that you settle down and get lost in its pages. Inside are eight double-page spreads: one for each continent and one introductory section.

The introduction explains that some animals have spread across the world because of their relationship with humans while others are so adaptable they can survive almost anywhere. This was an interesting start because it didn’t shy away from the fact that human activity has had an impact on wildlife. This section also introduces the seven continents, giving a hint about what is coming in the rest of the book. 

Each spread shows the map of one continent. Different animals are located on these maps, with information hidden under flaps. This interactive element will keep readers engaged and guessing what there might be to learn. Flaps also act as a great memory-game when readers are more familiar with the book. Around the maps are different fact files, with topics as varied as camouflage, the life-cycle of a butterfly and environmental crisis. 

Although the format is friendly for readers as young as four, the facts are in-depth enough that this book will satisfy much older readers and it will certainly keep the adults interested. 

A beautiful gift for any lover of wildlife or budding explorer and a wonderful way of learning more about our planet. 

 

Thanks to Little Tiger Press for my copy of Hello World Animals. Opinions my own.

Review: Peek And Seek by Charlotte Milner and Violet Peto

A flock of birds. A troop of monkeys. Peek under each flap to discover different animals, learn fun facts about their species and uncover a great big hide and seek game. With five different flaps and ten things to find in each spread, this book will keep young explorers happy for hours. 

I adore this book because it is a fact-file which is accessible to very young readers. Before we read paragraphs and sentences, before we even recognise letters, we have positive experiences with books. Hide-and-seek games are a wonderful way to share time with children. They are also brilliant for keeping kids entertained and they encourage children to be observant. Trusting that information is on the page, even if we can’t initially see it, is an important step to analytical-thinking. 

The short facts on each spread will encourage reading skills and help children to take an interest in wildlife. With more people than ever out of touch with nature, it is important that we use books and media to pass on our knowledge and vocabulary of the natural landscape. 

Peek And Seek is bold and colourful, with appealing illustrations. Each spread takes us straight into the landscape of the different species, from the snowy mountains where the wolves hunt to the burrows and tunnels beneath tree-roots where rabbits hide their food. There is lots to be learned from the illustrations alone: which other species can be found in a habit, what sort of home the animals keep and whereabouts in the world they might be found. The illustrations promote huge amounts of conversation which will teach children about the natural world. 

An attractive and engaging book which demands to be shared and enjoyed together. 

 

Many thanks to Antonia Wilkinson and Dorling Kindersley Limited for my copy of Peek And Seek. Opinions my own.

7 things which brighten my February

The tinsel is back in the loft but we’ve still got six weeks of winter. How does that even work out? Like many bloggers this week I am asking myself what is the point of February? Dark mornings. Dull skies. Rain. Endless rain.

We talk about seasons as if they are places we arrive at, fixed destinations when in fact the world is always turning. February is part of that cycle and it seems a pity that so many people want to put it on fast-forward. When I look past the rain there is really quite a lot to love about February. There lies the trick. The sun may not be shining right now but that doesn’t mean we create our own warmth.

This list is by no means exhaustive but here are some of the little things which brighten my world. What’s making your day brighter?

String lights: One reason January and February hit people hard is the post-Christmas blues. As winter rolls in we string up tinsel and fairy lights. Our houses twinkle and glitter throughout December. Why is it tradition to take those lights down in the darkest weeks of the year? 

String lights are cheap and cheerful and they bring back some of that festive glow. Suggestion: add string lights to a glass jar.

Book Post: Publishing people. I love you regardless of whether you send me post. You turn manuscripts into stories, you turn stories into masterpieces and you create something which genuinely makes the world a better place. You’re fantastic guys. BUT. When book post lands in my letter box it brightens my day. Every. Single. Time.

Migratory Geese: I live near a salt marsh. From October through to Spring we share our local area with migratory geese. Twice a day they fly past my house – on their way to feed and as they come in for the evening roost. Right now the geese are gathering ready for migration. This afternoon the sky filled with geese and it was the most beautiful sight.

Kitty Snuggles: Maisie comes to me when the house is quiet. She’s a Heffalump of a cat who rolls around when she wants a tickle. Willow is Little Miss Dainty Paws. She is a hunter, a burrower. Her favourite thing is to crawl beneath a blanket or dressing gown and snuggle right up to her chosen human. There is no doubt my girls play a big part in my life.

Cosy Boots: I don’t care what they look like on my feet. My booties are like a hug for my calves and feet. Cosy anything sounds about right. Onesies, leggings and bobble hats are all welcome here.

Bath stuffs: The Body Shop outlet sold off Christmas bubble bath in bundles. I kid you not. Our bathroom is all about frosted plum and vanilla chai. They smell so nice it is a wonder we ever emerge from our bubbly kingdoms.

 

Monty Don:  As much as I love the Solway it isn’t the sunniest place in the world. No worries – Monty Don is bringing paradise gardens right to my living room. Did you know pavilions came into being because nomadic people based them on tents? Dream fodder. 

 

What is brightening your world? Perhaps you enjoy the long, dark nights? Let me know in the comments below.