Dragon Jelly by Claire Freedman and Sue Hendra

 

Come to Max's MONSTER party,

There's GOO-LICIOUSfood to eat. 

It's creepy-crawly, stinky fun -

don't miss this scary treat!

Star Rating

I received this book from the publishers for an open and honest review.

Anyone who follows my blog will know that five star reviews, from either myself or the children in my class, are a rarity. Therefore I am proud to present 'Dragon Jelly' by Claire Freedman and Sue Hendra, a story that my class were insistent deserved a cool five stars!!

When asked what they liked about this book, one girl told me it was "ICKY STICKY GOOEY FUN." I could not have put this better myself and this catchphrase sums up Claire Freedman's writing perfectly. In this story we are taken on a whirlwind tour of Max's MONSTER party where there is GOO-LICIOUS food to eat including ear-wig rolls, cockroach crisps and an eyeball birthday cake with ear wax candles. 

The children all expressed their wish to attend a party just like Max's. They particularly enjoyed the bad breath contest which turned the air thick yellow-green and made all of Max's friends pass out. The children were also delighted to discover the teeny, fiery dragons that flew out of the monsters' party bags. 

The only negative response given was that the book was too short with one little boy stating, "I wish the book was longer, maybe the length of a chapter book, so we could read more of Max's icky fun." This, in itself, says it all; a five star read sure to delight and surprise anyone who picks it up!

Sick by Tom Leveen

Brian and his friends know better than anyone how to jump the fence and break out of Phoenix Metro High School. That knowledge comes in handy when people start getting sick during a pep rally. Really sick. They aren't themselves - they're dangerous. Ripping each other to shreds. Refusing to die. 

When the sickness spreads, Brian's stuck in stagecraft class with his best friend, Chad, and a bunch of drama kids. But his sister's out there somewhere, and so is his ex, and if he doesn't find them soon, the sick kids will...

Star Rating

I received this book from the publishers for an open and honest review. 

A big thank you to Abrams & Chronicles and Amulet Books for sending this novel just in time for Halloween. Having recently read and LOVED 'The Girl With All The Gifts' by M.R Carey I wanted to read another zombie novel so was thrilled to find 'Sick' on my doorstop this week. I should first mention the cover which in itself is completely terrifying. The pages inside are splattered with blood and the whole book has a feel of darkness and terror. 

'Sick' is a typical zombie apocalypse story with a young adult twist of being set in a high school. I have always loved school from being a student myself to now working in one as a teacher so I am always delighted to discover books with a school based setting. The story begins with a group of teenage friends bunking off school before heading back for their last period of stagecraft class. The author introduces the reader to a lot of characters very quickly and at first I found the fleeting teenage dialogue hard to keep up with.

The plot quickly turns to one of panic and disarray when the teenagers witness a fight unlike one they have ever seen. The friends soon realise that this is not an isolated incident and a message over the PA system directs them to remain in their classrooms until further notice.

'A crash echoes over the microphone, followed by a snarling, feral growl that vibrates the floor beneath us. Then nothing.'

It becomes clear to the teenagers that the epidemic has spread further into the city and they begin to think of a plan to save their friends and family and escape.The children undoubtedly begin to panic and turn on each other.

'This place should be crawling with adults coming to pick up their kids, and we haven't seen that. Whatever this is, it's big and it's bad.'

This is a great Halloween read that I am sure many will read in one sitting. The chapters are short and the plot thrilling enough to keep the reader wondering what will happen to the group of teens. Tom Leveen includes some graphic descriptions that allow the story to be played out in the reader's mind in a movie like style. 

Unfortunately, I wasn't keen on the ending to this novel. It was very abrupt and open ended, possibly allowing for a sequel? For me, the characters weren't developed enough for me to fully empathise with them at the end of the novel. 

However, for fans of horror and Halloween this is a quick, thrilling read and certainly one to add to your October TBR. 

The Bear by Claire Cameron

 Anna and Stick are camping with their parents in Algonquin Park, in three thousand square miles of wilderness. It's the perfect family trip. But then Anna awakes in the night to the sound of something moving in the shadows. Her father is terrified. Her mother is screaming. Then, silence.

Alone in the woods, it is Anna who has to look after Stick, battling hunger and the elements to stay alive. Narrated by five-year-old Anna, this is a gripping and moving novel that captures the fear, wonder and bewilderment of our worst nightmares - and the power of one girl's enduring love for her family.

Star Rating 

I was approached by the lovely people at Random House to read and review this new novel by Claire Cameron. Longlisted for the Bailey's women's prize for fiction, this novel has received great reviews with descriptions such as 'haunting, moving and unforgettable'. 

This novel is one that will stick with you because of it's shocking plot. The reader is thrown into action early on with the protagonist Anna, and her brother Stick, being thrown into a cooler box by their father to hide. It is made apparent to the reader that the bear attack is happening but, at just five years old, Anna is very confused and scared about what is going on around her. This confusion makes the opening scene even more powerful. Soon things go quiet and, after what seems like an age of hiding, Anna and her brother leave the confinement of their hiding space. There is a heart wrenching moment when Anna spots her mother's foot in the bushes. Edging closer, Anna realises that something is not quite right.

'The blood is on her neck and in her shirt and it is ripped and she looks like not Mummy but a doll.'

In a poignant display of naivety, Stick offers his dying mother a bandaid. It is moments like these that make the reader remember how young these children are and the horrific events they are having to deal with. Battling hunger and the elements to stay alive, the children embark on a journey out of the wilderness.

Claire Cameron writes the story through the voice of five-year-old Anna. Although this was a very clever move, I sometimes found the constant stream of jumbled dialogue exhausting to read. It took a while to get used to and, on occasion, took away from the action unfolding. Undoubtedly, the beginning of this novel is five star but I found my interest dwindling towards the middle section of this book. The plot for me lacked suspense with the chapter names giving away the direction of the story. 

However, for it's shocking opening alone this book is certainly worth a read and I for one will be refraining from any camping holidays in the near future! 

'Now I am awake. I know that I will wait for my parents beside Stick. And we will be waiting for a long time maybe always for ever.'

Dispatches from the Dating Zone by K.T Valentine

 
Having exhausted all the conventional ways to meet 'Mr Right' (and because now she really is a little bit desperate), Fleur Summers turns to her well-meaning , but eccentric friends and family for help. 

From 'Man Mountain'; an engineer who eats everything in sight and tall dark handsome Tom with big hands but no idea how to use them, to the mysterious and brooding Henry Austin. Follow the trials and tribulations of Fleur's journey as she works her way through a number of eventful blind dates, all in the name of finding true love.

I received this copy from the author for an open and honest review.

Star Rating 

 

 

It has been a very long time since I read a chick-lit novel and I have to say that this offering from K.T Valentine was an unexpected surprise. When the author contacted me to request a review I jumped at the chance purely based on the book's title. I myself have been on a number of dates recently, some enjoyable and some disastrous, and I was looking forward to reading about the protagonist Fleur's dating experiences.

From the very start this book is filled with humour and I often found myself laughing out loud. K.T Valentine's writing style is very colloquial and, with the protagonist speaking straight to the reader, made me feel as if I was having a girly catch up with a friend as she embarked on bad date after bad date.

K.T Valentine included enough subplots to keep the reader interested throughout, for example the bitchy mothers in the school playground who Fleur catches taking Class A drugs at a party. The chapters are extremely short making this a quick and easy book to read - perfect for a weekend indoors. However, the chapters flit between different events too quickly and I felt that, particularly at the beginning of the story, the author didn't allow enough time to fully develop the characters.  

As predicted, towards the end of the novel, I found myself racing through desperate to find out which man Fleur would end up with and take to her brother's wedding. Surprisingly it wasn't the guy I was rooting for and for me was an unexpected but happy ending. 

This is one of those novels that will be stored in my list of guilty pleasures. A laugh out loud easy read which will thoroughly entertain!!