Burn Baby Burn: A YA (Recent) Historical Fiction Top Book of 2016 Pick!

I’ve got another one for you folks!  Today’s Top Book of 2016 pick is one that I don’t like to think of as “historical” fiction, given that it’s set in the 1970s, but when you realise that is nearly forty years ago (!!) it definitely qualifies.  We received Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina from Walker Books Australia for review and were drawn in by the tumultuous historical and social setting, as well as the fact that Brisbane’s never-ending summer this year neatly reflects the sultry atmosphere of New York in 1977.

Well, that and the fact that I am intrigued by the dance move that you humans call “The Bump”.

Here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

Nora Lopez is seventeen during the infamous year 1977 in New York.

After a freezing winter, a boiling hot summer explodes with arson, a blackout, and a serial killer named Son of Sam, who is shooting young people on the streets seemingly at random.

Not only is the city a disaster, but Nora has troubles of her own: her brother, Hector, is growing more uncontrollable by the day, her mother is helpless to stop him, and her father is so busy with his new family that he only calls on holidays.

And it doesn’t stop there. The super’s after her mother to pay their overdue rent, and her teachers are pushing her to apply for college, but all Nora wants is to turn eighteen and be on her own. There is a cute guy who started working with her at the deli, but is dating even worth the risk when the killer especially likes picking off couples who stay out too late?

Award-winning author Meg Medina transports readers to a time when New York seemed about to explode, with temperatures and tempers running high, to discover how one young woman faces her fears as everything self-destructs around her.

So here are some of the reasons why I had to put this on my Top Picks list for this year:

• As far as YA fiction goes, this is a finely honed piece of writing.  Meg Medina is obviously a writer who knows how to craft a believable, absorbing story with perfectly timed pacing and no filler.  Everything in this book is there for a reason and the various aspects – romance, family drama, social issues, friendship – are deftly balanced, resulting in a sense of authenticity that takes in the setting, the period and the characters.

• Nora is an incredibly genuine representation of a seventeen-year-old woman from a poor family attempting to be pragmatic in a difficult situation.  A contributing factor to this sense of unfeigned teenage struggle is the fact that the author herself lived her teenage years in New York in the 1970s.  You don’t often see characters that are so deeply explored in young adult novels and Nora is a standout.

• The parts referencing the Son of Sam killer are actually quite creepy.  Medina has captured the feeling of terror that would have no doubt flitted through the minds of young couples as they emerged from the cinema or disco, or sat together in a car during the time the killer was on the loose.  

• If Nora is a standout character, she is flanked by a strong supporting cast who are equally believable.  There’s her friend Kathleen, who, despite having been best friends with Nora since childhood, is just far enough outside Nora’s social sphere that she misses the cues of violence and poverty occuring in Nora’s family; there’s Hector, Nora’s younger brother, whose personal growth throughout the novel more closely reflects a downward spiral; Stiller, the no-nonsense, feminist, socialist, advocate (the shelf’s favourite character after Nora!); and the collection of local shop-owners, landlords, school teachers and public servants who round out the community and add to the feeling of realism.

I had a good think after finishing this book and even put off writing this review for a few days to gauge whether my initial impression of the book waned after a period of reflection.  I can honestly say however, that there is nothing about this book with which I am dissatisfied.  The writing, the characters, the setting, the pacing – all of these contribute to the overall quality of the reading experience and I will definitely have to keep an eye out for Medina’s other works from now on if this is any indication of her talent.

Until next time,

Bruce

Fiction in 50 May Challenge!

It’s Fiction in 50 time for May and our challenge prompt this month is….

To play along, just create a piece of fiction or poetry in fewer than 51 words, post it, then pop a link to your post in the comments.  For more detailed information, just click on that attractive button at the top of this post.

My story came together quite easily this month (which probably gives you an indication of its quality!!), so with one word to spare, I present to you:

Back in the Game

Bert recalled his daughter’s advice on his return to the dating scene:

“Talk about yourself but nothing too personal. Be yourself but highlight your best side.  And definitely spoil her but check if she wants to go dutch.”

He wasn’t sure he was ready for this strange new world.

---

I look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with this month!  For those who like to be prepared, our prompt for June will be…

Until next time,

Bruce

Splash into Summer Giveaway Hop (in winter) …and a Fi50 reminder!

Given that my shelf is located in a place where we enjoy (suffer would be the better word) temperatures in the 30s all year round, I thought it would be a reasonable action to join in with the Splash into Summer giveaway hop hosted by Bookhounds and running from May 28 – June 8th 2016, despite the fact that we’re only days away from winter here in Brisbane.

I am offering one winner the chance to win a book of their choice up to the value of $15 AUD from the Book Depository to make their summer (or winter) more bearable.  My giveaway is open internationally, provided the Book Depository ships to your country for free.  Other Ts & Cs are in the rafflecopter.  To enter, just click on this link:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is a hop, so don’t forget to check out the other participants at this link:

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Good luck!

And while I’ve got you here, allow me to remind you that Fiction in 50 for May kicks off on Monday.  Our prompt for this month is…

If you’d like to participate, just create a piece of fiction in fewer than 51 words, post it and link back to it in the comments of my post on Monday.  For more detailed instructions and future prompts, just click here.

Can’t wait to see what people come up with!

Until next time,

Bruce

Brick History: A Read-it-if Review

Today’s Read-it-if Review is for a nonfiction title that will be an absolute winner with anyone who has ever been a fan of Lego and its uses.  We were excited and more than a little grateful to receive a copy of Brick History: Amazing Historical Scenes to Build From Lego by Warren Elsmore from the good folk at Allen & Unwin.  Rather than keep you waiting any longer (which is as painful as stepping on a Lego brick), we’ll get stuck in with the blurb from Allen & Unwin’s website:

From the dawn of time to the first civilizations, we look at the events which took place over the course of the first millennium; events which shook the world and changed the course of history.

Using LEGO bricks, artist Warren Elsmore and his team recreate stunning historic scenes, from the beginning of life in the pre-historic era right through to the inauguration of Barack Obama.

Brick History is a celebration of humanity and its achievements, and of moments in time that changed the course of history. To faithfully recreate each scene or image, Warren uses only standard LEGO bricks-and a lot of imagination! Choosing the right piece, color or orientation is crucial to this process, enabling the models to reflect the spirit of the time through these iconic plastic bricks.

As the book walks through history, the LEGO recreations draw from a 60-year history of the toy itself and tie into many of the company’s most popular themes. In this way, Brick History reveals the adaptability of LEGO to its full extent.

Whether you are a fan of LEGO, interested in world history, or just fascinated by the use of LEGO as a modeling medium, this book promises to take you on a fascinating journey into the past and around the globe.

Read-it-if:

* you are a teacher looking for the kind of book for your classroom library that will have your students tearing each other’s eyes out in an attempt to be the first to lay hands on it during silent reading time

* you have always wanted to know how to make round shapes from square bricks 

* you find learning historical facts and dates interminably boring and would prefer that such events were jazzed up with hilarious Lego head facial expressions

* you’ve ever considered creating a tiny working model of an orrery, depicting the process by which the Sun, moon and earth orbit one another, but were stymied due to a lack of easy to follow pictorial instructions

* you really freakin’ love Lego

What an awesome concept for a book!  We were palpably excited on seeing this title come up in the catalogue and couldn’t wait to flick through its attractive, easy-to-hold, fully illustrated format when it arrived.  This is going to be a no-brainer success for anyone, young or old, who enjoys Lego.  Obviously, the focus of this book is on historical events, but we were surprised (and delighted) to note that in between the historical depictions are instructions on how to make various related items, including but not limited to, a tiny model of the RMS Titanic, the aforementioned orrery, an Egyptian shadow clock and a brickish representation of Mahatma Gandhi.

The choice of these DIY models is inspired, because many feature building techniques that the run-of-the-mill Lego enthusiast may not have previously encountered, including how to create curves using straight bricks, and methods of building that allow for multiple changes in colour in a limited space, for instance.  I can imagine young builders really getting stuck into this title and developing their building skills quite quickly, before going and showing off to their friends.  The beginning of the book also features some handy notes on how to take photos of your completed models to show them off in their best light.

The only problem I had while reading is that the historical events selected here are very America and Euro-centric. Obviously, in covering everything from the Big Bang onward in a finite amount of pages, there has to be some subjective selection regarding what gets put in and what gets left out.  I was disappointed though at the lack of events from outside Europe and the US.  For Asia, India and Oceania as a whole, we are only treated to six events out of seventy-six and of these, only the construction of the Terracotta Army and the handover of Hong Kong back to China (itself a Euro-dominated event) are depicted as a double page spread; the rest are given in instructional format.  Africa is only represented in the election of Nelson Mandela as president of South Africa and again, only in an instructional format, rather than as a historical scene.  Other readers may not even notice this, but I would have liked to have seen a broader scope of human history represented here.

Despite that small disappointment, this is still a ripping tome that will have adventurous builders busting out their obscure brick pieces and getting to work.  I’d definitely recommend grabbing this one for your permanent shelf while I seek out the already-published titles in Elsmore’s series: Brick City, Brick Wonders, Brick Vehicles and Brick Flicks.

Until next time,

Bruce

The Many Worlds of Albie Bright: A GSQ Review

It’s time to look at all that’s good, sad and quirky about The Many Worlds of Albie Bright by Christopher Edge, a new release middle grade romp that features science fiction, science fact and lots of sciencey faffing about with bananas and wayward cats.  We received a copy of this one from Allen & Unwin for review after eyeing it covetously on various “coming soon” lists of middle grade fiction.  Here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

When Albie’s mum dies, it’s natural he should wonder where she’s gone. His parents are both scientists and they usually have all the answers. Dad mutters something about Albie’s mum being alive and with them in a parallel universe. So Albie finds a box, his mum’s computer and a rotting banana, and sends himself through time and space to find her…

The Good

As UK middle grade reads go, this one is quite original.  If you discount the oft-used “child coping with the death of a parent” storyline, there is plenty here that goes beyond the usual bounds of middle-grade fare.  We’ll discuss those bits more in the “quirky” section though.

Albie is a character who will resonate with many readers; a young man trying hard to honour his mother’s memory, while his father just works to forget.  There are a number of competing themes going on here including family realignment after the loss of a parent, dealing with grief, finding one’s purpose and challenging accepted boundaries of thought.  The pace of the book is even, with an episodic plot that follows Albie as he hops from one world to another.  I particularly enjoyed the character of Alba and her interaction with Albie and would have loved to have seen more interactions like this throughout the book.

The Sad

There was something missing throughout this book for me and I suspect that the missing something was a strong supporting character.  For much of the book Albie goes it on his own, so the narration comprises a lot of Albie telling us what’s going on or relating his thoughts without much to break this up.  A bit more banter between Albie and …someone…would have made the book a bit pacier and more engaging in my opinion, and allowed for a bit of unexpectedness in a plot where the reader suspects everything will turn out in the end.

I also had a problem with the straightforward way in which Albie manages to solve all the problems of inter-dimensional travel without much effort. The plot is full of complex, nebulous scientific ideas that even proper scientists have trouble with, but Albie’s scientific problems – such as getting from one world to another and how to get home again – are solved by accident or dumb luck.  I felt that the author couldn’t quite decide whether this was supposed to be first and foremost a book about science and parallel universes, or a book about grief and personal growth, so left both plotlines a little underdeveloped in order to manage such big ideas in a book for young readers.

The Quirky

I can safely say that this is the first time I have encountered such a focus on science in a middle grade fiction offering.  Throughout the story many theories, experiments and facts are brought up – including, but not limited to, the Large Hadron Collider and Shrodinger’s Cat – and this will really appeal to those young readers who can’t get enough of science fact and how it might be imagined as science fiction.  I can imagine that after reading this book at least one kid (or adult!) will grab a bunch of balloons and their younger sibling’s favourite toy and attempt to launch the two into space.

Overall I enjoyed this book but not nearly as much as I expected I would.  I was hoping for a little more challenge and struggle in Albie’s journey toward healing, and a little more zany danger in his romp through the unknown universe.  It is certainly an ambitious undertaking to attempt to blend high level scientific concepts with the enormity of a child’s grief, but for me it didn’t quite hit the mark.  I certainly enjoyed it while I was reading, but I don’t think it will be one of those books that makes it into the regular rotation of books I recommend to others.

Unless they’re looking for a middle grade read featuring cats that are simultaneously dead and alive.

Until next time,

Bruce

 

Shouty Doris interjects during….Lily and the Octopus!

Doris and I are with you today to discuss a new release contemporary novel that features some major elements of magical realism and at least one characterful dog.  As we all know, Shouty Doris is a big mouth  a blabberchops free with her opinions, so I’m warning you now, this review may contain SPOILERS.  You have been warned.

We received a copy of Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley from the publisher via Netgalley and here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

Combining the emotional depth of The Art of Racing in the Rain with the magical spirit of The Life of Pi, Lily and the Octopus is an epic adventure of the heart.

When you sit down with Lily and the Octopus, you will be taken on an unforgettable ride.

The magic of this novel is in the read, and we don’t want to spoil it by giving away too many details. We can tell you that this is a story about that special someone: the one you trust, the one you can’t live without.

For Ted Flask, that someone special is his aging companion Lily, who happens to be a dog. Lily and the Octopus reminds us how it feels to love fiercely, how difficult it can be to let go, and how the fight for those we love is the greatest fight of all.

Remember the last book you told someone they had to read? Lily and the Octopus is the next one.

So Lily and the Octopus centres around young man and his relationship with his aging dachshund, Lily.  Things are going mediocre-ly for Ted, when he discovers an … octopus… on Lily’s head.

Octopus indeed. He’s not fooling anyone.

Yes, well, I’d have to agree with you there, and I don’t think it’s particularly a spoiler to say that the octopus is not a literal octopus but a figurative one, indicative of the fact that Lily is sick.  Possibly life-threateningly sick, as frequently happens with pets of a certain age.  The point is, Ted refers to this …thing.. as an octopus for almost the whole book and even ends up having conversations with it.  Therein lies the magical realism in the story.

Therein lies the lunacy more like.  That Ted needs to get out more.  He’s far too co-dependent on that dog if you ask me.  A grown man, too.  

Ted is indeed very invested in his relationship with his dog.  He is in between romantic relationships and on discovering the cephalopodic threat to Lily, begins to withdraw from his friends even more.  As the book continues, we discover more about the back story as to how Ted came to be Lily’s owner, and a previous life-threatening illness that Lily overcame.  We are even privy to his weekly battles with his therapist, Jenny.

Why on earth would you waste money on a therapist for whose opinion you are indifferent?  He has more money than sense, that Ted.    Anyone who spends money on inflatable sharks needs their head examined if you ask me.

You’ve brought up a good point there, Doris –

All my points are good points. 

– because up until about two-thirds into the story, the only bizarre thing about the book is Ted’s unwillingness to address Lily’s octopus for what it really is.  Once the book hits the two-thirds mark however, the magical realism is ratcheted up a notch and a number of chapters go full allegorical mode as Ted battles his inner demons on a very strange stage indeed.  I shan’t spoil any of that bit for you –

Can I, though?

– no – but I found it to be a bit much for my tastes.  It is certainly the most action-packed part of the book and an important turning point for Ted, but by that stage, I knew what the outcome was likely to be, had accepted it, and was just waiting for Ted to do the same.

He was very slow on the uptake, wasn’t he?  Everyone knows that any time a cute, cuddly animal appears in a book or film, it’s one hundred per cent certain that it will end up – 

THANKS DORIS!  I think I hear The Bold and the Beautiful starting! I’ll shut the door so we don’t disturb you!

*Shuffle, shuffle, creak*  

Alright, Ridge-y boy, come and tell Doris all about it.

Right, now she’s gone, we don’t have to worry about major spoilers.  Although…I have to say that overall, I didn’t particularly connect with Ted as a character, despite his everyman status, apart from the shared experience of pet ownership and the inevitable existential angst – for ourselves or by proxy – with which many of us grapple.  I did find this to be an interesting, if not riveting, read and enjoyed how the author at least took a risk on the magical realism aspects to explore the more depressing parts of human existence and its inevitable finality.  The ending is hopeful and quite charming really, so if you are a fan of subtly humorous ponderings about the looming demise of each of us as individuals, and you love a cute dog story (for Lily truly is a little cutey, with a distinctive voice) then this would be a great pick.

Until next time,

Bruce (and Doris)

 

TBR Friday: Hester and Harriet

I’m slowly edging my way up that mountain and this month I’ve knocked over another one of those books that I just had to have the second it was published, only to leave it languishing on the shelf for months.  Hester and Harriet by Hilary Spiers was touted as a feel-good hit at the end of 2015 and I did everything in my power to obtain a copy for free on or before the release date – through competitions, requesting from the publisher, you name it! – before I gave in and just bought it.  Let’s check it out.

Ten Second Synopsis:

Hester and Harriet, geriatric sisters, offer refuge to a young woman and her baby in an attempt to get out of having Christmas lunch with odious relatives. When their young nephew Ben turns up also requesting sanctuary, the term “silly season” comes into play, as the ladies and their charges grapple with international migration laws, ridiculously named private detectives and cleaning up after oneself in the kitchen.

Time on the TBR Shelf:

I can’t trace this exactly because I can’t remember where I bought it, but I suspect since late December 2015.

Acquired:

Purchased, either from the BD or possibly Booktopia or maybe Boomerang Books

Reason I haven’t read it yet:

1. Laziness
2. Fear that it wouldn’t live up to my expectations

Best Bits:

• The young nephew character, Ben.  He is comic relief, a breath of fresh air and his growth through the novel is enjoyable to witness
• The plot is perfect for an extended holiday or beach read.  Nothing too untoward happens and there are lots of quirky characters to get behind.
• Finbar, the homeless classics master.  He was quite refreshing in his scenes and a handy source of new information.

Less Impressive Bits:

• It’s slow.  There are lots of discussions between the two sisters that really slow down the action, and this, coupled with the fact that Daria is unnecessarily furtive about her past, means that new information must be wrung from the pages by clawing hands
• I couldn’t tell the difference between Hester and Harriet.  One is good at cooking and one gets quite shirty about Ben using the kitchen (this is possibly the same sister), but given the two “H” names and not much of a difference in personality or manner between them, I just thought of them as a conglomerate old person spread over two bodies.
• Finbar, the homeless classics master.  As well as being refreshing, he was also excessively verbose and a great candidate to have “GET ON WITH IT!” shouted at him.

On reflection, was this worth buying?

The more prudent part of my brain says that we would have enjoyed this just as well had we borrowed it from the library.  The generous part of my brain says that at least we can now make someone else happy by passing this impressively large and attractive paperback on.

Where to now for this tome?

It has already been passed along to someone who should enjoy it.

This is another chink off the Mount TBR Reading Challenge hosted by My Reader’s Block.

 

Until next time,

Bruce

 

 

 

A YA Double Dip: Lurking Monsters and Hidden Treasures

You might want to select a snack that can be eaten on the run for today’s Double Dip review, because one of these books might have you dashing for safety.  Or perhaps you’d like to choose a snack that reminds you of home; some comfort food to ease you into the mood for today’s second YA offering.   We received both of these titles from their respective publishers via Netgalley.

First up we have Nightfall by Jake Halpern and and Peter Kujawinski.  Here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

On Marin’s island, sunrise doesn’t come every twenty-four hours—it comes every twenty-eight years. Now the sun is just a sliver of light on the horizon. The weather is turning cold and the shadows are growing long.

Because sunset triggers the tide to roll out hundreds of miles, the islanders are frantically preparing to sail south, where they will wait out the long Night.

Marin and her twin brother, Kana, help their anxious parents ready the house for departure. Locks must be taken off doors. Furniture must be arranged. Tables must be set. The rituals are puzzling—bizarre, even—but none of the adults in town will discuss why it has to be done this way.

Just as the ships are about to sail, a teenage boy goes missing—the twins’ friend Line. Marin and Kana are the only ones who know the truth about where Line’s gone, and the only way to rescue him is by doing it themselves. But Night is falling. Their island is changing.

And it may already be too late.

Dip into it for…  

…a broody, moody atmosphere that invites the reader to satiate their curiosity over what happens during Night on the island of Bliss.  There are a lot of questions raised during the early parts of the book – why do the villagers have to rush to leave the island? What’s so important about leaving the houses “without stain”?  What is this year’s worth of isolation for Marin all about? – and not all of these are fully answered by the end.  I didn’t feel bereft by the fact that some of the questions I had were left hanging, and I’m not sure if this is a standalone or a series opener, but the ambiguous ending worked effectively here either way.  I really felt drawn in by the writing in the first half of the book as I struggled, along with the protagonists Marin, Kana and Line, to make sense of the tension and odd ritual behaviour of the islanders before the fall of Night.

Don’t dip if…

…you’re expecting a full on horror experience.  This definitely wasn’t scary in the traditional sense, but there are a few twists that I didn’t see coming.  I actually felt slightly less interested in the book once the secret of the Night was revealed, but for three quarters of the story I was deeply engaged.

Also, there is at least one gaping plot-hole that is never addressed, namely, why on earth would this group of people live on an island that they have to move away from every fourteen years, when there are clearly other places they could live?  I found this issue a niggling annoyance throughout the book, particularly when the frenzy of leaving is going on.

Overall Dip Factor

For the first three-quarters of this story, I would allocate 4 stars.  For the remaining quarter, 2.5 stars.  So overall, I did enjoy this book greatly, but my level of excitement and curiosity dipped considerably before the end.  The set up to the story was fantastic in that it really does make you want to find out what is behind the odd behaviour of the islanders, and as Night rolls in and the tide rolls out, the author has included some super cool twists that will ignite the imagination.  All in all, this was an unusual story and an engaging read for the most part.

Next up we have historical fiction novel The Search for the Homestead Treasure: A Mystery by Ann Treacy.  Here’s the blurb fom Goodreads:

Aunt Ida would boil him in the laundry cauldron if she knew where he was. On the long wagon ride to the old homestead, she warned them about the Gypsies they’d encountered, and now here he was, ducking into a colorful caravan with Samson, a Gypsy boy he had met . . . underwater. And it was the best thing to happen since they’d moved from Stillwater to this lonely, hard place to try to reclaim the decrepit family farm.

Missing his friends and life as it was before his brother’s accident and his mother’s silent grief, fourteen-year-old Martin Gunnarsson is trying to hold his family together on the homestead where his ancestors died of diphtheria in 1865. The only one who had survived was his father, a baby found in the arms of his older sister Cora. But somehow rumors of a treasure on the farm survived, too, and when Martin discovers Aunt Cora’s journal in a musty trunk in the hayloft, he thinks it might give him a clue. But what exactly is he looking for?

Reading Cora’s diary in secret, and just as stealthily becoming fast friends with Samson and his Roma family, Martin slowly begins to see his new surroundings, and himself, a little differently. But only when he recognizes that his small sister, for so long a mere pest, holds the true key does Martin start to understand where the real treasure might be found.

Dip into it for…  

…an engaging family drama and historical fiction piece featuring friendship, hardship and one boy trying to connect to his past in order to secure his future.  The book opens at the close, so to speak, as we are privy to the final chapter of the life of Martin’s aunt Cora, and the events that lead to Martin’s father being raised by another family.  Soon enough we are introduced to Samson, a traveller boy and the first friend Martin makes in his ancestral home.  The story revolves around Martin’s efforts to save the family farm from foreclosure on behalf of his father, who has met with an accident.  The book flicks between Martin’s actions in the present and the nuggets of information that Martin can glean from Cora’s diary, which may offer the key to solving Martin’s problems.

Don’t dip if…

…you are hoping that the titular mystery and homestead treasure are going to play a big part in the story.   Rather than chasing after the elusive family treasure that may or may not be hidden on the farm, Martin devotes most of his time to doing more sensible things to save the farm, like engaging in hard work and asking for help from his new friends.  I couldn’t help but feel that this book was deliberately misleading in the title, to make it sound a bit more adventurous than it actually turned out to be.  This doesn’t mean it was a bad book, just not what I was expecting from the title.

Overall Dip Factor

I found this to be an engaging and interesting historical story featuring strong themes of friendship, the benefits of effort, loyalty and teamwork and the links between families that run through generations.  If you ignore the homestead treasure part, this is still a solid story that stands on its own merits, with characters that are well developed and a storyline that will appeal to young readers interested in tales of history and friendship.  Overall, while not exactly what I expected, I still found this to be a worthwhile read.

I will leave you at that, replete, as you are, with a repast of absorbing stories to digest.

Until next time,

Bruce

 

 

The Maniacal Book Club Reviews…Captain Pug!

I hope you’re ready for cuteness overload today because the Maniacal Book Club is pleased to introduce you to an adorable (and hardy!) little protagonist who will likely steal your heart, as well as your jam tarts.  I speak of Captain Pug: The Dog Who Sailed the Seas, who is making his debut in a delightfully illustrated early chapter book by Laura James and Eglantine Ceulemans.  We received a review copy of Captain Pug from Bloomsbury Australia and he has immediately become a favourite of the eldest mini-fleshling in the dwelling.  But let’s find out more about this intrepid Pug!  Here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

Pug is going on a seafaring adventure. He’s had jam tarts for breakfast. He’s wearing a smart sailor suit. There’s just one problem. Pug is afraid of the water!

Captain Pug is the first book in a glorious new illustrated series for fans of Claude and Squishy McFluff.

How could you not love that sweet little puggy face?  Here’s what the Book Club think:

Guru Dave

What does it take to follow one’s dreams? Courage, persistence and a sense of adventure.  What does it take to follow the dreams of one’s owner? All of the above plus a fancy hat.  We can learn much from the tenacity of young Captain Pug, who presses on despite a fear of water, to fulfill the hopes of his fine Lady Owner.  We can also learn much from Pug’s experiences in the gastronomic field – namely, the truth of that old piece of household wisdom about refraining from swimming (or indeed sailing) immediately after eating.

To0thless

There were no dragons in this book.  There is a cool little dog who tries to be the captain of a boat but he keeps getting seasick because he eats everything he sees.  I liked the two Footmen who had to carry the dog’s owner around in a chair.  I can imagine Bruce in a chair like that.

The ending is pretty exciting, with helicopters and a big ship and I really liked all the pictures.

Pug is pretty funny but I hope there’s going to be a Pug book with a dragon in it soon.

Mad Martha

Captain Pug, oh Captain Pug!

Cute as a little red ladybug.

He keeps up his morale as he sails the canals!

Hits the right note while in a rowboat!

Proves no pug is finer while on a cruise liner!

Captain Pug, oh Captain Pug!

There’s no other dog we would more like to hug.

Bruce

While I’m not entirely sure about the technique involved in Mad Martha’s poem, I do have to agree with her sentiment about just how charming Captain Pug is in this attractively presented little tome.  I am always a little skeptical of advertising material that insinuates that a reader will love this new book if they are a fan of an already published author or work, particularly when all the stories have in common is the fact that a dog is the main character.  The media release that came with this book indicated that it would be lapped up by fans of Aaron Blabey’s morally bankrupt picture book hero, Pig the Pug, presumably due to the pugginess of Captain Pug.  The eldest mini-fleshing in the dwelling, at five years old, is a massive fan of the aforementioned Pig, but I wasn’t sure he was going to enjoy this one simply because it had a pug on the cover.  Allow me to be the first to admit my ill-placed skepticism however, because after watching the read-aloud of this book (which took only two sittings) the mini-fleshling was already asking how long he would have to wait before the second book (Cowboy Pug) comes out. *January 2017, for those who are interested!*

So after a slightly apprehensive start, I freely confess to being won over by the fun, charming, humorous adventures of this cute little pug (who of course looks even cuter in a sailor hat).   One of the best things about the book is that it is illustrated throughout, with pictures placed strategically around the text.  This was an enormous boon to the mini-fleshling, as he is not quite ready for pictureless read-alouds but can handle listening to longer bits of text when there are pictures to help him keep up with the story.  The book also makes clever use of fonts and text enlargements to aid the newly confident reader.

The first few chapters moved a bit more slowly than I would have liked, setting up Lady Miranda (Pug’s owner), her life of luxury, and her dreams for Pug to achieve glory as a charmingly attired sea captain.  The second half of the book moved a lot quicker as Lady Miranda and Pug inadvertently become separated and Pug must face the trials of overcoming his fear of water in ever more precarious (and amusing) situations.

I would heartily recommend Pug’s first outing as an engaging read-aloud or read-together for those taking their first steps into longer books or for more confident readers who love a bit of silliness and a whole lot of beguiling illustration.

The Book Club gives this book:

  

Eight thumbs up!

Until next time,

Bruce

WIN the first FOUR books in MG Fantasy Monster Odyssey Series!

Welcome to giveaway number two on Giveaway Tuesday!  This is a biggie: one winner will receive the first FOUR books in Jon Mayhew’s Monster Odyssey series.

Yep, you heard correctly: ONE winner will receive FOUR books!

So after reviewing the fourth book in this series, The Venom of the Scorpion, earlier this year, Bloomsbury burst a generosity valve and kindly sent me the first three books in the series to go with it!  For that reason, one winner is going to receive the following (all blurbs from Goodreads):

The Eye of Neptune

Prince Dakkar, son of an Indian rajah, has issues with authority. Expelled from the world’s finest schools, he is sent to an unconventional educator, Count Oginski. Dakkar plans his escape immediately. But something about the Count intrigues him, including a top-secret project which he shares with Dakkar – a submarine. But others are interested in the Count’s invention and what it might achieve and, when masked men kidnap the Count, leaving Dakkar for dead, he doesn’t know who was responsible. It could have been British Intelligence, or perhaps a sinister figure known only as Cryptos. Either way, Dakkar is determined to rescue the Count. Taking the prototype submarine, he sets off for adventure.

Cue shark attack, giant sea creatures, spies and an evil megalomaniac. From his undersea refuge, Dakkar plans to take them all on . . . with a bit of help from a Girl.

The Wrath of the Lizard Lord

 

Prince Dakkar and his mentor Count Oginski discover a plot by arch-enemy Cryptos to kill Napoleon. Arriving on their revolutionary submersible to intercept Cryptos, they glimpse a terrifying monster that seems to escape back into the bowels of the Earth. It leads them to discover an amazing underground world, and a plan more nefarious than they could ever have believed – even from Cryptos.

The stage is set for an epic showdown complete with a giant reptilian cavalry and the Battle of Waterloo, in another breathlessly paced and endlessly inventive adventure for fans of Percy Jackson.

The Curse of the Ice Serpent

Having stopped two of the six evil Oginski brothers, Dakkar now faces double danger from the Oginski twins – possibly the most cunning and devious of the brothers yet.

Set in the icy wastes of Greenland, Dakkar must battle giant bears, vicious arctic sharks and a sabretooth tiger as he hunts for the fabled Thermolith, a source of great heat energy which the Oginskis also seek, in order to complete their preparations for a new world order with themselves at the helm.

An action-packed adventure with hot-air balloon combat and a dramatic race across the arctic. Perfect for fans of Percy Jackson, Indiana Jones and monsters! Readers ready to move on fromBeast Quest will love this!

The Venom of the Scorpion

  A new and dangerous mission awaits in the fantastic Monster Odyssey series, in which our hero Dakkar must defeat a clan of evil brothers intent on ruling the world, while battling terrifying monsters. Inspired by Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Dakkar is a young Captain Nemo and these books are the most thrilling of adventures.

After being framed for murder, Dakkar must escape from prison and follow the only clue he has – a scorpion-handled dagger – in order to clear his name. Knowing this must be work of an evil Oginski brother, Dakkar soon finds himself in Algiers facing the deadliest crawling monster ever! But even if Dakkar can defeat this beast, he will face the ultimate betrayal – his enemy has been closer than he thought, all along.

Will there be anyone left who Dakkar can trust?

Pretty sweet deal, hey?  From reading the first and last of the books in this series, I can guarantee that they are action-packed, super pacey and perfectly pitched at confident readers in the upper primary and lower secondary year levels.  As well as monsters and steampunk submarines, there are strong friendships and themes of loyalty and justice threaded throughout the stories.

Because this is such a BIG prize, I’m afraid to say that this one is open to Australian residents only.  Sorry internationals (but you can enter my other giveaway for YA fantasy/romance Ruined by Amy Tintera here!).

To enter, just click on the Rafflecopter link below.  The giveaway is open from the moment this post goes live (NOW!) and closes on May 24th at midnight (Brisbane Time).  Other Ts & Cs are in the Rafflecopter form.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks again to Bloomsbury Australia for sending us the whole series!

Good luck 😀

Bruce