Adele Broadbent's Blog, page 241

The Magic Potions Shop (1)

IR – LON

Author – Abie Longstaff

Illustrator – Lauren Beard

Age – 6+

Book 1 in this 6 part series

There is a Map of the Kingdom of Arthwen in the front of the book for readers to follow the adventures.

Tibben’s home is inside a Potions Shop built in an old tree in Steadysong Forest. He is an apprentice to Grandpa, a very skilled Potion Master to their Kingdom. Grandpa’s cloak is covered in magical sparkly Glints and Tibben is desperate to get some on his cloak.

Grandpa assures him that he will receive his own Glints – just as soon as he masters potions and that the potions are to help someone.

One morning Grandpa is still in bed when Tibben wakes. He’s almost 100 and it’s nearly time to have a new Potions Master. Tibben is scared and sure that he is a long way from being ready to take over – let alone getting 5 Glints and then passing a special test. But if he doesn’t pass and there is no potions master, Blight will consume the world, overtaking Harmony.

Blight is when there is no water or food for plants and animals and everyone is fearful and sad.

Harmony is when food and water is plenty, beautiful sunsets make you smile and stars are clear and bright at night.

No matter how hard Tibben tries to help their customers, he can’t get the potions right. A royal messenger dog arrives with a message from the King. He and his nearby subjects are being terrorised by a creature that makes the land shake and the ground crumble. Everyone is hiding from it – too afraid to try and conquer it. Grandpa is too old to go and there is only Tibben to help.

With little belief in himself, Tibben sets off on a journey to help the King, prove himself and make grandpa proud. And he might even get a Glint!

A simple quest story for young readers with fun activities in the back of the book and a sneak preview of the next in the series – The River Horse

(Courage, Quest, Cooperation, Magic, Series)

Lola’s Toy Box (2) – On the Story Sea

IR – PAR

Author – Danny Parker

Illustrator – Guy Shield

Age – 5+

Lola has a magical toybox. When her older brother Nick is being mean or teasing her, she climbs into the toybox at the end of her bed, always taking her favourite toy – a clown doll called Buddy. They always end up in a new place in ‘The Kingdom’ which is a magical place where toys go when they aren’t being played with. Each book in this series for young readers is a different adventure. At the back of each book is a map showing the different area of ‘The Kingdom’.

 

Lola and Buddy climb out of a treasure chest on a pirate ship. A strange beast is gobbling up all the stories floating in the story sea. Does it have anything to do with the evil Plastic Prince? How will they help Pirate Sal and her crew, stop the creature? If they don’t, they’ll be no more stories and no more books for everyone to enjoy.

(Quest, Adventure, Friendship, Puzzle, Series)

Lola’s Toy Box (4) – The Plastic Palace

IR PAR

Author – Danny Parker

Illustrations – Guy Shield

Age – 5+

Lola has a magical toybox. When her older brother Nick is being mean or teasing her, she climbs into the toybox at the end of her bed, always taking her favourite toy – a clown doll called Buddy. They always end up in a new place in ‘The Kingdom’ which is a magical place where toys go when they aren’t being played with.

Each book in this series for young readers is a different adventure. At the back of each book is a map showing the different area of ‘The Kingdom’.

 

Lola and Buddy climb into the box one day and when they open it again, they are in a wardrobe in the evil Plastic Princes’ Palace. They hide when they hear plastic soldiers coming, and then discover Felix (son of The Great High Bear) inside the Palace.

He is looking for some secret plans that the Plastic Prince has stolen. Felix has to steal them back.

In their mini-quest they have to solve a puzzle together, outwit the ‘Almost Toys’ (toys that haven’t been made properly) soldiers and escape back to Lola’s bedroom.

(Quest, Adventure, Friendship, Puzzle, Series)

Witchmyth (Witchworld Series 2)

ER – FIS

Author – Emma Fischel

Illustrator – Chris Riddell

Age – 9+

The 2nd book in the Witchworld Series.

The witchpaps (paparazzi) have stopped following Flo and her family after her fight with Ghouls. Grandma has a new government job (looking out for Ghouls), Mum is busy with a new work project and Hetty has her sights set on a brainy witchboy.

A new girl starts in their class and Flo isn’t convinced Ferocity is the poor little orphan she says she is. When Flo confronts her about it, Ferocity strikes back. That’s not the only thing Flo is worried about. Flo has always loved the book her dad used to read her stories from – Witchmyths about terrible creatures. But are they myths? The age-old original manuscript that was found has a blob on the title – right where it could say myths or stories. Which one is the truth? Strange things begin to happen around her home that begin to scare her and everyone in her family is too busy to listen.

Flo and her friends are soon caught up in something unthinkable, and this time Flo has to deal with it all on her own.

This story cleverly introduces topics as deforestation/loss of habitat for wildlife, friendship, boys etc – but in a non didactic, fun, safe way – very lightly in the background.

(Magic, Fantasy, Friendship, New girl, Myths, Courage, Family, Witch, Magical creatures)

 

 

 

Alistair Grim’s Odditorium

ER – FUN

Author – Gregory Funaro

Illustrated by – Chris Mould

Age – 8+

This is the 1st in a new series.

This is a great story for advanced younger readers, intricately woven with a touch of steampunk, a touch of James and the Giant Peach, and equal amounts of magic, fantasy and quest mixed in.

12 yr old Grubb is a chimney sweep when suddenly his entire life changes. He becomes surrounded by ‘Odditoria’ at a wealthy gentleman’s strange house called the Odditorium. A talking pocket watch, mechanical bats, a giant black fairy and Samurai soldiers are just a few of the ‘odd’ things that Grubb faces.

But after battles with skeletons on flying horses, dragons and the evil Prince Nightshade, he’s made new friends and become part of a family.

(Steampunk, Quest, Good vs Evil, Magic, Fantasy, Friendship, Courage)

 

The Not so Little Princess – Where’s Gilbert?

IR – FIN

Author – Ross Finney

Illustrators – Tony Ross/Wendy Finney

Age – 6+

The Not so little Princess Rosie loves her teddy Gilbert. But one day when she sees her friend Ollie coming through the vegie garden towards her, she suddenly feels silly holding her toy. She tries to hide him in a nearby bush, but Ollie sees her do it. He pulls him out again, only for Princess Rosie to deny owning him.

She finally escapes her embarrassment as they run off and play in the sunshine. She forgets all about him until she’s in bed that night – but Gilbert has been having adventures all on his own.

Will she ever see him again?

(Teddy, Growing up, Friendship, Series)

The Walls Around Us

TEEN – SUM

Author – Nova Ren Suma

Age – 14+

This story is told by two girls.

Amber – in Aurora Hills Secure Juvenile Detention Centre for murder.

Violet Dumont – is a talented ballet dancer destined for an exclusive dance school.

What links them is Orianna Speerling – Violet’s best friend. But is she….?

This story was a fascinating read, turning back on itself. It begins with Amber and her life behind the Centre’s walls.

Violet tells her story too, and how her best friend came to die. It was her fault. But did she plan it?

Little does she know that Ori and Amber have a way of correcting that misjustice.

Stunning writing. Excellent ending. Fantastic characterisation, and intriguing storyline.

Never read anything like it. I’ll be reading more of this author!

(Ghost, Friendship, Murder, Prison, Dance, Ballet)

Witchworld

ER – FIS

Author -Emma Fischel

Age – 7+

Flo (Florence Skritchett) is embarrassed by her grandma. She still uses those old, long , black wands and even cauldrons for her spells !

What’s even worse is Grandma’s insistence that Ghouls are going to attack their home and town of Haggspit – and maybe even the whole of South Witchenland. They all need to be ready. There is nothing more tasty to a Ghoul than a witchchild!. But everyone knows that every single Ghoul was swallowed up in a huge magiquake in the Great Ghoul War.

Grandma breaks manners, rules and Witchworld laws as she is adamant on stopping the Ghoul invasion. She truly believes that Ghouls are digging their way to the surface and are not far away. Poor Grandma. She is getting old and must have the Confusions. Feeling sorry for her, Flo goes along with Grandma’s ‘imaginings’ but what if she’s right?

Flo’s friends are changing too. They want to talk about scraggy hairdo’s and how to find the perfect witchboy. How boring!

(Magic, Family, Growing up, Friends, Humour)

SMART

TEEN – SLA

Author – Kim Slater

Age – 12+

Kieran is determined to find out who killed a homeless man called Colin after he is found in the river. Kieran fancies himself as a bit of a sleuth wanting to be an investigative reporter and then a criminology expert like he sees on CSI on TV.

Kieran has other talents too. He is a prize winning artist, and with his photographic memory he can draw anything he sees and remembers. His favourite artist is LS Lowry.

But life is not all good – he and his mum live with an abusive man (Tony), and his abusive son (Ryan). Mum works long hours and is ‘controlled’ by Tony. Kieran spends less and less time at home, preferring to talk to a homeless woman called Jean at the embankment, and stay out of Tony and Ryan’s way.

Kieran is the narrator of the story and tells things as he sees them, but behind his words are so much more. We learn he is autistic, and even though he is mocked by others, called Downs, retard and any number of other names, he is not put off his quest.

As he is looking for clues about the murder, he is dropping clues throughout the novel for the reader, for an insight into his life.

This seems such a simple story by the way it is told, but Kieran is loyal, determined and SMART – but his life is heartbreaking.

(Autistic, Family, Friendship, Mystery, Murder, Determination, Abuse, Bullying)

The Ghost Prison

ER – DEL

Author – Joseph Delaney
Illustrations – Scott M Fischer

Age 7+

Billy was nervous about his new job at the prison. He’d had two weeks training but it wasn’t just any prison. Everyone knew it was full of the ghosts of murderers, witches and worse. Night shift as a prison guard wasn’t going to be easy, but he was keen to get out of the Home for Unfortunate Boys.

He arrives late on his first shift but is let off by the head guard with a warning not to let it happen again. Billy is quickly told he wouldn’t even be there if it wasn’t for one of the ghosts of the prison, who’d asked specifically for him. She must’ve seen him while he was doing his training, and no one wanted to upset this particular ghost.

His first night is scary but he soon grows used to it. Another warning he receives that first night, is to stay away from the Witch Well. ‘ … behind that door you’d face your worst nightmare. Don’t ever go through there!’

But one night he has to do just that, and the warning doesn’t come close to preparing him for the other side of the locked door.

Goosebumps fans or anyone who loves a scary story would love this tale and the creepy black and white illustrations throughout the book. It’s a short story at only 103 pages but neatly tied up at the end, making the young reader think about what might’ve happened to young Billy Calder.


(Creepy, Ghost, Historical, Short Story)