Showing posts with label Becka Moor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Becka Moor. Show all posts

Sunday, 17 November 2024

A HISTORY OF MY WEIRD

Written by Chloë Heuch  


Small book cover image. This depicts the old asylum building and grounds in muted reds, yellows, and mauves. In front and centre, and demonstrating her gymnastic beam skills, the protagonist, Mo, is walking along a branch. To the right and behind, standing watching, is Carys, also known as Onyx. The title appears along the top of the cover, over a yellowing sky in bold lettering. Weird is in big purply red letters.
                                                       

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Adventure in Middle Grade Fiction.
 

When we were contacted and asked if we would like to review this, we took one look at the publicity details and said YES. Mrs H is autistic, and we love to see and support literature, especially for kids, that shines a positive and inclusive light on all aspects of autism.

Let me tell you, we have not been disappointed. So, without further ado, let's dive into this extraordinary story.  

Large book cover image. This depicts the old asylum building and grounds in muted reds, yellows, and mauves. In front and centre, and demonstrating her gymnastic beam skills, the protagonist, Mo, is walking along a branch. To the right and behind, standing watching, is Carys, also known as Onyx. The title appears along the top of the cover, over a yellowing sky in bold lettering. Weird is in big purply red letters.


AUTHOR:  CHLOË HEUCH

 

Cover art by:  VERONICA CARRATELLO

Cover design:  BECKA MOOR

 

Published by:  FIREFLY PRESS

 

Publication date Paperback:  4 JULY 24, so OUT NOW

 

Paperback ISBN:  978-191 5444 639

UK Cover price for Paperback:  £7.99


KINDLE price: £3.99

 

Pages: 250

 

Age range:  9+ 


Any dogs or cats? No, but some piranhas make an appearance! 


 

 

SPOILER ALERT


Some as to plot direction and characters.

 

 

Thank you to... 


We are exceedingly grateful to Graeme and Firefly Press Publishers for asking if we would review this. Given the subject matter, how could we say no?


As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, received as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.


First and foremost, the books we review are those we select to read, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.

 

The plot


This story unfolds from the start of the new school year in September and runs through in dated chapters until the end of term in December. New year 7 student, Mo, a talented young gymnast, has arrived at her new secondary school. Her junior school friends are now seemingly under pressure to be trendy. So much so that Mo is no longer acceptable, a freak; her little necessary actions, her stimming, and her need to correct her teacher are now embarrassing. It leaves her isolated and at the mercy of other kids and, surprisingly, teachers. Her factual nature, truthfulness, and following of the rules soon land her in detention for correcting a statement made by her teacher. Worse, when jostled by a onetime friend, who then stumbles, Mo gets blamed and is labelled a problem child and taken off the gymnastics team. 


Mo's time at home is split between her divorced parents and their respective partners. It is an arrangement that, whilst a bit chaotic, works. But finding a way to express herself is difficult. Issues with a new maths teacher, tantamount to bullying, discrimination and segregation, go unspoken and unnoticed. 


One saving grace is a quiet girl called Carys, the only supportive classmate when Mo is sent out of class. But can Carys, considered an emo/goth by the other kids and thus also a freak, be a friend? She strangely wants to be called Onyx in private. It is another mystery that Mo's autistic mind needs to fathom. 


When the Mo and Carys decide to go to the drama club, a tentative bond is formed. These things build, and Mo is invited back to eat with Carys' family. But Mo finds a change in Carys and her mum, tiptoeing around their father, a stickler for girls looking and acting the prim and subservient female stereotypes.

When Mo naturally gives a truthful reply, the father leaves the table and asks for Mo to be taken home after eating. Again, alone, Mo is confused as to what she has done. Could Carys/Onyx's silence and absence from school have something to do with her?


This becomes a turning point in the book. Carys' father drives a huge wedge in their friendship, to the point that the two mustn't even talk to each other at school. The penalty for Mo's continued 'bad' influence will be Carys' removal to a church school.  


But where there is a will, there is a way. During history lessons, the class has been looking at Victorian asylums and who would be put in them. Sometimes, it was women who had the wrong lover or those with depression, grief, or learning disabilities such as autism. 


With her special and consuming interest in gymnastics taken from her and lessons at school fraught, MoMo finds a new passion in researching their local asylum, in which she soon discovers her great uncle was incarcerated.


Now, between pursuing a forbidden friendship, being persuaded to audition for a role in the school play, and venturing to look at and then go into the old asylum, we have a recipe for everything else that happens; the good and the very bad.

A lot plays out from here on, so to avoid any significant spoilers, I feel it best to stop the review here. Suffice it to say, things come to a dramatic and painful head.



So, what did we think?


This is a very compelling and sincere read from a skilled writer.


Even as recently as 2020, you'd be very hard-pressed to find secondary autistic and differently-abled characters in books for kids. Indeed, finding a lead character who also happened to be autistic was exceptionally rare. I can only think of one as I type. 


That all changed in the mainstream press in June 2020 with the publication of A Kind of Spark, by Elle McNicoll. See our review HERE.


Kids who are also autistic finally had a chance to see another autistic child in print being just themselves, capable, energetic, loveable and loving, and as mischievous as any other child—just slightly different but not less. 


The struggles they and their parents face—be it from other kids or from those who were there to teach but saw the one child as needy or a nuisance they didn't have time for—are laid bare for all to see. In so doing, things can be talked about, and action can be taken.


What makes this book so different and readable is that the author chose to have her lead character look at the way patients were treated in asylums of old, like Bethlem. Mo's great-uncle was committed to one in the town she lives in. The once elegant facade of Victorian society's reluctance to face anything or anyone even remotely divergent from the norm and a burgeoning medical regimen bordering on barbarism is reduced by vandalism and arson to a burnt-out, brooding skeleton of some ghastly behemoth. 


The secrets and tortures committed inside its walls in the name of medicine and family convenience have long since been lost to all. Only haunting images in sepia-stained photographs and fading entries in admittance logs remain. The relevance and connection to herself is not lost on Mo. 


This theme steers much of the story, both in and out of school, and leads to a catalytic and calamitous life-changing event towards the end. But it isn't everything. 


Running deftly alongside, we see our protagonist trying to gain and understand friendship. Onetime friends are now taunting enemies. Then there's the mystery of Carys? What drives this elusive young goth ally, who vanishes from school and would rather have a secret name? Is she actually a friend? There is also Mo dealing with puberty and other physical changes that are harder for those with sensory issues. 


It is also good to see that the story doesn't avoid adult issues and split families. Reality does bite and it is good to see a reflection of life, tempered for Middle Grade readers.



So, in conclusion. 


As important a book for youngsters on the autistic spectrum (and their family and teachers) as 'A Kind of Spark', by Elle McNicoll, was when published.


Truly inspired writing with a satisfyingly different theme covering more than just the now well-written-about aspects of and problems facing autistic children and families. Diverse and inclusive - writing at its very BEST. We started Friday morning and finished in the evening as we just had to know how it ended. We didn't once feel that the messages within were diluted or laboured.


All in all, there is something for everyone and enough of everything to make this a wholly satisfying and captivating read. A classroom must-read.



Want to buy a copy?


To get a copy, please avoid derelict buildings and head straight to your local independent bookshop. Or, order online. Most booksellers, large or small, will gladly get this for you.

 


 

Firefly Press web page can be found HERE or type this: https://fireflypress.co.uk/ 

Chloë Heuch's web page can be found HERE or type this:  https://www.chloeheuch.co.uk/ 

Veronica Carratello's web page can be found HERE or type this: https://www.veronicacarratello.com/ 


I shall leave you with a Selfie of ME!


We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.

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🙂 🙂

Till laters!

ERin

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Sunday, 3 December 2023

LIBBY AND THE MANHATTAN MYSTERY

 

by JO CLARKE; 

                              


 
                                                       

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Adventure in Middle Grade Fiction. PLUS a free selfie of me doing amazing hard . . . . nothings. 

Before we get going I'd like to announce the winner of a copy of LT Shearer's first book, The Cat Who Caught a Killer, is Lynn, from the Precious blog. Lynn, if you'll leave Mrs H a separate comment with your postal address (we wont publish the address), we'll try to get your gift out to you ASAP.
 
OK, so with out further ado, here's the review!


 


AUTHOR: Jo Clarke    

 

Cover and Interior art by: Becka Moor

 

Published by: Firefly Press

 

Publication date Paperback: 

 

 

Paperback ISBN:  978 1 915 444 394 

 

EBOOK ISBN:   978 1 915 444 400

UK Cover price for Paperback: £7.99

 

Pages: 219

 

Age range:   9 upwards


 

 

SPOILER ALERT


YES. Some as to plot direction and characters.

 

 

Thank you to... 

 

We are exceedingly grateful to FIREFLY PRESS Publishers for giving us advance viewing so we can Read & Review this latest in series mystery adventure, just for you. 


As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review. 


First and foremost, the books we review are those we select to read, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy. 


The plot

 

Here is a quick recap of the back story... Libby is a pupil at a rather unique school that visits a different country each term. Libby's aunt, Miss Agatha Mousedale, happens to be in charge of the school. The previous term had been spent in Edinburgh, and Libby and her best friend, Connie, had solved a fiendishly clever art crime under Connie's parent's very roof. That was quite a Christmas adventure, so do read our review of Libby and the Highland Heist, HERE.


With Christmas and winter out the way, Libby, Connie and Aunt Agatha arrive in New York for a new term. Leaving the airport, they are surprised when Connie's godmother and famed actress, Eloise, awaits in her chauffeur-driven limousine. Just as they pull away, Eloise picks up Count Alvarez, whose cab has been held up. They drop him off in a run-down area beside a blacked-out building. And despite having urgent business, he seems reluctant to go in. When Libby takes pictures of the buildings and area, she notices a blonde-haired lady in sunglasses watching them, but when she tries to get close, she drives off at speed. 

 

Suspicions are kindled but put aside quickly as Libby and Connie settle into a new school building and bedroom on the top floor. Libby thinks only she and Connie are sharing, but they are soon joined by Anastasia, who is quite brash and seems boastful of having been to NY many times and knows all the best places. Libby is not amused and feels instantly pushed out as Connie and Anastasia bond instantly, and she is without a pal.


Another new face is Miss Khatun, a replacement teacher who seems very strict and stern and unusually keen on not letting Libby and her friends have fun on their own.  


The students get to journey around NY in various arranged and escorted activities, and in so doing, also bump into Eloise and the Count. But something is wrong with the Count, who seems to mix up where he is from. Is it a mere mistake? And was the blonde-haired woman they see whilst in Central Park the same as the one before and following them or associated with the Count?


When Libby follows the Count to return his dropped handkerchief, he vanishes into the hotel basement. It turns out the hotel, the same one in which Eloise lives, is no longer his home, and the management is keen to speak to him about a specific matter.


One thing leads to another, and coincidences and suspicions mount. Libby and Connie join forces, dodging Anastasia, and, along with the boys, investigate what the Count is up to. But they must still persuade Aunt Agatha to let them go places and then escape Miss Khatun. When the Count loses all the funds he has raised for a local charity, Eloise steps in to organise and host a charity auction featuring famous and very expensive jewellery.

 

That, dear readers, is where I shall leave this review. I hope I have given you sufficient clues about what will come. Suffice it to say, things and people are not what or who they seem. And if you throw in an old adversary or two, and some surprise revelations about Libby's parents, you have a recipe for lots of fun and guessing.


So, what did we think?

 

****Spoiler alert**** Don't read on if you don't want to know more! 

 

In this third and definitely best adventure yet, we get embroiled in a plot that brings hints and flashes of adult adventure movies of past and present. With chases (through kitchens and train stations), heists, good guys and bad, and some scary underground shenanigans, there is a hearty Big Apple tang for the young mind to sink its teeth into and enjoy. 

 

It is hard to show everything and every angle to life in NY in such a short and pacy story, but I loved the potted vibe and taste of NY that Jo achieved. 

 

In many respects this seems like a concluding book, with many threads being drawn and tied together. But, here's the thing, in so doing, it opens out once more and the next adventure is already on the cards. As to who will feature and where it will be set, I'll let the reader find out for themselves. It does promise a lot though...

 

So . . . . 

Crunch time. 

 

This is a must-have for fans, who I firmly believe won't be disappointed.


I'll be there ready and waiting to review this for you. I have it earmarked with the publishers to get a copy ASAP. 

 


Want to buy a copy?


To get a copy, and you don't have to be in NY to do so, take the Subway, tram, bus or plain walk to your local bookstore. There are plenty out there, and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.

 

JO CLARKE'S WEB page can be found HERE or type this: https://jo-clarke.co.uk 


 

FIREFLY PRESS'S web page can be found HERE. or type this https://fireflypress.co.uk/

 


BECKA MOOR'S web page can be found HERE.  or type this: https://beckamoor.com

 

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue in America.

 

Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head.




Mrs H came in and wanted to lay down for a bit. Taking one look she proclaimed with a huff "Take the whole bed up, why don't you!" Which was a very kind offer, so I did. I did acquiesce in the end and off a slither to one side, legs hanging off the edge as well as the pillow space. 

 




Sometimes my generosity knows no bounds!

Till laters!

ERin