Michael, the Amazing Mind-Reading Sausage Dog!

 by Terrie Chilvers; Artwork by Tim Budgen. 

                                                                                        

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

Hello, and welcome to my Sunday into Monnday Book Review and selfie featuring Adventures in Middle-Grade Fiction.

 

If you're here for a selfie, scroll on down!

 

This week we are proud to host the final, tail wagging leg of a Book Tour for this new kids' adventure featuring one determined Sausage Dog called Michael. 

 

Before we do the honours, let's just nip over to Upper Much-Mousing to see what Erin is up to . . . .

"What are you doing, dear?" Mrs H had just entered the Manor House's library room. She held a tray with Erin's mid-morning snack and a brown paper-wrapped package. It had been delivered by No Brakes Home Delivery Service, an offshoot of Mrs Singh's ever-increasing attempts to diversify her corner shop empire. Sadly, the name lived up to the quality of Farmer Clarksins's old Land Rover, which Mrs Singh had salvaged from the village pond after a late-night revel had gone awry.

"I'm practising my clairvoyance, Mrs H," Erin replied, taking her paw away from her temple.

"Are you any good?" Mrs H's raised eyebrow reflected the scepticism she had come to expect from Erin's numerous and failed endeavours, no matter how well-intentioned. There was always a first time, though; she decided to put her companion to the test. "Hmm. Well, tell me what you have divined so far?"

"Well, for starters I knew you were going to come in here at this very moment. And that you'd have a book wrapped in brown."

Mrs H rolled her eyes and sighed. "Hardly a surprise given it was delivered by the courier, earlier and I ALWAYS bring your snack and post at this time. But go on, is there anything else?"

"Well, I knew you'd roll your eyes and say that."  

"I always say that, dear."

"I knew you'd say that too. And if you don't believe me, I wrote it down on this piece of paper and sealed it in an envelope I posted yesterday." Erin pointed to the small white envelope sticking out of Mrs H's apron. "Go on, open it."

Mrs H did just that and raised both eyebrows in surprise. "Almost word-perfect, Erin. I am almost impressed. Tell me, though, what is in the package?"

"Hang on." Placing a paw to her temple again, Erin closed her eyes and gave a somewhat constipated look that had Mrs H quite taken aback. "It's coming through. Yes, it's a free book about sausages. No. No hang on, it's about a dog made of sausages. No, drat. The mist is clearing now and I see the name Michael and an amazing adventure."

Mrs H delved into the cardboard packaging to reveal a red-covered book with a Dachshund on the cover. "Most impressive, dear. But tell me, how much would this morning's special delivery cost. If it hadn't been free that is. If you get it right I'll let you off your chores. Wrong, and you'll have to help me sort out my chores. How's that sound?"

"Easy peasy." Erin strained again and let out a low meditative chant. Her eyes snapped open, and she smiled. "It is a snip at only £6.99 from all good bookshops."

"Sorry dear, but that is incorrect. It actually cost £699 plus a hefty tip to the courier so he can have physio on his back."

The smile on Erin's face disappeared instantly."What! It can't be. The price I paid on the site was £6.99."

"Ahha. Got you. The price of a book may be £6.99, dear, but the price for 100 copies is one hundred times more. I think you have been, how they say, rumbled. Fortunately, I have spoken to the publisher and they will take back ninety-eight copies and credit my card."

"Oh. Well, I guess I need to practice some more then, Mrs H. Still look on the bright side, at least you don't have to carry them to Mrs Singhs to post back."

Mrs H smiled. "That is one blessing for sure, dear. YOU, however, as part of your chores, will be doing it. I'll get the pony and trap ready and you can take her and the surplus books back to Mrs Singh where you can help package them up. Then you can do the shopping" With that, Mrs H turned and strolled out of the room, leaving Erin wide-eyed, stunned and wondering how her scheme had gone so terribly wrong. Which, of course, Mrs H had known all along it would, and that wasn't down to mind reading!

And now, on to today's main feature and the star of our book review who really does have a talent.

This week we have a rather delightful dog called Michael, who discovers his very own superpower, which he hopes will raise him to star status . . .

Image ©

AUTHOR:  Terrie Chilvers

 

Artwork throughout by: Tim Budgen

 

Published by: Firefly Press

Publication date for the Paperback: 8 June 2023

 

Paperback ISBN:   978 - 191 544 4134

Cover price for Paperback: £6.99

KINDLE price: £2.79

 

Pages: 182

 

Age range:  6 upwards

Any dogs or cats?  Lots of super talented dogs.

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

This is quite a short book, so Yes, some as to plot direction and characters.

 

 

Thank you to... 

We are exceedingly grateful to Graeme Williams and Karen of the Firefly Press Publishing Team for inviting us to host the final stop.

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 like and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their children, friends and students will enjoy.

The plot

Michael is a young and ambitious Dachshund. He lives in Snuffles-by-Sea, in a house he inherited from his Aunt. He is a sausage dog who just knows he is destined for fame and fortune. A superstar in the making. The only thing is, he doesn't know what his superstar ability is. The most famous dog in the town is a Chocolate Labrador called Susan, who won the talent show for balancing peanuts on her nose. Michael knows he can do better. But it isn't until he is in the park one day that he discovers what he is good at. He hears a nearby dog talking to himself about his new fav stick. But when Michael looks, the dog, Stanley Big Dog, has his mouth full of stick. The penny drops and our hero realises he can read minds. But to prove it isn't a one-off fluke, he enlists Stanley to help him practice mind reading. 

One thing leads to another, and Michael and Stanley enter the Snuffles-by-Sea talent show, where the star is none other than Susan. Things don't go as planned; Priscilla the Pug calls Michael out as a fake! When Michael cant read Priscilla's mind, it seems to the audience her allegation is true. But Michael knows it isn't, and for some bizarre reason, a pug's mind is unfathomable and unreadable. Nonetheless, still determined to be a superstar, he calls a meeting in the local cafe called the Pork Chop Café. Quite by chance, Stanley's Uncle, Humphrey Huge Dog, is in town. He happens to be on the hunt for new talent for a review show in Hollywoof, no less.

Now it's fair to say wheels start to turn, and before too long, Michael, aided and hindered by Stanley, are embroiled in attempts to get to Hollywoof, where they hope to find fame and fortune.

Whether they succeed and how much misunderstanding, chaos, and destruction ensues, I'll let you, dear readers, find out for yourselves. Believe me, when I say I wasn't quite expecting the grand showdown at the end. And who knew balancing peanuts on ones nose was such an art. Not I for sure, but then I am just a cat.


So, what did we think?

I love the concept of creatures set in their own human-like worlds, tackling human-like desires, emotions and situations. Not giving anything away here, but Michael has choices to make and rejection to face. Michael learns about more than just seeking stardom. How he rises to the occasion, or otherwise, is well dealt with. 

Life's lessons are always better told and explored through a fun medium, which this book ably does.

The message is clear that each of us has an important part to play, and nobody is an island.

I enjoyed the double act of Michael and Stanley Big Dog. Stanley reminds me of all the happy-go-lucky big dogs out there who get singularly focused on sticks and their food and who sometimes come up short in the good sense department. In fact, which of us can't point to dogs we know that act just like the characters in this book and make us smile and love them even more for it.


So . . . .
Crunch time. 

 A fun, easy-to-read adventure delightfully illustrated by Tim Budgen that will definitely appeal to the younger reader. 

So, if you want a little something different, something to share over a weekend or a long trip, then Michael, the Amazing Mind-Reading Sausage Dog is for you. But whatever you do, don't leave the sausages lying around!

Want to buy a copy? 

To get a copy, please head down to your local independent bookshop. Sticks, sausages, spangly waistcoats and balancing peanuts are optional. There are plenty out there and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.

But hang on, we also have

***** A GIVEAWAY *****

Sorry, it's not pork chops this time. Mrs H has checked her pension pot, and decided that two lucky commenters will each receive a copy of this as a gift from Mrs H and me, subject to there being a delivery service from Amazon to your neighbourhood!

Two names will be pulled from Mrs H's biscuit tin on Monday 19th June 23, so don't delay.  

Terrie Chilvers' web page can be found HERE or type this: https://www.terriechilvers.com/

 

Tim Budgen's web page can be found HERE or type this: https://timbudgen.com/

 

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

 

And now, the Sunday-into-Monday Selfie. 

 

We are joining Janet Blue from the Cat on My Head blog for the weekly parade of selfies from all manner of companion creatures, Dogs and Cats, from across the pond and around the globe. 

To go to Janet's blog selfie page, please click this LINK. or type / cut and paste https://thecatonmyhead.com/look-into-my-eyes-2/

I shall leave you with a picture of me, sadly minus any pork chops or sausages! 🙂 🙂

 

Till laters!

ERin

 

'The Shadow Order' Blog Tour

An Adventure Book Blog Tour featuring Rebecca F. John.  

Hosted by Erin the Literary Cat

 

 

 

           

© Image Copyright

Hello, and welcome to my weekday Book Review slot featuring Adventures in Middle-Grade Fiction! 

This week we have something very special for you, an exclusive chat with Rebecca F. John, the author of The Shadow Order.

You may recall that Erin reviewed this excellent adventure a few weeks ago, and a link to the review can be FOUND HERE. So let's head on over to Upper Much-Mousing and see what Erin's up to today . . . . 

"Mrs H, I've packed my case, and remembered the suncream and swimsuit. It's all ready for you to pop in the taxi." Erin said as she entered the Manor's drawing room, leapt nimbly onto her favourite sofa, and started checking off items on a list of tasks she had prepared. "Do you think I'll be signing autographs? Maybe I should get you another pen to do the signing for me?"

"Are you going somewhere, dear?" Mrs H looked up from her crossword puzzle and placed the knitting she'd done neatly on her lap. "I don't recall there being any trips planned."

"Yes, on tour. The one we were invited on by Karen at Firefly Press." Erin prodded at the corner of the telegram she currently sat on. "Surely you recall? I know you'd had a sherry that evening, but you said it was quite a red letter day. Though I must admit the telegram is only in black ink, so maybe you got it wrong?"

"Oh, that tour. No, dear, you are quite right. But equally wrong." Mrs H smiled, leaned over, and gently pulled the now-warm and curved telegram from under Erin.

"I'm right and wrong, Mrs H?" Erin glanced over at the decanter just in case Mrs H had imbibed a pre-lunch sherry and forgotten to put the stopper back in.

"Yes, dear. We, or rather you and the blog, are going on tour. Well, actually, the blog is a stop on tour for other readers. So yes, there is a tour. But alas, no, you are not actually going anywhere or signing anything. Rather people, your fans and new visitors are coming to meet Rebecca F. John."

"Hmmm, shouldn't we be getting the tea, sandwiches and scones ready? And maybe do a spot of dusting? I know I, for one, could do with a good dust-off and bath!"

"No, dear, they will be virtual visitors. And before you ask, Rebecca couldn't come here, at least not today. But she kindly sent a copy of the book, AND a unique insight into the question you asked about how she created the characters, and more importantly, how they develop."

"That was really kind, and I can't wait to read the answer. Is it set up on the laptop, Mrs H?"

"It is, dear. I did it whilst you were packing. I think the answer will surprise some of our readers. Though bloggers with companions will, I am sure, understand. Others, who are maybe thinking of branching into writing, will be inspired and educated."

"Just one thing, Mrs H."

"Yes?"

"Does this mean there's no real trips out or tours?" 

"No, dear. No trips or tours."

"So, no real scones with double whipped cream and catnip sprinkles either?"

"No scones. At least, not real scones. But virtual scones topped with virtual cream and lashings of virtual nip ale, we have aplenty."

"Well, I suppose virtual is the new reality," Erin said, contemplating if she needed to have a virtual bath and nap before a virtual tour. "Will we be doing a giveaway this week?"

"Yes, dear. One lucky reader who leaves a comment will have their name plucked from a hat—"

"A virtual hat or a real hat, Mrs H?" Erin interrupted.

"There will be no hat, just folded strips of real paper with names on. So, as I was saying, one lucky commenter will receive a copy of the Shadow Order. And before you ask, it will be a real book, not a virtual copy. Comments will close next Tuesday, 27th September 2022."

Erin nodded sagely and was on the brink of asking another question but was stopped by a reproving look from Mrs H. "I think, dear, we best get on with the tour and introduce our guest."

"Right you are, Mrs H." Erin cleared her throat and, after a nonchalant straightening of the whiskers, addressed the laptop. "Dear readers, please give a warm Upper Much-Mousing welcome to our first guest, Rebecca F. John, author of the brilliant Middle-Grade book, The Shadow Order. Rebecca has kindly written the following article just for us about how she gets to know her characters."

"Hello, Erin, and thank you for the question you sent me. My starting point for developing the characters in The Shadow Order was perhaps slightly unusual. Here is it…

 Betsy – poodle x schnauzer, black and white, born 2015

 Teddy – schnauzer, black, born 2016

 Effie – cocker spaniel, blue roan, 2011 – 2021

 Three dogs. My dogs really were the inspiration for the characters of Elizabeth' Betsy' Blue, Theodore 'Teddy' James, and Euphemia' Effie' Hart – three best friends who embark on a big adventure in The Shadow Order. I've mentioned my reasons for basing these characters on my dogs a few times, but it is perhaps also worth mentioning that echoing the dogs' names, personality traits, and even, to some extent, their physical appearance (Betsy, for example, is the smallest of the three: a wiry, energetic girl who struggles to keep still) was just the beginning of building these characters.

 I'm sure there are as many different ways to develop convincing characters as there are writers. I've heard some mention making lists of character traits or plotting their characters' family histories. I've heard others say they sketch their characters, or compile playlists for them, or even talk to them. For my part, I usually start out with a strong visual idea of each character. Some writers, I know, aren't particularly interested in what their characters look like. That idea feels completely alien to me! I certainly know a lot about my characters' physicality before I start to write them: their eye colour, the way they walk, the manner in which they use their hands when they speak, what their voice sounds like. All those details come to me before I understand why.

 It is only as I start to move them around on the page that I come to learn why I would want to know their stories. A writer friend once told me that if I was stuck with a scene, I should move somebody, even if it's just across the kitchen to make a sandwich. And I think that's a great trick to keep in mind. A lot of writing comes, for me, from the act of doing it, of moving my fingers over the keys, of finding out where that movement will carry my characters.

 So what did I learn about Betsy, Teddy, and Effie as I moved them around the world I had built for them? Honestly, almost everything. As I wrote Betsy onto a street corner, waiting for her friend Teddy to arrive, I learnt that she cannot stay still for a moment. That she fizzes with energy. And as she fizzed around Copperwell, so I learnt that Betsy cannot relax because she has never known the security of a home, that she has bounced from temporary situation to temporary situation, making do, just as she does as a worker at Saltsburg's Laundry at the start of the novel. I might never have known that about her, had I not put her on the page and allowed her to reveal herself to me.

 I had similar experiences with the other main characters. Teddy's low-shouldered lope betrays his lack of confidence in himself. I found the cause of that lack of confidence in his feelings of grief following the loss of his father. Without a role model, Teddy feels he doesn't quite know how to go about the business of growing into a man.

 And with these kinds of discoveries came the characters' interests. Effie is the most sensible and staid of the three characters. She has grown up in a wealthy household and feels herself restricted by what is considered respectable dress, the presence of servants in her home, her parents' important jobs. So it seemed only natural that Effie would challenge that feeling by becoming a jazz musician.

 In this way, the characters grew alongside and because of their existence in their physical world. It seems to me as good a way as any to find our characters and the stories they inhabit. Move your fingers, move your characters, move through the story and see what you discover along the way. It's exciting! It's an adventure! To my mind, it's a lot of fun!"

"Wow, thank you, Rebecca, that was really interesting, and I have to say far more complex than I thought. We loved that your three canine companions started the ball rolling and helped shape the characters. They thus have a special place in the book. Mrs H and I hope there is a sequel to this soon. But till then, we wish you and The Shadow Order a very successful launch. It certainly is a story we recommend!"

                                                 ***

That, sadly is all we have time for this week. Thank you to fellow bloggers and readers for being with us today. I hope you enjoyed this stop on The Shadow Order Book Blog Tour. And please, do leave your comments below.

As is tradition, we leave you with a selfie of me stalking (in a virtual fashion) a long tail zebra mouse that Mrs H says now lives under the sofa!

© Erin the cat Princess.

 

Till Laters!

ERin

 

 © All images and text are copyright, and nothing may be used, copied, shared in part of whole without the express permission of the copyright holders in advance.