NOAH FRYE GETS CRUSHED

by Maggie Horne;  

                                                                                       

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

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

 

This week marks the start of a short break for us. Well, maybe it should be entitled a short sprain cum crushed knee joint but not break, as Mrs H hurt her knee. Trying, of all things, to pull the horse carriage across the sodden lawn to hard standing so it didn't sink into the mud. Mud which has been caused by torrential rain here in the village. And not the sort of floods caused by our neighbour leaving his lawn sprinkler on overnight. I told Mrs H that we have a horse for pulling the cart, and he, even though aged, is well used to getting soggy and muddy in the paddock. Personally, I think Mrs H was trying to prove she still has 'it'. What 'it' is, I suspect we'll never quite understand. What she now has, is a crushed knee. Oh well, at least now she's housebound, I can get some room service 23 hours a day.

And talking of crushed, but of a different kind, not that I know about such things, let's get on to this week's FAB new read. The path to younger love never seems so fraught, or entertaining, as this. We hope you'll enjoy . . .

 

AUTHOR:  Maggie Horne

 

Cover art by: TBA

 

Published by: Firefly Press

 

Publication date Paperback:   28 May 2024

 

 

Paperback ISBN: 978-1915 444 530

UK Cover price for Paperback:  £7.99

Kindle UK price: N/A

 

Pages: 297

 

Age range: Young Adult

Any dogs or cats? 

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters.

 

 

Thank you to...

We are exceedingly grateful to Graeme at Firefly Press Independant Publishers for the privilege of getting to Read & Review this amazing follow up book from Maggie Horne book before publication.

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

 

Twelve-year-old Canadian, Noah Frye, has just returned from her summer camp. Things have, however, changed in her friends, Luna and Zoey, since she was gone; they have discovered boys. Noah, who only teamed up with a girl at the camp called Jessa, feels left behind. A friend, after all, is not the same as a boyfriend, especially when the others conversations now revolve around how nice the boy is and kissing, or at least the promises of. Even introducing Jesse, who recently moved to Noah's school after her family came to town, to her friendship circle seems to go awry, as Jessa seems more popular than her. Noah decides she needs a boyfriend to have her first kiss and cuddle and thus remain actively engaged with her friends.

 

So, she tries, quite literally, through what she thinks are reasoned experiments to determine what is involved and if she can catch up. Picking on unsuspecting Archie, a boy from her school, she sets out to achieve results akin to those of her friends, and elder sister, Brighton. Archie's family have adopted Hank, a long-time resident dog from the shelter where Noah volunteers. Getting Archie involved seems the perfect way to get the data and, ultimately, the experience she needs and craves.

 

Noah has given herself a target to get her own boyfriend by. But her best-laid plans go awry when her PARENTS' home and garden renovating business starts to fail, caused by the arrival in the town of famous TV home makeover guru Brylee James and her Rural Makeover programme.

 

The resulting pinch on home finances means the open-door Halloween celebrations Noah's family holds yearly, a firm favourite of Luna and Zoey and all the other kids they know, won't be as glitzy as the other kids want. Noah fears her own popularity will suffer even more.

 

When, after a girls' sleepover at Noah's house, Jessa comes to the shelter with Noah, the whole dynamic of Noah's plan for Archie takes a tumble when, from inexperience in flirting, she insults him and hurts his feelings. So much so that the shelter's owner says that if she carries on, she will lose her job because of her bullying attitude. Jessa, quite reasonably, is confused by what she sees, mixed signals if you will, but ultimately tries to help Noah achieve her goal.

 

Now, because of all the ins and outs of this plot, the dynamics of Noah's family and the relationship between the friends, old and new and potential victims of Noah, I really can't say any more.

 

But as you might guess, things will need to, and do, go wrong so they can improve before we reach the end. You'll just have to read along to discover how things turn out for Noah, her family and friends. 

 

So, what did we think? 

 

We both loved how the young characters, friends and family interacted, the angst of figuring out life and the first steps to maturity, adulthood, friendship and, ultimately, love, irrespective of gender. 

 

Noah recounts her progress in a diary-like style. Each chapter has a heading and, beneath, bullet points of related matters, for example, things Noah likes, dislikes or wants to achieve.

 

Written most sensitively and wittily (despite our protagonist's misguided and sometimes blunt tactics) and told in the first person, Noah tries her best to navigate the changes within, and in her long-time friendship circle friends, Zoey and Luna, as the others discover boys and how to interact. 

 

What is quite clear for the reader, and I suspect deliberately so in a beautifully choreographed way, is a road map to understanding a broad range of emotions and oneself. Not everything in life is clear-cut. Friendships consist of more than just one thing. They can withstand many challenges if we take the time to understand our own feelings and those of the surrounding people. And why should these things be difficult, facts and advice obscured by others in an age of enlightenment?

 

The additional dynamics of a new girl, Jessa, Noah's parents' business problems, and Brylee James make this entire story so very compelling. For extra fun, Noah's parents rescue pugs, and have far too many around the house adding to the chaos of everyday life.

 

The twists and turns kept coming and kept us guessing, gasping and giggling. We were never entirely sure where we would end up with this read, which is why we loved it so. The final chapters are telling and appreciative of the situations portrayed and life. 

 

Writing at its very best, dealing with subjects for the young teenager in a form that is neither patronising nor slanted. Maggie Horne has created another go-to piece of literature for all ages that will help inform, entertain, and make a more tolerant society. 

Crunch time. 

 

An essential, balanced, unputdownable read and a rollercoaster ride of fun, tears, discovery, misunderstandings and friendship that is right here and now for younger readers and a recommendable read for all.

Want to buy a copy?

 

To get a copy, please sail or saunter down to your local independent bookshop and place a pre-order/ order. 

 

Maggie Horne's Author page at Firefly press can be found HERE or type this: https://fireflypress.co.uk/authors/maggie-horne/

 

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

 

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.

I shall leave you with a selfie entitled: Are you sure??? 🙂 🙂

 

 

 

Till laters!

ERin

THE DOLL TWIN by Janine Beacham

 

illustrated by Nathan Collins.                                                                                    

   

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

Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week a Middle-Grade Gothic Horror Adventure.

 

We have a delightful read for you today, one that came right out of the blue when Mrs H's book-to-be-read pile was perilously low. So without further ado, dim the lights, stoke the fire, and wrap up for an amazing read.

 

AUTHOR:  Janine Beacham

Cover art by:  Nathan Collins

Published by: Firefly Press

Publication date Paperback:  4 April 2024

Paperback ISBN:  978-1-915 444 479

UK Cover price for Paperback:  £7.99

Kindle UK price:  N/A

Pages: 295 (in proof copy)

Age range:  9 to 12

SPOILER ALERT

Yes, some as to plot direction and characters.

Thank you to... 

We are exceedingly grateful to Graeme at Firefly Press Publishers for the delightful surprise package that gave us the chance to Read & Review this very atmospheric eerie book before publication.

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

 

The plot

Cared for in the Home, which was run by a matron of strict sensibilities and dislike for any child that did not conform, Una is adrift. She longs to be back in the lighthouse her father and mother ran on Anglesea. The life of ‘Groundlings’ is not one she recognises or enjoys. She is a quick learner and loves all things to do with the sea. Mechanisms, too. She helped her father repair and run the big light that would save many ships and lives. He didn’t have to go to war, he was in a protected job, but he went to the war to end all wars, because of his passion for all things mechanical. Dieing in the trenches, he left his wife and daughter, Una, behind to tend the lighthouse. But when Una’s mother dies of influenza, she becomes homeless and an orphan.

Una is a dab hand at repairing things as a result, tinkering and making things. So, when Mrs and Mr Smith turn up at the Home, they seem to have found the perfect child as both have a love of turning their hands to practical things. Mrs Smith repairs dolls, whilst Mr Smith is repairing a mechanical carousel, complete with candy-twist poles attached to ponies. And Una thinks she has found the perfect parents as their motivation is to adopt the child they always wanted and don’t seem stuffy at all.

Mother and Father, as they prefer to be called, have everything Una could hope for short of a life at sea or in a lighthouse. But their recently acquired house, Copperlins, an aged large three-storey house above the village of Knifely Stifling, is close to the sea. And even though a boy at her orphanage had warned her about the house, she is determined to make it home. It may be outdated and cold, but Una has a room of her own and views. Good food abounds as Mother is always baking. Father enjoys tinkering here and there at his carousel and smoking a pipe. In fact, they are both very much the archetypal parents one might have seen in the magazines and adverts of the time.

Una is enrolled in the local school. She has never been to a groundling school before, though she did have postal lessons while on the lighthouse. It is so very different. In fact, it is very inhospitable. The villagers don’t like strangers. Worse, they fear Copperlins and what was said to lurk within after the reclusive, elderly lady owner, a doll maker, died. They have horseshoes over their doors to ward off the evil. The adults, including Una’s teachers, and the local children, shy away from Una and mutter in closed, cold groups.

But a girl called Mary soon makes friends, not least because of Una’s unusual and daring but practical short haircut. It is very movie-star-like, Mary says. Though Una has no knowledge of such things and prefers nature and her books.

Whilst settling into her new home, Una hears strange noises coming from the second floor. Could they be mice? The scratching and bumping and creaking may not be unexpected in such an old building being exposed to frigid, buffeting winds.

Mother and Father, such nice people and as good as perfect parents as she could ever hope for as an orphan, think there is nothing amiss. So Una, for fear of being sent back to the Home, steals herself, saying she is a Wexford and has endured far, far worse in the lighthouse.

But little things start happening. And little things mount up and Una is soon aware of things being moved, or worse, going missing from her room. Then, when Mary comes for a sleepover but flees midway through the night without explanation and clearly terrified, Una starts to have doubts. Could what the locals fear about the house be true? Is it haunted by malevolent spirits? Mary goes so far as to extend a safe harbour at her house if Una is too scared.

When the noises in the basement, and music from the carousel she and her father are repairing, rouse Una from her sleep, she is minded to investigate. But there is nobody in the room. Later, she ventures to investigate noises on the second floor. It is an area of shut-off rooms, closed curtains and cobwebs. When none of the rooms reveals the source of the sounds, she steals herself again to check within the last room, a broom cupboard. There she confronts the doll; child size and, if that wasn’t scary enough, it has Una’s face and hair and eyes. When telling Mother and Father, who neither heard the carousel music or other such strange sounds, Una can not find the doll to show them.....

Now things take a turn around about here, and Una actually gets to meet the Doll Twin. Ani (short for animated curiosity) is the doll's name, and she seems to be out to copy Una completely. Is Ani bent on taking over Una's new life and parents? What happens next is both dramatic, scary and heartwarming.

Put aside notions of scary demon dolls.

This story is far more skilled and doesn’t need such adult-style nonsense. Arguably, it is far more human than that. What we have going forwards is a series of revelations, of journeys and discoveries sewn together with twists and turns both bold and powerful and yes, at times, as chilling as the storms Una and her once family faced as lighthouse keepers. Which is where we have to leave this review. 

So, what did we think?

A 1920s gothic horror-style feast of suspense, fear and automata, driven by a descriptive text that makes every page pulse and whir with life, and the senses tingle with anticipation from cover to cover.

One of the book’s great strengths is its being set after the ‘Great War’. With many children left fatherless, and as with Una Wexford, later motherless in the influenza outbreak, the book becomes very thought-provoking and powerful from the off. I can imagine this being a key point for classroom discussion, too.

There were no points where we weren’t immersed in the telling. Looking back, there were telltale clues that we just didn’t see or see clearly enough. Mrs H even peaked forwards, and with a gasp, carried on reading even quicker. She was still surprised by the final chapters; which were magnificently executed. We were raised up on a crest of hope, then sent to the depths of despair or shattered on the rocks with our characters.

Because of the writing skill, ultimately the ending was immensely satisfying. I won’t say what that is, as I don’t want to give it away.

So . . .
Crunch time.

A middle-grade ‘gothic’ horror, you’ll have to go a long, long way to find one better or more skillfully written. I dare say Mr King would be impressed if he were to read this. We were thoroughly entertained and devoured this in record time, and I think most other kids and parents will, too.

Steeped in atmosphere, this is one adventure not to be missed, as it has it all.

Want to buy a copy?

To get a copy, please do consider and support your local and independent bookshops and publishers.

 

Janine Beacham's web page at Hatchette UK can be found HERE or type this: https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/janine-beacham/

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

Nathan Collins' Twitter feed can be found HERE or type this:  https://twitter.com/NathanlCollins

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

 

I shall leave you with a selfie entitled: Black and White on Paisley 🙂 🙂

Till laters!

ERin

MAJOR AND MYNAH – TARANTULA TERROR

 by KAREN OWEN;  

 Illustrated by Louise Forshaw                                                               

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

Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring Adventures in Middle-Grade Fiction.

 

Mrs H has been busy chasing spiders this week. In fact, the warmer winter has meant that not only have the spiders not gone to sleep, they have been breading, too. Well, that's my excuse. In reality, they may have come indoors with me. But, I'm not telling Mrs H that on account of the fact she's been getting far more exercise chasing them and is wearing off all of the excess calories she put on in December. 

Thankfully, we haven't any as big as the spider in this week's book review. Also, none are as fierce and potentially as dangerous, at least for birds. We could do with a few of those to thin out the number of pigeons that wake me each morning at 10am by doing what pigeons do on the roof. 

So, without further ado, let's get on with our arachnid-tastic adventure!

 

 

AUTHOR: KAREN OWEN

 

Cover art by: LOUISE FORSHAW 

 

Published by: FIREFLY PRESS

 

Publication date: Paperback: 15 February 2024

 

Paperback ISBN: 978 191 5444 431

 

Cover price for Paperback: £6.99

 

Pages:  124

 

Age range: 7 - 9

Any dogs or cats? No, but B.O., the Mynah bird, has a crucial AND scary part!

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters.

 

Thank you to... 

We are exceedingly grateful once more to Firefly Press Publishers (and NetGalley) for giving us an advance copy of this to Read & Review for you all across the world.

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

This is book 3 in the series, and every bit as fun and adventuresome as the others, possibly more so. 

To recap, Callie is our main protagonist. She discovered that her new hearing aids allowed her to understand and speak to Bo, a Mynah bird they adopted in Book 1. Callie and her best pal, Grace, are the two 9-year-old girls in a detective team that includes Bo. They are collectively called S.P.U.D. (Super Perceptive Undercover Detectives).  is our main protagonist. She discovered that her new hearing aids allowed her to understand and speak to Bo, a Mynah bird they adopted in Book 1. Callie and her best pal, Grace, are the two 9-year-old girls in a detective team that includes Bo. They are collectively called S.P.U.D. (Super Perceptive Undercover Detectives). 

It is the school holidays, and a funfair has come to the village, but the kids, including Callie's younger brother, Luke, aren't allowed to go until the weekend when Callie's older cousin comes with his family. That leaves a whole week of going out with their mum and dad, with whom Grace is staying, and doing boring adult things like going to the D.I.Y. store or buying car tyres. I think we can all relate to that in one way or another!

So, having their own airborne assistant/spy in the sky, the girls send Bo off to reconnoitre the fun fair and spot the best rides. But Bo is taking far too long, and the girls are getting worried. When the mynah bird finally returns, he is rather coy as to where and what he's been up to. He gets downright evasive as the week goes on, and he seems very sleepy and off his food, too.

Eventually, after being asked countless times by the kids if they can go to the fair and having to turn them down, they offer to take them somewhere else as a stopgap trip. The kids ultimately settle on going to a wildlife park. Callie's parents have a dislike for snakes and spiders, and they are not keen on going. But a promise is a promise.

At the zoo, the girls learn about the tarantula, and Luke gets to see the snakes.

On leaving the spider presentation given by one of the keepers, the girls spot a giant spider, a tarantula, heading off into the hedge...

OK, what happens next really brings the story into top gear. So, that is where I must leave it. If you want to know the answer to what happens to the fearsome female spider – a bird-eating tarantula at that – what Bo has been up to, and how all the subplots mesh and come to a spooky conclusion, you'll just have to get the book. I assure you the best, scariest and funniest is still to come!

 

So, what did we think?

For a review of book 2, please use our link below:-

Book 2: Major and Mynah – Operation Raven  

We loved every minute of this book. There was always something happening which made it a real page-turner. Karen has ably combined the anticipation and thrill of the fun fair with the excitement and tension of an escaped tarantula and the ensuing investigation, chase and capture. There is also a mystery to unravel about where Bo went and what he was doing. As I was saying, never a dull moment. 

The parent's reactions are, as in real life, priceless. Couple this with the fact that fun and interesting facts about spiders are revealed along the way, and thoroughly engaging artwork makes this a sound, safe, responsible and enjoyable read for children of all ages.

So . . . .

Crunch time. 

Yes, buy this as an excellent way to pass a rainy day, to read aloud or alone, or as part of a broader classroom activity.

 

Want to buy a copy?

To get a copy, minus creepy crawly and slithery add-ons, take the quickest and least scary route down to your local independent bookshop. They are out there, and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you young reader desire. Plus, you'll be helping small businesses stay alive and flourish.

 

KAREN OWEN'S web page can be found HERE or type this:  https://karenowen.co.uk/

 

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

 

LOUISE FORSHAW web page can be found HERE or type this:   https://www.munkeypants.com/

 

 

Next time we'll be reviewing a real gem of a story: Secrets of the Snakestone. It's a Wilkie Collins Moonstone-like adventure, not to be missed!

 

 

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

 

I shall leave you with a selfie. I am not sure my toothy grin counts as smiling, but could be one of the reasons I'm so popular with the mice  🙂 🙂

 

Till laters!

ERin