UKMG Extravaganza Blog Tour: My Magnificent Seven Pirates by Huw Powell (author of Spacejackers)

Ahoy there, space shipmates!

I’m so excited to be taking part in the UKMG Extravaganza in Nottingham Central Library on 17^th October with over 30 top MG (Middle Grade) authors.

In the build up to this event, I was asked to write a guest post for the brilliant Book Zone. I’m a huge fan of MG novels and have previously blogged about how this category has produced some of the best books ever written, which is why I think MG should stand for ‘Magic Gateway’ (as there is nothing ‘middle’ about these books).

As it was International Talk Like a Pirate Day last week, I’ve decided to do something a bit different for this blog and share my ‘Magnificent Seven’ pirates from children’s literature. There are plenty of great characters to choose from, but here are some of my favourites:

·      Dread Pirate Roberts – this pirate captain from The Princess Bride is feared across the seven seas for his ruthless nature and sword fighting skills. His reputation precedes him and everyone fears him, but how much of it is true and how much is just clever PR?

·      Nancy Kington – in the novel Pirates! the character of Nancy has her comfortable English life turned upside when she’s shipped out to the West Indies. Nancy and her slave friend, Minerva Sharp, become fugitives and they are forced into a swashbuckling life of piracy.

·      Cheng Li – the Vampirates novels are packed with wonderfully dark characters, however one of my favourites is Cheng Li, who serves aboard the pirate ship, The Diablo. Cheng Li is the daughter of a famous pirate captain and she has to work hard to build her own reputation.

·      Jack Havock – this plucky pirate is only fifteen years old and the captain of a non-human pirate crew in the enchanting Victorian space adventure Larklight. Jack rescues Arthur (Art) Mumby and his sister Myrtle, before they embark on an adventure to save the universe.

·      James Turner – not strictly a pirate, but this unfriendly uncle is known as ‘Captain Flint’ in the novel Swallows and Amazons. At first, James Turner is moody and withdrawn, but is reminded how to have fun by two families of children and he ends up walking the plank.  

·      Captain Hook – few pirates are as bitter or flamboyant as the notorious Captain James Hook from Peter Pan. In addition to his elaborate clothes and wide-brimmed hat, he wears an iron hook to replace the hand that was severed by Peter Pan and eaten by a crocodile.

·      Long John Silver – no list of fictional pirates would be complete without mentioning this colourful quartermaster from Treasure Island. Long John Silver is a complex character, whose courage and cunning help him to overcome his physical disadvantages, while his moral ambiguity and sense of survival make him difficult to predict. Arrr, Jim lad!

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Huge thanks to Huw for this wonderful list of fabulous literary pirates. If you've not yet discovered Spacejackers and its sequel The Lost Sword then you are in for a treat - it's pirates in space. What more could you ask for?

As for the UKMG Extravaganza, you can find out more about this awesome sounding event (and it's sister event, the UKYA Extravaganza) over at its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ukyax 

The blog tour continues tomorrow at Matt Ralphs' YouTube channel and then on through the rest of September and well into October. Full details below:

 

Guest Post: My Magnificent Seven Animals in Children’s Books by Abi Elphinstone

It is with great pleasure that today I am welcoming Abi Elphinstone to The Book Zone. Abi is the writer of the brilliant The Dreamsnatcher, which I reviewed last month, and also a fellow lover of middle grade books which she blogs about as Moontrug. Abi has joined us today to tell us about her favourite animals in children's books.

My Magnificent Seven Animals in Children’s Books

1. The Whereabouts Wolf in The Black North by Nigel McDowell. One of my favourite heroines, Oona, is given a Whereabouts Wolf to carry her away from danger: ‘a creature flecked with filth and reeking of the wild’. A Whereabouts Wolf has no eyes – Oona must simply whisper where she wants to go and the wolf will take her there. So when Oona says ‘take us to the middle of nowhere,’ that’s exactly what the Whereabouts Wolf does. I want one…

2. Aslan in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. One of my favourite childhood memories is watching the BBC adaption of this brilliant book around the fire with my siblings at Christmas. The opening theme tune conjures all the magic of my childhood and I fell asleep every night after listening to it imagining I was riding through Narnia on Aslan’s back. I liked the way Aslan was kind and loyal – that he never let the Pevensie children down – but that he was unpredictable and wild as well, as Mr Beaver said: ‘He’s wild, you know. Not like a tame lion’. And that’s kind of how I imagine magic to be. 

3. Iorek Brynison in Northern Lights by Philip Pullman. This was a tricky one. Whilst Lyra’s daemon, Pantalaimon, remains one of my all-time favourite characters, there is something about this ‘outcast bear’ who rises up to be a mighty ice warrior, willing to protect Lyra against the slightest harm. And nothing beats the wonder of imagining Lyra riding Iorek across the Arctic ice plains.

4. Wolf in Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver. Torak’s bond with Wolf is one of the most well-drawn, touching and believable child-animal bonds in children’s literature. Wolf begins as a reticent, playful cub but as he takes up his place as Torak’s best-friend and ally, he becomes a brave, loyal and fierce wolf. And the closing chapter of this book shows the wolf-boy bond in a heartbreakingly beautiful way.

5. The White Pigeon in The Last Wild by Piers Torday. This little bird is basically ME in pigeon form – a misdirected ball of enthusiasm, often saying exactly the wrong thing at the wrong time. His malapropisms are laugh-out-loud funny and hopelessly confused lines like ‘Here is your gift – some old sheep’ and ‘Not a bad-looking fat bird yourself’ cement this little chap as a truly memorable character. And it’s comforting to find someone else (even if this someone is a fictional pigeon) whose words tumble out all wrong – because I stutter and mix up words quite a lot, especially when I’m nervous.

6. Saracen in Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge. Without doubt the most amusing goose in children’s books. Owned by the feisty Mosca Mye (‘I want my chirfugging goose back!’), Saracen makes a star appearance at the beast fight disguised as King Prael’s Star-crested eagle. Brilliantly funny.

7. Snow Leopard in The Snow Leopard by Jackie Morris. In a world where we move at 100mph through almost everything we do (yesterday I was moving so fast I ran full pelt into a glass door), the Snow Leopard draws you away to a half-forgotten world of peace and silence. The illustrations of this big cat are mesmerisingly beautiful and snow leopards remain one of my all-time favourite animals.

It was so hard to pick just seven animals for this blog post. I mean, I could have gone on for ages about Joe (from The Diddakoi), Hazel (from Watership Down), Eeyore (from Winnie the Pooh), Charles Scallybones (from A Boy Called Hope), Havoc (from The Burning Shadow) Tarka The Otter, The Ugly Duckling and, ummmmm, one more animal I’m very fond of: Gryff, the wildcat in my debut, The Dreamsnatcher. He is fearless, loyal and patient and although he is by nature a solitary animal full of secrets, he forms an extraordinary bond with Moll, a twelve-year-old gypsy girl. And that’s kind of cool.

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Super huge thanks to Abi for writing this for The Book Zone. The Dreamsnatcher is due to be published on 26th February, and it's flippin' brilliant.

Guest Post: My Magnificent Seven Mystery Series by Robin Stevens (author of Arsenic for Tea)

I am absolutely overjoyed that today we have been joined by writer Robin Stevens, who has written a fab post for us about her favourite detective series for children. Murder Most Unladylike, Robin's first book in her Wells & Wong mystery series, was one of my favourite books of 2014, and the sequel, Arsenic for Tea, has a very good chance of making the 2015 list at the end of this year.

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My Magnificent Seven Detective Series by Robin Stevens

I’m really excited to have been asked to do this – any excuse to talk about mystery stories! Here are the seven mystery series that most influenced me as a kid, and that I think will still fire children’s imaginations today.

The Famous Five

These books were my introduction to mysteries. Sure, Anne, Julian and Dick are basically dead weight (George and Timmy the dog solve everything), and sure, the mysteries pretty much involve smugglers, smugglers and smugglers, but Enid Blyton is marvellous at creating worlds and groups that you're desperate to be a part of. Kirrin Island is just possible enough to feel like an achievable fantasy – a place where it’s always the summer holidays, delicious, mysterious food like macaroons is piled up in front of you at every meal, and you get to wander around in castles and triumph over bearded, villainous men. I wanted desperately to be a child that things happened to, and the Famous Five’s was my very favourite fantasy life.

The Secret Seven

Like the Famous Five, but more densely populated. I remember, even as a child, being infuriated by how little the girls were allowed to do (especially as the boys made so many mistakes) but again, I was fascinated by the concept itself – kids, going up against adults and WINNING. I had my own secret society with my best friend (as I think most kids did) and we looked frantically for mysteries to solve. It made me really imagine that I could be a detective – if even the Secret Seven could uncover dastardly dealings, surely I could be able to as well.

Sherlock Holmes

I first read these books aged 8, so for me they're very much for children. I loved how no-holds-barred they were: people really died. The stakes were high, and the peril was real, but Sherlock was such a dashing superhero that I knew he’d always be OK. I loved how unashamedly smart he was, too – the cases rested on real information, logically assessed. And even though the stories all take place in the real world, there’s something just a bit magical about them: Sherlock goes up against vampires, ghosts and pantomime-evil villains. Basically, there’s a reason that Sherlock Holmes is the most beloved detective the world has ever seen.

Harry Potter

I'm convinced that this is really a series of mystery novels (starring Hermione Grainger) that just happens to be set in a wizard boarding school. The mystery to be solved is always quite similar, along the lines of 'and where is Voldemort hiding this time?', but although it seems simple, the answer is always wholly unexpected. Rowling is a brilliant plotter and a very clever misdirector – I remember feeling genuinely astonished the first time I read each book, and delighted that I'd found a book specifically for children that could trick me like that.

Nancy Drew

Nancy Drew may not be enormously handy in a crisis (she screams and runs away a lot), but I loved her investigative style and her taste in coats (my favourite villain, incidentally, was Carmen Sandiago, for the same reasons). I liked the idea of a detective who was clever and also glamorous (why couldn't someone be both?) and I was so jealous about how free Nancy was. She had access to cars and boats and airplanes – she had all the benefits of being grown up with none of the boring bits.

The Sally Lockhart Mysteries

For me, this series has everything. A bold, clever, sharp-shooting heroine, a Victorian setting to rival Sherlock's, magic, mystery and exactly the right sort of romance. Just like the Holmes stories, too, there’s just a hint of magical otherness – you feel that anything could happen, and it usually does. Murders, fires, thefts, curses and terrifying mechanical contraptions capable of taking over the world, it’s glorious, swashbuckling stuff.

Encyclopedia Brown

My final pick is probably much lesser known over here than it is in its native country, America. All the same, I can’t mention my favourite mystery series without including it. As a kid I was absolutely hooked (and slightly in love with Encyclopedia himself), and I read Encyclopedia’s adventures again and again and again. The joy of them is that they’re such achievable mysteries – each story is only a few pages long, and hinges on a single logic problem which the reader must work out the key to. Basically, they ask you to spot what’s wrong with a scene: perfect puzzles for aspiring detectives to cut their teeth on.

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Huge thanks to Robin for taking the time to write this for The Book Zone. Murder Most Unladylike is available to buy right now and Arsenic for Tea is due to be released on 29th January.

Red Eye Blog Tour: My Magnificent Seven Scariest Books by Alex Bell (author of Frozen Charlotte)

And so the nightmares continue....

Yes, the Red Eye blog tour is back at The Book Zone, this time with author Alex Bell telling us about her Magnificent Seven Scariest Books. Alex is the author of Frozen Charlotte, one of the two books released this month by Red Eye, Stripes Publishing's new YA horror imprint. I've just finished Frozen Charlotte and it is very creepy and pretty terrifying on a psychological level. And if you have a phobia about porcelain dolls (which are creepy as hell at the best of times) the you certainly won't want to be reading this one at night time.


And so, over to Alex and her seven scariest books:


1. The Haunting of Toby Jugg by Dennis Wheatley - The first half of this book contains some of the best understated, unnerving horror I've ever read. You definitely feel the terror and helplessness of the main character in this one.

2. The Shining by Stephen King - I read this classic horror tale whilst staying in a very old hotel in New Orleans. As haunted hotel stories go, this has got to be one of the best. It’s a shame the topiary animals were replaced by a hedge maze in the film.

3. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James  - One of my favourite classic ghost stories – this creepy tale has an unreliable narrator and an ambiguous open ending as well as some pretty terrifying encounters in the house and the grounds.

4. This House is Haunted by John Boyne – John Boyne can write anything and excel at it. His ghost story is very much in the Dickensian tradition and contains some of the most bone-chilling scenes I’ve ever come across. A total masterpiece.

5. Florence and Giles by John Harding – I love this re-imagining of The Turn of the Screw. The language is a real treat and like nothing else you’ve ever come across before.

6. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane – Not a horror book as such but Shutter Island definitely creeped me out with its themes of paranoia, madness and self-destruction.

7. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson – Another classic ghost tale, this one definitely delivers its fair share of scares.

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Huge thanks to Alex for taking the time to write this for us. The Red Eye Blog Tour is about to come to an end, so please head on over to http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk for its final stop.

My Magnificent Seven: Fiction Books for Tech Lovers

Hmm, so much for being an occasional feature, it looks like My Magnificent Seven is almost as rare as the Cuban Greater Funnel-Eared Bat. However, I've been thinking about this particular #mymag7 for some time as I know so many kids who love gaming and the internet who will rarely pull themselves away from their console of choice to read a book. And yet there are so many great books out there that have huge appeal for gamers and lovers of tech and the internet. So in no particular order:

Glaze by Kim Curran

I read this a while back and it completely blew my mind and if you love social media and the internet then it is a book that you simply must read. Kim Curran's scarily plausible futuristic story revolves around the populations obsessive use of the Glaze, the ultimate in social media connectivity. When teens reach a certain age they can be chipped so that to hook up to the network all they have to do is focus on accessing it. No electronic gadgets required at all. In fact, there's no longer any need for watches, TVs, mobile phones... everything is done inside the user's head. However, as with ever huge step forward in technology, the Glaze is open to abuse by those in power. Glaze is a superb dystopian novel (and I'm fed up with dystopian novels so that is really saying something)that also covers, amongst others, themes of peer pressure, feeling like one of the crowd, corruption and abuse of power.

The Metawars series by Jeff Norton

I've so far written reviews for the first two books in Jeff Norton's brilliant series, and I hope to get a review of the final book up on here very soon. This ranks up there as one of my favourite series of the past few years; the books are full of fast-paced action and high tech adventure in both the real and a virtual world. Set in a future where the planet has suffered from wars and depletion of natural resources, the quadrilogy raises many moral questions as the plot unfolds and would make great class readers for English lessons because of the discussions they would provoke.

The Bzrk series by Michael Grant

The first book in this series was a another that really blew my mind. When I wrote my review I said that "it is almost un-reviewable, in that to give even the slightest amount of information away would definitely spoil your reading experience" and I still feel the same now. It's high tech but in a very different way to the other books on this list.

Rat Runners by Oisin McGann

The tech used in this fab action thriller by Oisin McGann is much closer to the kind of gadgets that are around today than that found in the previous books I have mentioned, and this makes the story feel all the more real. Set in a city where surveillance is everywhere, be it CCTV, hidden microphones, or machines that can scan you for pretty much anything, it feels a little too close to modern Britain (supposedly there is a surveillance camera for every 11 people living in Britain). A team of young people who try to live their lives hidden away from the eyes of the Big Brother style Watchworld find themselves being hunted as the plot twists and turns. Gadgets and hacking aplenty make this book perfect for tech lovers.

Urban Outlaws by Peter Jay Black

In my review I described this as Leverage for 9+ kids, and I loved it. Again, like in Rat Runners, the tech used by the gang of young 'criminals' is not futuristic in nature, and therefore, with a little suspension of disbelief, it is easy to imagine the group out on the streets of London robbing the rich bad to give to the poor. There's something for everyone in this book and it's one of those books that can be described as unputdownable (at least, it was for me).

Insignia trilogy by S.J. Kincaid

Some might say I got a little carried away when writing my review of Insignia by S.J. Kincaid. I did, after all, describe it as "Harry Potter for gamers, with a six-pack of Top Gun thrown in for good measure, and reading it was like playing an incredibly addictive video game". Almost two years on I still stand by that comment: the parallels with harry Potter are impossible to ignore, given the 'school' setting, but if ever there was a book that would appeal to gamers it is this one. Since writing that review I have been told that Ender's Game covers similar ground, but I have to admit that I have not yet read that book, nor have I seen the film.

The HIVE series by Mark Walden

This ranks as one of my all time favourite series for Middle Grade readers, and whilst tech isn't the main feature of the books, it still plays an important part throughout the series, especially given Otto's special abilities. I've bought these books for godsons and various young male relatives and every one of them has come back asking me to get them the next in the series. I'm currently waiting impatiently for the ninth book in the series to be published, although it looks like I'm going to have be patient as I believe Mark has recently been concentrating his efforts on finishing the sequel to Earthfall, his brilliant alien invasion story.

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Naturally, I'm sure to have missed a glaringly obvious book out of my list, and I really wanted to include Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, as it is one of my all-time favourite books, but I've kept it off the main list as it is an adult book. Please let me know if I've missed off any of your favourites.

My Magnificent Seven: 80s YA Movies

Back at the end of January I posted the first piece in what I wanted to become an occasional feature. Unfortunately, because of work and a certain secret project time has been tighter than ever, and I had to prioritise reviews over other stuff. However, the secret project is now complete and it's the school holidays, so I've finally got around to typing up my scrappy handwritten notes, and I thought I would choose a topic that isn't strictly book related, although if the current popularity of YA reads had been around in the 80s then many of these films may have started off as brilliant YA books. They are in no particular order, apart from the first two which in my mind are the best YA films ever.

The Breakfast Club

Saturday morning detention! How cruel a punishment is that? When I was a teen my school ran a Saturday morning detention, but although I was no angel it was a punishment I never had to experience. However, if I had even the slightest hint at the time that it would be anything like that on The Breakfast Club I would have been breaking rules left, right and centre (everything I have heard about it suggests that it was NOTHING like TBC, and was in fact the most boring punishment in the world ever).

The Breakfast Club is the ultimate misfit-teen-bonding story. Before this particular Saturday each one lived in their own little world, with their own circle of friends (or not), and with their own personal problems. Like most teens they are far too quick to judge others for their appearance or the way they act when in their various 'tribes', but over the course of the film they begin to realise that they are not alone in having problems. I'm not a fan at all of many of the other brat pack style teen movies of the time (Pretty In Pink, Sixteen Candles, Some Kind of Wonderful) as I prefer more comedy than these offered, but for me this film is perfect in every way - even the ending, leaving the viewer wondering whether the changes they have gone through are long term, or whether they will revert back to the previous ways as soon as they are back in school on Monday.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Yes, another film written and directed by John Hughes and I can never decide which one I prefer more. Both of them are perfect teen movies, but where The Breakfast Club was all about a group of disparate teens bonding, this one is about three close friends who just want to have the best day off school ever. I can't believe that anyone has ever watched this and NOT wanted to be Ferris Bueller, hacking into the school computer to change his attendance record, fooling his parents whilst getting one over on the desperate Ed Rooney, and having that ultimate bunk off school. Seriously - Ferris performing Danke Schoen and Twist and Shout must be one of the biggest feel good scenes in teen movie history. And then there's THAT quote:

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Labyrinth

Yes, I firmly believe that this is a YA film, albeit wrapped neatly in a wonderful children's film package. Jim Henson was a master of creating work that could be enjoyed on many different levels (there's a reason that The Muppets are enjoyed as much by adults as by children, and it isn't just nostalgia), and Labyrinth is just as good an example of this. On the face of it, it is a story of a girl trying to rescue her little brother from the clutches of an evil Goblin King, in a world populated by many weird and wonderful creatures. But strip away that layer and there is a theme that is seen in many modern YA books - that of coming of age and sexual awakening (yes, it does make Bowie's Jareth character seem more than a little disturbing when you look at it this way).

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

(Note to pedants: I appreciate that Bill & Ted's wasn't released in the UK until April 1990, but as it was released in the USA a whole twelve months earlier I'm still classifying it as 80s YA.

Hmm, as I start to write about this film a huge grin is already forming on my face, and I'm wondering whether I should be putting it at the top of this post. I seriously loved this film when I first saw it, and I love it just as much today. It is also, to my enduring shame, an example of me judging a book film by its cover. I ignored its cinema release as I was pretty sure by its title and poster that I wouldn't like it. When I started at university a friend tied to persuade me that it was, like, totally excellent, but I resisted watching it on VHS for some time. However, I eventually gave it and it cost me numerous drinks (I had even bet him that I would not like it). The magic for me was its originality, the clever time-travel plotting, its sheer audacity (Abe Lincoln, Genghis Khan, Joan of Arc... in a time-travelling phone booth?!), and, of course, the performances of Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. Every now and again you hear rumours of a third film, but I keep my fingers crossed that this never happens. Both Bill & Ted films were a thing of their time, and really should be left alone (and while I'm at it, so should The Goonies - please don't make a sequel!)

Stand By Me

OK, so the four boys who set out on their journey of discovery are all twelve in the film, which is younger than the majority of protagonists in YA books. However, the themes that the book explores and the language used by the characters are most definitely YA territory. Yes, it is based on a brilliant short story by Stephen King, but if it wasn't it would make a brilliant YA novel. Its truly timeless quality make it a great film for teens today, rather than just a great piece of nostalgia for those of us who saw it the first time around.

The Lost Boys

Made before popular teen culture became oversaturated with vampires, this is still one of my favourite vampire films of all time. It is just such a cool film - great cast,  sexy vampires who are vicious bloodsuckers (who don't sparkle), fab 80s soundtrack, great splatter-ful special effects and brilliant humour (this film would just not have been the same if it had been a straight vampire horror movie). And of course, Corey Feldman at his best.

Back to the Future

Is this a YA story? I think so, because of Marty McFly's age and because of the romance aspects of the story. I still remember seeing it at the cinema back in 1985, and I went straight out and bought the novelization (I bought a lot of movie novelizations back in the mid 1980s - and it's still a great way to get boys reading). Every single member of the cast puts in a flawless performance, and Dr Emmett Brown, as played by Christopher Lloyd, is still one of my all time favourite movie characters. In fact, there are so many great things about it that you pretty much forget some of the implausible issues related to the time travelling. Also, if I ever win the lottery, I am so going to buy a Deloran.

My Magnificent Seven: Comfort Reads

I have been wanting to start a new feature on The Book Zone for some time, which I am calling My Magnificent Seven (#mymag7). As an occasional mobile DJ (much less these days than I would like due to time constraints) I was for many years an avid follower of the Top 40. Like many people of my age, every Sunday evening I would pop a Do Not Disturb sign on my bedroom door and sit there, TDK D90 cassette (or AD90 when I could afford them) loaded into my tape recorder, finger poised on the pause button ready to record my favourite tunes from the separate radio. How happy I was when I got my first combined radio/tape player and no longer had to worry about ambient noise (of which there was rather a lot as I had three younger sisters and a younger brother). I also love lists (have you seen the Music Listography and Film Listography journals? If you are a fellow 'lists' fan then you will love them).

With this in mind I wanted to create a new feature that is made up of lists. I want to use this feature to reveal a little more about myself and my reading interests, and also remind you of some of the great books out there, that have been around for a while and are at risk of being forgotten. I appreciate that there is a Top Ten Tuesday meme that take place on a variety of blogs, but I am not a fan of memes and I don't want to be restricted to just posting these on Tuesdays. It's also unlikely that this will be a weekly feature - I will be posting it as and when time permits. I would also love to hear about your favourites so please do comment.

And so, My Magnificent Seven launches with:

My Magnificent Seven Comfort Reads

We all have comfort reads: books we turn to when we are feeling down, or in a reading slump. Books that we love returning to time and time again, no matter how many times we have read them in the past. In no particular order (except for the first two), here are mine:

Modesty Blaise by Peter O'Donnell

I have mentioned my love for Peter O'Donnell's Modesty Blaise series a number of times since I started The Book Zone. I love the series as a whole - I feel it is far more accessible and enjoyable than Fleming's James Bond books, and the character of Modesty Blaise is far more enjoyable to read. The books are not child friendly as they contain the occasional 'sexy scene', but for older readers they are great, quick reads. Despite the first book, Modesty Blaise, being written back in 1965, the books have aged pretty well (again, far better than the Bond books have in my opinion). Don't be put off by the pink cover of the first edition - these books are certainly not girly. Modesty is a great character for boys to read, and a great role model for girl readers. There is also none of the misogyny that permeates through the Bond books. Oh yes, and Peter O'Donnell write particularly great villains.

For many years these books were out of print and only available in charity shops (some of my old paperback copies are looking very battered and well read now) but a while back the wonderful people at Souvenir Press reprinted most of the series and I believe most of them are readily available these days. The character first appeared in a daily newspaper comic strip and it's also worth noting that the good people at Titan Books publish a large number of collected editions of these. I have a few of them and if you like graphic novels they are well worth getting your hands on. 

As I have said, the whole series could count as a comfort read for me, but the book I have read the most (out of every book I have ever read, I might add), is the first, Modesty Blaise, and although the books don't necessarily have to be read in order, I would strongly recommend it.

The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison

I wrote a tribute post about the Stainless Steel Rat books back in August 2012 following the sad passing of Harry Harrison. There's little more I can say here that I didn't say then, other than that I have read these books almost as many times as I have read the Modesty Blaise series. To save you having to jump over to that post, this is what I said at the time:

If you have boys who love science fiction and/or comedy then I simply cannot recommend them enough. As my own personal tribute to Mr Harrison I have re-read The Stainless Steel Rat today and yet again I was left with the feeling that it, and his other stories, are timeless and can have just as much appeal with 12+ boys today as they did with me back in the 1980s. Aside from Jim DiGriz himself they are full of great characters - Angelina, the ex-psychopath who still harbours minor homicidal tendencies, especially where Jim's safety (or fidelity) is concerned; Inskipp, the forever grumpy and long-suffering director of the Special Corps; the diGriz twins, just as devious and charming as their father. And on top of this, like Peter O'Donnell, Harry Harrison also writes damn good villains - the Grey Men are a particular favourite, appearing in The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge, and also in a later book in the series (which I'm not going to name as it might contain spoilers).

The great thing is that back in 2012 the good people at SF Gateway released all of the series in ebook format.

Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators

I'm going to include the whole series as a comfort read here and not single out any particular book. I have loved these ever since I was a child, and although they have dated a little as the three young detectives manage to solve all of their mysteries with no use of mobile phones or the internet, I still find them just as enjoyable today. They can be read in any order, and so I often pick a random title from the series if I feel I need a hit nostalgic reading.

The BFG by Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was my favourite Roald Dahl story when I was a child, but as an adult that has been usurped in my affections by The BFG. I love it and never tire of reading it.

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

I love these books and although some might say that The Lord of the Rings might be a little chunky to be a comfort read, there have been many times in the past when I have taken great delight in getting completely lost in Middle Earth. Back in 1994 when I was working on a kibbutz in Israel I took my much read copy of TLotR with me, expecting it to last me some time. The free time we had meant I finished it quicker than anticipated, and I ended up reading it three times in the six months I was travelling. As for The Hobbit? I have a battered old paperback, and also a lovely hardcover edition from way back, but I am now setting my sights on buying this lovely new edition, illustrated by Jemima Catlin.

The Tintin books by Hergé

I don't think I need to say much about these. I love them and always will! If I had to name a favourite, I think it would have to be The Black Island. it is the first Tintin book I can remember reading, and it introduced me to a lifelong love of the series (thank you to whichever teacher purchased it for Telford First School back in the day).

The Asterix books by Goscinny and Uderzo

My love for these is almost as great as my love for the Tintin books, and again, if I had to name a favourite, I would probably go for Asterix in Britain or Asterix and Cleopatra.

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So there you have My Magnificent Seven Comfort Reads. I'd love to hear about yours so please leave a comment.