News: Astrosaurs Competition From Random House

I had an email yesterday that I thought some of my young readers might be interested in:

To celebrate the publication of the 20th Astrosaurs book, writer Steve Cole wants 20 Astrosaurs superfans to WIN amazing prizes!

You could get…

YOUR character in the next Astrosaurs book – complete with its own collector card!

£500 worth of books for your school library!

A fun-packed school visit from Steve Cole!

Six years ago, Steve Cole had an incredible idea. He crossed the word Astronaut with Dinosaurs to create ‘Astrosaurs’ - the finest crew of dinosaurs living in space. Yes, you did read that correctly, dinosaurs in SPACE! Packed with humour and fun, kids adore the amazing stories of Captain Teggs and the DSS Sauropod crew as they fight evil across the galaxy, and they keep coming back for more.

Random House Children’s Books will be publishing the 20th Astrosaurs book in October 2011, and to mark this momentous occasion we want to find the UK’s biggest, bestest and boldest Astrosaurs fans. To become a superfan, children need to create their very own Astrosaurs character.

They need to think about what their Astrosaurs character will look like… give it a name… tell us what it likes and hates, what it eats and what planet it hatched from. And once that’s decided, it’s time to show us what it looks like – anything from a drawing to a clay model, a paper puppet to an old cereal box daubed with paint! Entrants will also have to tell us in 25 words what makes them an Astrosaurs superfan.

The 20 winning superfans will have Steve Cole visit their school this autumn to perform a madcap event. The winners will also receive a complete signed set of Astrosaurs, Slime Squad and Cows in Action. There will also be an overall winner who will have their winning Astrosaurs character featured in the next Astrosaurs book complete with its very own collector card. The overall winner will also get £500 worth of children’s books for their school library.

The competition is now open and closes on Thursday 30th June 2011. Visit www.stevecolebooks.co.uk/Astrosaurscompetition to find out more, and also watch a video of Steve launching the search for the ultimate Astrosaurs superfan.

News: Inheritance Cycle Book 4 by Christopher Paolini

At last...... the news that every fan of Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle books has been waiting for, ever since they devoured the third book in the series, Brisingr back in 2008. As ever John Jude Palencar has done a stirling job on the cover deisgn, although I personally feel that he peaked with the stunning golden dragon on the cover of Brsingr. 

This is the press release from Random House Children's Books:

London (23rd March 2011) The fourth and final book in Christopher Paolini’s global bestseller Inheritance Cycle will be published this autumn. Following the number one bestselling novels Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, the book will be called INHERITANCE.

'The burning questions asked by fans around the world will be finally answered in this last instalment,’ said Christopher Paolini. ‘All will be revealed!’

INHERITANCE will be published in the UK on Tuesday 8th November 2011, simultaneously with the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, priced £18.99. It will also be available in ebook and audio editions.

Philippa Dickinson, MD of RHCB in the UK says, ‘We are extremely proud and excited to be publishing INHERITANCE. Christopher Paolini's books are an incredible worldwide phenomenon and readers have been eagerly awaiting the final instalment in the cycle. RHCB are anticipating a huge amount of interest in what is sure to be one of the biggest events of the year.'   

Publication will be backed by a major marketing and publicity campaign, including cinema advertising, innovative and content-rich digital marketing activity, a book video trailer and media coverage.

All Sunday Times bestsellers in the UK, Eragon, Eldest and Brisingr have been international publishing sensations. The first three books have sold over 25 million copies worldwide, including more than 4 million copies in the UK and Export markets.

Eragon, Eldest and Brisingr will be reissued in paperback in the UK on 7th July with new cover designs that breathe new life into John Jude Palencar’s stunning artwork. 

Review: Mission Survival: Tracks of the Tiger by Bear Grylls

Volcano eruption! Beck and his friend are on a relaxing holiday in Sumatra, visiting orang-utan sanctuaries and hanging out by the pool. Except that when they spend the afternoon out in the jungle, things take an unexpected turn, and a volcano eruption leaves them stranded and alone. Beck must use all his skills to survive the dangers of the jungles and swamps of Sumatra - can he get them to safety alive?

The man with the super-cool name, Bear Grylls, is back with this, his fourth instalment in the Mission Survival series and yet again he has produced an exciting adventure story that will have great appeal to many boy readers. This time Beck and his friend Peter are holidaying on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, an island with a long string of volcanoes that lie on the Pacific's so-called Ring of Fire. Of course, if you have read any of Mr Grylls' books before you will already be able to guess exactly what is going to happen.

Yup - no prizes on offer for predicting that Beck and Peter will become stranded miles from civilization as a result of a volcano eruption, and using the extensive survival skills and knowledge imparted by instructor they will attempt to make their way to safety. The last time the two boys were stranded they were in the Sahara Desert with snakes, scorpions and the merciless sun to contend with. This time there are still snakes, but also included in the equation are crocodiles, a tiger, a cyanide-secreting millipede and bacteria that could quickly cause even minor injuries to become gangrenous.

Bear Grylls' Mission Survival books are all pretty formulaic, and rarely ever particularly deep, although there is a nice environmental subtext running through this story concerning the problems caused by illegal logging in the rain forest. However the majority of 8+ boys are not looking for deep and meaningful, they just want page after page of easy-to-follow action, with characters they can easily relate to. Throw in a bucketful of survival skills that will make them sound cool in front of their mates and these books are a guaranteed hit with this age group (did you know your wee can be used to dissolve the spines of a sea urchin, should you ever be unlucky enough to step on one?). These books are a great introduction to the action/adventure genre before progressing onto the more complicated plots and themes offered by the likes of Robert Muchamore.

Tracks of the Tiger can be read as a stand alone story, although it does occasionally reference events from other books in the series. It is published by Red Fox and is available in stores right now, and my thanks go to Random House for sending me a copy. If you like these books then I also strongly recommend the Alpha Force series by Chris Ryan, also published by Red Fox.

News: Crawlers Widget

I received an email today from the lovely Kelly at Random House giving me details of the great new widget for Sam Enthoven's Crawlers which Liz from My Favourite Books guest reviewed for Bookzone back in January. Crawlers is due to be published on 1st April and to celebrate I am going to be posting a fantastic interview that Sam has done for me on that day. In fact, April is going to be a horror themed month on The Bookzone as there are so many new horror books coming out at the moment that I decided I couldn't wait until Halloween. Watch this space for more information, coming next week.

Review: Fighting Ruben Wolfe by Markus Zusak

Keep it clean, fellas. Fair fight. Okay. Do it. Don't go down. If you go down, get up. The bell, the fists, the fight. It begins, and the first round is death. The second round is the coffin. The third is the funeral. The Wolfe brothers know how to fight - they've been fighting all their lives. Now there's more at stake than just winning.

Markus Zusak burst onto the international scene a couple of years ago with the amazing debut adult novel, The Book Thief. However, Mr Zusak has been writing for some time and this book for the younger market, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, was first published in Australia back in 2000. Thanks to Definitions this book is now being reissued with a stylish new cover, and please believe me when I say it is desperately in need of your attention. If ever there was a book written for disaffected boys who claim that they don't like reading then this is it.

The story focuses on the lives of Ruben and Cameron Wolfe, brothers in a family that is going through difficult times. Their father is struggling to find work after a period of recuperation following an accident at work which led to him losing all of his plumbing jobs, their mother cleans the houses of other people. There is also brother Steve who, in the words of Cameron as he narrates the story, is "working and waiting and dying to leave home"; and finally there is their sister Sarah, who is turning to alcohol to ease her own frustrations and is starting to get a reputation at school for being a bit of a slapper. The boys have to put up with a barrage of wisecracks about their out-of-work father, but when one unfortunate boy suggests "if your family needs the money so bad, your sister should take up whoring. She gets around a bit anyway, I hear..." Ruben finally loses his cool and "smashes the guy, with bloody fists and trampling eyes".

Word travels fast in this small community, and it isn't long before Perry Cole, the organiser of an underground boxing racket, is waiting for the boys outside their house with an offer - he wants the boys to box for him at fifty dollars a fight (plus tips). Of course, it doesn't take the boys long to decide that money like this could help solve some of the family's financial problems, although deep down they know they aren't really doing it for the money - they are doing it "...for some other reason. Some other reason that wants inside us."

For me, the stand-out aspect of this book is Cameron's narration of the story. His voice is so typical of a disillusioned teenager: frustrated, anxious about the present and the future, rebellious and laced with boyish humour. His sensitivity also shines through, with his descriptions of his family and their various faults, and the close bond he shares with Ruben that grows even tighter as they go from one fight to the next. It is this, as well as the fighting, that will make this book so appealing to boys - many will read this and instantly be able to identify with Cameron and his feelings. It is relevant, without being obviously moralistic or patronising.

This book is about a bloody and savage sport, so obviously there is quite a high degree of violence exhibited at times. Sometimes this violence is pretty brutal, but the way Mr Zusak writes it, it becomes more poetic that gory. Boys with good imaginations will be able to picture the fights, blow by blow, but these violent moments are also tempered by Cameron's wonderful humour that runs throughout the whole story. There are many laugh-out-loud comments made by Cameron in his narration, a perfect example being his description of how he and Ruben walk their neighbour's unfortunately-named "fluff midget thing" dog Miffy - " .... and then there are these two juvenile idiots walking a ball of fluff down the road. It's out of hand. That's what it is. It's disgraceful".

As you can probably tell, I really enjoyed Fighting Ruben Wolfe (ok... I'll admit I read it twice, I enjoyed it so much). It is only 179 pages long, so can be read quite quickly, although even some reluctant readers might decide to take their time over it to savour Mr Zusak's glorious prose. It is published by Definitions and is in stores now. My thanks go to the nice people at Random House for sending me a copy.

** Interview with Andy McNab (author of DropZone)

Last month I wrote a glowing review of DropZone, the new book from ex-SAS member Andy McNab. DropZone is the first in a new series of books from Mr McNab, focusing on the adventures of Ethan Blake as he joins a team of young skydiving addicts who are also involved in covert military operations. Mr McNab was very kind to take time out from doing film work in the US to answer the questions I sent him.

DropZone is very different from your previous Boy Soldier series. How did you get the idea for it?

It was while I was freefalling in Switzerland two summers ago. There was a group of French teenagers who would stay at the DZ for a couple days jumping, then would disappear for a couple of days before reappearing for some more jumping. They were always driven about in an old minibus by an older guy who was in charge.  It got me thinking, what a great cover story this group potentially had. They could be freefalling for a couple of days, then go off and save the world before returning to do a bit more freefall, just as if nothing had happened.  And I thought maybe that would make a good story?

DropZone is the first book in your new series. Do you know how many books you hope to have in the series and have you plotted out the storylines for any of these already?

DZ 2 is nearly complete but for now I haven’t thought of any further storylines. I’m hoping that readers enjoy the first two books so that I can write some more!

What in your opinion are the main differences between writing for adults and writing for Young Adult market?

Not much, that's probably because I'm not that clever. Of course, I have to be more guarded about things such as violence and swearing but I think there is already far too much out there for teenagers that is patronising. They are more switched on than they generally get credit for.  I just write the stories as they come into my head.  It's really just a collection of pictures that I try to put down on paper so, to me, it doesn't matter if it's for a teenager or an adult reader.

What do you see as the main influences on your writing?

I think the main one is the hours of TV I watched when I was a kid. I don't think in chapters, but in scenes. To me, the end of a chapter is a commercial break.  When I write I just try and get a group of scenes in line so they make sense!  As for technique and trying to give the reader a sense of place, Joe Simpson's book, Touching The Void has had a big impact on me. The way he describes being wet and cold and at the same time what was going on in his head is excellent.  I must have read the book at least 20 times.

The skydiving you did with the Air Troop obviously helped you a lot with the research for DropZone. What other research did you have to carry out?

I have 1832 freefall jumps and maybe 200-ish static line jumps. I didn't start jumping until I joined the Special Air Service where I learnt how to static jump out of C130 Hercules aircraft to earn my wings.  Then I was sent to Air Troop where I learnt how to freefall. I just loved it and it became a passion that I carry on now as a sport. So I suppose that’s all the research I’ve done.

DropZone has some really interesting characters. Are any of them based on people you know? Will we find out more about the mysterious Natalya in future books?

Yes, on both counts.  The only way that I can create characters is by basing them on people that I know.  Those in this story are amalgamations of people who I knew whilst I was in the Army. It's just a quicker and easier way of creating characters. Why try to make one up when you already know a good one? Obviously, all of Ethan’s good points really belong to me!

Do you have a favourite author? What really appeals to you about their work?

I know it's a cliché but it’s Charles Dickens. His characters are totally believable and when they are sad, you are. But it's just not the characters, it's the stories and the way that he wraps human emotions around them. Great Expectations, I think, is his best. If you replaced the horses and carriages with cars, and the coal fires with central heating, you would think that it was written last year.

Are there any books or authors that you would recommend fans of your books to read?

Without a doubt, Joe Simpson’s Touching The Void and Dickens’ Great Expectations.

Can you recommend one book that you think every boy should read at some point?

It has to be the same books.

Do you feel that it is important that young people should read for enjoyment? Did you read a lot when you were younger?

Yes, very important. I never read when I was a kid, I just watched TV. That was the reason I had a reading age of an 11-year-old when I joined the Army. In fact, the first book I ever read was as an Army recruit and it was written for a primary school kid.  But the feeling of joy and accomplishment I got after reading a whole book was indescribable.

Can you give us any hints as to what we can expect from your next book in the series?

Yep, more freefall - and cage fighting.  What more do you need in life?


Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions Andy and I hope this new series is a great success. DropZone is due to be released by Doubleday as a hardcover edition today, 4th February. 

Review: DropZone by Andy McNab

Ethan Blake is seventeen and desperate to escape from his dead-end life. When he sees someone B.A.S.E. jump from the top of his block of flats, it changes the way he sees the world for ever. Soon, Ethan is caught up in the adrenaline-fuelled world of skydiving. He's a natural, so it's no surprise when he's invited to join an elite skydive team, but is he signing up for more than just jumping out of planes? The team's involved in covert military operations - missions that require a special kind of guts, missions so secret even MI5 denies all knowledge.

You had better fasten your seatbelts, for this book is one hell of a ride! In fact, after finishing it I almost felt like I needed a few hours to get my breath back. I say almost.... I was so wired by the non-stop action in the final scenes of the book that instead I popped the Wesley Snipes movie of the same name in my DVD player for another fix of extreme skydiving action. 

Ethan, the story's main character, comes from a troubled home where is mother has to endure a constant stream of verbal and physical abuse from his drunken father. Ethan himself, is not immune from this and is regularly informed that he is useless and his life will amount to nothing. Ethan is determined not to be like his father, but like many 17 year-olds he still has not found any direction in his life, and has no idea what he will do once he completes his A-Level studies in a year's time. One night he observes someone BASE jump (parachute) from the tower block where he lives, and so begins his adventure into the adrenalin-fuelled world of skydiving.

Everyone knows that before becoming an author Andy McNab was in the SAS. What you may not know is that during this time he learned to skydive as a member of the Air Troop, and has so far made over 1500 freefall jumps, at locations all over the world. Many fledging authors are advised to "write what you know"and whilst there is no way that Mr McNab can be described as 'fledgling' due to the number of books he has written for both the adult and YA markets, his books are always more the better because he writes from experience. I'm no skydiving expert, but speaking as a layman his descriptions of the skydiving scenes seem very realistic, and I am willing to believe that they are because of his first-hand knowledge of this activity.

This is the first book in a series, so in a similar vein to Robert Muchamore's The Recruit (first book in the CHERUB series), Mr McNab is using this story to set the scene for future books. This means, that despite the synopsis' promise of a Covert Operations team, it is only towards the end of the book that this part of the plot is fully revealed. The majority of the book focuses on Ethan's introduction to skydiving, his training and his bonding with the other members of the team. This is not to say that these earlier scenes are boring; in fact they are anything but. Andy McNab knows how to construct a thriller by varying the pace of his narrative; he knows where the quieter scenes are needed in order to help buld the tension to make the faster-paced scenes seem even more dynamic. 

The author also knows how to use quieter moments of the story to develop his characters. I felt Ethan was developed very well throughout the story, but the supporting characters not so. However, this is something we often see in the first book of a series which has to focus on the development of the main character; I expect we will learn a lot more about the others in future books. Despite not being fully developed, the characters in DropZone are certainly memorable, and the dialogue between them is sparkling and full of friendly banter. However, I guess in order to add more realism Mr McNab has spiced up this language with a few swear words in places. However, from experience I know that they are no worse than anything that can be heard on the average secondary school playground at breaktime. However, if you are not happy with your children reading dialogue like this then best you don't buy them this book. Similarly, some of the scenes towards the end of the book are fairly violent and not for younger readers, but this book will definitely appeal to boys (and many girls) aged 13+. If future DropZone books are as well written then Mr McNab may well have created a series to rival Muchamore's CHERUB.

DropZone is published as a hardcover edition in the UK by Doubleday on 4th February 2010. Thank you to the kind people at RHCB for sending me this copy to review.