Book Zone Box Set #1 - The Alex Rider Series

I love DVD box sets! I have piles and piles of them here at Book Zone HQ, and sometimes, when I'm in the mood I will watch a whole season of a TV show back-to-back over a week, often whilst I'm getting on with school work of an evening. Over the past year I've been rewatching, amongst others, the complete X-Files, Stargate SG-1 and CSI: Miami. As I was reaching for Season 7 of the X-Files this morning I realised that the box set concept would make a nice new occasional feature for this blog: Book Zone Box sets.

As a child and a young teen I was much the same with books. If I found a series I liked I would read as many of them as I could get my hands on: Enid Blyton's various mystery series; The Three Investigators; the Hardy Boys; Agatha Christie's Poirot; the Conan books published by Sphere back in the 70s/80s; the Destroyer books by Sapir and Murphy... the list goes on and on. And I haven't changed - it's great to discover an author I've never read before who has a significant back catalogue of great books.

Many kids, and boys in particular, share this love for series books, so when people ask me to recommend books for their children I will often include a handful of first-in-series books, as if their child likes one of them it could be the catalyst to them becoming a keen reader. It worked on my godson (and his brother) when  gave him the first Percy Jackson book, and it has worked many times since. In this new feature I will put the spotlight on a series of books that I have read an enjoyed, and would highly recommend to any parent asking about suitable books for their child. For clarification, in my mind a series constitutes four or more books, i.e. trilogies do not count.

And what better place to start than with one of the very best series of books for 10+ aged reader from the last twenty years?

I love the Alex Rider books, almost as much as I love the Harry Potter books, both for their brilliant stories and the impact they have had on getting children, and boys in particular, reading for enjoyment. So well known are they, that it is very easy to fall into the trap of assuming that all book-loving children have at the very least read Stormbreaker, or that parents trying to encourage their children to pick up a book have tried the first in this series, but that is not the case. As such, Stormbreaker is top of every list I give to parents who approach me for book recommendations.

And now is the perfect time to start reading this marvellous series. 2015 marks the fifteenth anniversary of the first publication of Stormbreaker and earlier this year Walker Books published brand new editions, with top-smart new cover designs, produced by the Walker design team and creative studio Two Dots (see their stunning artwork at the end of this post). And there's more... the Walker editorial team have also gone through every one of the books in the series and updated them slightly. The changes do not affect the story in any way, other than to make the pop-culture references more relevant for today's young readers. This, in Stormbreaker, the modified gadget that Smithers provides Alex becomes a Nintendo DS when previously it was a Gameboy. In Scorpia, Alex is now wearing a Superdry t-shirt, and in Ark Angel the TV on the table in Alex's hospital room becomes an "Ultra Slim HD TV mounted on the wall". Small changes that some may feel are unnecessary, but I am sure young readers will appreciate them, without even knowing they have been made.

I realised earlier this year that even though I had read Stormbreaker a number of times, I had only read the other books in the series once each. Thanks to the generosity of the fabulous Paul Black at Walker I came into possession of a set of the newly rejacketed Alex Rider books, and decided that now was the time for a re-read. And just like a watching a TV series box set, these books are even better when read back-to-back. I remember when I first read each book that I found it very difficuly to put down, and on a second reading nothing has changed and it being the school summer holidays meant I had the luxury of being able to read for several hours at a time without interruption.

With so much time between the publication of each book, it is very easy to lose touch with the fact that the nine Alex Rider adventures take part over a period of  just twelve months. Yes, incredibly there is only one year between Alex being drafted into an MI6 investigation against his will, to his final battle against Scorpia, via a crazy number of near-death experiences. Reading them in this way we see how his character develops from a fun-loving, average 14-year old schoolboy, albeit one who is grieving the loss of his only close relative, to a battle weary 15-year old who has seen and done things that no young person ever should. What also becomes clearly evident is how different each of the books is - Anthony Horowitz managed to create a nine book series where each new outing for the teen secret agent seems fresh and without repetition.

Although only one of these (Scorpia) ends on a cliffhanger, and technically each book could be read as a standalone, or out of series order, as each story contains a new, discrete mission for Alex, to be fully enjoyed these books should be read in order. It isn't just Alex's character that is developed over the series, but also that of Jack Starbright, Alan Blunt, Mrs Jones and, of course, Smithers (and he may only make a cameo appearance in each book, but it is almost worth getting to know him by reading the whole set just for that one special moment in Scorpia Rising, a twist that I am willing to bet that no one could possibly have seen coming).

Seriously, for getting 10+ kids into reading, and boys in particular, they don't come much better than Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider series. And the icing on the cake? When you've finished the nine books you can read the mighty fine Russian Roulette, the Yassen Gregorovich origin story.

Cover Illustration by Two Dots © 2015 Walker Books Ltd

Cover Illustration by Two Dots © 2015 Walker Books Ltd

Cover Illustration by Two Dots © 2015 Walker Books Ltd

Cover Illustration by Two Dots © 2015 Walker Books Ltd

Cover Illustration by Two Dots © 2015 Walker Books Ltd

Cover Illustration by Two Dots © 2015 Walker Books Ltd

Cover Illustration by Two Dots © 2015 Walker Books Ltd

Cover Illustration by Two Dots © 2015 Walker Books Ltd

Cover Illustration by Two Dots © 2015 Walker Books Ltd

Cover Illustration by Two Dots © 2015 Walker Books Ltd

Review: Julius Zebra: Rumble with the Romans by Gary Northfield

From a smelly watering hole deep in the heart of the Serengeti to the ferocious clamour of the Colosseum, join Julius Zebra and his motley menagerie of friends as they gear up to be ... gladiators! Only if they win the love of the Roman crowds will they win back their freedom. But do Julius and his pals have what it takes to succeed in a world where only the meanest and toughest survive?

Apart from a small number of outstanding graphic novels (e.g. Bryan Talbot's Grandville, Blacksad by Guarnido and Canales) I don't do books featuring anthropomorphic animals. They just don't interest me - I'd rather be reading about humans with human characteristics than animals with human characteristics. This is the only reason why this first Julius Zebra book by Gary Northfield has sat unread on my TBR pile for some time, as I have really enjoyed some of his work in the Beano and The Phoenix comic. However, last week I finally got around to picking it up to read and I loved it.

Imagine Gladiator, Ben Hur or Spartacus, where the hero is replaced by a rather nervous, slightly daft and totally naive zebra, and you'll have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Rumble with the Romans. Add in a healthy dollop of toilet humour and a host of other equally bonkers animal characters and you have a book that will cause many a giggle and  guffaw amongst the 7 pluses (and most likely their parents as well).

Julius Zebra (don't call him Debra! Or Barbara! And definitely DO NOT refer to him as a stripy horse!) is a fabulous main character, with just the right level of daftness. Having been separated from his family (he's a nervous sort, and tries to sneak home from the stinky crocodile-infested waterhole) he is captured and finds himself transported to Rome, in the company of an equally daft warthog and a grumpy lion. Hearing the word circus, he naively believes he is on his way to see some juggling monkeys, and even when he reaches Rome it takes some time for the light bulb to come on. By then it is too late, and he finds himself as arrow/spear fodder for the gladiators at the Colosseum. However, more by luck than judgement, he ends up fighting back (something an animal has never done) and he quickly becomes the people's champion. However, this is only the beginning of his woes.

Gary's illustrations are even funnier than the text that accompanies them, and they aren't just there as pretty pictures for show either - they are mostly used to continue and add to the story, in much the same way as a comic works. Natutally, being from the pen and brain of Gary Northfield they are invariably laugh-out-loud funny, and make this a perfect book for kids who love a mixture of crazy drawings and bonkers written prose (not quite as silly as Mr Gum or Stinkbomb & Ketchup-Face, but pretty damn close in places).

The book isn't just an in your face laugh-fest either. Northfield has worked on the Horrible Histories books and has obviously taken note of their success at delivering historical fact in an amusing way that appeals to kids, as in Rumble with the Romans he very cleverly weaves in all kind of historical elements about gladiators and Roman life in general, both in the writing and in his fantastic illustrations. He even includes a glossary at the end of the book, listing many of the historical terms that he has used within his story.

All-in-all Rumble with the Romans is a wonderfully funny and anarchic take on the gladiators of Ancient Rome and I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in the series, whenever it is released. My thanks go to those fab people at Walker for sending me a copy.

Review: Wild Boy and the Black Terror by Rob Lloyd Jones

A new sensation grips London - a poisoner who strikes without a trace, leaving victims mad with terror ... and then dead. Is there a cure for the BLACK TERROR? To find out, Wild Boy and Clarissa must catch the killer. Their hunt will lead them from the city's vilest slums to its grandest palaces, and to a darkness at the heart of its very highest society.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was honoured to be a member of Booktrust Bookbuzz selection panel for this year. One of the books that the panel decided to put on the final Bookbuzz list was Wild Boy by Rob Lloyd Jones. I have to admit that I barely managed to delight when this decision was made as Wild Boy was one of my favourite books of 2013. Our decision also seems to have been a good one if the Year 7 pupils at my school are anything to go by as it has been a popular Bookbuzz choice.

Needless to say, its sequel, Wild Boy and the Black Terror has been one of the books I was most looking forward to reading in 2014 and I am delighted to report that I was not to be disappointed at all. In fact, I might possibly have enjoyed it even more than the first book.

With the main characters of Wild Boy and Clarissa firmly established in the first book, this sequel is very much about developing them further, especially given the traumatic adventures they experienced in Wild Boy. Rob Llloyd Jones does this by throwing the unlikely pair of friends into a conspiracy that is even more vile and despicable than the one they faced in their first outing. It quickly becomes a mystery that will test their friendship to its limits, especially as all the odds seem stacked against them from the start: the majority of the Gentlemen, in whose headquarters the pair now reside, are barely tolerable of their presence, and despite their success in saving London in the previous book they are still strongly mistrusted by the city's populace. Add to this cauldron the ingredient that is Clarissa's hot-headedness and we have a recipe for disaster.

Like its predecessor, Wild Boy and the Black Terror is a fantastic, fast-paced mystery adventure story in a wonderfully realised Victorian London setting. Without the need to introduce new characters the action kicks off pretty quickly, and barely slackens off at all until the final page. There is one scene in particular, where Wild Boy and Clarissa are required to carry out a particularly daring heist, that will have readers' hearts beating faster than a Keith Moon drum solo. Wild Boy is given plenty of opportunity to use his considerable powers of observation and deduction, and the mystery will keep readers guessing all the way through as the plot is very slowly revealed, although naturally only via a number of devious twists. Fans of the macabre and gruesome will also not be disappointed, as the black terror of the book's title begins to afflict more and more people.

If you picked up Wild Boy last year then you will know that Walker published it in a wonderful hardcover edition, sans dustwrapper, and they have repeated these fantastic production values with this sequel. They are the the kind of books that could quite easily create the bibliophiles of the future. My thanks go to the fab people at Walker Books for sending me a copy to read/review (and, of course, add lovingly to my ever growing collection). Please, please tell me there are going to be more adventures for Wild Boy in the future!

Review: Pigsticks and Harold and the Incredible Journey by Alex Milway

Pigsticks is the last in a noble line of explorers, and he’s decided it’s time for him to follow in his forepigs’ footsteps — with an assistant to do the heavy lifting, of course. When his help-wanted ad draws a motley crew of candidates, he chooses a hapless delivery hamster named Harold. As the unlikely duo set off from Tuptown with plenty of tea cakes in tow, Pigsticks is breathless with excitement (and Harold is struggling for breath under all the gear). But after a long trek through jungles, over deserts, and up a giant ice-topped mountain, the last crumb of cake is stolen by a herd of thieving goats, and their goal is nowhere in sight. Will they ever discover the Ends of the Earth? Could it be in the last place they’d ever think to look?

These days I very rarely review picture books. As a secondary school teacher my experience of them is very limited, and so I prefer to focus my efforts on books for older readers. However, I have long been a fan of Alex Milway's brilliant Mythical 9th Division books and so I just couldn't resist his latest offering.

This first book in what I hope will be a series sees Pigsticks (a pig) longing to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors by doing something great. He decides that he will travel to the Ends of of Earth, but being a rather upper class pig he decides that things like cooking and bag carrying are below him, and therefore he advertises for an assistant. Harold (a hamster) somehow manages to stumble into the role without ever applying, and soon the pair are off on their adventure through jungle, desert and mountains on their quest for the Ends of the Earth.

Yet again, Alex Milway has produced a story that is exciting, charming and, very importantly, very funny. Children will have no problem in spotting Pigsticks' flaws, and some may question the way he treats poor Harold, who is possibly the most tolerant and forbearing hamster in the world... ever! It is a relationship that brought to my mind that of Sherlock Holmes and Watson as his long-suffering companion. Pigsticks is the confident one with a 'who dares wins' outlook on their adventure, whilst Harold is the quiet, worrying type. 

Alex Milway's artwork is the perfect accompaniment to his story. The characters are all portrayed with fairly broad line work, making them stand out clearly from their backgrounds, and it is amazing just how much expression Milway manages to give the faces of his two main characters with this fairly simple style. The layout of the illustrations will also keep young readers on their toes: some pages have a traditional picture book layout with full spread images and little text, other pages are more like early readers, with far more text and smaller images, and some pages have layouts more commonly in the graphic novel format. This all adds to the overall reading experience, and I'm sure young readers will go back to this book again and again, even if just to pore over the illustrations.

Illustration by Alex Milway (http://www.alexmilway.com)

Pigsticks and Harold is not quite a picture book, nor is it strictly an early reader. It sort of falls between the two, and thus it is great as a book to be read by a parent to a young child and also great for an older child who is more confident with their reading but still craves lots of colour illustrations of their pages. There is enough in the book to challenge these more confident readers, as there are a handful of more difficult words (e.g. evasive manoeuvres), and these may also lead to questioning and dialogue between the reader and their parent.

Illustration by Alex Milway (http://www.alexmilway.com)

Pigsticks and Harold and the Incredible Journey is already available to buy, and my thanks go to the lovely people at Walker Books for sending me a copy. 

Review: The Fabulous Phartlehorn Affair by M.L. Peel

Bruno Pockley has a talent. A prodigious talent. But he's only just discovering its worth... When Bruno is sniffed out by a specially trained Trumpenhund as having world-class phartling potential, it's as if all his dreams have come true. Finally, his talent is being recognized! Then he and his classmates are taken to the court of the Knights Trumplar in the Kingdom of Phartesia, where they'll learn to play the ancient Phartlehorn for a performance of epic proportions. Starry-eyed, the children are determined to prove themselves to the magnificent Duke of Phartesia and his beguiling daughter. However, things are not always as they appear - and when Bruno and his friend Grace stumble upon the sickening truth about the Knights Trumplar, the wind is quite literally taken out of their sails.

This is the first book in Under 14s Only Month that has a plot which relies heavily on a certain bodily function (the clue is in the title), but it certainly won't be the last. Sadly, I think there is an assumption amongst some parents, teachers and librarians that if a book is about farting (yes, be proud and say that F-word!) then it must be crude and unsuitable for kids. Unfortunately, this misguided and probably misinformed (don't judge a book by the F-word alone, at least read it before deciding whether it is inappropriate) will mean that it may not find its way into the hands of kids who will find it laugh-out-loud funny from beginning to end.

I'm not at all ashamed to admit that even in adulthood I find a well timed or great sounding trump pretty damn hilarious, and so I guess there was always a good chance that I would find this book funny (I still find that scene in Blazing Saddles more than a little amusing). I think some people forget that the master himself, Roald Dahl, did not shy away from making good use of farts to add humour to his story in The BFG, and instead assume that children's literature is being dumbed down when bottom burps are mentioned in stories these days. Seriously? Can these adults not remember how funny it was when little Billy/Jimmy/add-name-as-appropriate accidentally let one rip in Miss (insert name)'s (insert subject) lesson at school? It's a fact of life that kids (both boys and girls, though girls are possibly less likely to admit it) find farts funny, and therefore are quite likely to gravitate towards reading a book that is clearly about this wonderful subject.

The Fabulous Phartlehorn is a delight to read, and author M.L. Peel (the M stands for Megan, by the way, before you go assuming that only a guy could write about these sort of things) takes her readers on a completely bonkers adventure, accompanied by a host of daft characters. It is not at all crude, but just very funny in a typically British kind of way. There is plenty here for younger readers, with the book read to them (complete with sound effects?) by a parent or older sibling (a perfect chance for families to read and laugh together), as well as having enough word play to keep older, more confident readers engaged.

Scattered throughout the book are a number of illustrations by the wonderful Hannah Shaw (long time readers of this blog may remember that she also illustrated another Book Zone favourite series - Ivan Brett's Casper Candlewacks books). As ever, there are just enough of Hannah's illustrations to add to the hilarity of the story without ever distracting from the flow of the story (one of my favourites appears on pg 127, as Strudel, daughter of the Duke of Phartesia, demonstrates the playing of the phartlehorn with a look of sublime concentration on her face).

I can't sign off without wondering out loud as to whether some of the inspiration for the story was the life of a very real Frenchman called Joseph Pujol aka Le Pétomane, whose story I first came across at the cinema, in the days when main features were preceded by a shorter film, in this case a short starring Leonard Rossiter as the eponymous bottom musician). Whatever the inspiration though, this book is well worth getting into the hands of an 8+ reader, reluctant or otherwise, but do be prepared to listen to constant giggling for the duration of the read.

My thanks go to Liz Scott and Walker Books for sending me a copy to read.

The Mythical 9th Division books by Alex Milway

Some of my posts for Under 14s Only Month will be short reviews of recently published books that have not yet received a mention on The Book Zone. Some of my posts will be about books that have been around for a little or a lot longer, but are still in print and remain as personal favourites. This is one of those.

Back in November 2010 I wrote a review of the first two books in Alex Milway's brilliant Mythical 9th Division series, Operation Robot Storm and Terror of the Deep. Since then a further two books have been published in that series: The Magma Conspiracy and The Alien Moon. All four books follow the adventures of the members of the Mythical 9th Division, a team of three yetis that for the past 150 years have "existed as a top-secret branch of the British Armed Forces." The yetis Albrecht, Saar and Timonen make up just one of nine divisions of mythical creatures, tasked with keeping the world's population free from the forces of evil. As their various missions unfold, we get to meet mebers of these other divisions, including The Bigfoot (Mythical 6th), The Kitsune (Mythical 8th) and the Yowies (Mythical 4th). 

In my review of the first two books I did not hold back from shouting about how much I loved them, and the third and fourth books in the series are more of the same brilliance. Why do I love this series so much? Firstly, they are perfect for readers aged 7+, with their mix of text and illustrations. Every chapter starts with four pages of comic-style panels, which are as much about moving the story on as they are about entertaining the reader. These panels are a stroke of genius and have the same effect as cliffhangers at the end of chapters  - they make the reader want to continue turning pages to find out what happens next. Alex's illustrations are brilliant, and he spoils his readers as they do not just appear at the start of chapters as more illustrations are interspersed throughout the book.

However, although the illustrations are what first catch the eye, the books are made even more special by the quality of Alex Milway's story telling. These stories are packed full of wonderful silliness, fast-paced action and adventure, cool gadgets, nasty Bond-esque villains, and, of course, my personal favourite aspect, the yeti characters themselves. Back in November 2010 I described the three yetis as reminding me of a very hairy version of The A Team, as they bicker and argue their way through their missions, like a trio of brothers who on the face of it might seem to not get on, but deep down know that they would give their lives for each other. As readers we can laugh at their bickering and banter, whilst also appreciating the bond that exists between them.

New, never before published yeti artwork, courtesy of the supremely talented Alex Milway

There is a great deal to love about this series, and yet sadly it has probably gone unnoticed by too many aged 7+ readers, and that is why I wanted to bring it to your attention in my Under 14s Only month. I'm not sure whether the series ever got published in the US, but I have checked and all four books are currently available to buy from The Book Depository so they are well worth checking out, wherever you may live.

(edit: I have today been informed by Alex that the books have been published in the US this year by Kane Miller, so grab 'em while they're hot US readers).

Sadly, I do not believe there are any more Mythical 9th Division books scheduled for the future as a scan of Alex Milway's own website shows that he has been working on other projects, with Pigsticks and Harold and the Incredible Journey due to be published by Walker Books next year. However, you can still find out a little more about the yetis, as well as download a handy guide to all of the Mythical Divisions, over at http://www.mythical9th.com/

Review: Russian Roulette by Anthony Horowitz

An international contract killer has been given his orders. His next target is a fourteen-year-old spy ... Alex Rider. The man's name is Yassen Gregorovich. He knows Alex well. The two of them share a secret from the past. As he considers his next mission, Yassen remembers the forces that turned him from an ordinary schoolboy into a hired assassin. What is it that makes someone choose to do evil? What would it take to make them kill? This thrilling adventure will be the deadliest yet...

This story needs little introduction as it is the book that Alex Rider fans have been waiting for years to read. It is the origin story of one of the AR series' most interesting and enigmatic characters, Yassen Gregorovich, assassin for hire and ruthless, cold-blooded killer. The story is largely told in the first person, with Yassen reading through a journal he has kept for many years, to kill time before he sets out to complete his latest mission - the assassination of Alex Rider.

The story takes us from the violent events that led to Yassen (or Yasha as he was originally called) fleeing from his village, through his time enslaved to a Moscow gangster and then on to his creation as a tool of destruction for Scorpia. We are also treated to the long-awaited first meeting with Alex' father, John Rider, and the relationship that developed between them.

I genuinely feel that this is the best Anthony Horowitz book I have read to date. I was 29 when the first Alex Rider book, Stormbreaker, was published in 2000, but that didn't stop me from picking it up and absolutely loving it. If I'm honest, I have to credit Anthony Horowitz, along with JK Rowling, as being responsible for my current love of YA and children's literature, and therefore this blog. Reading the early Harry Potter books and Stormbreaker and its sequels, prompted me to seek out other books for this age group, and suddenly my reading, which up to this point had been largely adult, was changed for ever.

Like most readers and movie lovers I have always been a fan of a well-created, interesting villain, and I have held Yassen Gregorovich up there with the likes of Darth Vader, Voldemort, The Joker and Miss Trunchbull. There was always those big questions left unspoken at the end of Stormbreaker - why did Yassen not kill Alex? And why the salute as the helicopter flies off? Finally, in Russian Roulette, Anthony Horowitz provides the answers.

We all know that Horowitz is one of this country's greatest writers for young people, so what makes this book so special? Firstly, this must have been one of the hardest books for Anthony to write - not only was he writing a book for long time fans of Alex Rider, most of whom will be in their 20s at least by now, but he also had to make it appealing and suitable for young people who are at an age to pick up his books for the first time, kids who may not yet have discovered the Alex Rider books. He achieves this in two ways: as well as being the kind of fast-paced action story that we have come to expect from the main series, there is also a great depth to this story, allowing older readers to dwell on the many moral questions that are posed by Yassen's story. This book would make such a great class reader in schools, as it would encourage students to debate over the rights and wrongs of Yassen's actions, as he grows into the adult assassin. Sadly, there will be schools where this will never happen, and it may even get banned in some libraries and schools (more likely in the US than over here) as blinkered adults make uninformed judgements about it being a story that glorifies the life of a contract killer. It isn't and it doesn't. End of!

However, for me the book's greatest achievement is in the way the author allows the reader to empathise with Yassen, without ever feeling guilty for rooting for a character who will become a vicious killer. We actually find ourselves wanting him to succeed, as we are able to see every event, however seemingly minor at the time, that leads to the creation of the final product. This is a boy who faces horrors that no child should ever have to face, and in comparison Alex Rider's life seems one of privilege.

Last week we were incredibly fortunate to be able to welcome John Boyne into school. During his presentation to our Year 8 pupils, he mentioned in answer to a question that he felt that there was very little (if any) rubbish being published for young people these days, whereas there was a huge amount of rubbish being published for the adult market. I found myself nodding enthusiastically in agreement - if more adults picked up books like Russian Roulette, or one of the many other brilliant books I have read in 2013, they might find their reading diets shifting quickly to YA, just like mine did back in the early 2000s. Sadly though, especially I think amongst male adult readers, there is this stigma against being seen with a book written for teens, and they would much rather continue reading tosh written for the adult market.

My thanks go to the lovely people at Walker Books for sending me a copy of Russian Roulette.

Review: Wild Boy by Rob Lloyd Jones

London, 1841

A boy covered in hair, raised as a monster, condemned to life in a travelling freak show.

A boy with extraordinary powers of observation and detection.

A boy accused of murder; on the run; hungry for the truth.

BEHOLD THE SAVAGE SPECTACLE OF WILD BOY!!

Ladies and Gentlemen, take your seats. The show is about to begin.

Confession time: occasionally I get very excited about books by debut authors, when all I have done is read the blurb/press release and/or seen the cover design. Sometimes a book just screams "READ ME, YOU'LL LOVE ME!" This is not always a good thing, as there have been a number of time where I have ended up being disappointed when such a book turns out to be not/less than I expected. Wild Boy by Rob Lloyd Jones was certainly not one of those books - it had me completely hooked from beginning to end and I loved every moment of it. And yes, it became yet another 2013 release that received 5 stars from me on Goodreads.

Before I even opened to the first page of the book I was mentally ticking the boxes as I read its press release. A Victorian setting - check! A main character who is in a freak show, and has a Sherlock Holmes style talent for observation - check! A sinister underside to scientific advancement - check! Packed with atmosphere and graphic gore - double check! And even better - written for younger readers (i.e. no teen angst and huge loads of fun - I'm getting so bored of YA and middle grade adventure novels are really my thing right now). As I turned to that first page I was pretty confident that I was going to love it and I just want to shake the author's hand and thank him for not letting me down. This is one book that I will be pushing hard in the school library, although Walker and whoever design the cover have done such a great job I'm not sure I will have to work too hard to get the kids reading it.

As I have already mentioned, Wild Boy (the only name he has ever had) is part of a travelling freak show, where he is owned by a rather nasty master. Before he was 'sold' he had lived in an workhouse/orphanage where he was kept locked in a room, and bullied mercilessly by the other children. Moving to the freak show brought a different set of problems, but the daily humiliation continued and the only way Wild Boy stays sane is by observing the many people who visit the circus. Over time he has developed this truly amazing talent for observation and deduction, and now 'boasts' skills to match the great Sherlock Holmes. 

Unfortunately for Wild Boy though, a murder happens at the circus, and for Wild Boy it becomes a classic case of being in the wrong place and the wrong time. He is spotted at the scene of the crime, and as he is so different from the norm, he is immediately accused of the crime. All of a sudden he finds himself on the run from the law, accompanied (very reluctantly) by Clarissa, an acrobat who is far from being Wild Boy's biggest fan, but who finds herself sought as his accomplice in the crime. So begins a fun, and occasionally frightening, action mystery story as the unlikely pair attempt to track down the real murderer and thus clear their names. Along the way they encounter sinister scientists, deadly (and steampunk-ish) technology, and the mysterious organisation, known only as the Gentlemen. Seriously - what is there not to like about this book?

Whilst the mystery and the action aspects of this story are spot on, for me the stand out elements were the characters and the descriptions of their Victorian world. As the story progresses Wild Boy and Clarissa develop in ways neither of them could ever have imagined, and they gradually come to accept each other for who they are. As a reader I became attached to both of these characters very quickly, and went through a range of emotions, from anger at the way the two were treated, to total elation as they began to solve the mystery using their special talents. Come the final page of the proof copy I received I was left wanting more (in a good way, of course), and I was overjoyed with the final chapter that hinted that there may be more on the cards. I have since discovered that Rob is currently working on a sequel, Wild Boy and the Black Terror, and although it is only in the writing stage and so way, way off publication I still cannot wait to immerse myself in the world of Wild Boy and Clarissa again.

Wild Boy was published in a beautiful hardcover edition on 4th April and my thanks go the the lovely people at Walker Books for sending me a copy. If you have a 9+ child who loves a good mystery story then this is a must-read, and is certainly up there as one of my favourite books of the year so far. You can find out more about Rob Lloyd Jones and his Wild Boy over at http://www.roblloydjones.com/

Review: Timmy Failure - Mistakes Were Made by Stephan Pastis

Meet Timmy Failure, founder of the "best" detective agency in town – Total Failure, Inc. With the help of his polar bear, Total, the clueless, comically self-confident Timmy already has plans for world domination. Plans that will make his mother rich and unpaid bills a thing of the past. And plans that will defeat Corrina Corrina, "The One Whose Name Shall Not Be Uttered". But she's not going away. Riotously funny, Timmy Failure is sure to have readers in stitches.

The massive success of The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series has led to pretty much every book for this age group that is written in the first person or in journal/diary format with accompanying illustrations being compared Jeff Kinney's books. Some compare very favourably (the brilliant Darcy Burdock by Laura Dockrill; The World of Norm by Jonathan Meres; the Tom Gates books by Liz Pichon), and now we can add Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made to that list.

Timmy Failure is about a small boy called (you guessed it) Timmy Failure, and yes, Failure is his unfortunate last name. Timmy is the founder, president and CEO of Total Failure, Inc., arguably (in Timmy's opinion) "the best detective agency in the town, probably the country. Perhaps the world." Timmy's partner in the agency is his pet polar bear Total (hence the agency's unfortunate name), but more about Total later.

Describing this book is not an easy task. Let's face it, Wimpy Kid is the diary of a not entirely likeable, whining, rude boy. But Timmy Failure is not quite so straightforward. And this is mainly down to Timmy's character. Timmy comes across as a deluded, bumbling fool who has a somewhat tenuous grip on reality, which means that his versions of events often differ to what actually happens in the story. As the story is written in the first person, we are therefore often left wondering just what on earth is going on in Timmy's mind. There is no outright suggestion that Timmy has Special Educational Needs, but for much of the story that is the assumption I made - he is uncooperative in lessons, he isolates himself from his peers during break time, and he has a very interesting way at looking at the world. And then there is Total, the polar bear. All I will say on this point is you will find yourself wondering throughout the story whether Total is real, or whether he is a figment of Timmy's imagination; sort of like an imaginary friend or comfort blanket.

Timmy Failure is a very funny book indeed, and there are moments that will have kids laughing out loud, and other moments, on a completely different level, that will have the same effect on adults. This book has so much more cross-generational appeal that any of the Wimpy Kid books, and will make excellent bedtime reading material.

I loved Timmy Failure, and I wonder whether a big part of that is the memories of how much I devoured Calvin and Hobbes when I was younger. There are a great deal of similarities, not least the Total/Hobbes element. I really hope there are more Timmy books to come from Stephan Pastis as I'm hooked. My thanks go to the lovely people at Walker Books for sending me a copy.

If you're not persuaded to give it a try from this review, head on over to http://www.timmyfailure.com to enter the world of Timmy Failure, and especially the video page at http://www.timmyfailure.com/videos.html

Review: Granny Samurai, the Monkey King and I by John Chambers

Eccentric young wordsmith Samuel Johnson finds himself home alone while his diplomat uncle is off diverting a crisis in Azerbajan. As Samuel sits penning his memoirs and wondering how to divert the crisis in his own life – namely the big, hairy brute that is Boris Hissocks – he spots the little old lady next door acting very strangely. Is she actually chopping wood with her bare hands? Then the Monkey King comes knocking, and suddenly Samuel's whole world is turned on its head…

Question: What do you get if you cross the crazier moments of classic kung fu films by the likes of the Shaw Brothers with the modern day zaniness of Andy Stanton's Mr Gum?

Answer: Granny Samurai!

Last time I was in London I was perusing the length shelves of children's books in Foyles and this little beauty caught my eye and shouted "Buy me!". It was the title that initially called out to me, but one glance at the inside and its plethora of black and white illustrations had me walking to the checkout ready to part with my hard earned cash. It then sat on my TBR pile for a couple of weeks whilst I read a handful of books that I had been sent by publishers, and then finally I couldn't resist any longer. And I finished it in a single sitting.

This is a great book for 8+ kids, and like the Mr Gum books it is destined to be a book that is at its best when read out loud to a room full of children. Main character Samuel Johnson is, like his famous 18th Century namesake, something of a wordsmith, and the book is narrated in the first person in Samuel's voice, almost like a personal journal might be. Samuel's love of words is evident very early on, as he announces himself to be the scribe of the story, and some of the words he uses will challenge younger readers to investigate their meaning, either by looking them up in a dictionary, or more likely by asking a parent or teacher.

Samuel lives with his Uncle Vesuvio, who is absent at the start of the story, supposedly over in Azerbaijan in his role as a diplomat. Samuel has been left to fend for himself, a task made infinitely harder as he catches the attentions of Boris Hizzocks, the brutish school bully. Boris takes something of a fancy to Samuel, but not in any platonic sense, and his Neanderthal-like brain decides that Samuel is the perfect victim. Fortunately the old lady next door, who Samuel first sees chopping wood with her bare hands, comes to his rescue, but unfortunately Boris and his mother Maddy swiftly turn the tables on poor Samuel and finds himself expelled from his new school before he has had the chance to settle in. And then the minions of the Monkey King come knocking and all hell breaks loose.

Granny Samurai is a fantastic character, and I hope there are more stories to come from John Chambers that feature her. She is a women of few words, and even some of those she does utter do not make a huge amount of sense, but boy does she kick ass. Poor old Samuel does not seem to understand what she is up to, or where he fits in to the grand scheme of things, for most of the story, and so he just gets pulled along by the tsunami that is Granny Samurai's personality. 

I mentioned the films of the Shaw Brothers at the beginning of this review; when I was in my twenties I went through a phase of watching loads of old kung fu films on VHS, and I was reminded of these many times throughout this book, and a lot of them were just plain silly in places. Granny Samurai's 'Silent Shriek of Animalistic Annihilation' and the Monkey King's 'Non-Silent Howl of Ultimate Destruction', complete with one hand shaped like a cobra and one foot folded behind his head like a scorpion's pincer, would have fit quite neatly into some of those films.

To say any more about this book is a little difficult. If you have read any of Andy Stanton's Mr Gum books then you will know that they have to be read to be fully appreciated, and no review can really do them justice with giving away all the best bits. So it is also for Granny Samurai, the Money King and I. It was definitely money well spent, and I know that 8+ kids are going to love it, probably even more than I did.

Review: The Power of Five: Oblivion by Anthony Horowitz (spoiler free)

Having escaped from Hong Kong, the Five Gatekeepers - Matt, Pedro, Scott, Jamie and Scarlett - are scattered in a hostile and dangerous world. As they struggle to re-group and plan their next move, the malevolent King of the Old Ones gathers his forces in Oblivion: a desolate landscape where the last survivors of humanity must fight the ultimate battle.

If you have arrived here at The Book Zone (For Boys) for the first time, because you searched for a review for Oblivion, the fifth and final book in Anthony Horowitz's stunning The Power of Five series, then hello and thanks for dropping by. It doesn't matter if you are a boy or a girl (or an adult who, like me, loves reading books targeted at children and young adults), all are welcome here. If you arrived here by these means then you also do not need me to tell you anything about the previous four books in the series, as I am sure you have already read them at least once, and in some cases multiple times. If, however, you have stumbled across this post and you have not yet had the immense pleasure of discovering this series then stop reading right now and go and read them, starting with Raven's Gate, as although this review will not contain any spoilers for Oblivion, I cannot promise the same about the rest of the story so far.

Some people have been waiting patiently for four years for this final instalment to the series to be released whilst Anthony sat on his backside twiddling his thumbs wrote a fantastic end to the Alex Rider series, and a brilliant addition to the Sherlock Holmes stories. However, some people (me included) have been waiting just a little bit longer for Oblivion - it has been twenty three years since Day of the Dragon, the fourth book in the Pentagram series, was published, a series that Anthony would go on to rewrite as The Power of Five. I did not discover these books back in the 80s when they were first released - I had to wait until I discovered them in a Birmingham charity shop not long after I started teaching in 1995, but seventeen years is still quite a wait. Was it worth it? Hell yes!

Before I say any more, I want to remind you of the closing lines of Necropolis, words that sent many a Power of Five fan's heart racing with concern, and no doubt caused howls of frustration to echo out across the land:

"The Five had entered the door without knowing where they were going, so none of them would have arrived in the same place. They would be as far apart now as they had ever been. Worse than that, the door had been disintegrating even as they had passed through it, and the final blast had played one last trick on them. If the five of them had survived the journey, they would find out very soon.

It would be a very long time before they found each other again."

What a cliffhanger that was! It left fans wondering whether all of The Five would survive, and where on earth the doorway would take them. It was also the perfect set-up for Oblivion. I don't think it is creating a spoiler to say that not only are The Five scattered around the world (again), but the doorway also sent them all ten years into the future, by which time the King of the Old Ones has had his wicked way with Planet Earth. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong - war, famine, disease, environmental meltdown, death and destruction - you name it, it has happened somewhere or other. Nowhere on earth has gone unaffected, giving the poor, unsuspecting Five quite a shock as they arrive through a variety of doorways, not knowing where the others are, or even if they survived the hasty escape from Hong Kong. They also quickly discover that the doorways are all inexplicably no longer working, meaning they will have to rely on more traditional means of travelling if they are to come together again to banish Chaos and the Old Ones back to whichever hell they came from.

You would be right in thinking this a seemingly impossible task, especially given that the minions of the Old Ones have had ten years to prepare for their arrival. Have no fear though, this is an Anthony Horowitz book and the man does have a knack of bringing things together to create a nice neat ending. Be warned as well though, this is an Anthony Horowitz book and the man does have a propensity for killing off main characters. There are both sides of the coin for you. What would you prefer? A nice neat ending with a favourite character being slaughtered by the Old Ones? Or perhaps a death-free end for The Five and their friends, but loose ends left blowing in the wind. I would certainly prefer the former of the two, and again, it's not really creating spoilers when I tell you that this is the road that Mr Horowitz chooses to travel, although you could stick hot pins under my toenails and I still wouldn't tell you who dies and who lives, or whether any of The Five manage to fully triumph over the forces of evil.

I'm rambling now, and that is because I am finding it very difficult not to create spoilers. I was one of the incredibly fortunate few who received an early proof of this book (naturally I dropped everything to read it) and I have been agonising over this review for some time. It is only now, the day before its release, when I feel I can no longer put off writing it any longer, and so I have forced myself to sit down and get it written. Why am I finding it so difficult? Well, I really, really loved this book but to really explain why would just create so many spoilers. I loved the characters, and the way Anthony really tests them to their limits; I loved the many, many action scenes (he does action so well); I loved the varied (almost) post-apocalyptic locations and their (often insane) inhabitants who have all been affected in some way or another over the past ten years. And most of all, I loved how Mr Horowitz has taken many of the issues facing our planet and its population today, and imagined what they would be like after ten years of Chaos and his Old Ones. The imaginary future he creates is all the more scary because in the back of your mind you realise that unless something is done pretty damn soon by the world's numerous governments then his fiction could become a very painful not-too-dissimilar reality for us all.

Oblivion is more than 650 pages long, and I am sure there will be some who will question this. However, I doubt many of these detractors will actually read it, and if they did they would quickly realise that when your five main characters (and various friends) are scattered around the world, it does take many, many words to lead them up to the ending that he delivers for his fans. However, I'm also not going to sit here and say that the book is perfect, as in my mind it isn't. I have one small gripe, and that is I felt it could have been just a handful of pages longer. Just twenty or thirty, as after the wonderful (or should that be horrific?) journeys he creates for his Five, the final climactic scenes in Antarctica just seemed to come to an end a little too quickly for my liking. However, I don't want to dwell on this as I had so much enjoyment reading this final instalment to a series that in one way or another has kept be enthralled and entertained for more than fifteen years.

So what next for Anthony Horowitz? Well why don't you come back tomorrow when I will be joined by the great man himself. Yes, Anthony Horowitz has taken part in a Q&A for The Book Zone, where he tells us a little more about Oblivion and also gives us a few hints as to what he has in the pipeline. Obviously, I've already seen his answers and I'm pretty excited about his plans.

My huge, huge thanks go to the lovely people at Walker Books, and the wonderful Justin Somper for so kindly arranging for me to have an early copy of this book. Oblivion is published today - if you are a Power of Five fan then go out and get your copy and make sure you keep the weekend free of any other plans. You won't regret it.

  

Book Zone visits Walker Books

This morning I had the pleasure of attending a blogger event organised by the good people at Walker Books. At the beginning of 2011 Walker launched Undercover, a campaign designed to promote their YA fiction, through their online blog. The campaign proved to be very successful, so much so that Undercover is now going to continue into 2012 with a brand new website. The purpose of this morning's event was to give us bloggers a taste of the great Undercover books that are to be released by Walker throughout 2012.


The first part of the presentation involved the nice Walker people raving about the books they have scheduled to be released over the next eight months. As with most YA 'imprints' a good proportion of these books were not typical of the kind of book I tend to read and review on The Book Zone (i.e. a bit girly). However, there were a few that I really wanted to bring to your attention:
Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones (published 5th January 2012)

The details of this book suggest that it is another corker that fits with Walker's commitment to publish gritty thrillers that don't pull any punches. Books that were it not for them having teen protagonists would more likely find themselves aimed primarily at the adult market.

Blink is on the run. He was just trying to steal some breakfast; now he's stumbled on a fake kidnapping and become a player in a bigger game.

Enter Caution. As in "Caution: Toxic". Also on the run, she sees Blink as an easy mark. But there's something about this naive, skinny street punk that tugs at her heart.

Together, they devise a blackmail scam which is at best foolhardy... at worst, disastrous.


Daylight Saving by Edward Hogan (published 2nd February 2012)

We were very fortunate to be introduced to author Edward Hogan at this morning's event. Daylight Saving is his first YA novel and it sounds original and haunting. Edward very  kindly gave us some of the details behind the writing of the book, and graciously answered all of our geeky blogger questions in great detail. I can't wait to read this one!

When Daniel Lever accompanies his dad to the Leisure World Holiday Complex, his expectations are low. But then he sees a mysterious girl by the fake lake and everything changes. Lexi is funny and smart, but why does she have wounds that get worse each time they meet? And is her watch really going backwards?

As the end of British Summer Time approaches, Daniel has to act quickly. Their souls depend on it.


Girl, Stolen by April Henry (published 2nd February 2012)

I had already heard about this book as it was released in the US back in September and I have read a number of favourable reviews on some of the US blogs that I visit occasionally. Walker billed it as an "edge of your seat thriller that will have you tempted to flick to the end". Another book added to my 'must read' list.

Sixteen-year-old Cheyenne Wilder is sleeping in the back of a car while her mother fills her prescription. Before Cheyenne realizes what has happened, the car is being stolen from the car park. Cheyenne is not only sick with pneumonia - she is also blind. Griffin, the teenage driver, hadn't meant to kidnap her - he was just stealing a car for the gang. But once Griffin's dad finds out that Cheyenne's father is the president of Nike, everything changes - now there's a reason to keep her. Will Cheyenne be able to survive this harrowing ordeal, and escape? And if so, at what price?


Body Blow by Peter Cocks (published 5th April 2012)

This is the sequel to Long Reach, the first book featuring teen undercover 'agent' Eddie Savage. Long Reach is a book that I bought on my Kindle some time ago, but despite recommendations from blogging friends I had never got around to reading it. The nice people at Walker very kindly let me leave with a copy of Long Reach this morning and I started reading it on the train home, and finished it off this morning. It is brilliant, and I have no doubt at all that the sequel will be just as good.

Eddie Savage is hiding out in the West Midlands after his near-fatal shooting during the Kelly affair. But while the physical wounds are fading, the emotional scars are taking longer to heal. And when Eddie finds himself heading for the south of Spain with an unlikely travelling companion, it is as if, by some magnetic force, he is being drawn back into the criminal underworld. Tommy Kelly may be safely locked up back at home, but on the Costa del Sol the Kelly organization is still alive. And kicking.


After the presentation we were then introduced to Jack, the guy behind many of Walker's YA book cover designs. Jack is the man responsible for the awesome cover of Daylight Saving, as well as the animated version (below) that has appeared on many blogs since it was unveiled to the public in October. As a teacher of Design I found Jack presentation totally fascinating (yes, I sat there quietly geeking out). It was great to see how he came up with his initial ideas based upon the story, and then developed them bit by bit to produce the final design that you can see below. Some of you will know from a previous post I made that some of my sixth form students are currently designing book covers and I'm looking forward to talking to them about Jack's presentation next lesson.

My huge thanks go to the good people from Walker Books who very kindly gave up their Saturday morning to talk to use bloggers - it is always a pleasure to listen to other people talk so passionately about books.

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