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Mr Tweed’s Busy Day by Jim Stoten

Mr Tweed’s Busy Day written & illustrated by Jim Stoten

When Mr Tweed sets out on his afternoon stroll, he soon finds some friends in need of help. Can you come to their aid and find what they are looking for?

Mr Tweed is a dog who wears a suit and a very tall hat and who loves to help people. The story begins with Mr Tweed going for his usual afternoon walk and coming across various friends who are in some kind of predicament, each having lost something which could be anything from balloons to pineapples! The reader then must help find what has been lost in the spread on the next page, with the number of things to find increasing each time.

I love that this book combines reading with a seek and find element, as well as counting. It may draw comparisons with other well known seek and find books, but what I liked about this was there is a great story narrative to follow. For those children who are more reluctant to pick up a book, this is a perfect combination of words and images as well as the ‘game’ element of finding the lost things.

The fantastic characters include Colin Rocodile, Mrs Fluffycuddle and Little Penny Paws, to name a few. The illustrations themselves are quirky, inventive, colourful and full of detail with lots of different animal characters as well as humans. They reminded me of the Busy World of Richard Scarry, which I loved when I was young. I am sure children will love Mr Tweed and will enjoy the challenge of locating the missing items!

And with the added moral of being kind and helping people, this is a great book to have on the shelf.

You can read an interview with the author and illustrator Jim Stoten on the Reading Zone. And find out more at www.jimtheillustrator.co.uk. or on Twitter @jimtillustrator

With thanks to Flying Eye Books for sending me this book to review.

Instructions for a Second-Hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray

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Jonny isn’t like ‘normal’ teenagers.

EVERY DAY he wakes up in hospital kept alive by machine. EVERY DAY he wonders if this is the day they’ll find a donor match for his heart. EVERY DAY he wonders if this is the day he’ll die.

EVERY DAY Niamh fights with her “PERFECT” brother Leo. EVERY SINGLE DAY Leo wins. EVERY DAY Niamh dreams of a life without Leo. But ALL that changes on the day of the accident the day EVERYTHING falls apart. This is a story about facing the future no matter how frightening. This is a story about healing your heart, no matter how much it hurts.

Jonny has been in hospital for longer than he cares to remember, living in the shadow of a heart condition. His hopes for finding a donor for a heart transplant diminish as each day passes, only just kept alive by his fellow hospital friend Em, and his adoring parents. Jonny dreams of living a ‘normal’ teenage life, whatever that might be. In contrast, Niamh is desperate to escape her ‘normal’ life, living in the shadow of her twin brother to whom she has always felt inferior. Playing the role of the black sheep teenager of the family is destructive, but somehow Niamh can’t help herself. And then a terrible accident changes the course of both Niamh and Jonny’s lives forever, taking them down a path of grief, friendship and love. With a new heart Jonny can now lead the life he has always dreamt of. Without her brother’s constant presence in her life, Niamh can truly be her own person. But it soon becomes clear that even when you get what you want, you still have a long way to go before you can be truly happy.

Instructions for a Second Hand Heart is not your average YA romance story. Jonny and Niamh present as two very different characters each facing huge change and difficulties in their lives. What makes this story unique and emotionally challenging is how they are brought together and it is well worth reading even if you aren’t a ‘romance’ fan. Jonny cannot stop thinking about the person who saved his life and Niamh cannot stop thinking about her brother. If it wasn’t for both of them, would Leo still be alive? The narrative weaves a clever plot in which Jonny discovers more and more about his donor and Niamh discovers that perhaps her life was not as bad as she thought. The harsh reality of this being neither one of them can change the situation they are in; they have to decide how to face it.

Told alternately from Jonny and Niamh’s points of view, the story is easy to follow and keeps you hooked from the first page. You feel great empathy for both characters as well as the wider cast featuring their family, friends and the medical staff. With a focus on long-term illness, the importance of organ-donation is also high-lighted. The story explores the anguish of families facing extreme illness, loss, grief and how you manage to keep going even when all seems lost. It reflects the heartache of first time love, true friendship and how teenagers deal with the many and varied situations they face. The author brilliantly shows the reality of the both Niamh’s and Jonny’s situations and how they are not only dealing with their own emotion and heartbreak; they also have to cope with their parents’ frustration and suffering.

Be warned: Instructions for a Second Hand Heart is not for the faint-hearted! I loved this story and you’ll need a box of tissues and a day to recover from the emotional rollercoaster, but it’s worth it.

Find out more about the author at www.tamsynmurray.co.uk and on Twitter @TamsynTweetie

With thanks to Tamsyn Murray for sending me this book via a Twitter giveaway!

The Memory Book by Lara Avery

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Sam McCoy is 17. Sam McCoy was going to be someone – and then she became ill. Now, she must figure out who she is…..

Told in a diary style narrative, The Memory Book follows Sam McCoy as she deals with a life-changing illness. Diagnosed with Niemann-Pick, a form of dementia, Sam will inevitably lose her memory. Determined to give herself the best possible chance of remembering who she is, Sam starts a memory book, like a diary, telling her future self (Future Sam) who she is and what she wants from life. As she writes, Sam discovers the plans she has made for herself – winning the Nationals, making the Valedictorian speech and going to NYU – are less and less likely to be achieved but with dogged determination she fights her way forward. Sam’s friends and family provide some support and advice but it’s not always welcome; her illness affects them too. As it progresses, Sam has less and less freedom, which for a teenager desperate to break free is increasingly frustrating. Sam starts to realise perhaps she isn’t the person she thought she was and it’s only through the memory book that her true self is revealed.

The Memory Book is an utterly compelling young adult story and I read it in one sitting, staying up till 1am to finish it. In practical terms, it’s very easy to read with some ‘chapters’ only one line long (so a good choice for teens who don’t want to read a ‘long’ book). But in emotional terms, it’s heart-wrenching, with the final scenes in particular causing a flood of tears. I loved Sam; she’s bold and brave and totally inspiring considering what she is facing. I loved her debate partner Maddie; who takes no prisoners and says it like it is – causing conflict here and there. I loved Coop; the unassuming, ‘dope-smoker’ from next door, who turns out to be *spoiler alert* the best friend a girl could have. Sam’s family (Mum and Dad, a brother and two sisters, all younger) are introduced to us through childhood memories as well as ‘current’ moments and Sam’s own predictions of what she thinks her siblings will be like in the future. Particularly poignant is the scene where Sam lapses into memory loss and ‘forgets’ one of her sisters – with her sister understandably distraught at being ‘forgotten’ even if only temporarily. Sam’s parents work hard to pay the inevitable medical bills and to stay strong through the horrendous ordeal of watching their child’s health deteriorate. Through the various relationships Sam has, including with Stuart Shah her schoolgirl crush, the journey of self-discovery is significant. As the reader, you rejoice with her when she manages to achieve some of her goals, mourn those she can’t and feel absolute heartache as her “body is failing”. Slowly, Sam starts to realise those things she placed so much hope in are not as important as she thought. This realisation helps her to embrace the life she now has and do her best to enjoy it; a lesson we can all learn along with her.

As a mother myself, I cannot bear the thought of having my sons going through an illness like this. It’s bad enough when they have the flu – you’d do anything to make them feel better. Magnify this by about a million and that is how I imagine Sam’s mother to feel. Her words to Sam, her eldest daughter, written in The Memory Book are just beautiful. The story of Sam McCoy will stay with you long after reading.

Also reviewed for the Reading Zone. Thank you to Quercus for sending me this book.

The Wordsmith by Patricia Forde

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The Wordsmith, Patricia Forde

Ark is a place of tally sticks, rationed food and shared shoes, where art and music are banned, language is severely restricted and outcasts are thrown to the wolves. Letta’s job is to collect words and dole them out to people who need them. When she discovers that John Noa is planning to rob the people of language altogether and make them Wordless, she has to stop him. But she’s only a young girl and he’s the leader of the known world.

Letta is an apprentice, learning the trade of the Wordsmith; perhaps the most important role in all of Ark. Letta makes the word cards that people are allowed to use in their daily lives – anything not a ‘List’ word is forbidden. For words are considered to be the cause of the Melting; they are the root of all evil and therefore restrictions ensure there will be no more trouble. The rule of law is created by John Noa and Ark is policed for him by gavvers; ruthless men who will do anything they can to ensure the law is followed. Anyone found to be challenging the law, a Desecrator, is banished to the wild. Benjamin, the Master Wordsmith, has been Letta’s family since her parents were lost. He often reassures her that all will be well, even when unrest spreads across Ark and outside the walls in Tin Town. When Benjamin meets his death on a word-finding trip and a Desecrator named Marlo shows up in her shop with bullet wounds, Letta starts to question everything. The reality of Ark suddenly becomes more like a prison; Letta realises John Noa is not all he seems and that everyone is in danger. Now the Master Wordsmith, Letta must overcome her fears and challenge all that she thought she knew to uncover the truth.

The Wordsmith is a beautifully written tale illustrating the importance of language and creativity and the power they have to change lives. Suitable for ages 11+, it has a detailed narrative and clever plot, you are instantly drawn into the post-apocalyptic world of Ark. It takes a moment to get used to some of the conversation which takes place using only ‘List’ words, but this perfectly creates the atmosphere of what it must be like to live in a world without proper communication. The heroine Letta, for whom you feel great empathy, is full of imagination considering the time she lives in, and very brave. Saving Marlo leads her to find out what life should really be like and how creativity is part of being human – as well as discovering the Desecrators are not the monsters she thought. The monster, is in fact, John Noa, who has clearly become obsessed with controlling all those around him through taking away their words. It is a frightening thought and there are some unpleasant moments where you realise just how far he will go to ‘save’ society.

As Letta’s journey to discover the truth unfolds, we find out what happened in the Melting (global warming) and how this has destroyed the world as we know it –a potential future that is a little too ‘real’ for comfort. Letta meets many brilliantly described characters; each of whom has a different experience to share; each of whom lead her on to the inevitable confrontation with John Noa. As well as being a great adventure, with plot twists to keep you on the edge of your seat, The Wordsmith captures many of the concerns we have in society today. Raising questions of science, faith, religion, old age, poverty and the power of freedom of expression , I thoroughly enjoyed this story and really hope there will be a follow-up!
Check out my interview with Patricia Forde; not to be missed!

Find out more about Patricia Forde at www.patriciaforde.com and follow her on Twitter @PatriciaForde1

Thank you to Little Island for sending me this book to read and review.

The Great Shelby Holmes Girl Detective by Elizabeth Eulberg

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The Great Shelby Holmes Girl Detective by Elizabeth Eulberg, illustrated by Matt Robertson

Shelby can solve any crime. But when she meets John Watson, Shelby finds the answer to a mystery that’s always puzzled her – friendship. Suddenly, New York’s prize pooch is stolen and Holmes and Watson are swept up in a dog-napping case that’ll take teamwork to solve!

John Watson has had a nomadic existence in life so far. His mother is an army doctor and changing military posts regularly has meant lots of moving. When they arrive at 221 Baker Street he’s looking forward to finally settling down somewhere for a change. However it’s not great as it might be – his parents have split up and he’s without his Dad. Thankfully, distraction comes in the shape of the tiny but terrifying Shelby Holmes, who makes herself known after a mishap with an explosive experiment in the apartment above the Watson’s! John is not sure what to make of Shelby, especially when she demonstrates her seemingly psychic deductive powers.

But being on your own in a new home is no fun. With his Mum at work and three weeks until he starts school, John finds himself drawn to this strange, rambunctious girl and soon he’s helping her investigate a serious case of dog-napping. Shelby has the perfect opportunity to put her amazing deductive powers to good use and find the missing dog. It soon becomes clear that John isn’t the only one who needs help; Shelby doesn’t have many friends of her own. John realises not only does he hope to help Shelby with the investigation, her can help her make friends too.

This is a fun and quirky mystery story inspired by the great Sherlock Holmes stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Set in vibrant New York City, there’s a host of diverse characters from the pizzeria man to the pampered pooch Daisy! Our young hero is John Watson; a laid back thoughtful eleven year old and quite brave when it comes to meeting new people – but as he points out he’s had lots of practice! The heroine, Shelby Holmes, is a brilliant know-it-all nine year old and a little irritating at first; but you do warm to her when you realise she’s a just a very smart young girl struggling to fit in. Young readers will enjoy the dog-napping mystery focused on the wealthy Lacy family – who could have possibly stolen Daisy just before the most important Dog Show of the year?!

Supported by great illustrations throughout, the narrative gives a humorous nod to the original Holmes (“Seriously Watson? You think a real detective would wear a cap and smoke a pipe?!”). All in all Shelby Holmes is fun take on a classic, great for children aged 8+, that may well inspire new interest in the ‘real’ Mr Holmes himself!

To find out more visit: www.elizabetheulberg.com and @ElizEulberg or www.matttheillustrator.com and @drawingmatt

With thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me this book to review.