Knighthood for Beginners by Elys Dolan

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adventure books, books about dragons, books about knights, chapter books, Elys Dolan, funny books, Knighthood for Beginners, transitional books

Knighthood for Beginners by Elys Dolan was sent to me by the Amazon Vine review programme in exchange for my honest review.

I have reviewed several picture books by Elys Dolan here at Making Them Readers. My particular favourite being Steven Seagull, although I have thoroughly enjoyed everything she has written so far. Knighthood for Beginners is her first chapter or transitional book for slightly older readers. I was interested to see if she could carry the wit and style of her picture books over into a longer format.

She can.

Dave is a terrible dragon. He’s let down everyone in his family after failing the test to be a dragon, and indeed everyone in his community. Kicked out to wander the world alone, he finds a book about knights, and is bowled over. Realising that being a knight is his destiny, he sets off to find a trusty steed, who just happens to be a German goat called Albrecht.

Dave and Albrecht travel far and wide, but mostly to the nearest town to become chivalrous knights of old and in doing so, turn tradition on its head in the most delightful way.

This is a brilliantly crazy adventure, beautifully illustrated by Dolan with her usual charm and humour. I particularly like the rats on sticks in almost every picture. My favourite character is Albrecht, who is a devil may care adventurer with some classic lines, many of which are in German (glossary is provided). I also loved the Bearded Lady who, like Dave, manages to transcend her destiny and better herself.

There is a real sense of anarchy in this clever and funny book. It would work perfectly for newly independent readers and is a cracking read for both boys and girls.

And me.

Danny McGee Drinks The Sea by Andy Stanton and Neal Layton

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Andy Stanton, Danny McGee Drinks The Sea, early years books, funny books, Neal Layton, picture books, rhyming books

Danny McGee Drinks The Sea by Andy Stanton, with illustrations by Neal Layton was sent to me by the Amazon Vine review programme in exchange for my honest review.

Long term readers know that I LOVE Andy Stanton, and my only disappointment with this is that it isn’t more Mr. Gum. Frankly, the world needs more Mr. Gum. However, this is pretty good too, and perfect for Early Years readers who are not quite ready for the madness that is Mr. Gum.

Neal Layton is a brilliant illustrator and picture book author in his own right, and really these two people together are a winning combination. Layton’s illustrations are alive with colour and energy and perfectly capture the madcap fun of the story by Stanton.

Danny McGee takes on the challenge laid down by his sister Frannie, to drink the sea, but he just can’t seem to stop there. Hooked on the power of sucking the whole sea into his belly, much like the Old Woman who Swallowed A Fly, he goes nuts for eating everything and anything in his path. Although there is a wonderful twist in the tale that I won’t spoil for you here.

It’s a rhyming story, which, as regular readers will also know, is not my favourite thing in the world, but it works beautifully in this context and small children do seem to lap up the rhymes. It’s not too twee and at times there’s a slight Dr. Seuss element that lifts it out of the usual, syrupy rhyming fare.

It’s funny, exuberant and silly. Destined to be a picture book classic.

The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett

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Discworld, funny books, Terry Pratchett, The Last Continent

The Last Continent is the twenty second book in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett and my son Oscar and I have just finished reading it. Well, he’s been reading it to me.

I confess that having been a Pratchett fan right from the beginning, when this was first published I had a falling out of love with Pratchett. I really didn’t like this book, and didn’t read another one for a few years after this. This is the first time I’ve revisited it, and I still believe it is a low point in the series. It seems too much of a joke, and almost like a return to the Colour of Magic in some ways. Everything is a bit obvious, a bit too funny and the finesse that starts with Small Gods seems lacking in development here.

I confess that it was lovely to see the Librarian get such a juicy role in this book and his shape shifting scenes were the thing that saved this for me.

Having said that, Oscar really enjoyed it. He always loves anything with Rincewind and the Luggage in, and he was delighted to see them return here, roaming through the continent of XXXX, a thinly veiled Australia, which heaves with jokes about kangaroos and sheep and Mad Max type figures and which he found rip roaringly funny.

He was sad that it finished. I wasn’t.

As ever. It’s a book for teens at best, unless you’re broad minded and willing to explain a lot of stuff to an enquiring mind.

King Flashypants and The Creature from Crong by Andy Riley – A Book Review

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Andy Riley, chapter books, funny books, King Flashypants, King Flashypants and the Creature from Crong, transitional books

King Flashypants and the Creature from Crong by Andy Riley is the second book in the King Flashypants series, the first being King Flashypants and the Evil Emperor. I was sent the first book to review by Amazon Vine, and Oscar and I enjoyed it so much I snapped up the second book when it was offered to me.

King Edwin is a boy who also happens to be king of Edwinland. All his subjects love him because he’s a kind boy, and he also likes sweets as much as his subjects. When the story opens everyone is a bit miserable because Edwin’s right hand woman, Minister Jill has put a stop to all the sweet eating and is making everyone eat ten lots of fruit and vegetables a day.

Things look up when a hermit who lives in a house of dead wasps arrives from the wilderness to say that the land is about to be ravaged by a creature called the Voolith. Edwin decides to go on a quest and save all his subjects from death by challenging the creature to single combat.

The plan goes awry when he is challenged to a duel by the evil Emperor Nurbison, who hates Edwin with a passion and who wants to conquer Edwinland for himself.

Can Edwin defeat the Voolith, foil Nurbison’s evil plans and somehow avoid eating ten portions of fruit and veg every day?

I’d tell you, but then you might not read the book.

This is just as much fun as the first book in the series. Andy Riley does all the illustrations as well as the text and I particularly love the way he depicts Emperor Nurbison. Also Nurbison has the best laugh of all evil villains ever.

A great chapter book for children aged 7-10. Funny, silly and full of great jokes. It took me a few days to finish it as I was reading several other things at the same time, and my son hovered around the desk every day pestering me until the day he could take it away and have it for himself. He’s thoroughly enjoying it. We hope there are many more in the series.

Claude: Going for Gold by Alex T. Smith – A Book Review

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Alex T Smith, chapter books, Claude, Claude Going for Gold, funny books, Sir Bobblysock, transitional books

My family are united in their love of Claude, the delightful dog and his equally delightful sidekick Sir Bobblysock. We have loved Claude from the beginning and he never fails to please. Claude, Going for Gold was sent to me to review by the Amazon Vine programme in exchange for my honest opinion.

Honestly and promisedly, we love it. Alex T. Smith is both a brilliant illustrator and a brilliant writer. His books work for both adults and children because his humour is beautifully multi-layered. Children will enjoy the slapstick nature of Claude’s adventures and adults will love the subtle humorous asides. I particularly love the character of Sir Bobblysock for these qualities.

In Going for Gold, Claude and Sir Bobblysock are stumped as to how to spend their day when they get inadvertently caught up in a sporting parade that takes them to an arena sports day. Claude dons a pair of borrowed ‘snazzy knickers’ and competes in many different events. Success eludes him until Sir Bobblysock spots some nefarious activity going on near the trophy table.

A wonderful transitional book which would be a fabulous addition to any primary school library and which would work equally well for both boys and girls. A delight to share as a bed time story and from my own experience, Claude books make excellent stocking stuffers for those in their late teens as an unexpected and wholly welcome Christmas gift.

Jingo by Terry Pratchett – A Review

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Discworld, fantasy fiction, funny books, Jingo, teenage books, Terry Pratchett

Jingo is the twenty first Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett that my son, Oscar and I have shared together. It isn’t my favourite. We’re now into the middle years for Pratchett, where I lost enthusiasm for him and we parted ways for a few years. It’s interesting to read them again after such a long break (twenty odd years).

Jingo deals with the emergence of a new island between Ankh Morpork and Klatch that both cities decide belong to them. A small squabble over fishing rights and who gets to occupy the land, turns into the threat of all out war, and the mobilisation of ancestral armies on the streets of Ankh Morpork.

Samuel Vimes, commander of the Watch, smells a rat and investigates, or he would do if he wasn’t hampered by the political machinations of his aristocratic haters, in particular, Lord Rust, a man who wants to shut Vimes down for many reasons.

Oscar loved this because it is a book about the Watch. He brings to his reading, a wealth of knowledge amassed from the previous books and it suddenly makes him realise how valuable things like back stories are. He is beginning to predict how characters will behave in certain circumstances, and it gives him enormous joy when he is right.

I disliked this less, this time around, but then it seems to echo a lot of the political landscape in which we are forced to live at the moment, jingoism, xenophobia, racism and casual intolerance are all lampooned on Pratchett’s sharpest pen and I was moved to laugh more than once by parallels with current events. Despite the fact that they aren’t really funny. Current events that is.

It holds up better than I expected and there are some wonderful moments between Nobby Knobbs, Sergeant Colon and Lord Vetinari that I had totally forgotten about and which really made this a winner this time around.

Wonderful for teens who love fantasy, humour and satire. Not suitable for primary aged children unless you don’t mind doing lots of explaining of adult humour, double entendres, and in this case, politics and science.

Ottoline and the Purple Fox by Chris Riddell – A Review

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books with amazing illustrations, Chris Riddell, funny books, illustrators, Ottoline And The Purple Fox, transitional books

Ottoline and the Purple Fox is the fourth book in the Ottoline series by Chris Riddell and long awaited it has been. I have loved Ottoline since the very first book in the series, Ottoline and the Yellow Cat, and loved her so much I never waited for paperbacks. I was very sad when after the third book, Ottoline at Sea, it looked like Chris Riddell had retired her in favour of pastures new.

With the glorious Goth Girl series, I felt he had redeemed himself, and with all the awards heaped upon Goth Girl, I wonder if his publisher allowed him to resurrect Ottoline. However it happened, I was utterly delighted to receive Ottoline and the Purple Fox last year and I saved it until I knew I would be able to completely savour it. Certain books are reserved for deep enjoyment in the manner of break glass with hammer in an emergency. This is such a book.

I was poorly over the last few days, and after having waded through two dreary Jack London books out of a weird and entirely misplaced sense of duty, I knew it was time to enjoy Ottoline and enjoy her I did. Every, single page was a joy to read.

Ottoline is a young girl who lives alone with a bog creature from Norway called Mr. Monroe, who resembles Cousin It from The Addams Family. Her parents are explorers who write to her regularly and send home finds for the collections that Ottoline curates. Ottoline is not lonely as she has many friends and acquaintances and an entire raft of employees who come in to help her. In her previous books, she solved mysteries. In this book, rather more whimsical things happen.

This book shows Ottoline finding a new friend and setting up a story line I hope means there will be more books for. It also sees her exploring the strange city she lives in, in the company of a dapper fox as he takes her on an urban safari. Ottoline and Mr. Monroe also try their hand at matchmaking with very romantic results.

The Ottoline books are funny, charming, and glorious to read. The books are full of little jokes and asides and things to discover and savour. The illustrations are gorgeous, the books are beautiful things in themselves and there is, as ever, a little surprise tucked into the back of the book for the reader. These are perennially popular with all readers I tried them with, boys and girls, and they are fantastic for transitional readers because the text is so simple and the illustrations so beguiling.

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett – A Book Review

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books for teenagers, Discworld, fantasy books, funny books, Hogfather, Terry Pratchett

Hogfather is the twentieth book in the Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett. We loved it for many reasons, and in particular because it means that my son has now read nearly half the  series, which is an immense achievement for a ten year old boy who a few years ago announced he wasn’t going to bother to learn to read.

Hogfather is one of the stories with Death in, who I increasingly grow to love as the series goes on. Death becomes more complex, more thoughtful, more critical of humanity and indeed more human as the books progress. Death, in lots of ways, reminds me of Dr. Who in the way that he regards the human race. Always saving them, always baffled by them, can’t help loving them.

In this book we meet Mr. Tea Time, an assassin, who even by the Assassin’s Guild’s standards has gone a bit wrong. Mr. Tea Time is a sociopath, and has been hired by the auditors, the miserable, soulless overseers of the universe, to tidy up the Disc by removing its more frivolous creatures. The half mythic, half godlike, strange creatures like Hogfather for example, a creature best described here as the Discworld’s version of Father Christmas.

Death will not put up with the auditors’ meddling when he can meddle back, and this time he enlists his most excellent granddaughter, Susan to help him in his bid to make sure that the sun rises on another day on the Disc.

Many fine  and beloved characters make their appearance in this book, which is one of the reasons we love it so. Bloody Stupid Johnson and his almost perfect bathroom in the Unseen University, Ridcully the arch chancellor and the bursar with his dried frog pills, Hex and his growing complexities, and even Corporal Nobby Nobs all get a look in on this seasonal and brilliant volume in the series.

As ever, recommended for teens mostly, but precocious children everywhere.

Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth by Frank Cottrell Boyce – A Review

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books for boys, books for girls, books for older readers, Frank Cottrell Boyce, funny books, magical books, Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth

I got Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth by Frank Cottrell Boyce for my birthday, which was way back in April. I love Cottrell Boyce, as regular readers will know, which is why I treated myself as a birthday present, and then I decided to save it. Sometimes when there is a book I know I’m going to love, I save it in a kind of ‘break glass in case of emergency’ type way.

Frankly, it has been a wholly unpleasant year in many ways, hence why I ended up saving it until this last week, when my family and I scuttled off to darkest Wales and holed up on a hillside for a week, eating cake and reading books and shutting out the real world. It was definitely time for Sputnik.

I wasn’t disappointed. Cottrell Boyce is a master story teller. Everything he writes is a joy to read and this is no exception. Prez is a Scottish teenager from Dumfries whose grandfather, who he lives with, can no longer look after him. Prez is sent to a children’s home, and from there to a farm for the summer. When he arrives, Prez is choosing not to talk. Gradually, as he becomes used to the family he lives with, but mostly thanks to the arrival of a mysterious creature called Sputnik, Prez finds his voice.

Sputnik is an alien, but only Prez can see this. Everyone else thinks that Sputnik is a stray dog. Sputnik explains to Prez that he is on a mission to save the earth and Prez has to help him. Prez spends his summer helping Sputnik figure out ten reasons why the earth should be saved, and figuring out how to be reunited with his grandad.

The book is funny and touching and thoughtful. It’s silly and clever and clever in its silliness and it’s an absolute pleasure to read. Cottrell Boyce is fantastic at getting into the hearts and minds of the characters he brings to life on the page and making them believable, even when the most fantastic things are happening to them. I think my favourite thing about all his books is the way he mixes the mundane with the miraculous and finds a way to show you to the heart of what it is important, but without ever being too sentimental.

This is perfect for readers, boys and girls, aged eight and up. It is, as all his books are, wonderful to share as a bedtime read too.

Stinkbomb & Ketchup Face and The Great Big Story Nickers By John Dougherty – A Review

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books for boys, books for girls, books for reluctant readers, chapter books, David Tazzyman, funny books, john dougherty, Stinkbomb and Ketchup Face and the great big story nickers

Stinkbomb and Ketchup Face and The Great Big Story Nickers is the penultimate (so far) book in the series by John Dougherty. I had to read them out of sequel as there was demand from my children so I got to read the Christmas book first (which you can find reviewed on this site). I can see, now that I’ve read it, why this one was so popular I had to wait, because it is my favourite of the series so far.

It follows the same arc as all the other books, just in case you were panicking. Stinkbomb and Ketchup Face have to foil the evil machinations of the badgers, with the help of the Shopping Trolley, ninja librarian Miss Butterworth, the King and Malcolm the cat. There are all the same jokes and tropes which make the other books so enjoyable too. But in this book we have the badgers tangling with the library and this is the joy for me. The badgers learn about writing themselves in and out of stories with the help of books like Treasure Island, and they play havoc with the plot line of the book they are actually in, popping up in all kinds of adventures and having a high old time.

This is very, very funny, particularly if you’ve read the books that are referred to in snippets as the badgers plunder their way through the shelves and pages of the library. It works incredibly well and there’s never too much of the other books to grate and the way Dougherty weaves them in and out of the plot is so ingenious. It’s the best children’s book I’ve read in 2016. It is to be hoped that some of the children who read this will be tempted to try the originals in their un badgered forms too, as he picks nice, exciting snippets to tantalise the reader. Although I suspect they will never be as much fun now, without you inserting your own badgery ideas in the mix.

The book has the usual fantastic illustrations by David Tazzyman. It works well for boys and girls, and middle aged women, and I am delighted that this series goes from strength to strength.