Never Odd Or Even by John Townsend

I just love reading books like this, absolutely stuffed full of number puzzles, patterns, palindromes and anagrams. It's the story of a boy, Elliot, who is being bullied at school because he suffers from autism. His only refuge is in the school library, where he spends his breaktimes and lunchtimes helping as an assistant. Whilst working in there one day, a serious crime takes place in the school office. Eliot comes up with an extremely clever (although also extremely illegal!) plan to get revenge on his tormentors. The clues to the mystery are all hidden inside the pages of the book, although you'll have to work very hard to find them.

 

A very entertaining and quirky book that requires a bit more thought than most. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am sure that it will definitely appeal to its target audience, boys between nine and twelve. It is one of the books in the Cold Fusion series, published by Ransom, in which 'the reader will be stretched with stimulating ideas'. I'm going to keep an eye out for other books in the series to add to our school library, as I have a feeling that they could be very popular.

 

Mr Biddle.

 

PS- There's even a clue to the mystery hidden on the front cover!



Moon Chase by Cathy Farr

Moon Chase is the first novel from the author Cathy Farr. It was published a couple of years ago, but has only recently come to the attention of WEJS Book Club (where it has already been eagerly read by several members).

It is the tale of a boy, Wil Calloway, who has been wrongly been accused of committing an extremely serious crime. He is tried by the Order of the Magewizen of Saran, and they decree that in order to prove his innocence, he must take part in the legendary Moon Chase. If he dies or is injured, then he is surely guilty; if he survives and returns uninjured, then he is innocent. Although most people have already decided that Wil is guilty, luckily for Wil there are a small group of people who desperately want him to prove his innocence.

The Moon Chase involves hunting and killing dangerous Wraithe Wolves. In order to take part and survive, a high degree of specialist training is needed. Unfortunately Wil receives no training, and very little help from the rest of the party. He has no weapons and has never learned to ride a horse. Even with the help of the loyal Fellhounds, surely he cannot survive the perils and dangers of the Moon Chase?

Although the plot of the book is quite straightforward, this book is written in an extremely engaging and heartwarming style. The main characters have real depth, and the relationships between them develop beautifully through the book. It is well paced, and includes some extremely gripping (and quite violent) action scenes. The story ends by setting the scene for the second book in the Fellhounds of Thesk series, Moon Crossing, which has now been promoted to the top of my 'to be read' pile.

If you enjoy reading fantasy novels, then I am confident that you will enjoy this. Highly recommended for Year Six and upwards.

The author Cathy Farr

Ninja Death Touch by Chris Bradford

What an action-packed little book this is! It follows on from the events of the first book in the series, Ninja: First Mission, and is even more exciting. No time at all is wasted in getting into the action- in fact, within the first six lines, Taka, the hero of the story, is given the Death Touch and is struggling to stay alive.

 

The evil Lord Oda and his army of over 1000 samurai have threatened to destroy every ninja clan in the country as revenge for having the sacred Scrolls stolen from them. One morning the army arrive unexpectedly at Taka's camp. The ninja trainees are outnumbered by at least ten to one- surely they have no chance against the might of the samurai warriors? They desperately try to defend their village from the onslaught, but can they fight such impossible odds?

 

I loved this book. It's only 60 pages so I read it in under half an hour. The author, Chirs Bradford, wastes no time on tedious descriptions of scenery and conversations where people sit around discussing their breakfast- every paragraph moves the action along at a fantastic pace. He clearly has a very good knowledge of the ninja way of life and I learned a lot while reading it. The book ends on a real cliffhanger and I can't wait for the next book in the series, which I'm hoping is out very soon.

 

The Ninja books are going to be a real hit in the classroom. Anyone who wants a quick read full of excitement, danger, twists and turns will love them. Definitely recommended.

 

Also, try the Young Samurai series by Chris Bradford. Much longer books, but equally as enjoyable.

Stinkbomb & Ketchup-Face and the Badness of Badgers by John Dougherty

We were very excited to be the one of the first classes in the whole country to read the new book by our Patron of Reading, John Dougherty. This is what we thought:

When Ketchup-Face was singing the song to the badgers, it made me laugh like crazy. Andrew, 8.

I liked it when Ketchup-Face kept saying that she hadn't finished her song. Jaya, 8.

I loved it when Ketchup-Face kept jumping on Stinkbomb's feet and he kept saying 'OW!'. Kayley, 9.

It was so funny and I kept laughing all they way through. Rod, 8.

I liked the part when we found out what had happened to the missing money. Kristopher, 8.

Blueberry jam! I laughed so hard my head fell off. Megan, 8.

My best bit was when they set the dustbin trap for the badgers. Gemma, 8.

I enjoyed the bit where Ketchup-Face kept singing the song about jam. Madison, 8.

It was so funny, I laughed all week. Tyler, 8.

The Blueberry Jam song is the funniest song ever. It nearly made me wet myself. Oliver, 8.

My eyes were watering because this book made me laugh so much! Jersie, 8.

It was so funny, I was in stitches. Lauren, 8.

I liked the bit when they kept putting their feet into each others mouths. Tamzin, 8.

It was so funny that we nearly cried. Elise and Mollie, 8.

I liked the bit when everyone got caught by the evil badgers. Jodie, 8.

I liked it so much! Michael, 9 (Happy Birthday Michael!)

She should have had more verses in the jam song. Emily, 8.

Please don't make me sing the jam song again! Mr Biddle, 25.

I like the bit where we find out why badgers are called badgers! Mr Arden, unknown.

We couldn't find a picture of the cover of the book, so here is a picture of a badger.

Ghost Knight by Cornelia Funke



Inkheart by Cornelia Funke is one of my favourite books, and one that I regularly recommend to children in my class. It's amazing to think that it was published almost exactly ten years ago. Ghost Knight is one of Cornelia's latest books and is 'a perfect English ghost story' for children.
 

I was slightly concerned at the beginning because the first few pages reminded me very much of quite a lot of other books I had read (a boy with an unhappy homelife is packed off to boarding school...hmmm), but luckily from the second chapter onwards I was engrossed. Jon Whitcroft, the main character in the book, is eleven and really doesn't get on with his mother's new boyfriend, known simply as The Beard. He very reluctantly agrees to go to boarding school and spends his first night there gazing miserably out of his bedroom window. In the distance he suddenly sees three very strange and terrifying ghosts on horseback. They all ride towards him, pointing and making threatening gestures. Jon panics and tries to run away but is stopped by one of the masters of the school.
 

The next day Jon is approached in the canteen by the mysterious Ella who seems to know not only all about the ghosts but also, more importantly, how to get rid of them. She tells Jon that has to visit the tomb of  a dead knight, Sir William Longspee, and ask for his help in destroying the evil. But what will the knight want from John in return? And what is the secret that Ella's grandmother, Zelda, is hiding?
 

Although this isn't a scary 'jump out of your chair with fright' book, it manages to create a wonderfully spooky atmosphere. The resourceful and brave Ella is a fantastic character who saves Jon on more than one occasion. Some of the conversations between Sir William Longspee and Jon are extremely moving, because both characters are searching for something that they need help from others to find. I also really enjoyed reading the confrontations between Sir William and the major villain in the story, the evil Lord Stourton.

 

It's the kind of book that really ought to be read by the light of a flickering candle when there is a huge storm blowing outside and rain lashing against the window. A very enjoyable read and definitely one for anybody who loves a ghost story.

 

Stitch Head by Guy Bass

This book appeared in our school library about three weeks before the end of term. I hadn't heard of it but was absolutely fascinated by the lovely front cover, so I quickly added it to my ever-expanding summer holidays reading pile. And I'm really glad I did, because I absolutely loved it.

Stitch Head is the very first creation of the Mad Professor Erasmus, who lives in the spooky Castle Grotteskew. The Professor is very similar to Doctor Frankenstein, and is absolutely obsessed with trying to breathe life into strange creatures (dog-faced cats, headless horses, frog-children, etc). Stitch Head is very soon forgotten by his creator and left to wander the castle all by himself. However, even though the Professor no longer cares about him, Stitch Head is incredibly loyal and always tries to help the Professor in any way he can. Stitch Head has just made friends with the Professor's newest creation, a creature known simply as the Creature, when there is a knock at the door. It is the the owner of a mysterious circus, Fulbert Freakfinder, and he desperately wants the Professor to leave the castle and go and work for him...immediately. But why are a group of angry villagers marching on the castle with pitchforks and flaming torches? How will Stitch Head cope without the Professor? And how will the Professor cope without Stitch Head?

This book was an absolute joy. Although it's 180 pages, it's a really easy read and I managed it in one sitting. There are some very funny moments but also some quite sad parts, as Stitch Head is a really lonely character with absolutely no self-confidence. The illustrations by Pete Williamson on each page are fantastic and really add to the story. After doing a quick search on the internet, I was delighted to find out that there at least three other Stitch Heads books available, so hopefully they will be appearing in our school library very soon (won't they Mrs Smith?).

Your're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but in this case I'm glad I did.

Highly recommended for Year Four and above.

Mr Biddle

Rendezvous in Russia by Lauren St John

This is the fourth book in the exciting Laura Marlin Mystery series (following Dead Man's Cove, Kidnap in the Caribbean and Kentucky Thriller) and I have really been looking forward to reading it. As always, the cover is beautifully illustrated and helps create exactly the right atmosphere for the book.

Laura is at home in St Ives, relaxing with her family, after defeating evil criminal gang The Straight As yet again. However, it isn't long before the action starts. A scene from a film called The Aristocratic Thief is being shot on the cliffs near Laura's home. Her three-legged dog, Skye, heroically rescues a young actress who has fallen from the cliff, which then leads to Laura and her best friend Tariq being invited to St Petersburg in Russia as a thank-you. Before they leave, they find out that the film has been plagued by problems since production started and that there have been several unexplained, and almost fatal, accidents.

When they arrive in Russia they are given a tour of a world famous art gallery by a mysterious Russian and soon discover that an enormous crime is being planned. Will Laura, Tariq and Skye be able to prevent it? Or will the Straight As finally get the better of them?

I have read most of Lauren St John's books, enjoying them all, and this is no exception! As ever, the story moves along at a great pace and introduces lots of interesting minor characters (the grumpy old actor given the starring role in the film was my personal favourite). I was also delighted that the evil mastermind behind the Straight As was finally revealed. There was one slightly disappointing part in the middle of the book when the mystery behind all the accidents on the film set was brought to a rather rushed conclusion, but the rest of the story is fantastic. I really hope that this isn't the last Laura Marlin book, but the way that the book ends suggests that it might be.

If you haven't read any of the Laura Marlin books yet, pop down to the library and borrow Dead Man's Cove. You won't be disappointed.

Thanks to Orion Books for the review copy. WEJS Book Club members will also publish reviews of this book as soon as school starts.

Mr Biddle.