Friday 27 June 2014

Moccasin trail



Moccasin Trail
Eloise Jarvis McGraw
ISBN: 978-0-14-032170-8
Pages: 247
Moccasin Trail

Jim Keath was saved by the Crow Indians and spent the next six years living and learning their way of life.  This is who Jim was... a Crow.  That is until he leaves the Indians and is sort after by his brother and sister, who have lost their parents and need him to purchase land.  Jim is reunited with his family yet finds it hard to fit in with their culture.  As he adapts he finds it hard to fit into either culture.  His brother and sister also find it hard excepting and understanding his way of living.  Together they realise that to survive they need to accept each other and truly reunite as a family.
This book is well written.  I read it aloud to my children and they really enjoyed it.  They have asked for more books by the author, as they enjoyed the description in the novel.
I recommend this book for 11+ if reading independently, depending on reading confidence.  As a read-aloud I highly recommend for any age.
This was available from: Book Depository, Fishpond and amazon


Friday 20 June 2014

Turn Homeward Hannalee





Turn Homeward Hannalee
Author: Patricia Beatty
ISBN: 978-0-688-16676-2
Pages: 193
 
 
Turn Homeward, Hannalee
 
 
Twelve year old Hannalee lives with her mother and bother during the final days of the Civil War.  Her father has died, her mother is pregnant and her older brother is in the war.  Hannalee and her younger brother both work at the mill to support the family.  This is until the mill is burnt down and the mill workers are all taken from there home and sent to other towns.  Hannah and her brother are taken from their mother by the Yankees and separated.  Hannalee escapes, dresses as a boy and travels to find her brother.  Together they make their way home, becoming trapped in the middle of the fighting.  They watch one of the battles from up a tree and survive many obstacles in their quest for home. 
 
The author's notes state "The first half of this novel is fact, the second half fiction - or, more correctly, the result of some "educated" guessing as to the probable events that could have taken place in the lives of my characters after midsummer 1864".
 
It is good to see these stories are so well written that children can envision these events in history.  They are better than a history textbook and tell the story from the perspective of  the child. 
 
 
This book was available from: Book depository, Fishpond and Amazon
 
 
 
 

 



Monday 16 June 2014

Tru Lupp: Vintage Fashion Girl, Mystery Slayer

 


 
Tru Lupp: Vintage Fashion Girl, Mystery Slayer
Author: Ellie Lawrence


Product Details


 
Tru has so much going on in her life.  Her parents are no longer together and her Gran has died.  Tru  helps to clear out her Grans belongings and being a vintage fashion fanatic she struggles to give anything away.  They are her Grans treasures, the one person who understood Tru.
 
In amongst the clothes she finds a pin and decides to keep it.  When her mother discovers it, she sends it to auction.  Tru must find out the pins history before the auction.
 
This is where I found the story got exciting.  I had to read faster so I could keep up with the excitement of saving the pin.  The research into Tru's family is really good and the authors understanding of fashion labels gave Tru's passion for fashion a spark.  It was easy to step into the characters shoes while reading this novel.  A great little read.
 
I recommend this book for 10+
 
This was available through Amazon


Friday 13 June 2014

Ink heart




Ink Heart
Author: Cornelia Funke
ISBN: 978-1-904442-21-9
Pages: 548







Very interesting and extremely gripping.  I enjoyed this book from the first page to the last.  This is a book about a book.  It is a story of a girl who's father has the ability to read characters out of a book when he reads aloud.  He has no idea when this will happen, who will come out and the problem is that when one comes out, someone must go in.  While reading to his wife, when Maggie was a little girl, he read characters of Inkheart out of the book.  Hence, his wife disappeared into the book.  Never again did he read aloud and he protected Maggie from ever hearing him read.

That is until ...

Really, I cant spoil this for you!  This is a book you will have to read yourself.  Ink heart has been made into a movie and a very good movie it is.  But, it is not nearly as good as the book and it is missing so much that it seems wrong.  I am glad I had read the book first except, it kind of ruined the movie for me.  That is not to say that the movie isn't worth watching, because it is.  Just read the book also you will see the difference.


This is an young adults read and is available from Book Depository, Fishpond and Amazon

Saturday 7 June 2014

Clockwise

 


Clockwise
Elle Strauss
ISBN: 9781466440968
Pages: 284
Clockwise

Casey is a time traveller.  This is not her wish at all.  She travels back to the same place in 1860 every time, so it is almost as if she has two lives.  She never knows how long she will be in 1860 but when she returns to the 19th century no time has been lost at all.  No one but her best friend can tell she has been away.
 
Now... This travelling is enhanced with stress and stress is exactly what Nate Mackenzie, who she secretly admires, does to her.  When he is dared to dance with her, she takes him on an adventure.  It takes a while for him to believe her but having to live days in the 1860's, makes it all too convincing.  He sees another side of Casey but cant admit this as she doesn't fit into his perfect life back home. 
 
Oops... She takes him for another journey and his girlfriend is becoming an issue
 
The rest you will need to read.  I quite liked the portrayal of life in 1860 compared to life today.  It's a good read.  Clockwise is the first in a series of 4 books.  I am looking forward to reading Clocked. It is the story from the perspective of Nate, which I think is very clever of the author,  Elle Strauss.
 
 
This was available from:  Book Depository, Fishpond and Amazon
 
 
 
 

Sunday 1 June 2014

They loved to laugh


 


They Loved to Laugh
Author: Kathryn Worth
ISBN: 978-1-883937-16-4
Pages: 254
They Loved to Laugh

 
This book was so highly recommended by my daughter that it wouldn't go away.  She kept saying "Have you read that book yet!"  Very bossy I know!  So eventually I gave in and read it. 
 
Turns out it was actually really worth the read.  I sat in bed on the cold nights and read away many hours each night, until I found out the out come of each event.  Some were sad and some made me laugh.  They boys were typical little boys that caused her nothing but grief just for the sake of a laugh.  As she became a part of the Gardner family she learnt to prank the boys/men and she learnt to laugh.
 
This is what my daughter wrote about this book:  "This is an amazing book which made me realise the true meaning of laughing.  Martitia is an unpredictable character whom I enjoyed very much.  This would be one of my favourite books of all times."
 
I recommend this book for age 12+
 
It was available from: Book Depository, Fishpond and Amazon