What can I say? Another great adventure in the Lockwood & Co. series.
This time, there is a supernatural outbreak that is taxing all the agencies in London. Old rivalries are put aside as the agents have to work together to keep alive.
Glamorous new assistant, Holly Munro, causes some upset and the skull in the jar is becoming more and more vocal.
The ending hints at a dark and terrible future. I personally can’t wait for the next in the series!
A collection of deliciously creepy short stories inspired by the horror genre.
Grotesque and macabre in places, but beautifully crafted and I raced through this.
This book was worth loaning from the local library just to have read the story ‘The Caxton Public Lending Library’. A wonderful idea, and so well-executed.
While this is not a complex book, it deals confidently with complex issues.
The opening clearly establishes the relationship between Pierrot and his deaf Jewish friend – a relationship that will become highly significant later in the novel. When young Pierrot’s parents both die he is sent to an orphanage and we start to get a sense of what was happening in the background of the time. Slowly, we are immersed in a world where the rights of a group of people were eroded piece by piece.
As with ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’, seeing this world through the eyes of a child makes it more horrific. Initially I found the character of Pierrot more likeable than Bruno; this is why what happens subsequently is more chilling.
The discovery that Pierrot has an aunt who is willing to look after him seems a good thing. Following him on his journey we witness snapshots of the changing attitudes in Germany. These do not make for comfortable reading, though I wonder whether the significance of the events will be apparent to younger readers. When Pierrot arrives at the home where his aunt is housekeeper we think he will be safe. Sadly, the master of the house is Adolf Hitler and what we have to witness is the gradual erosion of the moral compass of this young boy.
Pieter (as he becomes known) comes to worship Herr Hitler and we watch helplessly as he is drawn into a world so different to the one his family envisaged for him. His betrayal of his aunt was a truly horrific scene to read, and the actions of Hitler leave us in no doubt that what we are witnessing is the destruction of innocence in one man’s pursuit of glory. Pieter becomes a character that is so twisted by the values/beliefs of those around him that he is quite repellent at stages. Ultimately, he is still a child at the close of the novel and Boyne is careful to make clear that while Pieter has committed some unspeakable acts he is very much a product of his environment, and not beyond salvation.
For me the most poignant moment came after Hitler’s death when Herta leaves and speaks to Pieter of what will happen now: “you have many years ahead of you to come to terms with your complicity in these matters. Just don’t ever tell yourself that you didn’t know…That would be the worst crime of all.”
Reading about such a subject is not, and nor can it be, pleasant, but I feel this is a book that deserves to be read.
Tom Ward is no longer an apprentice in this new trilogy from Joseph Delaney. Following the death of his master in battle, Tom is a fully-fledged spook – charged with protecting the county from all manner of supernatural creatures.
I couldn’t wait to read more about Tom’s adventures, but I loved the fact that we were given new characters in this series. Jenny, the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, is fabulous and I was so thrilled to see Grimalkin play such a part in this story.
While this could stand-alone, I think that those who’ve slogged through the 13 instalments of the Spooks Apprentice series will find more of interest.
The ending came as something of a sucker-punch. What a way to leave us hanging…and guarantee that we’ll read the second book when it’s released!
I came late to this party, and it took an element of persuasion to convince me to start this series.
The Spooks Series tells the story of the seventh son of the seventh son, Thomas, who becomes apprentice to a Spook. Through these books we learn what the job of a Spook entails, have a richly imagined world full of truly terrifying characters and also get caught up in the age-old battle between good and evil.
There is a part of me that regrets not reading these books as they were published – trying to read them as one series meant, at times, that it felt a little repetitive. However, I feel this is a minor gripe and certainly not a concern that seems to be shared by the many teenage readers I’ve recommended this series to.
There are many things I loved about this series. Not least the evident love Delaney feels for some of the more unsavoury characters – Grimalkin and Alice – and his steadfast refusal to play safe with vocabulary and ‘dumb down’ to get his readers. Yes, there’s a formula, but it’s one that works.
I’m already looking forward the the new series, though I hope there’s not so many in this one!
Sarah Crossan is the author of ‘Apple and Rain’, one of the 2015 Carnegie Award nominees that all the students who read it thoroughly enjoyed. When I saw this book available for request on Netgalley I couldn’t resist.
Grace and Tippi are conjoined twins. Though they are many other things, this fact is what seems to define them in the eyes of others.
Through the eyes of Grace, the quieter twin, we see the girls starting school as their family cannot afford to home-school them any longer. We view their family going about their daily lives, and the impact that the girls’ condition has on those around them. We gain some insight into the practicalities of living so closely intertwined with another person. This all sounds very worthy, but that is not the impression that you get as you’re reading this.
The free verse of the novel makes this a very easy read, but it keeps you firmly in its grasp. The emotional pull of our narrator Grace really kicks in as we watch the twins and their family dealing with the very real impact of their failing health. This was a beautifully-told story that had me in tears, and it is one that I will strongly recommend to those who enjoyed ‘Apple and Rain’.
I had to update this entry, as ‘One’ was the winner of the 2016 Carnegie Award. All the students that were involved in the Shadowing process rated this highly, and anything that helps readers see that poetry is not something to fear is to be applauded.
As a fan of this series, I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed by the concluding book.
Zero Hour has passed, Dracula is at full strength and the inevitable fight draws closer. The operatives within Department 19 are all facing their own battles, but they have to draw together in order to save humanity. The Blacklight Operatives are exhausted. The general public have discovered the truth about vampires, and there remains the small matter of what to do about the first vampire. Graphic violence and genuinely tense scenes.
At more than one point in the book I had my hand in my mouth…and, at more than one point (don’t worry, no spoilers) I was wiping away the tears. I can’t reveal my favourite parts without giving details away, but for those who’ve followed the series this is a fitting conclusion. A genuine must-read!
I would have got a copy of this somehow, but I was very grateful to Netgalley for approving my request…
I received a digital copy of this from Netgalley, and I am so pleased that I did.
Sam is 16, a fantastic swimmer and part of a popular group of girls. It might sound like a perfect life, but she also has a secret. Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD, and her life is ruled by the fear of anyone other than her family finding out.
I’ve only just finished this, and my feelings towards it are quite raw.
It was beautiful, and for so many different reasons. I loved the portrayal of a character finding their way and managing their condition. The focus on words and poetry was always going to appeal, but I wasn’t prepared for how moving some of the poems were. I loved the insight into the patient/therapist relationship, and I’d have to be pretty callous not to be affected by the character of AJ.
All in all, a book I would love to read again. It has already been recommended to a couple of students, and I will certainly suggest it should be in our school library.