I don’t know about you, but I have never been what I would call a consistent reader. Often I will read several books in a week before life and other pursuits take over. These next four books took about as long to read and chronicle as the previous twelve, but that is no reflection on the quality of them. And on that note…
Book 13: Hickory Dickory Dock – Agatha Christie (Crime Fiction)
When the usually unflappable Miss Lemon begins to make minute mistakes in the course of her secretarial duties, Poirot suspects le problem. Indeed, Miss Lemon’s widowed sister, currently working in a student hostel serving a wide range of nationalities, notices a series of seemingly unrelated, inconsequential items going missing. The unrelated is an abomination to our great detective, and Poirot finds himself unravelling not only a strange list of half-inched items, but also a web of interrelated acquaintances within the guesthouse.
Whilst this provides a great example of the genre, I would be remiss not to mention that many of the foreign students are dealt with in a rather stereotypical, slightly uncomfortable way by Agatha Christie at times, which can detract from the narrative. This being said and noted, I did enjoy this classic tale of Poirot seeking order in the midst of seeming chaos.
Book 14: The Exploding Life of Scarlett Fife – Maz Evans (Kidlit, LKS2)
Ten-year-old Scarlett Fife has a lot of little problems, ranging from spoiled classmates to the destination of the class hamster to a lonely dad. There is one problem which looms over them all, however: her BIG temper. Can Scarlett come to terms with both her tumultuous circumstances and the battle raging within her?
Filled with Maz Evans’ trademark humour (as seen in the monumental ‘Who Let the Gods Out?’), combined with the easy-reading/-listening style of Pamela Butchart, Scarlett Fife is an exciting new character for that difficult pre-Middle Grade age range. What Maz always does brilliantly is tackle real issues while not sacrificing the warm, comedic tone of the narrative. One potent example surrounds the issue of racial discrimination that is here seen through the eyes of the protagonist.
In sum, Maz Evans knows what children like to read and has once again captured that essence with Scarlett Fife.
Book 15: Crater Lake – Jennifer Killick (Kidlit, UKS2)
With such a wealth of books released into the Middle-Grade market each year, it is difficult to stand out amongst the crowd. To do so requires a book of no little originality. Enter the marvellously spooky residential trip of nightmares: Crater Lake.
Lance and his classmates realise they are in for something of an unconventional field trip when their coach is stopped abruptly on their way to Crater Lake, a camp set up in the heart of a meteorite crater. He soon realises that what he thought would be his biggest issues – a unkind classmate, a strict Assistant Headteacher and worries about the future – are not the most serious he will face while on this trip. A midnight walk reveals that there is something far scarier walking around the establishment than a member of the Senior Leadership Team…
This book has already served as an introduction for multiple classes of children to the horror genre, and would be a fantastic route for any 9-11 year-old into this fascinating genre.
– STAR READ – Book 16: The Nowhere Emporium – Ross Mackenzie (Kidlit, UKS2) – STAR READ –
When orphan Daniel stumbles across a mysterious, black-bricked shop while running from some local bullies, a magical series of events kicks off which will change the way he sees the world forever. The proprietor, Mr. Silver, introduces him to the magnificent Nowhere Emporium, a place of unimaginable wonders which contains magic and opportunity beyond compare. However, the joy of being a part of the Emporium also comes with increasingly great responsibilities, and Daniel must face his own insecurities and fears to become the hero that he really does not believe he can be.
Quite simply, this is the best book I have ever used as a class novel in my (Year 5) classes. The surface-level magic and wonder, accessible to all, are supported by a truly heart-wrenching tale which supplements the main narrative through a series of flashback chapters. The pace is kept up throughout its near 300 pages, leading to awestruck silences as I have read the final few chapters. I love that this book refuses to shy away from the full-range of human emotion and experience, a quality which leads readers not simply to enjoy a richly-imagined world, but also to put themselves in the position of the lives of the characters chronicled in these chapters.
As always, I would love to know what you are reading as we enter the second quarter of the year. Are you completing a reading challenge? Let me know how you are getting on. Reading, like most things in life, is best when shared.
Mr B Reads 