quippe | Recent Entries

The Blurb On The Back:

Once I had four brothers, three of them are dead. I am next.

Felix Ashe is sure of only one thing. In thirty days, on his eighteenth birthday, he will die. The gruesome deaths of his three brothers have convinced Felix that he and his family are under a terrible curse - one doomed to stop anyone inheriting his family’s incredibly fortune.

When an opportunity to break the curse appears to present itself, it’s impossible not to heed its dark call. And bound to everything is a deadly secret society who will either be Felix’s downfall … or his one chance at redemption.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

H. F. Askwith’s debut YA historical dark fantasy novel is a lively, fast-paced affair with some genuinely chilling imagery. The magic at the heart of this book is different and disturbing and I believed in Felix’s anxiety. However while it draws on the beginnings of Prohibition and the Jazz Age, I wanted more of a sense of the period and I found the love interest, Lois, to be underdeveloped and suffers in comparison go the far more complex Violet.

A DARK INHERITANCE was released in the United Kingdom on 19th January 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Nothing has happened. Not yet, anyway. This is how all things begin.

Welcome to Apex City, formerly Bangalore, where everything is decided by the mathematically perfect Bell Curve.

With the right image, values and opinions you can ascend to the glittering heights of the Twenty Percent - the Virtual elite - and have the world at your feet. Without, you risk falling to the precarious Ten Percent, and deportation to the ranks of the Analogs, with no access to electricity, running water - even your own humanity.

The system has no flaws. Until the elusive “Ten Percent Thief” steals a single jacaranda seed from the Virtual city and plants a revolution in the barren soil of the Analog world.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Originally published as ANALOGUE/VIRTUAL, Lavanya Lakshminarayan’s debut SF novel is an ambitious read that examines its corporate owned, techno-state through interconnected short stories rather than following a single protagonist. That won’t be to everyone’s tastes and it is a little heavy-handed at the beginning, but this is a refreshing take on the genre with a sharp satirical eye and I look forward to reading Lakshminarayan’s next book.

THE TEN PERCENT THIEF was released in the United States on 28th March 2023 and in the United Kingdom on 30th March 2023. Thanks to Rebellion Publishing for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

You might want to read this book because someone you know has died. Or maybe you know someone who is grieving and want to help them.

This book contains practical, straightforward information and advice to help you to understand more about death and grieving.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Liz Gogerly is a former teacher with over 20 years of experience in writing non-fiction books for children. This is a thoughtful and sensitive book for readers aged 9+ (part of a series) about how to deal with death and grieving, including some of the practicalities (like funerals) and how to deal with your emotions while Scott Garrett’s illustrations are diverse and work well with the text.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Why do people fight wars?

- Why do people go to war?
- Is it ever right to kill another person?
- Can we solve problems without fighting about them?

This book looks at wars past and present and the reasons behind why people fight. Find out how wars start, and what happens to soldiers and to ordinary people who are caught up in them. Discover more about the history of peacekeeping organisations and the ways in which conflicts may be resolved without violence.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Ali Brownlie is a former humanities teacher who has written numerous books for children. Alex Woolf specialises in 20th century history and political books for children. This book for readers aged 9+ deals with the difficult topic of war and conflict but while there are some useful sections here, the way it deals with some major conflicts is superficial and I think risks being misunderstood by younger readers.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

The story of a dolphin, a girl and a life-changing friendship

Ró finds school impossible. When she reads, the words seem to jump around on the page, and she just can’t make them stick.

But when she goes to the bay each afternoon to watch a dolphin leap through the water, she finds the strength to keep going. Then the dolphin disappears, and everything in her life starts falling apart. Can Ró overcome her fears to find him?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Serena Molloy’s novel for readers aged 9+ is a moving coming-of-age story about a girl struggling with dyslexia against the backdrop of the breakup of her parents’ marriage told in a lyrical style. The formatting of the text is unusual in how it distributes text across the page but works well with George Ermos’s dynamic illustrations (although I do wish there had been more in a manga style given that Ró is described as using it in her own art).

WIDER THAN THE SEA was released in the United Kingdom on 30th March 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Have you ever had a secret?
The sort you lie awake at night thinking about?
I have.

A couple of years ago, I told my friends my secret. About me not being a girl or a boy. About me being non-binary. It was a little weird at first, but now things are pretty good.

Or at least, things were pretty good.

Until we started Year Six. Until we had to start thinking about secondary schools. Until I realised there was one school for boys, and one for girls, but no place for me.

That was when everything went wrong

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

L. D. Lapinski’s LGBTQ+ friendly novel for readers aged 9+ is a compelling and entertaining look at what it means to be non-binary and to campaign for what you believe in. Lapinski does a great job of explaining what being non-binary means and includes definitions of the various terms used. I particularly admired how they show how allies can find it difficult to understand what it means to be non-binary and pressure non-binary people to conform.

JAMIE was released in the United Kingdom on 30th March 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Eighteen years after her disappearance, the heir to the crown has returned.

When an ominous vision transports Sapphire to a new world, she awakens with a legacy to fulfil: she is the lost princess, and must carry on the line of the Blessed Queens.

She has much to learn, but soon Sapphire’s curiosity turns to the hidden, dark history of her kingdom. Answers are not easy to come by - until she meets a mysterious Shadow Witch who has knowledge to share.

But there is a millennia-old rule in Eriobis: never trust a Shadow Witch. And in a world founded on lies, magic and war, Sapphire is about to learn that perhaps rules should not be broken …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Brenna Nation’s debut YA fantasy romance (the first in a series) hit all of my personal nope buttons. Sapphire is emotionally unconvincing and deeply annoying, especially her refuseal to listen to advice for no logical reason while her “romance” with the two-dimensional and abusive Ashes is toxic and unpleasant. World building is generic at best and poundshop Disney at worst and adds to the glib, shallow feel such that I won’t bother reading on.

THE SHATTERED LANDS was released in the United Kingdom on 16th March 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Every good pooperhero needs a SOLID sidekick …

Superpoop has been single-handedly tackling the town’s TOILET TROUBLE. But with the DIRTY WORK piling up, he decides it’s finally time to share the HEAVY LOAD.

Is Superpoop’s biggest fan, Wonda Wype, up to the challenge?

Join Superpoop on his hunt for the perfect NUMBER TWO in this TOOT-ally hilarious, action-packed toilet tale.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Sam Harper and Chris Jevons’s picture book sequel is a pun-tastic take on toilet humour with plenty of poo jokes to keep any young reader entertained but also a decent story for them to follow. Wonda is a spirited and determined sidekick and I enjoyed her attempts to prove herself to a skeptical Superpoop while Jevons’s energetic illustrations have a lot of fun with all the toilet imagery and add further visual jokes.

SUPERPOOP NEEDS A NUMBER TWO was released in the United Kingdom on 30th March 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Wanted: Truth Detectives!

- Did you know that a TOY SPACESHIP can teach you about why prices keep rising?

- Or that a pooping cow can show you how to INVEST YOUR POCKET MONEY?

- And that even the greatest minds have been fooled by FAKE NEWS and dancing fairies?

In a world of bamboozling headlines and dodgy data, it can be hard to work out what’s really going on.

So pick up your magnifying glass and join Tim Harford, economist and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s More or Less, on an investigative adventure packed with tips and tricks to help you hunt down the truth about the world around you - using the power of numbers and your own brilliant brain!

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Tim Harford is an economic journalist and broadcaster who hosts BBC Radio 4’s programme MORE OR LESS. This very useful guide to understanding statistics and data is aimed at readers aged 9+ and includes concepts such as inflation while looking at how information is presented and how that can be used to fool you. Ollie Mann’s accompanying illustrations are lively and witty and I enjoyed the conceit of drawing in fictional detectives.

THE TRUTH DETECTIVE was released in the United Kingdom on 16th March 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Here’s what you need to know about me: I’m seventeen and a comedy god … in waiting. TBC and all that. But I know I’m pretty funny. I have two and a half terms left before going to uni, so if I want to try stand-up, it’s now or never

More than anything in the world, Madhu wants to be a stand-up comedian, but her parents are rooting for her to do something sensible that involves uni and a law degree.

Just as she thinks they’re probably right, a clip of Madhu goes viral and a comedy legend offers her the chance of a lifetime. It feels like all her dreams are coming true … until Madhu becomes the punchline.

Can Madhu stand up for what she believes is right and keep everyone she loves laughing?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Nikesh Shukla’s contemporary YA novel has a sharp-tongued female main character who makes interesting points about race and sexism, including among the British Asian community. Although the book makes the most of its Bristol setting, the plot is predictable and strains credibility but the big issue is that the comedy routines are flat and unfunny, with Madhu coming across as gobby and mean-spirited, which makes it hard to root for her.

STAND UP was released in the United Kingdom on 2nd March 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

It’s Easter, and Mopsy is hopping through the woods on a beautiful spring day!

She comes across chicks, ducklings, lambs and other friendly springtime animals.

When Mopsy and her sisters arrive at Peter’s Easter picnic, they find a special surprise! What could it be?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

This tie-in pop-up counting picture book set in Beatrix Potter’s World of Peter Rabbit with text by Katie Woodley and illustrations by Eleanor Taylor is specially designed as a tie-in with Easter. The pop up flaps are fun and Taylor’s illustrations true to Potter’s originals but it’s misleading for this to be advertised as a Peter Rabbit story when he doesn’t figure until the final page although this will help younger readers learn to count to 5.

THE WORLD OF PETER RABBIT - PETER’S FIRST EASTER was released in the United Kingdom on 2nd February 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

A young boy and his older sister have left home to play a game. To win, she tells him, they need to travel across endless lands together and make it to the finish line.

He can be brave like a tiger. She’ll be fast like a rabbit.

But the journey is difficult, and the monsters are more real than they imagined. And when it no longer feels like a game, the two children must still find a way to forge ahead and reach the other side.

A powerful, timely and beautifully illustrated story exploring the journey of two young refugee children in search of safety.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Erika Meza’s self-illustrated picture book is a clever, subtle and gorgeously drawn look at the plight of children crossing the US border. The relationship between brother and sister is central to the story and beautifully done and Meza is smart in her use of colour is fabulous. This is a book for adults to read with younger readers as each will get something from it and Meza stresses how the struggle does not finish when the journey ends.

TO THE OTHER SIDE was released in the United Kingdom on 14th March 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Down by the river, where the silvery sticklebacks swim, Mimi, Titch and Nusrat are the Stickleback Catchers: solvers of puzzles, seekers of adventure.

Mimi’s gran has started forgetting things. There are cracks appearing all around their home, and a mysterious black crow - both of which only Mimi seems able to see.

The Stickleback Catchers begin piecing the magical clues together - which, one by one, might help the to close the crack, and bring Gran back forever.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Lisette Auton’s fantasy novel for readers aged 9+ is a moving affair that covers the effects of dementia and features a trio of characters with different disabilities. I respected Auton’s decision not to specify the characters’ conditions because it makes it easier for readers to identify with them and while the plot does meander at times, it’s still absorbing and Mimi’s reaction to what’s happening to her Gran is very believable.

THE STICKLEBACK CATCHERS was released in the United Kingdom on 9th February 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Poopy Easter!

Danny and Dinosaur are on an Easter-egg hunt in Fairytale Land!

They search up beanstalks and fairytale towers, but soon find themselves in dragon-shaped trouble …

Can Dino’s rumbling tummy help them escape?

Lift the flaps to discover lots of egg-cellent surprises!

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter’s Easter-themed picture book (gamely illustrated by Garry Parsons and part of a series) certainly delivers on the poo and it’s always fun to read a book with hidden panels and bits to lift but the rhymes are lacking and the story is quite lacking. Younger readers will probably love it on the basis that anything poo-related is hilarious but while I do love good poo and fart jokes, this just didn’t work for me.

THE DINOSAUR THAT POOPED EASTER was released in the United Kingdom on 16th February 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Starting the Club was just the beginning of the story.

The ghosts have found one another …

And they’re not alone anymore.

Now they have to decide … what comes next?

Join The Sad Ghost Club and help your fellow ghosties.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The third in Line Meddings’s graphic novel series for readers aged 12+ is a well-meaning but thin affair about the dangers of taking too much, assuming that other people are coping okay and the necessity of having regard to your own mental well-being. The illustrations are cute but there are panels where nothing happens and I found it difficult to distinguish between the characters, which is probably the point but made it hard for me to relate.

THE SAD GHOST CLUB 3 was released in the United Kingdom on 16th March 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Momo Arashima just wants an ordinary life. But she’s about to become legendary …

At home, Momo cares for her mother; while at school, her classmates tease her for mixing up reality with the magical stories her mother used to tell her.

But when a terrifying death hag attacks Momo, she realises the stories are true - Momo’s mum is a Shinto goddess who uses to protect the gate to Yomi, the land of the dead. Now that passageway is under attack, and countless evil spirits threaten to escape and destroy humanity. Momo is the only one who can stop them.

Can Momo embrace her identity as half-human, half-goddess to unlock her powers, force the demons back to Yomi and save the world?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Misa Sugiura’s fantasy novel for readers aged 9+ (the first in a series) showcases Japanese mythology and has strong themes of popularity, bullying, loneliness and assimilation with visual imagery that reminded me of Studio Ghibli films. However, emotionally the story didn’t ring true for me - I never understood why Danny wanted to help Momo and her relationship with her mum didn’t convince while the plot beats are too heavily structured for me

MOMO ARASHIMA STEALS THE SWORD OF THE WIND was released in the United Kingdom on 2nd March 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Behind every great woman …
Is another great woman.

Connected Women is a collection of 84 illustrated portraits that celebrate female collaboration and the extraordinary achievements, relationships and secret histories of pioneering women.

From ground-breaking scientist Marie Curie to political activist Malala Yousafzai; from feminist author Virgina Woolf to the game-changing Billie Jean King; Connected Women creates a gigantic web of womanhood, threading tales from across the globe and throughout history.

Featuring Michelle Obama, Gala Dalí, Emma Watson, Nina Simone, Frida Kayla, Coco Chanel, Greta Garbo, Eleanor Roosevelt, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and many more inspired and inspirational women who have shaped the world we live in today.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Kate Hodges is a journalist with over 25 years of experience. First published in 2018 and re-republished in 2023, this book of 84 portraits (illustrated by Sarah Papworth) shows the connections between women from the 19th century to the present day. While it mixes lesser known women with the great and the good, it’s very western focused, some of the connections are tenuous and Papworth’s illustrations somewhat anaemic and lacking in personality.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Welcome to Dread Wood High.
It’s a scream …

Angelo and his friends have already defeated some seriously creepy creatures. But there’s no time to chill as a terrifying new enemy appears in the skies … giant vampire birds that feast on BLOOD!

Have Club Loser met their match with this fearsome flock of bloodsucking beasts? It’s time for the ultimate battle to take flight …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The third in Jennifer Killick’s comedy horror quartet for readers aged 9+ raises the stakes with Club Loser facing real peril and serious injury and the horror is gorier. I love how the diversity in this book is not a big deal here and a scene where Club Loser try on clothes for the school dance is a joy but I was less fond of how Killick introduces a conspiracy element to explain how the Latchitts are able to do some of the things they do.

DREAD WOOD - FLOCK HORROR was released in the United Kingdom on 2nd March 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Welcome to Dread Wood High.
It’s a scream …

Flinch is a game of fear. The more you scare your friends, the more points you get on the app. But things are about to get WEIRD …

Angelo and his friends start to investigate who is behind the game. Is it the people wearing the super-creepy clown masks? With adrenaline pumping and the fair arriving in town, it’s time for the REAL games to begin!

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The second book in Jennifer Killick's comedy horror quartet for readers aged 9+ is a genuinely creepy read with some sharp lines and good twists. It helps if you have read DREAD WOOD as there are a number of callbacks to it (although I could follow the plot without having done so). I believed in the kids’ omerta about Flinch, while the parasites are suitably disgusting and the Latchitts menacing such that I’d definitely read more in this series.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

”The child came out of the wild-ness, out of the sparse bleak mark where few dared to go and none came back. And though the villagers grew used to her, they did not forget from where she came.”

When the child walks out of the marsh, the villagers are wary. She is odd - half wild, with an unnatural bond to the falcon, who is always circling above her. Only the Wise Woman is kind to her, taking her in and naming her Rhodd.

Over the years, the deadly marshland grows and grows and brings with it a fatal sickness to the village. To save the creatures and the people she loves, Rhodd must return to the dark place she once fled and find out what has really happened to the wild.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Penny Chrimes’s fantasy novel for readers aged 9+ is a character-driven affair that draws on British folklore and the detrimental impact that greed and industry has on nature. Rhodd is a well drawn character, but there isn’t a lot of plot here and I also wanted more of a sense of place and period (there are hints that it’s late Victorian and in the west of England but it’s never explicit). It’s not that this is bad, it just didn’t gel for me.

WILDER was released in the United Kingdom on 16th February 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

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Page Summary

A Dark Inheritance by H. F. Askwith
The Ten Percent Thief by Lavanya Lakshminarayan
The Kids’ Guide - Dealing With Death by Liz Gogerly
Why Do People Fight Wars? by Ali Brownlie and Alex Woolf
Wider Than The Sea by Serena Molloy
Jamie by L. D. Lapinski
The Shattered Lands by Brenna Nation
Superpoop Needs A Number Two by Sam Harper and Chris Jevons
The Truth Detective: How To Make Sense Of A World That Doesn’t Add Up by Tim Harford
Stand Up by Nikesh Shukla
Peter’s First Easter by The World of Peter Rabbit
To The Other Side by Erika Meza
The Stickleback Catchers by Lisette Auton
The Dinosaur That Pooped Easter by Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter
The Sad Ghost Club 3 – Find Your Kindred Spirits by Lize Meddings
Momo Arashima Steals The Sword Of The Wind by Misa Sugiura
Connected Women by Kate Hodges
Dread Wood – Flock Horror by Jennifer Killick
Dread Wood Fear Ground by Jennifer Killick
Wilder by Penny Chrimes

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I Read, Therefore I Blog

A Book Review Blog Belonging to Caroline Hooton

Recent Entries

A Dark Inheritance by H. F. Askwith

The Ten Percent Thief by Lavanya Lakshminarayan

The Kids’ Guide - Dealing With Death by Liz Gogerly

Why Do People Fight Wars? by Ali Brownlie and Alex Woolf

Wider Than The Sea by Serena Molloy

Jamie by L. D. Lapinski

The Shattered Lands by Brenna Nation

Superpoop Needs A Number Two by Sam Harper and Chris Jevons

The Truth Detective: How To Make Sense Of A World That Doesn’t Add Up by Tim Harford

Stand Up by Nikesh Shukla

Peter’s First Easter by The World of Peter Rabbit

To The Other Side by Erika Meza

The Stickleback Catchers by Lisette Auton

The Dinosaur That Pooped Easter by Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter

The Sad Ghost Club 3 – Find Your Kindred Spirits by Lize Meddings

Momo Arashima Steals The Sword Of The Wind by Misa Sugiura

Connected Women by Kate Hodges

Dread Wood – Flock Horror by Jennifer Killick

Dread Wood Fear Ground by Jennifer Killick

Wilder by Penny Chrimes