I Read, Therefore I Blog

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:

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:

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:

”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.

The Blurb On The Back:

On the day they are born, each Swift is brought before the ancient Family Dictionary.

They are given a name and a definition, and it is assumed they will grow up to match.

Meet Shenanigan Swift …

She has other ideas.

Shenanigan Swift doesn’t believe in destiny

So what if her relatives all think she’s fated to be a troublemaker, just because of her name? Shenanigan knows she can be whatever she wants - pirate, explorer, or ever detective.

Which is lucky, really, because when one of the Family tries to murder Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude, someone has to work out whodunnit.

With the help of her sisters and cousin, Shenanigan grudgingly takes on the case, but more murders, a hidden treasure, and an awful lot of suspects make things seriously complicated.

Can Shenanigan catch the killer before the whole household is picked off? And in a Family where definitions are so important, can she learn to define herself?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Beth Lincoln's crime novel for readers aged 9+ (the first in a series) is a gloriously quirky affair filled with murder, mayhem and nominative determinism and illustrated by Claire Powell with spiky vim. It has a vibe of The Addams Family as re-imagined by Wes Anderson with Lincoln injecting humour and heart into the plot as well as villainy and deception. It’s one of the best children’s debuts I’ve read and I will definitely check out the next book.

THE SWIFTS 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:

Luli loves playing the violin in an orchestra. She is so excited when she hears that her orchestra will play outdoors in Tragalgar Square. It’s a midsummer concert for everyone!

A LITTLE BOOK OF THE ORCHESTRA reveals the world of a large orchestra in a story of one of its musicians and their instrument. In this book, find out about the violin and what it is like to learn and play. As you read, you can listen to the amazing music the violin creates both on its own and within the orchestra.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Mary Auld (a pen name for Rachel Cooke) and Elisa Paganelli’s illustrated book for readers aged 7+ (produced with the London Symphony Orchestra) intends to get children interested in classical music and playing instruments. Told as a story, there’s a lot of information here but while I liked the audio download accompaniment, I don’t think the format gives itself to casual reading and it’s better used in a formal teaching setting.

A LITTLE BOOK OF THE ORCHESTRA - THE VIOLIN was released in the United Kingdom on 9th March 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Ed loves playing the clarinet in an orchestra. He is delighted to share his music with a group of enthusiastic school children - and to invite them to his orchestra’s next concert.

A LITTLE BOOK OF THE ORCHESTRA reveals the world of a large orchestra in a story of one of its musicians and their instrument. In this book, find out about the clarinet and what it is like to learn and play. As you read, you can listen to the amazing music the clarinet creates both on its own and within the orchestra.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Mary Auld (a pen name for Rachel Cooke) and Elisa Paganelli’s illustrated book for readers aged 7+ (produced with the London Symphony Orchestra) intends to get children interested in classical music and playing instruments. Told as a story, there’s a lot of information here but while I liked the audio download accompaniment, I don’t think the format gives itself to casual reading and it’s better used in a formal teaching setting.

A LITTLE BOOK OF THE ORCHESTRA - THE CLARINET was released in the United Kingdom on 9th March 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Rainbow Magic

Hope the Welcome Fairy helps children to make friends and settle in when they move to a new home. But when Jack Frost steals her magical items, children everywhere feel anxious and lonely. What’s worse is Jack Frost steals Hope as well! Rachel and Kirsty must ask their new friends Gracie and Khadijah for help rescuing her - but will they manage to restore her magic before it’s too late?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The 59th in Daisy Meadows’s (a pseudonym for Narinder Dhabi, Sue Bentley, Linda Chapman and Sue Mongredien) RAINBOW MAGIC illustrated series for readers aged 5+ introduces new diverse characters (Gracie is Black and was born with one hand while Khadijah is Muslim) and there’s a real sense of danger with Jack Frost being quite nasty and gaining an ally in the troll chief. If your young reader wants to try this series, this is a good place to start.

RAINBOW MAGIC - HOPE THE WELCOME FAIRY 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:

Where am I?
What am I doing here?
And … Who am I?

When a young girl wakes up in the middle of the desert, she has no idea who she is. She’s wearing one show, a plain black dress and she’s carrying a strange, heavy case. She meets Tarni, who is on a mysterious quest of her own.

Together, the two girls trek across the cast and ever-changing Australian Outback in search of answers.

Except both are hiding secrets …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Zillah Bethell’s novel for readers aged 9+ is an entertaining tale of an unlikely friendship that forms between two girls from different backgrounds that draws on First Country culture and has a magical realist vibe. Tarni is a more interesting character than the girl (who has a poor little rich girl back story) and has the more moving emotional journey with Bethell being sensitive to First Country culture and I’d definitely read her next book.

THE SONG WALKER 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:

Berries are red. Berries are blue.
What if another badger wants them all too?
Who knows what you might find in the berry bushes?

Follow Badger as he searches for answers, happiness … and the meaning of life.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The third in Huw Lewis Jones and Ben Sanders’ picture book series is a strange affair where the illustrations (all moody palette and muted shading) are a lot better than the text. The story itself is oddly pitched as Blue Badger finding a potential mate, but it’s vague, doesn’t flow well and I think younger readers will be confused by it. Ultimately it’s just a bit too weird and disjointed for me and I wouldn’t read the preceding books.

BLUE BADGER AND THE BEAUTIFUL BERRY was released in the United Kingdom on 9th February 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.