I Read, Therefore I Blog

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.

The Blurb On The Back:

Wag your tail if you believe in fairies!

Oh no! Peggy the pug’s local park is shutting down! Now where will she go for walks with Chloe, her best friend? Chloe plans a summer fair with a cake sale to save the park, but Peggy has a better idea - she just needs to find a fairy to grant her friend’s wish!

You don’t always need wings and a wand to work some magic …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The 7th in Bella Swift’s (a pseudonym for a group of writers) illustrated series for readers aged 6+ is a genuinely fun affair that gets across how Peggy is very keen to help but doesn’t quite understand everything that is going on. I enjoyed her friendship with Chloe and especially her conversations with the other dogs and animals, which are well done while the illustrations have a warmth to them and get across the various personalities.

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

The Blurb On The Back:

Our heroes are following a magical map on their Quest through the Netherworld. Their old enemy Malvel has unleashed four new Beasts, including Styx, a deadly alligator!

Free the beasts
Live the adventure

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The second book in the 28th series of the BEAST QUEST illustrated adventure fantasy books by Adam Blade (a pseudonym for a collection of writers) for readers aged 7+ is a pacy affair with a real sense of jeopardy. I liked the fact that Katya had some personality and impetus, Styx was a genuinely frightening antagonist and there’s a hint that Zarlo has an agenda of his own. Well worth a look if you have a young reader into fantasy.

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

The Blurb On The Back:

Kat the Jungle Fairy looks after the beautiful, lush jungles in the fairy and human worlds. But when Jack Frost steals her magical objects, all jungles are in danger! Can Kirsty and Rachel help save the homes of all the tropical plants and animals?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The 57th book in Daisy Meadows’s (the pseudonym for Narinder Dhabi, Sue Bentley, Linda Chapman and Sue Mongredien) RAINBOW MAGIC illustrated fantasy series for readers aged 5+ is a solid affair that emphasises the importance of jungle habitats. However the illustrations are a little basic as is the depiction of jungle life and its importance, although I did like how some of the goblins are given personalities rather than being a uniform blob.

RAINBOW MAGIC - KAT THE JUNGLE FAIRY was released in the United Kingdom on 4th August 2022. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

In a country town ravaged by drought, a charismatic young priest opens fire on his congregation, killing five men before being shot dead himself.

A year later, journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in Riversend to write a feature on the anniversary of the tragedy. But the stories he hears from the locals don’t fit with the accepted view of events.

Just as Martin believes he is making headway, a shocking discovery rocks the town. The bodies of two backpackers are found in the scrublands. The media descends on Riversend and Martin is the one in the spotlight.

Wrestling with his own demons, Martin finds himself risking everything to uncover a truth that becomes more complex with every twist. But there are powerful forces determined to stop him, and he has no idea how far they will go to make sure the town’s secrets stay buried.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Chris Hammer’s debut crime novel (the first in a trilogy) is a solidly written whydunit rather than a whodunit but the depiction of a town dying from drought is more convincing than the human characters, who are thinly drawn. The pacing is thrown off by key strands of information being withheld back until the final quarter, some of the journalistic practices were unconvincing while the tentative romance between Martin and Mandy was a bit icky.

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