The Blurb On The Back:

”I’ve got a poltergeist,” says Joe.
“What’s one of them?”
“Kind of ghost,” says Joe.
“Davie’ll know. Davie?”


Joe Quinn tells everyone about the poltergeist in his house, but no one believes him. No one, that is, except Davie.

He’s felt the inexplicable presence in the rooms and seen random objects fly through the air. And there’s something else … a memory of Davie’s beloved sister, and a feeling deep down that it might just be possible for ghosts to exist.

A haunting story of the power of hope.


The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

David Almond and Dave McKean’s graphic novel for children aged 9+ is, like many ghost stories, a tale of grief and faith that’s pervaded with sadness that’s inspired in part by Almond’s own life. I suspect that the lack of a definitive resolution will put off some readers but this is an emotionally mature book whose illustrations have an otherworldly melancholy that resonated with me and I suspect would do so with the target age group too.

JOE QUINN’S POLTERGEIST will be released in the United Kingdom on 7th March 2019. Thanks to Walker Books for the review copy of this book.
The Blurb On The Back:

”I am just a child,” says John. “How can I be at war?”


It’s 1918, and war is everywhere. John’s dad is fighting in the trenches far away in France. His mum works in the munitions factory just along the road. His teacher says that John is fighting too, that he is at war with enemy children in Germany.

One day, in the wild woods outside town, John has an impossible moment: a meeting with a German boy named Jan.

John catches a glimpse of a better world, in which children like Jan and himself can come together, and scatter the seeds of peace.


The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

David Almond’s historical novel for children aged 9+ has a sparse plot told with a dreamy magical realist quality that highlights the brutality of war and the damage that it wrecks on those subjected to its jingoism and which is sympathetically illustrated by David Litchfield who brings Almond’s themes to life with beauty and sensitivity.

WAR IS OVER was released in the United Kingdom on 1st November 2018. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
The Blurb On The Back:

One hot summer morning, Davie steps boldly out of his front door. The world he enters is very familiar – the little Tyneside town that has always been his home – but as the day passes, it becomes ever more dramatic and strange.

A boy has been killed, and Davie thinks he might know who is responsible. He turns away from the gossip and excitement and sets off roaming towards the sunlit summit at the top of the town, where the real and imaginary world begin to blur.

Davie sees things on the hillside that show him that amongst immorality, there can be kindness and in darkness, there is a chance for hope.


The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

David Almond’s coming-of-age novel for children aged 11+ is a dreamy mix of historical fiction and supernatural overtones that combines Almond’s marvellous ear for north eastern dialect with a simple plot that’s about Davie and his journey both emotional and literal and which I think offers a lot for readers who are young and old alike and confirms Almond’s place as one of the greats of modern children’s literature.

THE COLOUR OF THE SUN was released in the United Kingdom on 3rd May 2018. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
The Blurb On The Back:

Michael steps into the crumbling garage. What is this thing beneath the spiders’ webs and dead flies? A human being, or a strange kind of beast never seen before? The only person Michael can confide in is Mina. Together, they carry the creature out into the light, and Michael’s world changes forever …

The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

David Almond’s award-winning middle grade novel is a brilliant, sensitive and touching read about faith and love that frequently reduced me to tears. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Thanks to Hodder Childrens Books for the free copy of this book.

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