Too Small to Fail by Morris Gleitzman

Publisher: Puffin

Format: Paperback

Published: 4^th August 2011

Number of Pages: 192

Book: For Review From Penguin*

Genre: Realistic-Fiction, Humourous, Adventure, Middle Grade, YA-Child Crossover, YA

Recommended Age: 9+

Contains Nothing Unsuitable, Other Than the Word: “Poo”

No Alcohol, Drug References

Author's Blog: The Morris Gleitzman Blog

What do you do when your mum, your dad and sixteen camels are in trouble – and only you can save them?  The sometimes sad but mostly funny story of a boy, a girl, a dog and four trillion dollars.

 

From Press Release:

1 boy.  1 girl.  1 camel.

Millions of dollars.

A plan that can’t fail.  Or can it?

Oliver’s parents own a bank.  This makes them very rich, very important and very busy.  Oliver, on the other hand, is terrible at maths and aspires to nothing more than owning the puppy that he frequently visits at his local pet shop.

When a mysterious woman buys the puppy and threatens to harm it if Oliver can’t return her thousand of dollars (unfortunately, Oliver’s parents seem to have misplaced her life savings – something to do with some stuff on the news) Oliver hatches a plan that will take him further than he ever imagined…

Review:

Oliver’s parents are incredibly rich, and busy with their bank.  Oliver doesn’t care about money.  All he wants is the dog behind the glass at the pet shop.  So when a lady comes along and buys the dog, he doesn’t think it can get any worse.  Until she threatens him (the dog-him; not Oliver-him).  Apparently his parents took her money and she wants it back.  If Oliver doesn’t get her money for her in one week, the dog dies.  Then… it gets even worse.  It turns out that the woman has sixteen camels who may die from lack of water.  And it’s all his parents’ fault!  What will Oliver do, and how on earth can he save those innocent camels from dying?

This was my first Morris Gleitzman book, and I can honestly say I absolutely adored it!  We all know that when some adults write as ‘children’, it feels fake, forced.  With Gleitzman’s book, on the other hand, I could actually feel Oliver’s age, his innocence.  I looked through his eyes, and saw the world just as a ten-year-old would.  Somehow, Gleitzman managed to create a believable voice narrating a funny, sweet, yet somehow serious story.  It was addictive, humorous and I stayed up late especially to finish it.

Oliver was such an amazing lead.  He was practical, intelligent, slightly naive and bad at maths.  He had this way of seeing things, and coming to sensible conclusions, no matter how insane and unbelievable they truly were after the fact.  Oliver had a strong moral compass, which is something that – in my opinion – every good hero should have.  But no one took him seriously: he was always worrying too much, or just had an overactive imagination.  All he wanted to be respected by parents who were there for him more.  Oliver was so sweet, young and innocent; seeing the crisis through him was absolutely intriguing.

The other characters were perfect as well.  Nancy, who appeared to be bad in the beginning, but turned out to just be desperate.  Her daughter Rose, whose obvious loathing of Oscar was almost amusing at times; though that may just have been the ways she expressed herself.  How many girls march into someone else’s school, just to punch them in the stomach?  And I loved Barclay: the little dog who was the only solid thing Oliver longed for.  Oh, and Moo.  She was cute when she wasn’t stamping on peoples’ heads.

Gleitzman managed to explain the economic crisis in a way that everyone can understand, no matter how young they are.  With statements such as “big bikkies” and “in the poo”, he even managed to make the crisis fun, odd as that may be.  And, although it’s aimed at middle-grade readers, Too Small to Fail easily crosses over into adult fiction.  After all, it is about an adult problem, and they may even learn something valuable from the book: I know I did!

The story line was so strong, there were completely unexpected twists, and a very powerful moral undertone.  It was also absolutely hilariously funny: there’s something about Gleitzman’s writing style, I think.  However, family loyalties played a major theme: how far should you go to do the right thing – even if it means hurting the ones you love?  Plus, the plot was so ridiculous, it was almost believable.  And, yes, I am aware of how strange that sounds, but if you read the book, you may understand what I mean.  All I’m certain of is that I’m definitely going to be on the lookout for more of Gleitzman’s books from now on!

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Anything by Morris Gleitzman

Anything by Roald Dahl

Older Readers:

The Cardturner by Louis Sachar

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Penguin in exchange for an honest review

Candor by Pam Bachorz

Publisher: Egmont Books

Format: Paperback

Published: 2^nd August 2010

Number of Pages: 304

Book: Borrowed From The Library

Genre: Dystopia, Psychological Thriller, Sci-Fi, Speculative Fiction, Adventure, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Nothing Really Unsuitable

No Alcohol, Drug References

My name is Oscar and I am the perfect teenager. My girlfriend is the hottest girl in school. I get straight As. I am class president. But there is a terrible reason I am so perfect: the Messages. Oscar Banks lives in the pristine town of Candor. Son of the mayor, he is good-looking, smart and popular. And he knows something he's not supposed to - he knows about the brainwashing Messages embedded in the music that plays all over the town. But Oscar has found a way to burn counter-Messages that keep him real. Up to now, it's all worked perfectly. There's just one problem: Nia Silva, the newest Candor arrival. What will Oscar risk to keep the Nia he loves rather than watch her become a Candor automaton? Deeply chilling, "Candor" is a psychological thriller that will haunt readers with its vision of a world controlled by something worse than Big Brother.

Review:

I picked up Candor, meaning to just read a chapter or two: it was about one in the morning, and I was tired.  The problem: I simply could not put it down!  It was almost as if the messages were inside my own head, saying, ‘Don’t stop.  Keep reading.  Great readers never stop.’  Candor was just so addictive.  I was up until three, and finished the book in just a matter of sittings.

Candor, the town, was really creepy.  It’s the place where rich parents take their problem children to become ‘fixed’.  What the children aren’t told is that the music that plays all around town contains hidden messages that mould them into perfect little sons or daughters.  All day long, all around ‘respectful space in every place’, ‘always strive to make your parents proud’, ‘studying is your top priority’, ‘the great are never late’.  Without their knowledge, in a week or two, they have lost all their free will.  It’s inevitable, “Nobody escapes the messages”.  Oscar’s different.  And not just because he’s the founder’s son.  He’s different because he knows.  He knows about the messages – he can even hear them in his head, rather than them being sent straight to his subconscious.  And, he can fight them, he can make his own.  He gets kids out.  It’s risky, yes, but he’s always careful.  He never gets caught. 

Until Nia skateboards into his life with spray-paint in her hand.  Suddenly, his world’s different, and instead of wanting to get her out, he wants to keep her the same.  But just how far will Oscar go to keep the Nia he knows and loves?

Oscar was a great male lead, probably because he wasn’t perfect.  I liked that he fought back and that he found a way to make his brain belong to him.  Yes, he was reckless and occasionally a jerk, but when he spoke of everything he’d lost in his life, and everything his own father had done to him, it killed me a little inside.  Oscar was just one of those characters I genuinely came to care for.

Nia was brilliant too: one of those classic literary rich-girls-lashing-out.  She did literally everything imaginable that her parents didn’t want her to do.  But underneath, she was a sweet girl, with a great sense of humour and I came to really like her too.

Candor was one of those books that gripped me from the word go, and had me smiling, laughing, in shock and screaming at it.  I struggled to put it down.  I’m crossing all my fingers, hoping for a sequel, because I did not like how it ended.  Hence the screaming.

Overall, a story with amazing characters and a beautiful lovestory, with a chilling psychological thriller hidden underneath.  Big Brother truly has nothing on Candor.

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Gone by Michael Grant

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

Happy Reading

Megan

Scorpia Rising by Anthony Horowitz

Series: Alex Rider, Book Nine

Publisher: Walker

Format: Paperback

Published: 31^st March 2011

Number of Pages: 448

Book: Bought

Genre: Spy, Thriller, Action, Adventure, Suspense, YA, YA-Adult Crossover, YA-Child Crossover

Recommended Age: 12+ (Though William, who’s nine, is reading it after me)

Contains: Lots of Violence, Mild Swearing, Death, Smoking References, Strong Emotions

No Alcohol, Drug References

Synopsis From Blurb:

Alex Rider wants his life back.  But when you're the world's most successful spy, there's only one way out.  Alex's final mission will be the deadliest of all.

One bullet.  One life. 

The end starts here.

Review:

After over ten years, the final Alex Rider has arrived.  And I can honestly tell you, Anthony Horowitz did not disappoint. 

Five months have passed since we left Alex after his adventure in Crocodile Tears, and he’s just a normal teenager now, with no connections to the world of the spies and MI6, who have promised never to use him again.  They have kept their promise and for the first time in one long year, Alex feels safe, ordinary.

MI6 may have seemingly forgotten him, but Scorpia most certainly have not.  They were beaten twice by this single, fifteen-year-old boy, and their reputation is in ruins.  Now they’re back, with a brand new mission: To create a situation in which the British Government will be in fear of a scandal that will lead them to being cut of from the rest of the world.  Something so horrifying, so shocking, that no one will want anything to do with the British for years to come.  And the name of this scandal?  Alex Rider…

A sniper at school, a crashed helicopter.  Alex is in danger – again.  MI6 are more than happy to take him and Jack to safety until everything is safe again.  Of course, there is one condition…

I can’t believe this is the end of Alex Rider.  I’m truly going to miss these books, with their break-neck speed and non-stop action.  And as for the characters, well, Horowitz is the master at character development, and for creating believable ones that are at the same time often extraordinary.  Admittedly, this wasn’t the best of the series, but it had that same addictiveness, that same action.  And it was also the most emotionally powerful of the nine, as well as more serious.  I think

Alex has grown up so much: no more is he the innocent, confused boy he was in Stormbreaker, he’s now a damaged fifteen-year-old.  He’s still brilliant, and his instincts are breath-taking.  But Alex is legally still just a child, who is still searching for a home, a purpose, somewhere to fit in.  And from the start, I was hoping he would.  I really love Alex Rider.  I honestly have no idea how Horowitz managed to create such a unique, amazing character, so far apart from us, yet so relatable. 

As for the supporting cast: amazing.  Jack Starbright (I love her too!  She truly loves Alex, and would do absolutely anything for him); Smithers (gotta like the guy, with his “fast waddle”, mad inventions and great sense of humour); Scorpia; and a second, familiar face from the past, one that surprised me.  Just amazing.

The ending… I knew something bad would happen: I read it on Goodreads somewhere.  I was fairly sure of what it would be.  But I still cried when ‘it’ happened.  Horowitz didn’t end it happily ever after.  Alex Rider was always very much down-to-earth, based on true life.  Very rarely are there happy-ever-afters for teenage superspies.  And yet I still wish he’d had one.

I have loved this series, read every single one of the books, even have them on Audio CDs.  So this was bittersweet; more bitter than anything else.  I’ll miss this series. 

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Cherub by Robert Muchamore

Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan

The Power of Five by Anthony Horowitz

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

British Books Challenge (Hosted by The Bookette)

Happy Reading

Megan

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Series: Harry Potter, Book Seven

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format: Hardback

Published: 21^st July 2007

Number of Pages: 608

Book: Bought

Genre: Magic, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Quest, Action, Adventure, YA, YA-Adult Crossover, YA-Child Crossover

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Lots of Violence, Mild Swearing, Death

No Alcohol, Drug References
Author's Blog: J.K. Rowling

Synopsis From Goodreads:

Harry has been burdened with a dark, dangerous and seemingly impossible task: that of locating and destroying Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes.  Never has Harry felt so alone, or faced a future so full of shadows.  But Harry must somehow find within himself the strength to complete the task he has been given.  He must leave the warmth, safety and companionship of The Burrow and follow without fear or hesitation the inexorable path laid out for him...

Review:

“I’m going to keep going until I succeed — or die. Don’t think I don’t know how this might end. I’ve known it for years.”

I’ve read this book three or four times, and still that quote jumps out at me.  It’s not something you expect from a seventeen-year-old boy, even if he is a wizard.  But Harry has faced death over and over, and he’s willing to do anything to defeat Voldemort, and to make the world better for the ones he loves.  Hard-core Potter fans may remember the prophecy from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; “neither shall live with the other survives”.  This fight for survival goes hand-in-hand with the quest to destroy the Horcruxes that are Voldemort’s back-up and his means for immortality. 

Voldemort is back, and his Death Eaters are everywhere.  Harry, Ron and Hermione have left Hogwarts to search for Voldemort’s Horcruxes: dark magical objects, created by ripping your soul apart (by murdering someone) and placing part of it in an object of your choice.  The only way to kill You-Know-Who – permanently – is to destroy all his Horcruxes, and to then kill him.  But, as if finding the things isn’t hard enough, there’s then the minor problem of actually destroying them.  And then of killing Voldemort...

Let’s face it: everyone knows of Harry Potter, whether it’s from the books, the films or the general hype surrounding the boy.  These books got me into magic and the paranormal, and I was a fan long before the films.  It’s managed to get children and adults alike read, and I’ve now raced to get to the end both with my mother four years ago, and a nine year old last month.  It’s one of those books that just appeals to all age groups, and you have to admire both J.K. and her world for that.  Especially as if asked ‘What fictional world would you pick to live in?’ most book-bloggers instantly say: Harry Potter’s world.  If that isn’t a literary achievement, I don’t know what is.

Now, you can’t have an epic finale or quest without casualties.  I knew this before I read it the first time, but still I cried bucket-loads.  I still actually cried as I reread it for the umpteenth time.  It was almost like a bloodbath, and I couldn’t help thinking ‘Why, why, why?!”  My heart ached, because even though to achieve epicness (yes, I know that isn’t a word), someone really does have to die heroically, I just couldn’t see why so many had to.

Of course, there are breaks; humour, and these normally come in the shape of Fred and George, and the secret radio station called Potterwatch.  Lee Jordan, AKA River, makes a very amusing appearance, and as do the Weasley Twins.  I laughed out loud every time at Fred’s:

“For instance, this new idea that You-Know-Who can kill with a single glance from his eyes. That's a Basilisk, listeners. One simple test, check whether the thing that's glaring at you has got legs. If it has, it's safe to look into its eyes, although if it really is You-Know-Who, that's still likely to be the last thing you ever do.”

And some of the characters really come into their own: I loved Neville and Luna before, but after this book I loved them.  Plus, a few secrets are exposed, and we finally get to see where all stand...

Now, downsides: the ending left me unsatisfied.  It felt a little rushed, and I just wanted to know more.  If you ask me, my mum, and my aunt, J.K. could’ve written a whole other book about ‘After’. 

Laugh, cry, smile, I do admit I do it all reading these books.  And if asked what my favourite series is, I say straight away Harry Potter.

Enough said.

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

British Books Challenge (Hosted by The Bookette)

Off The Shelf Challenge (Hosted by BA Reading Challenges)

Happy Reading

Megan

Beyond the Darkness by Leonard D. Hilley II

If you want to buy either Predators of Darkness: Aftermath or Beyond the Darkness go to: eBooks For Pleasure

Series: The Darkness, Book Two

Publisher: Outskirts Press

Format: eBook

Published: Paperback: 22^nd July 2008

eBook:

Number of Pages: 280

Book: For Review From Author*

Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller, Action, Adventure, YA, YA-Adult Crossover

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Lots of Violence, Mild Law Breaking, Swearing

No Alcohol, Drug References

PLEASE DON’T READ THIS IF YOU’RE PLANNING ON READING PREDATORS OF DARKNESS: AFTERMATH!

Synopsis From Goodreads:

“Leonard Hilley II's first novel, Predators of Darkness, shows us a nightmarish world of gruesome genetically-engineered monsters preying on humans, corporations more powerful - and more dangerous- than governments, and a web of lies and cover-ups that all sound remarkably like they could have been drawn from today's headlines. Fact or fiction? Read this gripping novel and find out."

- John Kachuba, Author of Ghosthunters: On the Trail of Mediums, Dowsers, Spirit Seekers and Other Investigators of America's Paranormal World

Three years after Daniel and the other survivors escaped the terrorizing, blood-thirsty shifters in Pittsburgh, his friends have moved forward with their lives, but Daniel cannot. He believes the conspiracies within TransGenCorp have not ended and more shifters exist.

Then Daniel receives a phone call from Lucas that bolsters his paranoia.

Lucas is being charged with murders he insists his clone committed.

Daniel soon discovers darker atrocities are emerging, which not only place his life in immense danger, but all his friends as well.

Review:

I knew there had to be more to come after Predators of Darkness: Aftermath, but I just wasn’t sure what.  After all, the Lucas-clone got away, and, well, it just couldn’t be over.  There was too much corruption, too many secrets, too many unanswered questions.  Plus, I had the sequel, given to me so generously by the author (thank you Leonard!).

Three years have passed since Predators of Darkness: Aftermath, and all the survivors are back in the real, outside world.  The evil mastermind behind the shifter experiment is dead, and therefore the nightmare is over.  But Daniel’s isn’t.  He can’t accept that it’s all over, that they’re all safe.  He just can’t shake the paranoia he acquired during his time in Pittsburgh. 

Turns out, he was right.  Lucas’ clone kills four senators and the real-Lucas is arrested for the murder.  To prove his friend’s innocence, Daniel will have to renter a world he never wished to see again.  And this time, they’re all in danger: Daniel, Julia, their daughter Felicia, Nancy, Lucas, Lydia, Dr Helmsby and Johanna...

I admit, I wasn’t entirely sure where the plot would go, but I found myself being pulled in straight away and just as addicted.  I raced through it, hooked: it was amazing and the pace was perfect.  And it was the same adrenaline-filled roller-coaster as the previous book, the one I simply adore.

Daniel was very withdrawn at the start of the book, constantly in fear of the shifters, damaged by the nightmarish time three years ago.  He’s married to Julia now, who’s just as strong and brave as ever.  The two have a daughter, Felicia.  And a shifter-cat called Morton.  I loved Morton!  He’s a good shifter, created by Helmsby, who has the ability to tell right from wrong.  And a very good sense of humour.  He would do anything for his family, and his witty remarks kept even the darkest bits amusing.

I still love the very reckless, brave and caring Lucas.  A few characters I didn’t like in the first I grew to love: Johanna and Lydia to name a few. 

Lucas’ clone had a name of his own in this book: Lucian.  You got to know him as a person, and I even felt sorry for him.  Idris treated him horribly, even using genetic blackmail on him.  Only a great author could make me feel for a guy who would’ve murdered everyone in the previous book.

I can’t wait to see where Game of Pawns takes this series, and I know that it will be just as fast paced and addictive as the rest of them.  I really recommend this, not just for teenagers or YA readers, but for adults as well.  It’s one of those that crosses between the two age groups so easily it appears to be effortless.  I love the twists, turns, the amazingly detailed characters and plots.  I can’t wait to get back into this world again!

P.S. And, can I just say, it was the coolest thing to have the FBI involved.  Supernatural-thriller meets police-drama.  Two genres I love.

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

YA Thriller:

Cherub by Robert Muchamore (Same Adrenaline Rush)

Agent 21 by Chris Ryan

YA Horror:

Gone by Michael Grant

The Dead by Charlie Higson

Adult:

Stephen King novels

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

2011 E-Book Challenge (Hosted by The Ladybug Reads)

Happy Reading

Megan

*This book was recieved from the author in exchange for an honest review