Libby inherits a house. She was found there when she was a baby, alone with three dead bodies who died in an apparent suicide pact. Of course, Libby then decides to find out what has happened in the house. Slowly we find out. Tension is held throughout making you want to continue reading, but is’nt as twisty as I expected, the reveals playing out without a lot of fanfare.
The Porpoise is partly a retelling of Shakespeare’s Pericles, but not a strict one. It starts in modern times, moves to the Middles Ages, and to ancient times, and back and forth. I think it best not to ask why, or how it works. All I know, is that I enjoyed the strange, adventurous, meandering, touching story. I just went with it, and it was great.
Heath McKenzie is one of my all time favourite authors and illustrators!!! Do you have a child scared to let their talents shine? Read about how Arthur overcomes his shyness to share his love of music. This book might help children, and adults too, get over the what-if nobody likes what I like fears! I’m sure we can all relate to Heath McKenzie’s story, told with his typical bright and colourful illustrations! I loved exploring the different types of animals. I think I saw a longhorn, a llama, a gazelle and a little Scottie dog as Arthur bravely stepped out disguised as a letter box to play his violin in public, scared nobody would like his music. There is so much to do with this book for all ages. Enjoy it as a picture book with toddlers. With older children we can discuss Arthur’s feelings. We can also talk about the wonderful things about ourselves that we can share and what we hope to learn from others. Don’t forget to put Heath McKenzie on your TO READ WITH THE KIDS LIST.
This is the imagined story of Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet (a name apparently interchangeable with Hamlet), who died as a boy. Actually, it is much more about his mother; her strange upbringing, her foresight and healing skills, her love of nature, and her grief. The sixteenth century is not my favourite setting, and I confess to never having read Hamlet, but still I found this a moving tale of love and loss.
I have mixed feelings for this story. It started with a bang – very mysterious and creepy. I think the problem was I did not connect with the characters and understand their actions all that well, maybe due to me not understanding the affects of extreme trauma. The storyline managed to keep me reading to the end, to find all the answers.
I have read many novels by Judy Nunn and enjoyed them all. Unfortunately this one is my least favourite. I loved reading about Townsville and what happened there during World War II, something that I had not heard about before. It sharply brought into my mind the issues of racism. What brought the story down was its delivery – it felt flat and not as engaging as Judy’s novels usually are. Still happy that I read it though.
Cassie feeds some fox cubs behind her flats in London, though the adults tell her not to. One night, she follows her favourite fox, and finds herself at the Frost Fair on the Thames, in the 17th century. Its a sweet, very simple tale about kindness and a little magic.
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A Spool of Blue Thread is a meandering story of a Baltimore family. It moves between the stories of four generations, from the 1920s to now, looking from different angles at people’s lives, motivations, struggles, love, and strengths. Not a great deal happens in terms of plot, but it is a moving, and utterly fascinating look at family dynamics, perception versus reality, history, and what ties people together.
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The story starts in a society ruled by men and their traditions, often brutal and ready to punish those that do not conform. Girls in their sixteenth year are sent away for a year, the Grace Year, to rid themselves of their magic, before marriage or exiled. Tierney is one of these girls. What happens to this group of girls is also brutal, how many will survive. By the end of the story we can glimpse what the future will hold for the following generation of girls and that perhaps people are always fighting for change, if only you look hard enough.
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Danny and his beloved older sister Maeve grew up in the Dutch House, an extravagantly beautiful house in Pennsylvania. Everything changed when their father brought Andrea to the Dutch House, but it had a mysterious hold on them throughout their lives. This is a beautiful story about complicated people; mystery, loyalty, betrayal, inexplicable love. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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