Cosmic

Cosmic, Frank Cottrell Boyce 

Cosmic is about 11-year-old Liam Digby who is unusually tall for his age and often mistaken for an adult. This, combined with his reckless nature, is often a recipe for disaster. He has managed to stay at the fairground without his school group, to test drive a Porsche and has impersonated a new school teacher.

He wins a prize for a Father and Son trip to the “Infinity Park”, of which the main attraction is the Rocket, a real space rocket, ready for its debut launch. Rather than taking his own father, he pretends to the father of school-mate, Florida Kirby. As things unfold, it’s clear that only the children get to go into space, so will Liam still be selected after all?

Miss 10 really enjoyed it – she said it was funny and silly. Husband enjoyed reading it aloud to her, especially when Liam finds the parenting book his Dad has been reading about talking to your kids, and he realises that all the things his Dad does to start a conversation have come from that book. The silly accidents and scrapes Liam gets into are amusing, and he teaches the other kids new games and ways to have fun, when previously they have always been pushed to only succeed academically.

Recommended for age 9-11, for kids that like a bit of fun and to imagine what it would be like if they could go into space.

Alice-Miranda

After having enjoyed Clementine Rose, Miss 10 turned to Alice-Miranda, also by Jacqueline Harvey. She has been completely absorbed in them for a while now. I hadn’t managed to read them until recently (just the first 2) and I’m so glad I did. They are utterly charming.

Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones has decided at age 7 and a quarter that it’s time for her to start boarding school at Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale Academy for Proper Young Ladies. Her parents have reluctantly and weepingly agreed, acknowledging that Alice-Miranda often does know best. Alice-Miranda is delighted to be there, and quickly charms the staff and students, being unfailingly polite and disarmingly friendly. Within 24 hours she has sent the cook off on a well-earned holiday, convinced the gardener to plant flowers all over the grounds, and befriended the second-best tantrum thrower at the school. However, one person is not at all charmed: headmistress Miss Grimm, who has for 10 years managed to avoid any contact with students. She is determined to get rid of Alice-Miranda before she changes anything else.

There are echoes of Roald Dahl’s Matilda, but Alice-Miranda comes from an extremely wealthy family and has travelled all over the world meeting many famous people. Rather than being stuck-up, her parents have raised to both take care of herself and to care for others. She speaks her mind plainly but politely, and so will give many a young girl some hints as to how to deal with bullies and challenging situations.

There are so many books (and TV shows) where characters have traits that you would prefer your own children didn’t emulate. It’s a nice treat to have a heroine who is charming, friendly, polite and clever, all without any guile. I imagine it would be a challenge to write such a character without her becoming tiring, boring and trite, but Jacqueline Harvey has managed that balance point well.

I’m glad I dipped into them and am very happy for my Miss 10 to keep reading them. With 16 already written (each around the 300-page mark) and more underway, it’s a series that is very likely to appeal to (mainly) girls aged 7-10. They would also be quite fun to read aloud to less confident readers, or indeed to anyone who was willing to listen!

It seems Harvey has a new series starting this year too, Kensy and Max, we’ll be looking out for that one too.

Clementine Rose

Clementine Rose, Jacqueline Harvey

Clementine Rose was discovered as a baby in a basket of dinner rolls on delivery to Penberthy House with a note attached giving her to Lady Clarissa. Lady Clarissa is delighted and so becomes her mother, and Digby Pertwhistle, the long-serving butler of the home become an older father figure. Lady Clarissa owns the large, rambling old house, which constantly needs repairs, but she manages to stay afloat by using it as a hotel, and by her incredible luck in winning competitions.

Clementine Rose has a lovely sense of style and fashion, and a dear little pet teacup pig, Lavender. She seems prone to accidents and ‘things happening’, and is aged ~ 5, as she starts school for the first time in Book 2.

As the books progress the same characters appear and the storylines develop, as Clementine goes to school, makes friends, and goes on trips. There is also the excitement much later in the series of discovering who Clementine’s real parents are.

This cute little series will probably appeal to numerous girls aged between 6-10, and because there are already 13 books, it will keep keen readers busy for a while. Each book is about 100-150 pages making it a good solid read for younger readers, and a fun yet quick option for the slightly older, more confident reader. I only read Book 1, but Miss 10 has enjoyed them all. She assures me the series stays just as good throughout.

The Anti-Princess Club

The Anti-Princess Club book series, Samantha Turnbull

From Miss 12:

In the HQ of Emily, Bella, Grace and Chloe, princess is the P word, tiaras are NOT allowed, and fairytales become unfairytales. These four girls, age 10, are all tired of being called princess and being treated like one. All Emily wants is to be a mathematician, while Bella wishes to design amazing architecture. Grace wants to be an athletic superstar and Chloe dreams of becoming a scientist. All four of them couldn’t be more different, but are all best friends. Together, they form the Anti-Princess Club, where Emily, the president, leads the group on missions to prove to the world that girls can do more than wear a tiara.

Each of the five books is from the perspective of a different Anti-Princess, with the last one narrated by them all. Emily, a computer genius, codes the Anti-Princess Club website, where girls all over the world can join up to chat and get help from her with maths homework. At first, some of their parents don’t understand, know, or accept that they don’t want to learn ballet or go into beauty pageants. Emily’s mum runs a beauty salon and her dad’s in the army. Bella’s parents are doctors, and they live in a mansion, and the HQ of the Anti-Princess Club meets in her backyard. Grace’s mum and dad are soccer nuts, just like her and her three brothers but they don’t think she should play sport. Chloe lives with her yiayia (grandma), her parents and brother, however she believes they only want her to run their restaurant because she’s an amazing cook.

These books, written by Samantha Turnbull and set in Australia, are great. Girls ages 6-12 could enjoy them.

Miss 10’s extra comment:
“I like them because they are interesting, the girls have adventures, there is a bit of tension and they are like me and my friends.”


I've now read two of these myself and I quite like them too. They are definitely aimed at girls around age 10 and contain the type of messages I want mine to receive:

[From Emily's mum as she tries to fit her into a pageant dress] "Don't be sooky, Emily, she says. "Beauty is painful."
That, I think to myself is exactly what the anti-princesses are fighting against and why I have to pull off this mission. There are so many more important things in life than prettiness. And girls definitely shouldn't have to hurt themselves to look good.

The second book covers some bullying that results from their antics in the first book, which is a good reminder to kids that all actions have consequences. And while acknowledging the tensions which can exist between boys and girls at this age; thankfully they discover in the end that they are more alike than they realise.  

It's a good series if you have an anti-princess yourself who is sick of some of the other princess books out there; or if you want to reinforce the message that it's OK to be sporty, academic or just a bit different.

Anne of Green Gables

I’m not sure why I didn’t review these books when I read them to Miss 8 & Miss 11. They loved them. We read the first two aloud Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea. Miss 9* went on to read Anne of Windy Poplars herself.

As they are old-fashioned and take some explaining at points, for the girls’ age they were better read aloud and slowly. I was delighted with them, having never read them in detail myself. (I found Anne rather annoying and long-winded when I tried to read them as a child!) I had seen the mini-series but never realised the depth of the books. L.M Montgomery’s writing is beautiful to read aloud, it ebbs and flows with wonderful expression and description. She is also very humorous, with irony and dry wit scattered throughout. I often found myself chuckling as I read them, and if the girls didn’t get it, it was fun to try to explain. There is also a depth to their faith and belief that is hardly alluded to in the mini-series, as well as many biblical references, such as having a ‘Job’ day (a very bad day).

Personally, considering our own life choices, I loved this quote:

“I’m very glad they’ve called Mr Allan. I liked him because his sermon was interesting and he prayed as if he meant it and not just as if he did it because he was in the habit of it. Mrs Lynde says he isn’t perfect, but she says we shouldn’t expect a perfect minister for seven hundred and fifty dollars a year, and anyhow his theology is sound because she questioned him thoroughly on all the points of doctrine. And she knows his wife’s people and they are most respectable and the women are all good housekeepers. Mrs Lynde says that sound doctrine in a man and good housekeeping in a woman make an ideal combination for a minister’s family.” The new minister and his wife were a young, pleasant-faced couple, still in their honeymoon, and full of all good and beautiful enthusiasm for their chosen life’s work.  (Anne of Green Gables)

We then watched the mini-series (by Sullivan Productions), the one I knew as a child, produced in 1985. As recalled, it was lovely, and a pretty good adaption of the books. We moved onto Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel (1987), which extended the story beyond what we had read in the books, and according to various websites, adds extra material different from the books, but it’s still enjoyable to watch, and has the same endearing aspects of Anne in it.

We should have stopped there, but unknowingly pushed on to Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story (1999) where Anne and Gil live in New York for a time, are then married, and details her search for him on the WWI battlefields. It was for a more mature audience, it was rated M, showed a fair amount of battle gore and tension, and Miss 9.5 found it too much. Upon reflection it was clear it wasn’t based on the books, the feel of it was just too different, and my research since shows it was an original production, changing much of the timing and events of the books. I can see why the production house did it, the earlier series were so popular and they managed to have both Megan Follows (Anne) and Jonathan Crombie (Gilbert) return in their roles. The girls may well return to the first two to re-watch them, no-one is interested in seeing the third again.

Miss 9 is much more interested in continuing with the books so we’ll do that instead!


* I realise all these numbers change throughout this post, it reflects the age when they did it, not the age they are now!

Ranger’s Apprentice – The Early Years

This family are all solid fans of John Flanagan’s Ranger’s Apprentice and Brother Band books, so we all quickly turned to these two new books set about 15 years before the Ranger’s Apprentice books.   For those who have come to love the story, characters and writing as we have, they do not disappoint.   They fill in some of the gaps of the younger Halt, with the first book The Tournament at Gorlan, showing how he came to be a Ranger and the early story of how Morgarath tried to steal the throne.  It also follows on from a shorter story found in Book 11:  The Lost Stories.  

The second book The Battle of Hackham Heath, continues to fill in the story of Morgarath and the Wargals, laying the groundwork for understanding more of books #1 & 2 of the original series.   

Flanagan writes a great story, and he appeals to 9/10-year olds right up to adults.  Almost all the kids we know who like these books have parents who also like them and seek them out to read on their own – high praise indeed and not always a given.   His writing is witty, accessible, intelligent and not condescending.   Upon re-reading them to Miss 9, I have been pleasantly surprised to rediscover the wide range of vocabulary he uses - it will definitely extend your kids!  So, if your kids (or you) haven’t tried them yet, it may be time.  I’d still suggest starting with Ranger’s Apprentice #1 – The Ruins of Gorlan, and then look forward to 20 books awaiting your reading pleasure!  I reviewed them about 4 years ago when we first discovered them, and since Miss 11 has devoured them (at age 9-11) and as I said, Miss 9 is now just discovering their delights for the first time. 

Max & Liz books

Max & Liz books, Jenny L. Cote

Our children discovered Jenny L. Cote’s books a few years ago, and have loved them. It’s an interesting category she has created – a biblical retelling with fictional characters added in - the fictional characters being mostly animals!

In the first book The Ark, The Reed & the Firecloud, you are introduced to Max, a Scottish terrier and Liz, a brilliant French cat. Under the instructions of a goat called Gillamon, who reveals to them the Maker and what he has called them to do, they make their way to Noah as he builds the ark. What I loved about this book was the creative way Cote managed to get all the animals of the world to Noah, and then how they were housed in their native habitats (eg. desert and ice) on the ark. Of course, her interpretation is entirely fictional, but you found yourself thinking it could have happened that way. There is an element of danger in as an evil stowaway threatens the safety of the animals and the continuation of the human race.

At the end of the book, Max & Liz, with their life partners (Kate and Al) are granted immortality, and the chance to live through all time as they see the outworking of the grand plan of the Maker throughout history.

The second book, The Dreamer, the Schemer & the Robe is set in the time of Joseph and again I really liked it, with the details she included as the animals lived among the people of the Genesis accounts.

Now Cote is in the midst of writing The Epic Order of the Seven series, where 7 animals (including these original ones) are going to live out the rest of the history alongside the key events. Book 1: The Prophet, The Shepherd & the Star, begins with Isaiah in his years of prophecy, moves forward to Daniel in Babylon and then finishes in the early days of Jesus’ young life. In this book, Cote masterfully deals with the Old Testament prophecies, constantly showing how they are all fulfilled in the coming of Christ.

Book 2: The Roman, the Twelve & the King, has two concurrent storylines – the time of Handel as he writes “The Messiah” and the adult life and ministry of Jesus. 

Two more books have been written:  The Wind, The Road & The Way (the story of Acts part 1) and The Fire, Revelation and the Fall (Acts part 2). Three more are promised to complete the series, also forming their own trilogy. I have not read these ones.

She is clearly a committed Christian and her writing praises the Maker (God) and how he acts, and sings the praises of the Jesus her Lord and Messiah.   The way she has chosen animals to be part of the story means the same events unfold as in our bibles, but through the animals’ perspective, as they interpret and explain what is happening.  As such, kids are given solid, real biblical truths through creative storytelling. There is always a note of tension, as shadowy forces against the Maker at work: the devil in various forms. Of course, in bringing her interpretation to biblical events, there are some things I felt were overemphasised (eg. there is a very strong emphasis on 7s in The Prophet, The Shepherd & the Star). But overall, I am amazingly impressed at how she has managed to essentially re-write massive parts of the bible into a setting that captures children’s attention and imagination while still remaining very faithful to the biblical account.

At points I’ve had hesitations about how the reader is to know what is factual and what is fictional  I noted upon finishing The Roman, The Twelve & the King, that there is a detailed explanation of which parts were factual and which she embellished. Even more helpful is the opening page of the next book The Wind, The Road & the Way which says “This book contains fact, fiction, fantasy, allegory and truth. For the entire true story, read Acts and the rest of the New Testament.”   

These are long books - all near 500 pages – so while they can be read and understood by ages 9-10+, they need to be committed readers to manage it. Because she has lots of animals with different backgrounds, they all speak with accents and with some foreign words, which can add to the confusion for younger or less capable readers (it’s hard to read a Scottish accent sometimes!).  Having said that, there is always a glossary at the end to explain the terms.  

These are also books adults will get a lot out of. I loved the first two, but have found the Epic Order of the Seven harder going – they are very long and take a reasonable time commitment. But whenever I have read them, I have been encouraged in my faith and reminded of the biblical account.    Mr 13 avidly awaits the new releases, and started reading them at about age 10. Miss 11 has also enjoyed them and has read them all. I am planning to read the two set in Acts over the summer, as part of my thoughts as I prepare some teaching in Acts myself.

If your children want to read Christian books (or you want them to!), these are a great choice.

The Secret Series

The Secret Series, Pseudonymous Bosch

Don’t you love a clever series?  Especially one written for children that gets their attention from page 1, and written by the loveliest pen-name I have come across. 

Book 1: The Name of this Book is Secret starts with a bold black page with the words “Warning: Do not read beyond this page!”  Then there is a warning, “are you sure you want to know this secret?  It might be better not to?”  Then Chapter 1 is written all is x’s:  “xxx!”  xx xxx.   “Xxxxx.   Xxxx.”  Xxxx xxxxx xxx.   Then there is a following apology that chapter 1 gave all the real names and places of the book, so it had to be kept secret.   It’s great.  What a clever way to get your attention.   What then unfolds in the story of Cassandra and Max-Earnest as they uncover a magician’s secret diary and a hundred-year-old mystery.  It’s written in a chatty, let-me-tell-you what happened style, with the author occasionally breaking out of the role of narrator to tell the reader something extra or make a funny comment.  It’s clever, funny and well-told.

Miss 11 devoured all 5 books in The Secret Series very quickly.  I have just enjoyed book 1, I may not bother with the rest myself – but I do think kids will like them.

Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh

Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, Robert C. O'Brien

I read this book myself as a child, and so was excited to find it still available for my kids.  Mr 12 enjoyed it on his own a few years ago (and still enjoys it), and I have just read it to Miss 8 & 10, who also swiftly became fans.

Mr Frisby, a widowed field mouse, lives on a farm with her 4 children.  Her son, Jonathon, falls ill and she seeks help for his safe recovery from another mouse, a crow and finally an owl, who suggests she see the rats and ask for their help.  All the animals on the farm know of the rats, but tend to avoid them.  Bravely facing her fears, she does as instructed and in time comes to hear the story of the rats themselves and how her own husband used to be one of their friends.

It is at a simple level a lovely story of intelligent animals working together and helping one another.  At a deeper level there are comments on laboratory testing and whether animals can be civilised.  Reading it again as an adult, I reflected how it truly represents a humanistic world view – that is  that people (or in this case, rats), when given the chance can develop into something better and become more civilised, more human, as it were.   Of course, this is completely at odds with the Christian view of the depravity of man, and our need for a saviour, rather than having the ability to save ourselves. Mr 12 and I had a brief conversation to that end. 

In the end though, it’s also just a lovely story.