Triple Ripple Review

Title: Triple Ripple

Author: Brigid Lowry

Release Date: 1^st September 2011

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Glory is sent to work in the Royal Palace, where the queen is planning a grand ball and a bad tempered princess is sorting through jewels and tiaras. And, unknown to Glory, the threads of her destiny are coming together.

Nova is reading the fairytale… Fairytales are not usually her thing but right now she’s feeling a bit messy and lost. Her best friend has gone away and she has no idea why bitchy Dylan is hassling her.

Can the Writer make everything turn out happily ever after? Will the princess find true love? Will Glory escape a secret curse? And can Nova smooth out the lumps and bumps in her life?

Running alongside each other, Brigid Lowry writes three tales. In real life, the Writer struggles to develop the plot. Within the fairy tale, Glory the Princess’ Maid has to break a curse while dealing with the demands of working in the palace and the Reader of the tale, Nova has to deal with real life and coping with being bullied.

It isn’t just the difference in font that make the separate sections of this tale so apparent but Lowry’s skill in creating different voices. The characters of the Reader and Writer are very convincing as well as entertaining and in a completely different genre from the fairy tale. The Writer makes us constantly aware that she has created the fictional worlds of the tale, both Glory’s and Nova’s and so the text is really cleverly written. At times, the novel is re-written and so we are given what could have happened in the tale as well as the Writer’s final decisions.

The tale of the Writer is probably the most interesting because it manifests itself through the tale of the Reader and the fairy tale. However, it is also the least developed tale in that there is no actual plot, more a collection of thoughts and the ending of her writing tale ends with the finish of the book.

Nova’s tale is strange in that although she does get a positive ending, there are many questions left unanswered. She finally thinks she is working things out with Dylan, who has been bullying her and she has dreams about a boy she met who was sat in a tree. From the Writer, we know there could have been many different paths for Nova and so it is strange when presented with the final outcome.

Similarly, Glory’s fairy tale ending could have been different but we are given a much neater rounding off of the tale in this case. I expected the fairy tale aspect of the tale to be the most prominent and although it is in relation to how much detail we are given, I find the other two tales more emotionally compelling.

This book is a must read for anyone with an interest in reading and writing. It was the fairy tale aspect that drew me in but the other tales were much more interesting and it is the Reader and the Writer that give the tale depth. There are funny aspects to this book as well as serious, emotional insights into the characters and overall it is a well-rounded novel. Without wanting to seem critical in the slightest, I feel this novel was possibly a way for the author to show off her story-telling talent!

5/5 Brilliant use of triple tales!

With special thanks to Frances Lincoln for sending me a copy of the book.

Not Quite the Perfect Boyfriend Review

Title: Not Quite the Perfect Boyfriend

Author: Lili Wilkinson

Release date: 1^st September 2011 (UK)

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Midge is sixteen and has never been kissed- so she invents a boyfriend. Then she is paired with George for a major school project. George is the New Guy who doodles dragons, tucks in his shirt, has an unseemly interest in secrets and a mysterious past. Not a good start to the school year.

Midge starts fabricating emails from her imaginary boyfriend, and even a MySpace page. Her secret is getting out of control. Then one day, he appears in the school corridor. Tall, brown wavy hair, English accent - Ben. Exactly as she’s described him.

Ben seems to be the answer to her prayer. A dream come true or is he? And what strange secret is George hiding? Before long Midge finds herself in all sorts of trouble.  

Midge invents an English boyfriend, Ben. Ben likes photography, black-and-white movies, reading and lacrosse (or at least that’s what Midge writes on his MySpace page). All is going well for Midge and her imaginary boyfriend, her friend Tahni is convinced she isn’t a lesbian who will end up knitting hats for cats. The next step is for Midge to break up with Ben, something about the distance being too far, which would be fine… if Ben hadn’t just appeared at school.

In this hilarious novel set in Australia, school girl Midge has to deal with her imaginary boyfriend becoming an actual boyfriend, dealing with her family’s break up, the destruction of friendships and also working on a project with new boy, George, who she is pretty sure is a psycho killer- why else would he have been kicked out of his last school?

I found the plot of the novel to be really predictable but that is in no way a negative criticism. The novel is written from Midge’s point of view and so as a reader we are made aware of her feelings about secrets that are revealed and secrets she reveals herself. Although in a sense I feel the reader is probably aware of what is going on before Midge is, even though things are not explicitly told to us. It made me think of how sometimes the clues to things are there but we can end up walking around with our head in the clouds and miss out on important things, including important people, which is definitely what Midge does with the arrival of Ben.

Going out with Ben gives Midge a new sense of confidence. He’s hot, he’s popular and most of all he is her boyfriend! By association, Midge becomes popular overnight. But popularity isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and neither is having a boyfriend, no matter how good looking he is. Midge is in for a bumpy ride!

Not Quite the Perfect Boyfriend was a nice, easy read with a happy ending and will definitely put a smile on your face. The characters are all brilliantly constructed and you will definitely meet some that will become some of your favourites, for me, George in particular was fantastic. The ending of the book reminded me of the end scene from the film ‘Role Models’ but maybe this was just the description of the costumes. Overall, a definite chick-lit but well worth the laughs for anyone not usually interested in this genre.

4/5 Really easy to get into and a relaxing read.    

With special thanks to Frances Lincoln for sending me a copy of the book.

The Devil's Footsteps Review

Title: The Devil’s Footsteps

Author: E.E. Richardson

Release Date: 3^rd March 2005

Publisher:  Bodley Head Children’s Books

It was just a bit of fun, a local legend. The Devil’s Footsteps: thirteen stepping stones, and whichever one you stopped on in the rhyme could predict how you would die. A harmless game for kids – and nobody ever died from a game.

But it’s not a game to Bryan. He knows the truth. He’s seen the Dark Man, because the Dark Man took his brother five years ago. He’s tried to tell himself again and again that it was his imagination, that the Devil’s Footsteps are just stones and the Dark Man didn’t take Adam. But what does it matter if people believe in the legend or not? Adam’s still gone.

And then Bryan meets two other boys who have their own unsolved mysteries. It seems that Adam wasn’t the first to disappear. Someone or something is after the children in the town. And it all comes back to the rhyme that every local child knows by heart…

‘ One in fire, two in blood,

Three in Storm, four in flood,

Five in Anger, six in hate,

Seven fear and evil eight,

Nine in sorrow, ten in pain,

Eleven death, twelve life again,

Thirteen steps to the Dark Man’s Door

Won’t be turning back no more.’

The disappearance of children in Redford seems to be a regular occurrence, but one that people seem to ignore. The local legend of the sinister Dark Man haunts the town and its inhabitants seem reluctant to discuss it. Bryan’s older brother, Adam, walked the ‘Devil’s Footsteps’ (stepping stones in the woods) while speaking the rhyme and hasn’t been seen since. Only Bryan knows what really happened but no one is willing to acknowledge the Dark Man. After five years of suffering, Bryan’s parents behaving like zombies, he meets Smokey, a boy who has also seen the Dark Man. Accompanied by Jake, whose best friend, Lucy, also went missing, the boys set off on a journey to discover the secret of Redford and find out exactly what happened to the people they loved.

This novel is actually really scary. The continued use of the rhyme is really eerie and the Dark Man is an actual threat all the way through the novel.  As well as dealing with the current threat, the reader is given an insight into how Bryan and his family have had to deal with the disappearance of Adam and when Smokey’s sister, Nina, goes missing, the writing is really emotional.

The Dark Man is always just out of reach and it is more what the Dark Man does that makes the novel so effective. The characters have to undergo real trials in order to overcome their fear but it is apparent from the start that they will have to return back to the stepping stones in the woods in order to be able to move on. Richardson also uses suspense to build fear and the chapters are effectively structured, you definitely can’t end one chapter without being desperate to start the next.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this as a brilliant example of a teenage horror. Imagery used within the novel also creates atmosphere and I cannot stress how well The Devil’s Footsteps is written.  I was scared to go to sleep… so don’t start this novel unless you can hack it because the ending is also really well written and I wouldn’t want you to miss out!

5/5 Be prepared to be scared!

The Lying Game Review

Title: The Lying Game

Author: Sara Shepard

Release Date: 31^st March 2011

Publisher: Harper Collins

I had a life anyone would kill for.

Then someone did.

The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does – an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.

Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me – to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?

Let the Lying Game begin.

The first time Emma finds out she has a long lost twin sister is seeing a weird online video. After tracking down her sister, Sutton, on Facebook, they arrange to meet.

However, Sutton never shows and then her friends appear and Emma is swept up in a case of mistaken identity. Where exactly is Sutton and how long can Emma pretend to be her?

Written from the point of view of the deceased Sutton, with a style that reminds me slightly of The Time of The Ghost by Diana Wynne Jones (a really amazing book and author), The Lying Game is really interestingly written.

Emma has to take over Sutton’s life in an attempt to track down the killer and the novel includes the ingredients every great teen novel should. Sutton’s boyfriend, Garrett provides the love interest however, there is also chemistry between Emma and Ethan. Although this is complicated by the fact that Ethan thinks Emma is Sutton and something has clearly jeopardised their relationship! Despite the confusion here, the novel is really clear cut (just remember everyone thinks Emma is Sutton!). Family relationships also play a part, comparing Emma’s dysfunctional one with Sutton’s loving parents. In fact, the novel explores a lot of polar opposites as shy Emma takes on her new life as confident and popular Sutton.

There are a lot of secrets in this novel and not much is revealed by the ever-present ghost of Sutton who doesn’t seem to remember much of what has happened in her life. As a reader we are placed in the position of Emma, slowly introduced to each character and their relationship with Sutton, which makes it difficult to discover who might have a motive for murder. Similarly, the ending does not reveal the killer, making Never Have I Ever, the next book in the series, a must read! 

Overall, a really compelling read and one that I would definitely recommend. The story is not as complicated as I have suggested and it is actually a really easy read with a nicely structured plot. I look forward to the next one!

5/5 Unexpected, unusual and really brilliant!

Repossessed Review

Title: Repossessed

Author: A M Jenkins

Release Date: 1^st March 2009 (Reprint)

Publisher: HarperTeen

Kiriel is one fed up demon. Fed up with being stuck in hell, and fed up with tormenting the damned (a thankless task if there ever was one!). So he’s going to take a little a little break, vacationing on earth in the slightly used body of a seventeen- year- old …

Kiriel the demon has decided to take a trip to earth and has taken over the body of seventeen year old Shaun. However, Shaun’s life is far from perfect and Kiriel finds himself on a quest to befriend Jason, Shaun’s younger brother, try and start a relationship with Lane, Shaun’s classmate and stop the school Bully, Reed from spending the afterlife being punished. This is all before he gets dragged back to the depths of hell and as things seem to be going to plan, Kiriel becomes more aware just how little time he has to make things happen.

This is a light hearted read which deals with the beauty of life through the eyes of someone who has never experienced it before. I couldn’t help but notice a similarity between the way in which Shaun changes when Kiriel takes over his body and the way in which teenage boys change when they finally become men. Kiriel (in Shaun’s body) begins to wear different clothes, notices the way girls pay attention to him and also begins to respect his younger brother. 

Being written from the point of view of Kiriel, the demon, who has been watching Shaun and his companions for a long time, the novel explores the sexual urges of the male teenager as well as delving into Lane’s desires for love and romance.  Kiriel also attempts to rebuild Shaun’s relationship with his brother. Kiriel looks at life with a critical eye and sees how Shaun and others around him could behave in different ways towards one another. Most of the novel deals with Kiriel’s comments on day to day life and the plot isn’t particularly complex but that’s what makes the novel such a light hearted read.

Overall, a really interesting but easy going read. The novel is funny at times, as well as dealing with serious aspects of teenage life (love, family, sex and bullying) in a light hearted way. This book looks at our day to day existence in a new way and I would recommend it to anyone who wants something fun to read.

3.5/5 Just a nice, fun read.

Thirteen Reasons Why Review

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why

Author: Jay Asher

Release Date: 6^th August 2009 (UK)

Publisher: Penguin

Clay Jensen returns home to find a strange package with his name on it. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Barker – his classmate and first love – who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

Hannah’s voice explains there are thirteen reasons why she killed herself. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why.

All through the night, Clay keeps listening - and what he discovers changes his life …

Forever.

Thirteen Reasons Why is the story of Hannah Baker and her suicide. Clay Jensen is one in a long number of people who have been sent cassette tapes by Hannah telling them why she decided to end her own life. At first, Hannah experiences the hardships many teenagers do and classroom banter gets out of hand. After a handful of upsetting events, Hannah begins to have suicidal thoughts and opens up to a school guidance counsellor.  However, it seems even he lets Hannah down and things finally spiral out of control as she finds herself unable to open up to anyone.  At times comical but mostly distressing and very emotionally realistic, Thirteen Reasons Why is written as a tragic duologue, but Hannah will never hear Clay’s reply. Throughout the novel Clay becomes more and more desperate to try and get through to Hannah, which makes everything more upsetting, as it is too late for her to hear him.

The story is moving as well as thought provoking, making the reader think about how our everyday actions affect others. Some of the people Hannah mentions on her tapes indirectly affected her, while others have set out to deliberately hurt her. Not only this, but the novel comes as a warning to those who feel they are in Hannah’s position. Clay is devastated by Hannah’s death and his interjections clearly display his determination to put things right. His character shows how, despite Hannah’s feeling that she is alone, there are those out there who care for her and who would have tried to help her had they known the seriousness of the situation. There are always people in life who care about us.

At the end of the book the Q and A for the author, Jay Asher, explains how many of the actions described in the book are based on real events. The audio version of Hannah’s tapes and other media from the book is available at http://www.hannahsreasons.blogspot.com/  which really brings to life elements of Hannah’s story and also gives advice on this serious subject matter. Through the journeys of both Clay and Hannah, the novel shows how everyone’s story is interlinked with others and Clay’s responses to Hannah are particularly harrowing. Overall, the novel is definitely worth reading for its composition as well as its content.  

4/5 Brings to life the reality of how our actions affect others and deals sensitively with a serious subject matter.

If you would like to talk to someone or are concerned about someone else, more information is available at http://www.samaritans.org/ or call 08457 90 90 90 (UK and Northern Ireland).

Title: The Rag and Bone Shop

Author:  Robert Cormier

Release Date: 4^th July 2002 (New edition)

Publisher: Puffin Teenage Books

Alicia Bartlett had last been seen on the patio of her home by twelve-year-old Jason Dorrant, about four o’clock on the afternoon of June twenty-ninth. Now Alicia has been brutally murdered and Jason, as the last person – except for the killer - to see her alive, is being interrogated.  Or did Jason kill Alicia? His interrogator is a man who is famous for always getting a confession from the suspect. Will he get a confession from Jason?

Jason is a quiet twelve year old boy. His friend Alicia is murdered and he is the last person to see her alive which makes him the prime suspect for the police. An unexplained playground fight meant he has a reputation for violence. However, through Jason’s thoughts, it becomes clear that things are not that straight forward. Jason appears innocent but the police are desperate to find the culprit and hire an out of town interrogator, Trent, to question Jason. Trent’s methods are tried and tested and he is confident that he can get a confession from Jason. But is Jason guilty?

Throughout the novel we see into the lives of several of the main characters and understand the motivations behind their actions. Jason is under pressure from the start of the novel to confess and things become more heated when Trent is unsure of Jason’s guilt. However, interrogating Jason, Trent has to consider his career and unbeaten record when obtaining confessions. Both Jason and Trent come out of the interrogation changed, their lives and the lives of the people around them changed forever.

The plot was really engaging as the events surrounding what happened to Alicia Bartlett unravel but this isn’t the main story. More emphasis is placed on Jason and how he responds to the pressure of being interrogated and this is what gives the story its really interesting twist. I really don’t want to give too much away as I would definitely recommend reading this book!  

The ending was really haunting, showing the devastating consequences of comparing thoughts and actions. Be prepared for a really disturbing conclusion! The novel is an easy read with a crime theme and so is suitable for anyone with an interest in this genre, although things take a psychological turn and it becomes apparent that this is much more than a whodunit.  The novel is well written and delves into the mind of the interrogator as well as the interrogated. Absolutely brilliant!

5/5 If you aren’t a fan of crime, you soon will be!