Review: The Notwitches: Prison Break!

*Written by Gary Panton*
*Illustrated by Dotty Sutton*
*Published by Chicken House Books*

Melanda Notwitch is back in another hilarious, heart-warming adventure in The Notwitches: Prison Break – and what a terrific treat this is for readers of 7+.

Eleven-year-old Melanda Notwitch is no longer living with her awful aunts, but with Mitch the witch and her almost-talking-cat Rolo. Life is almost perfect for Melanda – writing stories and eating soup – but there are two very important people missing: her parents. Unfortunately, they are imprisoned in the Dark and Horrible and Disgusting Prison for Witches, a prison that Melanda is determined to break them out of. All she needs is a plan!

And what better plan to get into a prison than to get arrested? All the Notwitches need to prove that they are witches is a Public Display of Witching, something that is guaranteed to get them arrested – if only they can get people to come to the performance – and be unlucky enough to be spotted by a witch hunter. And it just so happens that witch hunter Craig is looking to catch his first witches …

And so begins a wickedly fun, fast-paced adventure as Melanda, Mitch and Rolo find themselves on the way to prison to carry out a prison break. Can they outwit a moustachioed Chief Guard, a wrestling-loving Governess and witch hunters to rescue Melanda’s parents? Will the rather unusual creatures they meet, including a Slug Beast and wombats, be a help or a hindrance?

This is a brilliant second adventure for Melanda which can be read as a standalone. But I have no doubt readers will want to catch up with her first adventure – and find out about those awful aunts – if they haven’t already done so. The blend of humour and heart, wackiness and wickedness, in this adventure is just perfect. The short chapters, playfulness of the language, fast-paced action and wonderful twists and turns will keep young readers turning pages and is ideal for building reading stamina.

I really enjoyed being back with Melanda, Mitch and Rolo and love the close bond of friendship between them. Melanda shows kindness and empathy towards others and stands up to, and for, others, proving herself a good friend when support is needed. I think this is a wonderful message that shines through the wonderful humour in this story. And can I just mention Rolo – what a hero – absolutely adorable and deserving of all the soup!

The full-and-partial-page illustrations throughout are absolutely brilliant: expressive and energetic, complementing the humour and heart of this adventure perfectly.

A feast of wacky fun, with family and friendship at its heart, serving up giggles galore for young readers.

Thank you to Laura Smythe PR and Chicken House Books for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: The World’s Worst Alien

*Written by Alice Primmer*
*Illustrations by Fred Blunt*
*Published by Walker Books*

The World’s Worst Alien is a fantastically funny, zany adventure that kept me giggling, and sometimes pondering, throughout as I followed alien, and world-creator, Sky on her month-long mission to save her project from pesky humans.

So, you think you know how Earth was created? Well, think again! We are actually the end-result of a school project created by an interdimensional being (a.k.a an alien) who wanted to move from bottom to top of the class! And Sky was certain – well, almost – certain of success if only evolution hadn’t seen the dinosaurs being replaced with humans. And they just happened to be ruining her creation so, in an effort to rescue her project, Sky decides she has no choice other than to visit Earth to fix her project – something that will actually require her to do something she really doesn’t enjoy: make an effort.

When she arrives in London, Sky finds herself walking in to Oak Lane Primary School as a Year 6 pupil with the intention of becoming a Youtube Influencer as she is sure these are the people who can change the world. She soon meets Zana who offers to help her with creating a Youtube Channel, but it is not long before she is getting her new friend (whatever one of those is), and herself, into all sorts of trouble …

And so begins a brilliantly funny adventure as Sky begins her month-long mission to save the world she has created by replacing humans with a much-more deserving successor. But what if the humans have something to teach Sky, something about the value of friendship, something about determination and effort, and something about the power of a few to make a big difference for many …

There is no doubt that Sky is incredibly honest in front of both adults and her classmates as she doesn’t have any pre-conceptions of how she should behave which leads to lots of incongruous situations, misunderstandings and oodles of humour. It also leads to her sometimes coming across as uncaring, but is that something that can change as she learns more about human emotions, and opens herself up to these, as she connects with Zana and the members of the Eco Club? Will what she learns about humans in the microcosm of the Oak Lane Primary School community change her mind about replacing them in her project?

I really enjoyed the environmental focus in this adventure which shows that a few can make a real difference and, when people come together, they can effect change for the better. What a wonderful message for children to learn!

The illustrations throughout are absolutely brilliant and really complement the action, energy and humour in this wonderful story.

Could the world’s worst alien just make the best difference when she comes to visit her school project? A wonderfully humorous adventure for readers of 8+.

Thank you to Walker Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: Cruise Ship Kid: Thief at Sea

*Written by Emma Swan*
*Illustrated by Katie Saunders*
*Published by Usborne Books*

Cruise Ship Kid: Thief at Sea! is the first in a fantastically fun new mystery adventure series set aboard a ship where a crime has taken place, and a young definitely-not-a-detective is all aboard to solve the case – with a little help from the reader!

10 and a ¼ year old Silver lives aboard the Potentia cruise ship as her mum is the Deputy Cruise Director. She spends most of her time with The Gang – a group of elderly, but young-at-heart, cruise-o-philes, who enjoy back-to-back cruises around the world. They have taken Silver into their hearts, and she clearly adores them, but what she would really like is a BFF who is her own age. Could she possibly find one on the ship’s 2-week Mediterranean summer cruise – a time when more children come aboard?

Whilst on a Venice excursion to the famous Murano glass shop, she meets posh girl Yana, who had laughed at her during the Sail Away Party, but who now invites her to the pool the next day. When the other kids are rude to her and she falls into the pool, Silver finds herself, once again, being laughed at – and rescued by one of her Gang. Despite this disastrous start at her attempt to find a BFF, she immediately forgives Yana, and begins a mission to change herself so that Yana will like her. Will Yana want to spend more time with her if she changes her accent and wears the clothes she suggests? What is Silver prepared to do in order to please the girl who she is desperate to have as a BFF?

When two expensive watches, brought on board by Yana’s uncle and his girlfriend Paula-with-a-P, go missing, Silver sees an opportunity to spend more time with Yana. Although she definitely isn’t a detective, Silver invites Yana to help her solve the mystery of the missing watches – and perhaps she’ll also find a BFF. Will she discover some super sleuthing skills along the way and stop an injustice? Can Silver find the courage to listen to her ‘in-between-ears’ voice and be true to herself? I loved following the mystery as Silver uncovers clues, identifies and eliminates suspects, makes mistakes and fights to protect her friends.

This is a wonderfully action-packed, hilarious adventure with plenty of heart-warming moments, and some important messages about forming genuine friendships and remaining true to yourself. I really enjoyed learning more about entertainment and dining aboard the cruise ship, and the excursions available, especially as I’m hoping to go on my first ever cruise this summer – something my husband has been trying to persuade me to do for years!

I really enjoyed that this book is written in diary format with wonderful doodles and notes. Whilst this is a longer book, I have no doubt that the short chapters, gorgeous, expressive illustrations and chatty, funny, fast-paced style will appeal to younger readers as they break up for their summer holidays. It’s certainly one I’ll be recommending to my class. I also loved how interactive the story is with Silver’s kind and friendly nature shining through, showing friendship towards the reader as she encourages them to interact with her and her adventure – and even write their responses!

I absolutely adored Silver who, understandably, wants to have friends her own age, something that is tricky when she lives aboard a cruise ship where children who arrive do not stay for long. She is torn between her desperation to have a friend her own age and her loyalty to her mum, her ship family (the Gang) and the crew. This leads to Silver doubting herself and others, breaking rules she knows she shouldn’t, and putting herself in difficult situations to gain friendship. Silver’s honesty and genuineness with the reader makes her an incredibly likeable character, even more so because of her fallibility. And I just have to mention the Gang who play such an important, and active, part in Silver’s life – what an absolutely fantastic bunch of octogenarians+ who brought lots of smiles – and how wonderful to see such positive intergenerational relationships.

Embark on the adventure of the summer with the cruise ship kid, and help her solve an intriguing mystery … guaranteed summer fun for readers of 8+.

Thank you to Fritha Lindqvist and Usborne Books for providing me with a proof copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: Speedwheels 3000: The Race Against Crime

*Written by Jenny Pearson*
*Cover Illustration by Nick East*
*Interior Illustrations by Katie Kear*
*Published by Usborne Books*

An hilarious, action-packed race across Europe, Speedwheels 3000: The Race Against Crime, is guaranteed to win first podium place in the hearts of readers as they join Evie and her dad on an unforgettable, zany adventure.

Evie Clutterbank is determined to have some father-daughter bonding time, but her dad’s attention has not been on his daughter for a long time. Instead, his energy and time is taken with his single-minded determination to win the world’s most famous – and most definitely, craziest – race: The Speedwheels 3000 which races through seven European countries. Can she convince her Dad to take her along as his co-pilot? Of course not! But, Evie has a plan …

Whilst her mum is fully immersed in her efforts to save the slow-worms (yes – seriously!), Evie makes a quick getaway by stashing herself in the boot of her Dad’s car, Toots, after creating a little more room by throwing out his suitcase. If only, she’d known about the lucky pants she’d unceremoniously dumped on the roadside, maybe she wouldn’t be dangling from a cliff with a boot full of stolen gold, and the police on their trail …

And how exactly did she and her Dad end up in this precarious situation? Well, Evie is the perfect person to tell her us about her racing adventures as she allows her brain time to think of a way out of her current unintended death-defying situation …

And what a tale she has to tell! All she wanted was some bonding time with her dad as they share his love of racing through Europe, but what she gets is the high-octane adventure of her life! I mean, yes, there’s incredible danger, car chases, disasters galore and the chance that her dad might go to prison, but there’s also wild camping, a bison traffic jam and a mystery to solve. Can Evie solve the mystery of who wants to frame them as gold thieves? Could it be one of the other competitors? And, is there even the teeniest chance that they could become the Speedwheel 3000 champions?

Oh wow! This is another absolute winner that had me giggling and, at times, sniffling- and not with the cold! As always with Jenny’s books, I loved the blend of humour and heart, the authentic relationships and the action-packed, brilliantly ridiculous situations that arise that guarantee laugh-out-loud moments blended with heart-warming interactions that bring both smiles and tears.

Evie is the most incredible 11¾ year old girl who I absolutely adored as she faces every situation and challenge with such positivity – even that of getting her dad to realise that he can still look for happiness even when something unbearable has happened. The relationship between Evie and her dad is beautifully and authentically portrayed as they find heart-warming moments of connection amidst the zaniness and danger of their race across Europe. I loved Evie’s cheeky, quick-witted, impetuous and confident manner which makes her incredibly likeable, but I can also understand her dad’s frustration with her! I also loved her loyalty to her dad as she stands up for him – even if it sometimes leads to disastrous situations for her had – but hilarious ones for the reader!

The illustrations throughout are absolutely wonderful – full of energy, expression and humour – and complement this brilliant story perfectly.

Race to the finish line with a story that it’d be a crime not to read – a perfect blend of humour and heart wrapped up in race like no other.

Thank you to Usborne Books for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: Blue, Barry & Pancakes: Beach Ball Bedlam

*Written & Illustrated by Dan & Jason*
*Published by Rock the Boat*

Blue, Barry & Pancakes: Beach Ball Bedlam is the first in a wonderful graphic novel series for younger readers – hilarious adventures with three brilliant friends – an adventurous, sport-loving bunny; a book-loving, thoughtful worm; and an inventor, over-thinking frog.

Blue, Barry and Pancakes are best friends who live in the most fantastic, giant tree house. Just as Barry is finishing his impressive Eiffel Tower waffle stack, Pancakes has an idea …

The three friends decide to head to the beach where beach ball seems a perfect activity, but disaster strikes when they lose Blue’s ball to a hungry whale! Luckily, Barry is full of awesome ideas, but not all plans go exactly as intended …

And so begins a hilarious out-of-this-world adventure as the three friends attempt to retrieve Blue’s beach ball and find themselves at an alien pool party …

I loved both the wacky adventure and the heart-warming friendship between Blue, Barry and Pancakes as they realise that friendship is more important than anything else. The full-colour, vibrant illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and so wonderfully expressive. The large panels and speech bubbles will really appeal to young readers.

Explosive fun meets wonderful friendships in this gorgeous graphic novel series for younger readers of 6+.

Thank you to Dannie Price and the Publisher for sending me a copy of this graphic novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: Knight Sir Louis and the Cauldron of Chaos by The Brothers McLeod

Knight Sir Louis and his friends are back for more hilarious mayhem in their sixth fantastically funny and heart-warming adventure, The Cauldron of Chaos. An absolute riot of fun that is guaranteed to bring giggles galore to young readers as they join Knight Sir Louis on his perilous quest.

Knight Sir Louis is racing towards another heroic adventure on his trusty robot steed, Clunkalot, a mission to save the Kingdom of Squirrel Helm from evil, cursed living diamonds intent on world domination. With the help of his loyal, magical sword, Dave, he is able to defeat the diamonds (or is he?), but not without Dave being injured and in need of healing by his maker which means that Louis is in need of a new sword …

His friend, wizentor (wizard inventor) Pearlin is too busy building a theme park for King Burt the Not Bad to help so instead she sends him to ambitious witch, Cilla Da Spell’s market stall where he buys Steve Jabs who has a penchant for mood music, photos and giving directions, but not too sure about the actual jabbing …

When Louis goes to meet his best friend, Catalogue the boar, who is now a Police Inspector, he discovers that his help is needed to help solve a case of thievery, a case that leads towards the Big Bank and a dastardly, greedy villain … the Cauldron of Chaos who steals from the ~~rich~~ anyone and gives to ~~the poor~~ itself.

Can friends Louis, Catalogue and Pearlin come up with a plan to defeat the Cauldron of Chaos and return the stolen riches to their rightful owners? Will joining forces with Cilla Da Spell make the Cauldron invincible? Can diamonds really be a knight’s best friend? And, will they find the perfect cauldron cleanser in Transylwoofia?

Oh my goodness! This was SO much fun! I absolutely loved how playful it is in terms of wacky ideas and language – and the bookish and popular references which made me giggle. I adored the running commentary by the good citizens of Squirrel Helm. I also loved the ‘Choose Your Own’ section where the reader helps the friends decide where to go in Transylwoofia via Chapters A-F – but having to read all chapters to be successful!

The layout of this book will make it incredibly appealing to readers from its many, many brilliantly expressive and lively illustrations over partial and whole pages to its range of fonts to its graphic novel style inserts and commentary asides and insights for the reader.

There is such a wonderful bond of friendship between Louis and his friends which make them a wonderful team when coming up ideas and carrying out their plan. They show courage and determination when facing danger, never giving up and working together to complete their mission. Whilst there are PLENTY of laughs in this adventure, I also really liked that it has strong friendships and a real warmth that young readers will enjoy. A delightful, fast-paced adventure, fizzing with friendship and humour, perfect for readers of 8+.

Thank you to Dannie Price and Guppy Books for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Author Guest Post and Review: Happy Hills: Knick Knacks Attacks

Today, I’m delighted to be able to share a fascinating guest post from author and illustrator Sophy Henn on the inspiration behind Happy Hills. I will also be sharing my review of this hilarious graphic novel.

Guest Author Post

Sophy Henn on the inspiration behind Happy Hills

One of my favourite bits of my job is doing Q&A sessions after events. Now, I must confess I rarely get to do them as I am always running out of time BUT when I do I am consistently thrilled by the variety of questions I get, but three pop up rather a lot…

How old are you?

What’s your favourite colour?

And… Where do you get your ideas from?

So, in case you are interested…

1) REALLY old (but huge thanks to the very sweet girl who suggested I was 27!)
2) Rainbow
3) EVERYWHERE.

Ideas for stories really are everywhere, they are happening around us all the time but we must stay vigilant or we will miss them! I like to scribble or doodle my ideas down when they pop up as my memory is appalling and also because more often than not I will get a bit of an idea and either have to let it grow over time in my sketchbook, or match it with something else that has been lingering there.

This was the case with Happy Hills. I have been making comics for many years and used comic strips throughout the Pizazz series but it still felt like a bit of a leap to make an ENTIRE comic book. But it was going over my sketchbooks and seeing all the characters I had dreamt up that gave me the idea to create an ensemble cast of cute but VERY feisty characters that could populate this imaginary land.

With my head full from browsing pages and pages of sketchbooks I sat down and drew pretty much the whole cast, straight away on one page of a sketchbook. And the idea of them looking so cute but having very contrasting traits was making me laugh but it was also resonating!

As a middle aged woman I find myself often pigeon holed in one way or another, but I delight in still having the capacity for great silliness, or maybe getting furious about an injustice or possibly just wanting to sing and dance – despite what the world expects of me! And despite huge leaps and bounds this happens in all areas of society, but I think girls and young women suffer from preconceived ideas of looks /behaviour more than most. So not only did a cast of cute but spirited and silly characters make me laugh it felt like something with worth and meaning.

I wanted to keep the energy high so while I decided to have a narrative thread that ran through the books in recurring strips, I would pepper this with running gags, standalone strips and mini series that run from book to book. In my head it became a sketch show, rather like The Fast Show, with catchphrases, familiar jokes and surprisingly poignant moments. Hopefully.

The core ideas for the strips themselves come from a very disparate selection of sources – memories of my childhood, of my daughter’s childhood, moments I have witnessed and overheard when I am out and about, pop culture references, old comic strips I made years ago, films, TV and occasionally even BOOKS! As I said before the kernels of stories are everywhere, you just have to keep your eyes and ears open – oh and don’t forget to jot them down!

Review

Knick Knacks Attacks is the second madcap, hilarious book in the Happy Hills full-colour graphic novel series.

I loved the introduction to the residents of Happy Hills which is included at the start of the book – with some great asides by the flowers! As Ace wakes up and wonders where he is, he is reminded by Captain that he now lives in Happy Hills, but someone else has sight their sights on the zany residents of his new home …

Knick Knacks loves collecting things and this time, he has set his sights on swiping a collection of new Happy Hills friends – whether they like it or not! As the residents of Happy Hills live their own wacky lives with stare-offs and dance-offs, Knick Knacks plots his first friendship swipe … will the residents realise the danger they are in before it’s too late, or will Happy Hills lose its eccentric residents to a villainous collector?

Wowzers! Giggles are absolutely guaranteed in this chaotic adventure when the mischievous villain Knick Knacks comes up with his brilliantly inventive schemes for collecting his new friends. Meanwhile, the wondrously bizarre cast of characters in Happy Hills are oblivious to what is happening as they are caught up in their own laugh-out-loud stories. And just wait for the flower narrators – genius!

Whilst this is a fantastically funny story, it also has some heart-warming messages about friendships.

The full-colour, vibrant illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and so very expressive with a variety of panel sizes, captions and speech balloons which will appeal to young readers. I loved that there are tutorials to encourage young readers to draw Shroomer and Knick Knacks – maybe they’ll even be tempted to continue the story … before they can get their hands on the next Happy Hills adventure.

A delicious delight that is sure to capture the attention of young readers of 5+ as they head to Happy Hills for another wacky adventure.

Author Information

Sophy Henn is an award-winning picture book author and illustrator with an MA in Illustration from the University of Brighton. She is the creator of the much-loved Bad Nana fiction series, the Pom Pom series, the Ted board books series and has recently created the non-fiction titles Lifesize and Lifesize Dinosaurs. Her debut picture book Where Bear? Was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Sophy was the World Book Day Illustrator in 2015 and 2016. Her books are published throughout the world.

Thank you to Nic Wilkinson and Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of Happy Hills: Knick Knacks Attacks in exchange for my honest opinion.