Children's book of the week - Sunday Times - Times Online
Sunday Times Children's Book Of The Week
A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Down
Written with a fluent, lyrical sprightliness, this poignant novel invests tragic events with humanity and even, in places, humour... NICOLETTE JONES
A tale of magical times | Review | Guardian Unlimited Books
From The Guardian yesterday - Diane Samuels on Margaret Mahy's new novel, Maddigan's Fantasia:
This is a sprawling quest of a book, crammed with action. A lot of ground is covered in this mythical world that suggests itself as a possible future for our own. There is a hotchpotch of eras and styles: Victoriana with the travelling circus and its traditional acts; fairytale forests and magical archways; post-apocalyptic anarchy ? la Mad Max road gangs; and sci-fi hi-tech with computers and androids. The disembodied enemy from the future who practises body-invasion to give himself physical presence is reminiscent of Voldemort, before he "comes back", in the early Harry Potter books. All the ingredients are here. It's a rich and engaging brew that sometimes feels overloaded. And there are so many strands to follow that some tie up less satisfyingly than others. The sheer breadth of the work tends to take over at the expense of depth and, while Garland is brought fully to life with her classic inner struggles as a girl becoming a young woman, the deeper emotional undercurrents of her relationships and growth seem to be left untapped...
Children's book of the week - Sunday Times - Times Online
Sunday Times Children's Book Of The Week
On Angel Wings by Michael Morpurgo and Quentin Blake
This stocking-sized Nativity story embellishes the traditional tale by being the narrative of an elderly shepherd who was a small boy at the time of Christ’s birth.
Telegraph | Entertainment | From toddlers to teens
Dinah Hall's 'from toddlers to teens' roundup - Sunday Telegraph
There was also extensive children's books coverage, with separate pages for 'Adventure', 'Fantasy', 'Teenage' and 'Picture Books' - in yesterday's Telegraph, but I can't yet find these online. If someone else can, please add the link as a Comment.
Queen Anne conquers the Moon | Review | Guardian Unlimited Books
Phlip Ardagh reviews Larklight by Philip Reeve
Christmas through the ages - Sunday Times - Times Online
A bit belatedly (!), Nicolette Jones' seasonal roundup from last Sunday's ST:
Scotsman.com Living - Books - Growing pains and pleasures
This year I haven't attempted to put my top teen reads of the year into numerical order. But I kick off:
"ONE OF THE BOOKS I WAS most looking forward to all year was the third novel by Mal Peet, The Penalty (Walker, ?6.99). Billed as "a Paul Faustino novel" it features the same sports journalist as in Keeper... ..."
You need to be registered (free) with scotsman.com to read the online review. Contact me direct if you have problems.
The facts, just give them the facts - Books - Times Online
Amanda Craig's Christmas roundup of non-fiction in The Times
