The Truth About Lies - Tracy Darnton - review

Straight away, from the title of this excellent thriller, The Truth About Lies, you know this will be an intriguing voyage into the truth and memory. And it doesn’t disappoint.

Jess has a condition called hyperthymesia, which means she can remember every detail of what happened on a any given day, even the unimportant minutiae, like exactly what she was wearing.

Jess also has a photographic memory. She can bring a document out of her memory to read later after only a glance.

Far too much information is all stored in her overloaded and over-busy brain and the descriptions of what it is like to be Jess are riveting.

But in that overworked brain, Jess is also keeping secrets. 

She is in therapy after the death of her room-mate. But the first secret she is keeping is that she is only going through the motions of pretending to be upset. The truth is she sees everyone else’s efforts to honour and remember their friend as being false and pointless – Jess can see a different point of view – that one of the kind things about most people’s memories is that it they are allowed to forget.

Jess wants to live a normal life, but how can she when she has such difficulty doing ordinary things, like making friends. If you cannot forget you are overly aware of every slight, every regret, every small unkindness.

This story is full of interesting and thought-provoking detail about how our minds work.

Jess attends a college in a remote part of Devon, taking classes in memory. She is studying under Ramesh Desai, learning how we store and lay down memories, why memory is important, how you can improve memory. I was just as eager to get back to his classes as his students were!

Does Jess have a supreme talent? Or is it an illness?

Jess a fascinating character to travel with. The descriptions of what is it like to be her, with a memory so cluttered she has to carry everything around with her all the time build on our sympathies and help us understand why she is such a brittle, unemotional character at the start.

The Truth About Lies deftly treads between the big theme of examining a rare condition, woven into a page-turning plot and ends up as a very smart psychological thriller.

Jess mostly tries to keep her condition a secret, but opens up when a new boy joins the college, just at the moment that all the secrets she has been keeping to try to live a normal life start to close in on her.

She was part of a programme that thought she was extraordinary. It helped her control her memories, to learn to be able to lock them away and not be overwhelmed by them. But her remarkable mind was also too irresistible not to use her as a means to advance scientific knowledge of exactly how the brain works.

And the more she learns, even Jess starts to doubt if anyone’s memory is truly infallible.

A terrific, intelligent debut and I can’t wait to read more by Tracy Darnton.

Nicki Thornton

3D Review, ‘Is it a Mermaid?’ by Candy Gourlay and Francesca Chessa - Illustrator Interview with Francesca Chessa

Continuing on our 3D review of  'Is it a Mermaid' we are delighted to welcome  Francesca Chessa on to the blog to talk about visualising the story through her beautiful illustrations.

What was your favourite children’s book as a child?

My favourite book as a child was Tomaso written and illustrated by Vittorio Accornero, first published in 1944.

Tomaso talks about the life of a dog called Tomaso who was bought by a family of cats as a Christmas toy for the spoilt kitten of the house.

During the summer holidays, not knowing what to do with Tomaso, the cats leave him in the countryside, where Tomaso will meet a family of rabbits that will treat him as a friend, he will give his life for them.

I learned to read on this book it remained in my heart.

What is your favourite children’s book as an adult?

There are so many books I was inspired and that still inspire me that it’s quite impossible to me to choose just one.

The books I like more are amusing, have a good plot, a turning point and surprise me until the end.

My favourite books are the ones where text and illustration are necessary one to each other and you couldn’t imagine one without the other.

What do you think makes children’s books so inspirational?

I think that a good picture book needs to be intriguing, mysterious, funny and enveloping. It must be a book that every time you read, you can discover something new that increases your love for it.

Did you always want to be a children’s book illustrator?

I have always loved drawing and I have always loved reading and looking at the figures in the books. As soon as I realized that I could turn these my passions into a job, I thought I had found how to occupy my time working with passion and joy.

What is it like visualising other people’s characters?

When I work on a text of a writer and on its characters I try to figure out what the author wants to tell. Then I like to add some elements that belong to my world and my interpretation of the story, trying to create images that contains both our worlds.

Can you please explain a bit about your process of illustration?

For my illustrations I am taking inspiration from what I can read, I can see, I can hear, I can touch, I can taste. I like to think that I use all my five senses to develop an idea. The story concept comes first, then the main character, then all the story develops itself step by step by connections between characters and scenes.

I usually work together with the art director. Good art directors let you free but at the same time are able to show you a way and to get from you a better result than the one you could have reached just by yourself.

Francesca Chessa was born on a cold December day in a small north Italian town close to Turin.

She graduated in Architecture but, after some years of working as an architect, realised that she would rather paint animals and the things that surrounded her. Hence she did a course in Illustration.

Since 1997 Francesca has illustrated more than forty children's books working with publishers in various parts of the world including Italy, England, the US, France, Canada, Spain and Japan.

She has received mentions and prizes in a number of international competitions. She now writes her own stories as well as illustrating those by others and likes to feature her family and friends in these. She illustrates for Unicef and Amnesty International.

Francesca lives in an old house in the centre of Turin with her husband. Her studio is colourful, full of books and looks over a small courtyard garden. She loves reading, watching movies, cycling, swimming and skiing.

Thank you for stopping by, please pop back tomorrow to see our 'Is it a Mermaid' Story Sack feature! 

3D Review, ‘Is it a Mermaid?’ by Candy Gourlay and Francesca Chessa – Reviews - Picture Books

Review By Beatriz, (a picture book loving) 14 Year Old Reviewer 

‘Is it a Mermaid?’ is an amazing short story written by Candy Gourlay. After writing several novels, Candy has produced her first short story picture book, aimed for primary school kids. The tale tells of a boy named Benji and his sister Bel, who meet a friendly creature in the sea. The creature says she is a mermaid! However, Benji is sure it’s a Dugong! Bel and Benji set out with the creature to prove their points right. Is it really a mermaid? 

This tale is kind and shares a message of friendship and wonder. Carefully written, the book is wonderful to the end. Accompanied by beautiful drawings by Francesca Chessa, Benji and Bel create a special magic and a lovely story for all to read!

Adult Review by (a picture book and Dugong loving) Adult! 

Is it a Mermaid? Is a fun and charming tale panned by Candy Gourlay and exquisitely illustrated by Francesca Chessa. Set amongst vibrant backdrops the story tells the tale of two children who come across a mysterious, singing sea beast who is convinced she is a mermaid. Of course the children know better, tell their new friend the truth that she is not a mermaid but a sea cow, a dugong.

The creature is upset, but as mermaids are very forgiving, and the children are sorry, soon the threesome, are playing together and having a wonderful time, and it soon becomes apparent that Dugong, Mermaid or Human, it make no difference as friends accept each other for who they are.

Is it a Mermaid? Is a lovely picture book, which explores friendship plus brings a much neglected creature into the heart of this charming tale. Candy’s words along with Francesca’s beautiful imagery has created a delightful book, that is more than it seems, as it sprinkled dugong facts throughout the book and contains a page of dugong information to further peak children’s interest, and highlight the conservation issues that effecting the dugongs habitat. Is it a Mermaid is a truly beautiful book.

Thank you for stopping by, please visit us again this week, as we will be posting an author interview with Candy Gourlay, an illustrator interview with Francesca Chessa, and an article on a Dugong teaching resource too! 

Tears of the class clown - review of Jelly by Jo Cotterill

Jelly is the sort of heart-warming story that so many children (and adults) will find it very easy to relate to. It is the story of the class clown, who is using humour to hide their insecurities.

Jelly's impressions are legendary. She has the class in fits. She's voted by the class to take part in the talent show. She has great friends; is always picked for the sports team.

But now in the last year of primary school, Jelly's self-awareness in growing. She starts to recognise that she mainly plays up and tries to get people to laugh with her because she feels it will stop people laughing at her. Despite all her popularity, she is very insecure because she is fat, so her self-belief is very low.

It's clever of Jo Cotterill to have the insecure main character as being one of the popular girls. It so neatly draws attention to the fact of how much everyone plays a part and that the public face people show may not be who they truly feel to be inside. And it emphasises that to show our true feelings is exposing and uncomfortable and takes an awful lot of bravery, as Jelly finds out.

Another really great feature of the story that the person who notices Jelly's unhappiness is her mum's new boyfriend, Lennon. Seeing such a positive male role model in a story is a very neat twist, rather than using the new man in Mum's life as a source of uncomfortable conflict, and I loved this storyline.

Lennon is they key that gives Jelly the confidence to face up to her fears. 

Jelly starts to question whether she really even likes performing. She loves writing poems, which she never even shows to her closest friends. And when her friends start telling her than her impressions are crossing a line from being funny into being cruel, a crisis looms.

Jelly is such a warm and thoughtful character and the reader is really rooting for her as she wonders if she will be brave enough to reveal a new Jelly, one who admits their true feelings and acts more like the person she feels she is inside. Lennon, Jelly's lovely mum and her friends surround Jelly with so much goodness, creating a really feelgood story.

It really is a cracking tale about how outwardly confident people are often as insecure as everyone else and should give plenty of food for thought as well as being a joy to read.

Nicki Thornton

Beware of dragons in your garden

If your children are suddenly very keen to pitch a tent in the garden and stay out there all night, it might not simply be down to the hot weather. There's a good chance they will have read 'The Boy who Grew Dragons' by Andy Shepherd and are scouring the trees to see what is growing there.
Because anyone reading this lovely book is going to want a pet dragon of their own! (Except the parents, perhaps.)

This is such a charming story about Tomas, who discovers that a strange tree in his grandfather's garden is growing tiny dragons that fit right into your pocket.

What could be a more perfect summer read than this beguiling story about the close bond that quickly develops between Tomas and his dragon, Flicker? And the unfolding trouble as Tomas tries to keep his rather destructive new pet a secret.

In this warm, imaginatively told and very funny story, Flicker is much more gentle than you might expect a dragon to be and totally cute, but he still breathes spurts of fire capable of singeing a lot more than fingers. He can fly. And, as Tomas quickly learns, dragon poo is also fearsomely explosive.

As well as the humour, one of the many strengths of this story is the positive relationships throughout, and not just between Tomas learning how to care for his new, unpredictable pet.

His family are adorable and I love the strong bond between Tomas and his grandfather, and his school friends. So, not surprisingly, soon Tomas and his friends are camping out in the garden so that everyone can have a dragon pet. Let's just say chaos ensues.

The writing is gentle, vivid and very well imagined, and so well complemented by illustrations from Sara Ogilvie throughout, it makes you want to pitch up a tent in Grandad's garden and see if you can't catch a dragon of your own. Be prepared.

Nicki Thornton

3D Review - Kate Wiseman - Editor Interview with Elaine Bousfield the MD of Zuntold Publishers

What was your favourite children’s book as a child?

I loved reading more than anything else in the world. It is difficult to choose just one book to be honest. As a younger child there were two books that stayed with me for quite a long time. The first was Carbonel by Barbara Sleigh and the second was The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley.

I loved, and still love, books with a magical element or fantasy edge to them. I drove my sister mad with the Water Babies because I insisted that if I poked my heads under my bed covers at night, there was an ocean waiting for me, where I would turn into a Water Baby and have all sorts of adventures. I was so convinced of this, that my sister went crying to my mum, saying she was afraid that I would drown.

What is your favourite children’s book as an adult?

Ok..again this is difficult. I think my favourite has to be Northern Lights by Phillip Pullman. It is quite a tricky read for many children though - I think it is more likely to be enjoyed by older children - age 11 or 12 onwards. I love this book because of its beautifully detailed world building, and the amazing concept of the daemon - that part of our soul that lives outside our body as a separate but intricate part of ourselves.

I loved it, also because it combined a wonderful female character (Lyra - strong, curious, impatient, kind) with a fantastic life-changing adventure. It was pure genius. It was an important book because it tackled questions of adult power and how adults abuse their power sometimes and of course, the role of religion. It asked the important question, how can we find meaning if there is no God? They are big questions but I think children all over the world think about these things. Not many children’s books explore such complex themes. I also loved A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, a masterpiece in that it explores grief and loss, and the suppression of guilt which so often accompanies it.

What do you think makes children’s books so inspirational?

Ok…my immediate answer to this is they are not self -conscious; they remind us of the importance of play. They allow us to imagine again. And they teach us things about ourselves and the world without preaching at us (the best ones do anyway). I think our education system drills the imagination out of us and we forget how to play. Children’s books allow us recourse once more to a deeper, more connected inner world.

What do you love about this book and what makes it stand out?

I love gangster school because of the reasons mentioned above. Kate is so playful - the story turns the normal world of school on its head and gives us chaos, naughtiness and rule breaking instead. And it places at the centre of the story, two very different personalities who soon learn that despite being different, they need each other. So its about friendship and loyalty but it is also hilariously funny. I love Gruffles and Wolf. Kate develops characters well alongside a sizzling plot-line that keeps you turning the pages. The second Gangster school had me laughing so much, my entire family came up to my loft room where I work to see what I was laughing at.

How many people have worked on this book and for how long?

I got to Gangster School quite late in the day and didn’t have to do much editing to be honest. Just a little bit here and there. Kate worked on it for four years I think, but the other Gangster School books are being written much more quickly - the characters now have a life of their own I think. We also have our production team at Carnegie - Anna the MD there took a look and loved it p- and Lucy did that typesetting. Isla Donohoe, a young artist from Manchester designed the cover - like me she read both the first Gangster School and the second and could not stop laughin

Elaine Bousfield has worked in mental health and trained as a counsellor, working for many years with young people. She ran her own business, Xenzone, and developed an online counselling and support platform for young people called kooth.com . She sold Xenzone in 2015 and is still its chair and founding director. She writes fiction herself and in 2017 set up Zuntold with the aim of publishing new and exciting fiction for children and young people. She is particularly interested in diversity and the role that fiction can play in changing lives. She is interested in exploring fiction which can be used in therapeutic work with children.

3D Review - Gangster School - Kate Wiseman - Author Interview

What was your favourite children’s book as a child?

That’s a hard question! There are so many to choose from. As a child, I used to get told off for reading in the shower and ruining my books. I was very dedicated.

There are two that really stand out in my memory: the first is Five Children and It by E Nesbit. I loved the Psammead (sand fairy) with his lumpy body and grumpy attitude and his eyes on stalks. He grants wishes to the children who dig him up, and they always backfire in some outlandish way.

My other childhood standout is My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. I was green with envy at Durrell’s unconventional life on the island of Corfu, enchanted by his descriptions of nature, and his family’s high jinks made me laugh my grubby knee-high socks off.

What is your favourite children’s book as an adult?

Another tricky question. There is so much brilliant kids’ lit out there. I’ve read Phillip Pullman’s Northern Lights countless times and my family never tire of trying to work out what form someone’s daemon would take. Beware though – it may cause offence. Another favourite is Ross Wellford’s wacky, funny, touching Time Travelling with a Hamster, which incidentally also gets my vote for Best Book Title of All Time.

What do you think makes children’s books so inspirational?

One of the great tragedies of growing up is that we’re encouraged to downplay the importance of imagination in favour of other, more ‘practical’ qualities. Kids’ books embrace imagination and celebrate its power to transport us beyond the confines of the everyday.

As life becomes more and more pressurised and kids are pushed to conform to society’s expectations regarding everything from passing endless assessments and exams to the way they look, children’s books are a portal to countless other worlds where they can live a million different lives. They have no limits.

Why did you start writing for children?

When I finally got the courage to write fiction instead of essays, it never occurred to me to write anything else. I love the freedom and spontaneity of kids’ lit. It allows me to pour my overactive imagination and daft sense of humour into my writing. I still can’t imagine writing for adults and doubt that I ever will.

What made you want to write this book?

My son had just gone off to university and I was moping around, biting my lip every time I passed his bedroom door, and I needed to concentrate on something else. I decided to stuff all my fears of failure into a little box, lock it away in a dusty corner of my mind and have a go at fulfilling my childhood ambition of being a writer. I’ve worked with kids for a long time and writers are encouraged to write about what they know, so a school was an easy choice.


When my son was smaller, he used to disconcert people who asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up by saying ‘an evil genius’. That got me thinking – what would a school for young felons actually be like? And what would happen if you got sent there, but you weren’t actually a criminal at all?

What is your favourite aspect of writing for children?

Being able to give free reign to my imagination. I especially love concocting a rich history for Blaggard’s School for Tomorrow’s Tyrants. To me, the characters of Sir Thomas Blaggard, the school’s founder, who was born in a mud hut on the banks of the Thames and survived by eating stinging nettles and wrestling bears until he found his criminal feet, and Sally Masters, the eighteenth century Highwaywoman (nickname Blunderbuss Sally) and Foggarty and Spinks, the body snatchers, make the school what it is today. I also love thinking up situations that make me giggle.

Kate Wiseman is a wife, mother and cat minion who lives in Saffron Walden, Essex. Her many years experience of working in schools prompted her to begin writing about Blaggard’s School for Tomorrow’s Tyrants, the world’s best educational establishment for trainee villains.

Gangster School was shortlisted for several prizes and was published first in Germany, by Piper Verlag in October 2017. Piper has just released Gangster School 2: The Brotherhood of Brimstone and there are more to follow. Gangster School is also being published in summer 2018, by Uitgeverij, Holland.

Kate has a degree in English and Creative Writing and a Masters in English Literature. Gangster School is her first novel.

3D Review – Gangster School Kate Wiseman – Reviews

Gangster School is a funny, action packed adventure following the most dependable of the new intake of year seven students at Blaggards Gangster School as Milly and Charlie try to fit into their new school, win the converted thievery competition and battle a super villain that’s hell bent on taking down the school and after that world domination.

We watch as quick thinking and resourceful Milly Dillane the daughter of a family of art forgers and skilled hacker Charlie of the family Partridge famous for kidnapping, embark on their first year at the school which is renowned for its output of infamous scoundrels and villains. Both want to make their families proud, but have doubts about their criminal tendencies, feeling like they are much more dependable (honest non-criminals), but also don’t want to end up at the rival school Crumleys a dangerous establishment for lower class of criminals, which is built on a mound of deceased failed students.

Milly and Charlie, become fast friends and allies helping each other navigate through classes, outwitting older students initiation rituals and even thwarting the most infamous evil villain, Pecunia Badpenny who visits the school with the intent on destroying her nemeses the renowned head teacher Ms Martinet, brainwashing all the students and then using her new technology and student criminal army to brainwash the army, and police in her bid for world domination. Using their unique talents and dependable moral compasses, Milly and Charlie along with a little help in the form of Gruffles Charlie’s unruly pet dog, and Badpenny’s unloved robot dog-henchman Wolf, save the school and even win the thievery competition. 

With Gangster School Kate Wiseman, has used the ‘fish out of water ‘ concept of new students in boarding school, but has made it very much her own, creating an funny and chaotic world, where the protagonists are undeniably the good guys, but are trying to pass as not-so-good, amongst a cast of shady eccentric and funny characters. This leads to many amusing incidents throughout the story, making for a funny read, both for children and adults, as she uses every criminal cliché with excellent comic effect, personally I loved the nods to early criminal facial profiling with the possibly the best monobrow in children literature!

Gangster school from its vibrant and humorous cover illustrated by Isla Bousfield-Donohoe, to its final chapter is a fun rip-roaring adventure.

Child Review by Spike (a boy who is frugal with words)…

Gangster School is awesome. Is there a real Gangster School? If there is can I go? And if yes, can I have a robot dog?

Would you like to win a signed copy of Gangster school, along with a loot bag complete with stripy criminal t-shirt and criminal mask to decorate? If so head over to Twitter and check out our competition. @Bookshelfspace

Review – AdoraBULL – Alison Donald & Alex Willmore

Tom and Alfred are inseparable, they are as close as a boy and bull can be, spending all their waking hours together. However all things must end and when Tom has to go to school Alfred pines for his friend. Alfred’s loneliness is made worse when he hears Tom ask his parents for an adorable pet. 

Envious and lonelier then ever Alfred uses Tom’s Dad’s phone to look up the meaning of adorable, and upon finding oodles of images of tea-cup dogs, and cute cats, tries his hand at being adorable too. However no matter what Alfred tries his efforts are met with ridicule and laughter, as he faces the fact that bulls just aren’t adorable. Just as Alfred has given up, Tom swoops in with a surprise, one adorable pet, to keep his best-bull-friend company when he’s away at school.

AdoraBULL is funny, charming and crammed full of lovely messages about loneliness, friendship and faith. It is also beautifully illustrated by Alex Willmore’s earthy soft images which really work exquisitely with Alison Donald’s text. 

But what really makes AdoraBULL stand out is that it has had the courage to do something that is truly rare in picture books, by including modern technology. Most picture books are free of new-fangled tech, staying firmly in a nostalgic pre-internet world. But with AdoraBULL, we see Alfred actually using a smartphone, and the internet. But far from detracting from the story, this little snippet of the 21st century sets up the jokes and laughter, as well as mirroring the readers own world, (when was the last time you looked up a word in a dictionary?)

AdoraBULL, is a funny, relevant and charming books, a future classic.

Review: Dino Wars – Rise of the Raptors by Dan Metcalf and Aaron Blecha

You now a book is good when: as soon as it arrives, before you get to read it is disappears, stolen by a child to read.

You know a book is REALLY GOOD when: every time you find said to book and put it aside to read and review it, it goes missing, stolen by the child to re-read and re-read again!

This is exactly what happened with Dan Metcalf and Aaron Blecha’s new book Dino Wars, Ride of the Raptors. Hence the delay in posting of the review! No apologies though, I fully blame the author and illustrator of creating such a good book!

So what makes it so good? Well Dino Wars, is a funny, exciting adventure with a fantastic concept at its heart. Set in the future, mankind have brought back genetically enhanced intelligent dinosaurs and weapons. The Dinosaurs have rebelled and won the Dino War, and last remaining humans, have walled themselves into a city living in harmony with peace loving herbivorous.

All is well until Adam Caine and his friends, in their haste to outrun a huge brontosaurus they’ve annoyed stumble upon an old Dino Wars bunker, and accidentally set of a weapon that will kill every dinosaur in the world. The group must venture beyond the safety of the wall and collect four crystals from Dinosaur strongholds, to disarm the weapon and save the dinosaurs from extinction.

Dino wars is fast paced and funny with a great cast of characters from Adam who’s brave and brash, his sister Chloe who is intelligent and cautious, Dax a tech loving inventor Iguanodon, and the stealthy mischievous six year old twins. Plus an array of eccentric dinosaur helpers they pick up along the way.

The book has twists and turns, action and humour for children and jokes specifically for adults like the fabulous nod to G R Martin’s Iron Throne being a particular highlight!

Dan’s story is further enhanced by Aaron’s fun and energetic illustrations. Dino Wars is a great read for younger readers.

And as I can tell you, you know a book is good when – your child steals it, reads and re-reads it and then asks for the rest of the series!

Frankenstein at 200 – The Monster Re-Envisioned for 2018 –A Review of Shell by Paula Rawsthorne

Continuing our bicentenary celebrations of all things Frankenstein, we bring you a review of Paula Rawsthorne’s YA Frankenstein inspired YA Shell.

Published in early January this year, Shell hit bookshops almost 200 years to the day that Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein first editions appeared in print. Frankenstein is an obvious inspiration for Rawsthorne’s Shell, and indeed appears in the book in a literary equivalent of a TV or Movie camo.

Shell, follows the death and life of terminally ill teenager Lucy. The first chapter reads like a ‘sick-lit’ showing Lucy in hospital trying to prepare her optimistic, best friend Mak for the inevitable, until Lucy’s death at the end of the chapter. At this point Sick-Lit is definitely put to bed as Lucy’s body is buried, and Lucy regains consciousness.

Lucy is awake, alive, in pain, and confused, but soon discovers that her wealthy desperate parents have gone to extreme lengths to cheat death. With the assistance of Dr Radnor and his revolutionary, unsanctified, unregulated research, her brain and eyes have been transplanted into another body. The procedure is revolutionary and top secrets, so Lucy’s extra life is a poison chalice as she struggles to accept her new life and the donor’s faces that stares back at her from the mirror.

Lucy’s struggles with her place in the natural world and her questions about who she is are compounded when she returns home under the premise of troubled teen Renee who has been befriended by and staying with her parents. All the people she loves cannot know who she actually is and treat her with suspicion and hostility. Her Gran, best friend Mak and even her horse and beloved dog are terrified of her.

Lucy’s life seems destined to be one of solitude and deceit until she embraces her new Shell and begins to forge friendships with people that would have never given her a second glance in her own body. The harmony of her new life is on a knife edge when a movie of her is posted online and goes viral, igniting the interest of a boy from the other side of the world who is desperately seeking someone dear him. Someone with the same face, who has disappeared.

When Lucy uncovers the dark and deadly secrets about her resurrection, she becomes trapped in an intricate web of lies and deception. With no one to turn to, she is totally at the mercy of her parents and the obsessive Dr Radnor. Can she alone defeat the madness? Or dare she hope for help?

Shell is a page turning thriller, which has identity and friendship at its core. Emotional, exciting and engaging, it explores the notion of self – what makes us who we are, and acceptance as it follows the strained relationship of Mak and Renee to its conclusion.

With Shell Rawsthorne has created a Frankenstein for the twenty first century, carefully preserving the key themes but keeping it appealing for a YA audience. I know from experience that you can have a monster in a YA novel, as long as it’s sexy. Werewolf – Sexy = Good. Dog Headed Human – grotesque = bad. Patchwork corpse monster - grotesque = bad. New body which is a beautiful upgraded from the original – sexy = good. So Rawsthorne’s choice of an appealing Shell for Lucy to take on her adventure was definitely a good one! 

As in the original Shell has looked at current science procedures and how they may advance in the near future. After all in 2018 people having organ transplants is not science fiction, it is science, so the stretch to brain transplant seems feasible, much like Mary’s monster must have seem possible, two centuries ago at the time of scientific, surgical and electrical revolution.

Many of Mary’s themes of acceptance, sense of self and isolation is highlighted as Lucy questions her being, and is shunned by people. It isn’t as extreme as the Monsters experience but again, it is perfectly pitched for its target audience, after all what teenager isn’t concerned with the notion of being unaccepted and ostracised by their peers?

As for the Scientist, the iconic Victor Frankenstein, in Shell Dr Radnor is a charismatic, talented, obsessive genius. He is on the surface a Victor for the twenty first century however he differs from Mary original. Victor Frankenstein is indeed vain, obsessive and misguided, but he is hounded by the turmoil of his moral campus, spending the whole book endeavouring to rectify his actions, but ever tormented by the knowledge that there is no moral right answer, that he cannot save the Monster, humanity and his family. In short Victor is emphatic and as a reader you feel sorry for him as much as you do for his creation. Radnor by comparison has a moral compass that is decisively stuck on amoral. He is dark, manipulative villain with no redeeming qualities. But if like in Shelley’s original the scientist a metaphor for something else – government, ruling classes or even multinational companies - the profiteering and vain Radnor has indeed hit’s the nail on the head.

With Shell Paula Rawsthorne has brought Frankenstein up to date for a modern audience whilst being sympathetic to the source material, whilst also referencing other–re-envisioning’s with shades of Masamune Shirow's ‘Ghost in a Shell’ and Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse. Shell is a brilliant read as a standalone book, but also a great text to use as an introduction to the original or to be read alongside Shelley’s original. I believe it would also go well as an addition to a YA Frankenstein Story Sack.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein at 200 3D Review

Frankenstein and his monster both turn 200 this month, and by way of celebration we at SOBS running a week Frankenstein posts. Over the week we’ll be posting reviews –an adult review and one by a teen. Plus running an article on the cultural legacy of Shelley’s creation and how it has manged to evolve and say relevant through the last two centuries. We’ll finish up with some Frankenstein inspires story sacks, for younger children and young adults. So first up, let’s start with the reviews.

Frankenstein Review by Bea aged 13

Captain Robert Walton was trying to reach the North Pole, when he met Victor Frankenstein: The Creator.

Frankenstein, ill from the terrible cold, has been welcomed upon Walton’s ship where he reveals his past and the story of ‘The Monster.’ Frankenstein shows his private world of creating the creature and shows how his mistakes had led to him to be sick with worry, for how had he let his masterpiece escape? After endless search and disastrous help, he reveals word of his brother, William, who had been murdered!

More crimes committed towards his family, forced him to face his creation, but The Monster reveals that there is more to him than meets the eye. Is everything Victor hears true? Or is this even the Monsters real story, and why does he end up in the North Pole almost dead?

Frankenstein is a fantastic book full of creative twists and turns written by the young author Mary Shelley. Brilliant old English, that starts off tough but pushes you into the story and will never let you out. I couldn’t put it down and thought it was one of the best books I have ever read!

Frankenstein Review Adult

Reading a classic for the first time is always a peculiar thing, which I approach with a certain amount of trepidation, I am always concerned whether it will meet my expectations, after all it is a classic - a story I know. One I was weaned on by numerous adaptations, reimagining’s or the transportation of key characters into other worlds, literary or on screen.

However when reading the original I released that despite having encountered Frankenstein and his monster before in many guises, none of them capture the essences of Mary Shelley’s original text – like a Xerox copy that has been copied again and again, they fade losing details and potency.

Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus is still fresh, relevant engaging and beautiful. To start with though a tip: persevere through part one – initially it seems unrelated and hard going, but stick with it for you will be rewarded! The first part of the book comprises of four letters written by explorer R Walton to his beloved sister as he attempts to be the first man to battle the elements to reach the North Pole. These letters at first reading seem out of place and unrelated to the main plot as through his letter you are exposed to the interworking’s of a deeply flawed man’s mind, who’s singularly obsessed with no concern for the fate of anyone around him as he leads them towards a very cold painful demise. But when you get to letter four the story comes to life and pace changes with the first glimpse of the monster and the staving, battered Victor Frankenstein is pulled from the icy waters. From here on out we get the story we expect as Frankenstein recounts his tale as warning to Walton about his ambitions and vanity.

Victor from his deathbed tells of his obsession with science, alchemy, mortality and his crowning achievement and biggest regret creating the monster, which comes surprising early in the book, much earlier than I expected having ‘known the story already from films!’ But I was also presented by other surprise the complex feelings experienced by Frankenstein leading him to shun his creation, resulting in a deathly dance between monster and creator. I had always assumed that Victor himself was always only guilty for creating the monster not moulding him too.

Shelley explores the intimacy of the relationship between father and neglected son. With the damaged son’s violence escalating as he desperately seeks for his father attention and love. This can also be read as a parable of religion. But what is so fascinating about reading Shelley’s original text is it’s commentary on society. These messages are frequently lost in translation when the story is adapted and made to fit nicely in a genre pigeon hole. The mirroring of the not too distant history (at the time on writing) of the French Revolution; in the book Frankenstein being France, Walton Great Briton and the Monster is the starving masses ignored by ruling classes that eventually respond in kind.

The science in Frankenstein are equally as fascinating especially if you think at the time it was cutting edge; electricity was still in its infancy, and the same year as the book was published the first attempted blood transition took place in London. Shelley was writing about new frontiers but she was commenting on the oldest of human concerns, cheating mortality with Frankenstein’s obsession with modern sciences, ancient alchemist, to control death in a godly image. This human concern is one that is eternal, just look at two of last year Sci-Fi blockbusters, Ghost in A Shell and Blade Runner 2049 which are both essentially Frankenstein for the 21st century, proving Shelley’s story has an enduring relevance.

Another surprise that the books presented was Shelley’s beautiful penmanship, for example when Victor travels throughout the story, the geography and landscaped are all exquisitely visualised, reading more like a travel diary in the likes of Victorian Explorer Mary Kingsley.

All in all, Frankenstein has superseded all my expectations; it is a beautifully crafted, multi-faceted masterpiece that broke moulds and arguably birthed an entire genre – science fiction. It is definitely worth reading for advance mature middle grade readers, young adults and beyond. 

Thank you for stopping by and reading, please come back for more Frankenstein post during the week.

The Ninjabread Man by Katrina Charman & Fabiano Fiorin – Story Sack

It’s time for a Christmassy Story Sack, and what could be more festive than gingerbread? So we at SPOB present our Ninjabread Man story sack based on the book by Katrina Charman and illustrated by Fabiano Fiorin.

The Ninjabread Man is an educational title by Hopscotch Twisty Tales, as it as exciting and exquisitely illustrated as any picture book published purely for pleasure, with the addition of a fantastic and funny twist. I chose it, because of its humour, exciting storyline, and because my sister a foundation class teacher is often asking for entertaining, good quality contemporary stories based on The Gingerbread Man to use in class, and this fit’s that criteria beautifully.

The story funs along the same lines as the original, but with a feistier protagonist complete with kung-fu skill baked almost to perfection that kicks and fights his way past many hungry animals in a bid for freedom. However, the crafty fox tries to outwit him by the river, but the confident cookie decides to leap across the water but is saved from a water end, by a surprising spry old ninja baker!

So before we start talk about building a story sack around this all-kicking adventure, let have a reminder of the elements that make up a good story sack…

• A good quality fiction book, (picture book or novel
• A non-fiction book related to the story and themes in the chosen picture book.
• Toys, (ideally a soft toy for younger children).
• A game or activity also related to the theme of the chosen fiction book.
• Optional worksheet based on the story and themes off the story sack.

So, Good quality fiction book – check!

Non-fiction book, that relates to the story - This could go two ways, you could opt for a book about ninjas/kung-fu, or as this is a (slight dubiously) festive themed Story Sack, I’ve chosen to go with a book about gingerbread. The book in question is Ginger Bread Wonderland by Mima Sinclair, which gives an introduction with a history about gingerbread followed by 30 instructions of gingerbread bakes and projects, all accompanied by delightful and festive photographs.

Toys – and soft toys are a must for this age range, so I’ve included a Gingerbread soft toy, of which there are plenty to be found at this time of year, and a fox hand puppet. With this pair children can roll play for hours, replaying the ending of the story.

A Game or Activity  - well, I think I’ve gone a little overboard with this element but it was so much fun, I couldn’t help it! So there is a lovely Orchard Games, Run, Run, As Fast as you Can, board game, which is available from any well stocked toyshop. Plus some gingerbread foam character to decorate, available cheaply in many shops during the approach to Christmas. Lastly, there’s got to be some baking!

 So I’ve found three NINJABREAD cookie cutters, which can be used in conjunction with recipes from Ginger Bread Wonderland as an activity. Or can be used with Plastercine/Play Dough. I have included a recipe sheet of modelling and Play Doughs recipes that I’ve tried and tested and adapted to make it look and taste like gingerbread. Alternatively I’ve include a large pack or orange Plastercine for instant use.

Worksheet – lastly, I’ve made a make-your-own Ninjabread Man worksheet which can be used to colour and cut to make a Ninjabread man whose legs move so fast he looks like he’s actually doing kung-fu! Or course you can let you imagination go wild, maybe the gingerbread man is dancing, maybe a ballerina –bread person!

So here we are one, festive, action-packed and tasty story sack bursting with fun!