Shadows Of Winterspell

I was lucky enough to request and receive a copy of this from the publishers in exchange for an honest review (bloody ages ago – I’m so sorry it’s taken so long!) All views and opinions are my own.

Shadows of Winterspell by Amy Wilson

This took me far too long to get round to reading! I’d requested it because I really enjoyed Snowglobe by the same author last year, but knew next to nothing about it until I read Lily’s review of it earlier this month. Like Lily, I was uncertain about the contemporary aspects, but trusted that if she’d still enjoyed it I probably would too! And I did!

Stella lives with her (ghost) Nan and Nan’s familiar Peg in a house protected by multiple charms just outside the forest of Winterspell.

The dark and dangerous shadows set loose in Winterspell by Stella’s father mean its not safe to venture in there, do Stella is cut off from the other Fae that live there. And she has no contact with the human community nearby either.

Lonely, and with a streak of almost-adolescent rebellion, Stella enrols at school to try to find her place, to fit in and find friends.

Amidst the PE bags and pencil cases, assemblies and awkwardness of being the newbie, Stella finds all is not quite as it seems and soon her and her new friends are battling to save Winterspell from her father’s shadows.

I thought the way the contemporary school setting and themes of friendship, loneliness, change, growing up and rebellion were merged with the magical elements of fairy folk, spells, Ghost Nan and glamour was expertly done and both ‘sides’ really complemented and balanced the other.

The way Amy Wilson has captured the spontaneity and determination of a child just starting to rebel, the uncertainty of new friendships and the anxiety and fierce protection of parents/guardians shows real perception and understanding.

Likewise, she utilises the fantasy elements of the story to gently explores loss and grief really effectively, unobtrusively and with great use of symbolism, imagery and metaphor.

And the fantasy elements really make the story come alive, whether through an action-packed, spell-slinging battle, or the humour brought by mischievous imp Peg, or the magical creatures we meet in Winterspell. The Centauride, Rory, especially is magnificent – she seems to embody the power and importance of nature and is one of my favourite characters despite being only a minor one.

This is a story with a fantastic sense of atmosphere and place. The characters are rounded and immensely likeable and believable; Zara especially is brilliant. The pace is kept up, and the balance between fantasy and legend and modernity and real-life is perfect.

A magical story of family and friendship that is full of feeling and gets everything spot on.

Six for Sunday – Snow and Ice

I always enjoy reading everyone’s Six for Sunday posts, based on prompts from Steph at alittlebutalot, and have been saying since about this time last year I was going to join in more often! Having failed miserably, I’m going to try and get into it now ahead of 2020 in the hopes of establishing a routine for getting the posts up…

So, onto today’s prompt –

Books with Snow or Ice in the title…

A book for all ages – The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson

This has always been a favourite fairytale of mine – a cold, charming female villain; a beautiful, wintry setting; a quest to save a missing friend who is suddenly changed and distant with a brave and determined girl undertaking it (hello MG fantasy adventure!); the exquisite violence of shards of mirror to the eye; the imagery and, well, fairytale-ness of the whole thing!

A picture book – One Snowy Night by Nick Butterworth

This might be my absolute favourite wintry picture book. I love the Percy the Park Keeper stories – full of nature, kindness, warmth and a gentle humour, these are classic stories which stand the test of time and never fail to make me smile. And One Snowy Night is probably my favourite of all of them too – when all the animals get too cold, they turn yo Pedcy to find a bed in his warm hut for the night. It’s getting pretty full when there’s a strange noise…what could it be?

The cosiest bedtime story going – nothing better to snuggle up together with on a winter night! I love it!

An early chapter book – Bad Nana: That’s Snow Business by Sophy Henn

Bad Nana is brilliant and she’s back with snow and showbiz sparkle ready for the local Winter talent show!

Pacy, hilarious and superbly written (there’s a flavour of Lauren Child but a distinct style and voice too) this is such a great illustrated series for those just starting on chapter books.

An MG book – Snowglobe by Amy Wilson

Magical, imaginative and atmospheric with some fantastic works building and imagery – this is a great read any time of year. You can read my review of it here.

A YA book – A Shiver of Snow and Sky by Lisa Lueddecke – TBR!

OK, while I could think of a fair few YA books with snow in the title, I hadn’t actually read any of them (yes, I need to up my YA reading game!) but this is one I’d like to try based on its blurb!

An adult book – Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

I love this – inspired by a fairytale (though not one I know) it’s a wonderful winter read, perfect for cosying up with.

Although, I should also add that while magical and atmospheric and hopeful it is also heartbreaking at times, with both the loss of and longing for a child main themes.

Return to Wonderland

I requested and received a copy of this free from the publishers, in exchange for an honest review. All views are my own.

I love Alice in Wonderland. I love its eccentricity, its cleverness, its humour, its playfulness, its wit, its off-its-head-off-with-their-head-ness. And so, I was really excited to see some of today’s best children’s authors revisiting it in this short story collection.

Each story has something of the original that fans of Alice will love, it’s a real treat for those who’ve already read (and re-read) the original.

But each also brings with it its modern author’s distinct style, voice and choice of direction and theme, making it perfect for fans of these authors and/or as an introduction to Wonderland for a new readers.

I think Pamela Butchart’s ‘The Queen of Hearts and the Unwritten Rule’, for example, is a great story for new readers, and sits well in its position early on in the book. It gives a brilliant broad impression of Wonderland and brings it bang up to date at the same time with the introduction of Lil Queen, the Queen of Hearts tech-savvy, ultra-modern, next-big-thing-loving daughter.

Likewise, stories such as Patrice Lawrence’s ‘Roll of Honour’, Maz Evans’ ‘The Sensible Hatter’, or Lisa Thompson’s ‘The Knave of Hearts’ are great for honing in on particular characters/events from the book in new ways.

Just as it reconnects familiar readers with their favourite characters and events, it’s a great way to introduce these characters and Wonderland’s weird ways to newcomers.

I think the biggest surprise for me was Chris Smith’s ‘The Tweedle Twins and the Case of the Colossal Crow’, which I found myself chuckling all the way through.

I really enjoyed the way it was written, with lots of asides to the reader and a combination of both daft and dry humour – all of which made it perfect for a Wonderland tale.

So, I reached the end thinking “but who is this Chris Smith? What else have they written…and why haven’t I read it?” I googled of course and couldn’t believe what came up – Kid Normal! Co-authored with Greg James, I admit I’d always just dismissed it as popular, celebrity unfunny funny stuff…but I suspect I may have been…*whispers it*…wrong. Certainly if its written like this is, I was and it deserves a closer look!

Anyway back to Wonderland. Being a collection of stories, it will of course divide readers on which are the ‘best’. Everyone will have their own favourites, just as everyone will have their own favourite moments and characters from the original (and this will no doubt play into which of these we like most).

My own favourites, alongside The Tweedle Twins, were:

• ‘The Missing Book’ by Swapna Haddow I thought this really captured the absurdity and contrariness of Wonderland, as well as Carroll’s love of word play. Wonderfully Wonderland-ish.
• Plum Cakes at Dawn by Lauren St John I loved how Lauren St John evokes brilliantly the weirdness of Wonderland, while at the same time getting a very timely and urgent environmental message across. Those familiar with her work will appreciate how ‘her’ this is.
• Ina Out of Wonderland by Robin Stevens I loved the back story to this and how Robin drew on not just Alice, but it’s creation and creator, focusing on Carroll, the Liddell girls (the ‘real’ Alice and her sisters) and their Oxford home. I thought she very cleverly and creatively tied this to the original (I feel sure if you’re an Alice fan, you’ll absolutely what she does) but made it something new and brimming with a fiery, mould-breaking determination too.

That is the other thing I really liked about the collection – each story has a short introduction from the author detailing, for example, their inspiration, memories and favourite moments from the original book and setting the scene, which I found really interesting.

Again, Alice fans will likely recognise the sentiments in many of them while new readers may be encouraged to read or at least dip into the original to see what all the fuss is about!

This collection is perfect for old fans and new visitors to Wonderland alike. With a fabulous balance of nostalgia and modernity, there are plenty of old favourites with some new gems as well. It’s a collection that is a more than worthy tribute to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and is every bit as weird wondrous.

Mini Monday: 7/1/19

Kicking off 2019 with three snowy books (maybe it will bring the actual snow!)*

*The last of these reviews is a tweaked and slightly expanded version of one from WWW Wednesday last week – you can always skip it if you saw it first time round!

First up…

There’s a Yeti in the Playground by Pamela Butchart

Illustrated by Thomas Flintham

It’s snowing and Izzy and friends are hoping they’ll all be sent home early. But then they hear weird noises in the playground, and find a big footprint in the snow… And that’s when they know! There’s a YETI in the playground and it’s HUNGRY!

The young readers in work LOVE these books and it’s easy to see why with plots, plans and action aplenty – not to mention huge dollops of humour that adults will love too.

As a former infant teacher, so much of this made me properly laugh out loud – both supremely silly and totally believable at the same time! Anyone who’s ever been in a school will find plenty of familiar faces, recognisable rules and everyday events here, but bigger, bolder and funnier!

Snow, survival skills and being stuck in school – not to mention a seriously stinky scent! This is observational humour at its best – larger than life and laugh out loud!

Thanks to Nosy Crow for my copy.

The Missing Barbegazi by H. S. Norup

Cover design by Anna Morrison

Tessa knows that the Barbegazi exist because her beloved grandfather told her about them. So she sets out to prove to her family and friends that her grandfather wasn’t just a confused old man. But Tessa realises that uncovering the truth carries great responsibilities.

This was set on the ski slopes of Austria and is a great example of an author really knowing and loving their setting. It’s clearly well-loved territory, fondly described with little touches of the familiar that help to paint the picture for those of us who have never touched a ski!

Likewise, I enjoyed the fact that it was written from both Tessa and Gawion’s perspectives and the addition of the pages from the guide to Alpine elves was a really interesting and unusual way to add background information and detail.

With themes of friendship, loss and trust as well as protecting the environment and knowing when to keep a secret, this is a story of unlikely allegiances, cunning plots to foil the bad guy, wintry landscapes and daring late night escapades this is a great adventure, perfect for fans of Lauren St John’s Kat Wolfe Investigates or Jess Butterworth’s When The Mountains Roared.

Thanks to Pushkin for my copy.

Snowglobe by Amy Wilson

Cover illustration by Rachel Vale

Clementine discovers a mysterious house full of snowglobes, each containing a trapped magician. One of these is Dylan, a boy who teases her in the real world but who is now desperate for her help.

So Clem embarks on a mission to release Dylan and the other magicians, unknowingly unleashing a struggle for power that will put not only her family, but the future of magic itself in danger.

I finished reading this on Christmas Day. I think this is the first Christmas Day I’ve managed to read since I was little! It was lovely (even if I did have to read stood up!) and the magical feel of this book was perfectly suited to it!

I really enjoyed the characters of Ganymede, Io and Clem especially and the way strong emotions are portrayed and played out through the magic of the book worked really well.

But what I really loved were the magical elements of the book and the world building – so imaginative and exciting.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m still marvelling at the Snowglobes and the setting – at the worlds within a world within a world. The whole concept was such a unique idea and brilliantly described – so tangible and memorable. It made me want to go in and explore!

Thanks to Macmillan for my copy.

Have you read any of these – what did you think?

What are your favourite wintry or snowy books?

WWW Wednesday 2/1/19

Hosted by ‘Taking on a World of Words’, every Wednesday is ‘WWW Wednesday’:

What are you currently reading?

The Missing Barbegazi by H. A. Norup (cover design by Anna Morrison)

I started this on the day the story itself starts,though I didn’t quite have the same snowy mountain setting as the book! But it is a great read for winter and one I’m really enjoying!

What have you just finished reading?

Snowglobe by Amy Wilson (cover illustration by Rachel Vale)

I finished reading this on Christmas Day (I think this is the first Christmas Day I’ve managed to read since I was little! It was lovely, even if I did have to read stood up!)

Imaginative, magical and exciting – I thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m still marvelling at the Snowglobes and the setting – at the worlds within a world within a world. Such a unique idea and brilliantly described – so tangible and memorable. It made me want to go in and explore them!

What are you planning on reading next?

As ever – I don’t know! I posted here about my reading goals for this year, so part of me wants to get off to a flying start on that with a classic or some non fiction. But I have both Angie Thomas and Jess Butterworth’s new ones calling too. Not to mention the huge TBR pile…

What do you think – what should I choose? Have you read any of the books here? What are you reading at the moment?

WWW Wednesday 12/12/18

Hosted by ‘Taking on a World of Words’, every Wednesday is ‘WWW Wednesday’:

What are you currently reading?

Snowglobe by Amy Wilson. I’ve only just started it, but I’m loving her writing style and the magic in the book. Plus, I just love the whole idea of the snowglobes.

What have you just finished reading?

I’ve finally read Wundersmith! Jessica Townsend’s follow up to the brilliant Nevermoor is just as imaginative and ‘wunder’-full (couldn’t resist!) as the first and I’m. Now impatiently waiting for book 3! Full review to follow.

What are you planning on reading next?

I’m stuck! On the one hand I still have a gazillion MG books I really want to read waiting for me to get to them – The Train to Impossible Places, Sky Circus, The Missing Barbegazi and so, so, SO many others.

On the other hand, I have some brilliant YA and adult books clamouring to be read to – Angie Thomas’ new one, On the Come Up, and Marcus Zusak’s Bridge of Clay especially.

And on the other hand again (yeah, three hands. And what of it?!), I keep promising myself a re-read of Harry Potter and what better time than Christmas?!

What do you think – what should I choose? Have you read any of the books here? What are you reading at the moment?