Tag Archives: adventure

Fortunately, The Milk

By Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell, published by Bloomsbury.

Fortunately the Milk - UK - Hardback Goodreads Synopsis: You know what it’s like when your mum goes away on a business trip and Dad’s in charge. She leaves a really, really long list of what he’s got to do. And the most important thing is DON’T FORGET TO GET THE MILK. Unfortunately, Dad forgets. So the next morning, before breakfast, he has to go to the corner shop, and this is the story of why it takes him a very, very long time to get back.

Featuring: Professor Steg (a time-travelling dinosaur), some green globby things, the Queen of the Pirates, the famed jewel that is the Eye of Splod, some wumpires, and a perfectly normal but very important carton of milk.

My Review: One of the only picture books I’ve read this year, but possibly the best picture book that I’ve ever read! Fortunately, The Milk is an epic tale, and though it was aimed at children, I at thirteen enjoyed it so much. This’ll be a shorter review than most of my reviews, as the book is pretty short itself!

Neil Gaiman’s used his incredible imagination, to create a really wild, crazy adventure that I easily let myself get absorbed in for half an hour. Who would’ve thought anyone could’ve pulled off a book with Dinosaurs, Wumpires (Think Vampires… but, uh, Wumpier.), Pirates, Milk, ancient Tribes, and time travel… in one book? Well, it’s possible. This book was just brilliant. The book started on a pretty crazy morning family scene- Mum trying to get out of the door, dad trying to read his paper, and the kids upset because cereal doesn’t taste that good without milk. Then, after Dad’s back from the shop, he spins a story about why he took so long- with the two inquisitive children occasionally butting in with questions. It was all pretty hilarious, I think.

There’s also quite a good outcome to the story too, that proves Dad’s story to be wrong or right. It’s really funny- and made me giggle a bit!

Chris Riddell’s illustrations went with Gaiman’s writing perfectly. They were lively, fun, and brought life to the story. I think if you’d have picked any other illustrator for the job, it wouldn’t have looked as brilliant. I’m a big fan of Chris Riddell’s drawings, and I just fell in love with his work for this book… especially the front cover! Isn’t it just so vibrant- so pretty? Also, I’m pretty sure this is intended, but the Dad looks suspiciously like Neil Gaiman. If it was an intended thing- then it’s a great likeness.

Overall, Fortunately, The Milk was a brilliant story from start to finish. It’s the kind of one you’ll want to read over and over again, whether you’re a child or an adult or in between. I loved the original concept, and Neil Gaiman’s ability to turn a normal trip to the store for milk into an epic, sci-fi fantasy adventure is admirable. Chris Riddell’s illustrations brought every character, no matter how briefly mentioned, to life, and I’ll definitely read this again sometime when I’m looking for a laugh or a short adventure!

My Rating:

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I received a copy of Fortunately, The Milk from the publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.

Vivian Versus The Apocalypse

3 Replies

By Katie Coyle, published by Hot Key Books (Winner of the 2012 Young Writers Fiction Prize).

Vivian Versus The Apocalypse Goodreads synopsis: A chilling vision of a contemporary USA where the sinister Church of America is destroying lives. Our cynical protagonist, seventeen-year-old Vivian Apple, is awaiting the fated ‘Rapture’ - or rather the lack of it. Her evangelical parents have been in the Church’s thrall for too long, and she’s looking forward to getting them back. Except that when Vivian arrives home the day after the supposed ‘Rapture’, her parents are gone. All that is left are two holes in the ceiling…

Viv is determined to carry on as normal, but when she starts to suspect that her parents might still be alive, she realises she must uncover the truth. Joined by Peter, a boy claiming to know the real whereabouts of the Church, and Edie, a heavily pregnant Believer who has been ‘left behind’, they embark on a road trip across America. Encountering freak weather, roving ‘Believer’ gangs and a strange teenage group calling themselves the ‘New Orphans’, Viv soon begins to realise that the Rapture was just the beginning.

My Review: It was no wonder that Vivian Versus The Apocalypse won the 2012 Young Writers Prize! This book simply blew me away with its originality. I’ve never read a book centered around religion almost entirely- it was really interesting, and now the future of religion in America is looking a bit terrifying. The story begins with Viv, at a party that’s basically mocking the supposed Rapture- a date given by a American messenger who predicted that all believers would be awarded on this particular date by being sent up to Heaven. It was such an original idea- I’ve never read, or seen, a book like it before! Katie Coyle has successfully given this whole new American religion a great, detailed background- I understood it straight away and was really intrigued about it. Coyle’s writing was immaculate! It explained everything really well, and I was totally hooked on this because of the imagery.

The plot was really well structured. A huge chunk of the story was told as Viv went on a road trip across America to obtain answers: I really liked that aspect, because every few chapters I was transported to a different place in America, where there were more exciting and riveting plot twists in store for me! For the first part of the book, I wasn’t especially supportive of Viv- who just willingly left with her grandparents who she’d never known, leaving her friends behind. Then, everything definitely picked up as she returned, ready for a road trip with her old and new friends to seek the truth about the Rapture and the location of her parents. The book was just entirely unpredictable, really! The only thing that I didn’t like about the plot was the last few pages before the ending. Don’t get me wrong- the ending was brilliant! But I think that everything was revealed quite fast-Or was that just me reading quickly, eager for answers…?- and so I think the answers didn’t really sink in properly at first. I had to re-read a few passages.

I feel in love with the personality of Viv! She was a really, really great main character. Apart from the beginning, where she left for a while and I couldn’t understand her reasons behind it, she was an excellent protagonist. Strong, a little quirky, and modern, I found myself growing to love her character as the story progressed. I was really hoping she would find her parents! I could feel her emotions really well through Katie Coyle’s writing… especially when she discovered something about her family background quite a way into the book. Wow! That was a really shocking part. And very clever, too. Also, the other thing I adored about Viv was her growing relationship with the character Peter, who was the love interest for the story. They made such a sweet couple! He had a really great background, too. The ending left me a little heartbroken (I’m trying to write this without spoilers. Diiiiiificult!). I now need a sequel to find out what happens with the two of them!

Overall, Vivian Versus The Apocalypse was a truly brilliant read. It was definitely worthy of the prize for the young writers competition run by Hot Key Books and The Guardian! I adored the main characters, and I think that the story was one of the most original that I’ve read lately. Never before have I read a book much like this one! The religious side was really thought provoking, and scarily possible. I’d recommend this to any teenagers looking for an incredible, imaginative read.

My Rating:

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I received a copy of Vivian Versus The Apocalypse from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.

My review of the other Young Writers Fiction Prize winner, THE RIG, will be up soon, so keep an eye out!

Friday Brown

4 Replies

By Vikki Wakefield, published by Hot Key Books.

Goodreads synopsis: ‘I am Friday Brown. I buried my mother. My grandfather buried a swimming pool. A boy who can’t speak has adopted me. A girl kissed me. I broke and entered. Now I’m fantasising about a guy who’s a victim of crime and I am the criminal. I’m going nowhere and every minute I’m not moving, I’m being tail-gated by a curse that may or may not be real. They call me Friday. It has been foretold that on a Saturday I will drown…’

Seventeen-year-old Friday Brown is on the run—running to escape memories of her mother and of the family curse. And of a grandfather who’d like her to stay. She’s lost, alone and afraid.

Silence, a street kid, finds Friday and she joins him in a gang led by beautiful, charismatic Arden. When Silence is involved in a crime, the gang escapes to a ghost town in the outback. In Murungal Creek, the town of never leaving, Friday must face the ghosts of her past. She will learn that sometimes you have to stay to finish what you started—and often, before you can find out who you are, you have to become someone you were never meant to be.

My review: Friday Brown was such a brilliant book! As soon as I started it, I go so engrossed in the unique story. At the beginning, with the superstitious mother, it felt a bit like If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch. Of course, if was so different, but in a good way. By the ending of the prologue tears had already sprung to me eyes (This book is SAD. Do not read it if you get as emotional over books as me. Or you will cry. At multiple points.)- that’s how powerful the authors words are.

The whole plot was totally unpredictable. I had no idea what the story was about, honestly, when I picked it up- and the whole thing was so unpredictable that I never knew what was around the next corner. After Friday leaves her grandfather’s home, she runs away and is picked up by a ragtag gang of homeless teenagers like her. But things start going terribly wrong when one character turns sour. I really wasn’t expecting the event that happened about two thirds of the way in! In total, the plot covered some really sad and really shocking issues, through an exhilarating and, at points, terrifying story.

Friday Brown was such a brilliant character. I loved her from the beginning, right when she lost everything and had the courage to set out into the Australian city by herself. I really enjoyed the way that she met Silence and his fellow gang, because not only did that open up her chances of survival, but that crucial night also came back to her at the end for a different, and clever reason. She was a really likeable person, and realistic too. Her background was pretty much all shown in the prologue, which was great, so I knew all about her, why she had that name, and even about her ancestors, before the story had even begun! I think that the decisions she made in the book were really great, and full of courage, especially towards the ending.

Overall, Friday Brown was such a brilliant read. The character were all great, the plot well written, and the story sad. This story will move you to tears, pull you in, make you gasp in shock, thanks to such brilliant, detailed and fluent writing by an amazing author. I really recommend it to Young Adults, and Adults too, if you’re looking for an emotional, yet also uplifting read. Watch out John Green- you have a contemporary fiction contender here, who’s bound to win awards too for this masterpiece! There was only one aspect of the book that I didn’t like, which I’ve put below.

**KINDA SPOILERISH ALERT**

My only problem with this book was that she never got in touch with her dad! I thought that he might come in at the end, to make the ending even happier than it already was. I mean, the reason she set out alone was to go and find him- and I still don’t understand why she didn’t make a bigger effort to go and find him. So her primary goal was never fulfilled. Which I didn’t like. But I don’t suppose it really matters- I guess the dad-less plot shows how goals and lives can change in an instant.

My Goodreads Rating: 4.5/5!

I received a copy of Friday Brown from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.

Verity Fibbs

4 Replies

By Cathy Brett, published by Headline.

Verity Fibbs

Publisher’s synopsis: Reality can never quite compare with the online world of Demon Streets for Verity. There she gets to learn new demon fighting skills and have fun. In reality she goes to school to learn useless skills and her fashion designer mother, Saffron Fibbs, is operating punishment by chores (for a small boy related misdemeanor).
As ethical is the new black when it comes to fashion, Verity’s mum’s recycled fashion venture is the hottest thing ever and she has to go to New York to publicize it giving Verity three days of total freedom!
But someone else is just as keen to see Saffron Fibbs leave home and when V and her friends find themselves on the wrong side of a very unethical enemy it seems that her online gaming skills might be the only thing between her and a very real Game Over…

My review: Verity Fibbs was a pretty fun read! I had no idea it was existed until a few weeks ago, and picked it up in a bookshop, and couldn’t wait to start it. The story was all about fashion- definitely not my thing- but it also had a tie-in with supernatural video-games, which interested me. I think Cathy Brett made this book really interesting and I absolutely loved it, even though I don’t know one thing about the latest clothing brands like Verity, whose mother is a world-famous fashion designer. Despite being the total opposite of the rather ironically named Verity Fibbs, I really loved reading her story. She was a really unique protagonist with lots of likeable aspects. I really loved Verity’s outgoing personality, especially because that’s how she landed herself in an adventure with a boy who lies just as much as her. Speaking of the boy she meets, I didn’t actually like him very much. (I can’t really give him a name, because he had so many). He seemed a bit wimpy and didn’t really defend Verity at all. I had no idea why Verity liked him!

I really loved the whole idea for the story. Cathy Brett has managed to combine two very different things – Role playing video games and ethical fashion- and mixed the two together to make a really clever story. I so wasn’t expecting for the fashion industry to link to Verity’s favourite video game! Not only did I get to walk through the Demon Streets, her fave game, but also there are the slightest little details in that RPG that went unnoticed for me, but played major factors in the ending. It was all really clever!

Overall, Verity Fibbs was such a fun read. It was a bit over-the-top, but in a good way. I think that Verity Fibbs was a really great, and realistic protagonist. The plot was crammed with action and I couldn’t put it down. Again, as in her other books, Cathy Brett has brought her story to life in a way many authors haven’t- with some fantastic illustrations! They were so great, and portrayed the story and characters really well. The video-game screen shots were brilliant too! So, Verity Fibbs was a very fun story, which is great for around ten/eleven and up. Because so many pages were full of drawings, it’s a rather quick read; perfect to curl up with in the evening!

My Goodreads rating: 4/5!

I bought Verity Fibbs from a local charity store.

A Boy and a Bear in a Boat

2 Replies

By Dave Shelton, published by David Fickling Books.

A Boy and A Bear in a Boat

Goodreads synopsis: A boy and a bear go to sea, equipped with a suitcase, a comic book, and a ukulele. The bear assures the boy that they are traveling a short distance and it really shouldn’t take very long. But then they encounter “unforeseeable anomalies”: turbulent stormy seas! a terrifying sea monster! and the rank remains of The Very Last Sandwich. The odds are pitted against the boy and the bear and their boat. Will the Harriet, their trusted vessel, withstand the violent lashings of the salty waves? And will anyone ever answer their message in a bottle?

My review: I’ve been wanting to read this for a while, and was so glad to start it. Upon beginning A Boy and a Bear in a Boat, though, I was taken by surprise. I had no idea this was a children’s book! However, I enjoyed this quite a bit. Right from the start the book filled my head with questions- Where are this boy and this bear going? What are their names? Why is a small boy going on a sea voyage with a bear? Unfortunately, none of these questions were answered. The story managed to last 290 action-packed pages, without revealing the boy and bear’s names, or where they’re going! Despite the fact that it didn’t answer anything for me, I still really enjoyed it. The boy and the bear had to overcome many difficulties, like sudden storms, sea-monsters, and toxic-mouldy sandwiches. Every page was crammed with drama, and I loved reading about these two unlikely partners’s adventure. At no point did I get bored of reading it! The whole plot was really original and had strong themes of friendship throughout, with made this imaginative, fantastical adventure realistic, in a way.

The unnamed boy and bear were really great characters. At first, I was really confused as to why these two beings were on a boat and sailing in the middle of nowhere. Then, I ended up pushing my confusion aside as I came to love the characters. I really enjoyed reading about how the boy began to warm to the bear, because he really disliked him at first. I didn’t really enjoy the boy’s character at all, to begin with, but when he saved the bear and grew to enjoy his company about halfway through, I started to appreciate him more. The bear, on the other hand, I loved right from the start: he was unpredictable and pretty witty, especially during his conversations and games of I-spy. Also, I think that just because he was a talking bear, I instantly fell in love with him.

The only thing that I didn’t really like about A Boy and a Bear in a Boat was its language choice. The book consisted of large, kid-friendly text and lots of illustrations to break it up, and yet there were so many words and phrases that would probably be really hard for a 9-11 year old to understand. If there was one thing could change about this book, it would be either to make it a simpler read with less complex language, or to bulk it up more and target it at slightly older children. Apart from that, I really enjoyed this! The plot was fun and the characters brave and strong. The characters didn’t have backgrounds and the sailing destination wasn’t clear, but I think that was a good technique that made me wonder about the future possibilities for the boy and the bear long after I put the book down. Also, the dynamic, detailed beautiful illustrations, also by the author, brought the story to life really well. I’d love to read more from Dave Shelton soon!

I received A Boy and a Bear in a Boat from my school, for a book-club read because we’re shadowing the Carnegie shortlist.

A Greyhound of a Girl

Finding Cherokee Brown

The Day of the Triffids

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By John Wyndham, published by Penguin.

The Day of the Triffids

Bill Masen wakes up in a hospital, and finds every inhabitant of the building blinded. Their eyesights were totally destroyed by a freak cosmic event, and Bill missed it because his eyes were plastered over with bandages. Upon emerging into the streets of London, Bill discovers that most people cannot see, and are fumbling aimlessly around the streets, and that he is one of the few lucky people not to have witnessed the blinding metoers. He teams up with the beautiful Josella, and so a journey begins- because evil plants called Triffids have gained the ability to move and kill humans with a poisonous sting. With most of the population blind and unable to see the Triffids sneaking up on them, the whole world has the chance of being wiped out. Can Josella and Bill build a safe sanctuary, and maybe put a stop to the Triffids?

The Day of the Triffids was quite enjoyable for a short book! I think it was really imaginative- you can’t get more imaginative than giant, blinding comets and walking plants in the same novel!- but it still seemed scarily realistic. Right from the start I was totally hooked on this- The Day of the Triffids was absolutely terrifying! The plot was well structured and I enjoyed every second of it- there were lots of twists, and despite the setting being so chaotic, it still made sense.

Bill Masen was a physically strong protagonist, and his adventure in this novel was really fun to read. However, at the end of the book, I still had alot of unanswered questions about him- like why he had been in the hospital where doctors were working on mending his eyesight. Also, I think he could’ve been more three dimensional, personality-wise: I think I definitely liked the character of Josella more than him, because she had such a vivid and well explained background. Also, the antagonists totally terrified me, despite their plant form!

Overall, The Day of the Triffids was an enjoyable read. I loved the plot, and the author has alot of imagination, but I think he could’ve gone into much more depth in the main protagonist’s personality and childhood, etc. I’d recommend it to Sci-Fi and Fantasy fans, though!

The battles of Ben Kingdom: The claws of evil