Bloomsbury, ISBN: 978-1408800454
Emperor Rudolph II Habsburg, leader of the Holy Roman Empire between 1576-1612, was well known for the collection of curiosities he had housed in a specially built wing of Prague Castle. The collection included clocks, astrolabes, gemstones, stuffed animals, paintings, swords, books, minerals... anything which the eccentric ruler could get his hands on in a bid to understand the ever expanding world in all its complexities. It is this hobby which provides the inspiration for Paul Dowswell's latest historical novel. Invited to work for his uncle Anselmus Declercq, the emperor's physician, young Lukas soon finds himself drawn into a world of intrigue. The new-found 'freethinking' philosophy of the court, is at odds with the Catholic traditions of parts of the empire - most notably Spain. It is not long before the young man uncovers a dangerous plot designed to get rid of the emperor. Even his uncle's reputation is at risk. Engaging and well researched, this book paints a vivid picture of the period between the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution. -- Richard Monte, Carousel, Summer 2011
Andersen, ISBN: 978-1849392563
Jack stays with his grandfather in an old house by the sea. The house is made of wood and looks a bit like a beached boat. Inside it is full of the most wonderful carvings and paintings - birds and fishes, scenes of wild seas and shipwrecks. These are his grandfather's memories of travels at sea. But has the old man really sailed the oceans and walked upon tropical islands? Jack's friends think that his grandad is crazy and they tease him when he says he believes the 'mad pictures' are of real places. But one stormy night when Jack is listening to another tall tale, he suddenly finds himself steering the ship out towards the misty lighthouse and through a sea of ice. Perhaps the old man isn't so mad after all. A great story to tell young boys before bed, with plenty of evocative watercolours to add to the atmosphere. -- Richard Monte, Carousel, Summer 2011
This charming little book was initially published in 1902 as part of a novel called Little White Bird in which J.M.Barrie first developed the character of Peter Pan. It tells how Peter 'escaped from being a human when he was seven days old ... and flew back to Kensington Gardens.' In these six beguiling chapters we come across such wonders as talking elderberry and magnolia trees, a house built by fairies to cover a sleeping child which then shrinks and disappears when she wakes up, and fairy rings where the exquisite dancers of the fairy world waltz and twirl in the open air around mushroom chairs. Into this magical world comes Peter, who learns to fly, sails upon the Serpentine in a thrush's nest and plays his reed pan-pipes at the fairy ball. Add to this Arthur Rackham's finely detailed colour plates, showing among others, how 'Butter is made from the roots of old trees', 'A band of workmen ... sawing down a toadstool', and how 'The little people weave their summer curtains from skeleton leaves'. These made him as famous as Barrie and finished off what has to be one of the most intriguing pieces of literature ever produced for children. -- Richard Monte, Carousel, Issue 42
Written by Joan Betty Stuchner
Tradewind Books, ISBN: 978-1896580371
There's something uplifting about this quiet portrayal of the plight of Denmark's Jews in World War Two. Seen through the eyes of a little boy, David, it traces the hopes and fears of a typical Jewish family living in Copenhagen during the 1940s. Cynthia Nugent's black and white sketches vividly bring to life Betty Stuchner's delicately woven story. Like Anne Frank, David is an observer, and it is his childlike simplicity which makes the actions of the so-called sophisticated adult world, full of its injustices and inhumanity, look incomprehensible. It's his thoughts on the little pleasures in life that contrast so strongly with the cruel adult world, like the smell of Mama's freshly baked honey cake, which turn the apartment into a gingerbread house, allowing everyone to forget, for a while, the bomber planes droning over head and the soldiers on the street.-- Richard Monte, Carousel, Issue 38
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is one of the most famous literary creations, and the book 'is one of those novels most people think they know, but I suspect they don't '. So says the author about his new translation of Victor Hugo's classic tale of medieval obsession. Jan Needle's prose feels fresh and modern and is sure to reach new audiences, as it brings Hugo into the twenty-first century. David Hughes provides the illustrations - a bizarre mixture of black and white photographs, slides, cartoon sketches, maps, stencils, and a shimmering silver jacket. The whole effect is mesmerising, as if one were looking at a 'medieval newspaper'. It will appeal to young adults making their first foray into Romantic literature. -- Richard Monte, Carousel, Issue 36
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CastlesWritten and illustrated by Colin ThompsonHutchinson, ISBN: 978-0099439424
In this ingenious book Colin Thompson encourages children to look at the world in a new way. He creates fantastic castles out of commonplace objects and phenomena. Thus the musical castle is assembled from a collection of old instruments; the mushroom castle is glimpsed between the bricks in a cracked path; the castle in the air, so high in the clouds it cannot be seen; the castle of Atlantis, so small it fits inside a rock pool. Reading this reminded me of Calvino's worlds within worlds. The illustrations are exquisitely detailed, reminiscent in places of Hieronymous Bosch (the red castle) and Pieter Bruegel (cold potato mountain). It is a remarkable book, designed to develop children's imaginations by encouraging them to look closely at the pictures, (perhaps with a magnifying glass), and seek out the bizarre kings, queens, princes and princesses which are hidden within each castle.-- Richard Monte, Carousel, Issue 34
Written by Nancy Wood
Walker Books, ISBN: 978-0763612580
In Nancy Wood's wry and inventive look at the beginning of time, two chefs, Mr and Mrs God, set out to create our world. Hidden away deep in the universe, they are busy cooking in the Creation Kitchen. Mr God has roasted a star, which turns out to be our sun. Mrs God bakes the earth from a bowl of dough, and cools it down with some clouds, as if she were adding whipped cream to a big round cake. Mr God is having problems. First he makes a mistake by baking dinosaurs and then his bird eats all Mrs God's fish. When everything is ready they make two more creatures from the leftovers and wonder how they will turn out. Timothy Basil Ering's illustrations of the pots and pans in Creation Kitchen look like planets suspended in space, and his wispy drawings of a peculiar culinary world, are the perfect balance tothis unusual and thought-provoking picture book. -- Richard Monte, Carousel, Issue 34
- The Road of Bones
- Written by Anne Fine
- Doubleday, ISBN: 978-0552554930
The Road of Bones is one of Anne Fine's most rewarding books. An Orwellian nightmare set in a land which resembles Stalinistic Russia, it follows the plight of Yuri, condemned to a life on the runafter a few careless words spoken against the system. He is eventually caught and arrested and transported along a 'road of bones', to a bleak wilderness, reminiscent of the Siberian prison camps. What makes the book so powerful is that although we think we know the actual historical and geographical locations, the author has reinvented them and created her own satire on one of the bleakest episodes in human existence. Yuri escapes from his enforced imprisonment in the wilderness, only to find himself in an even more dangerous position. But can the young man, once so bitterly critical of the ruthless totalitarian regime which has stripped him of his freedom, stand firm against the Glorious Lie, so despised by his grandmother? -- Richard Monte, Carousel, Issue 33 - Written by Anne Fine
Dragon Keeper
Written by Carole Wilkinson
Macmillan, ISBN: 978-1423101710
The setting for this book is the Han Empire at the beginning of the reign of Emperor Wudi, who ruled China from 140BC to 87BC. It is a novel about friendship and betrayal which follows the adventures of a young slave girl, a dragon and a rat as they all go in search of the waters of the Ocean, where the ageing dragon longs to find peace. They carry with them the mysterious dragon stone, which Ping, the slave girl must hold on to even in times of great danger. Beautifully written, the story weaves its way through the Han countr yside, from the craggy, barren peaks of Huangling, and the little villages nestled in the great gorges carved out by the Yellow River, to the opulence and treachery of the Imperial cities. It is reminiscent of Chris topher Paolini's Eragon in places, and is a charming and immensely enjoyable read for more able older readers.-- Richard Monte, Carousel, Issue 33