Extreme Reading

Mrs Butler's Blog Number19

2006-01-17T02:33:00.000Z

Mrs Butler’s Blog Number 19 November/ December 2005

I’m afraid there really hasn’t been time to write up my reading diary. I re-read Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen and the little World Book Day book, The Creature in the Case (all by Garth Nix). After the disappointment of Eldest I was reassured that there can be good and original fantasy. It is such a treat to have strong heroines instead of callow kitchen boys/pig boys/hobbits. And how could I resist Lirael, whose ambition is to be a Second Assistant Librarian?

During November and December I found that I usually had 2 books on the go: one for lunchtime reading at school and one for luxury reading for home.
Lunchtimes:
The Tortured Wood by Malcolm Rose. This is one of the first in a new Horror series published by Usborne. We already had a proof copy but the pink proof jacket said “Girlie” not “Creepy”! And it is a creepy story, about a bullied boy who takes refuge in a wood full of horrible carvings. The problem is that the carvings are of real and unpleasant events. Did the accidents come first or did the carvings?

The Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith. Mama Ramotswe of the Number One Ladies Detective Agency solves another crime. She longs for the gentler, respectful manners of her youth but she is not averse to a spot of blackmail to solve the murder. I can’t make up my mind about these novels. On the surface they are charming, folksy stories set in an idealised Botswana - with a philosophical twist. In this case, “Do the ends justify the means?” But I feel slightly uncomfortable with these delightfully simple, but shrewd African characters, written by a middle-aged Scotsman.

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.
This is an amazing gallop through the history of scientific discovery, for people who really don’t know very much about it. It is hilarious. You’ll laugh out loud at the story of the stolen head which rolls down the hill into a cottage. You couldn’t make up the story of the ill-fated French expedition to the Andes; the leaders wouldn’t speak to each other although they were practically the only survivors. And you will never forget the poor astronomer who returned after a disastrous trip to find that he had been pronounced dead and his relatives had sold his possessions. It is just wonderful.
I haven’t finished it yet because the Christmas holidays intervened.

My reading at home was a vice which I have hinted at before: Robert Jordan and I’m afraid he will need a whole blog entry to himself.

Mrs Butler's Blog 18

2005-11-17T22:00:00.000Z

Number 18 November 2005

A complete surprise this evening! I thought I ought to do a boy book and possibly a factual one so I picked up Everest by Gordon Korman. This book is called Book 1: The Contest, and from the sepia photographs on the front cover I assumed it was an account of early attempts on the mountain. (I had just been cataloguing lots of true adventure/survival/shark stories.) I was wrong.

Everest is about a publicity stunt to put a team of very young climbers on Everest. Dominic Alexis is determined to be selected like his older brother, Chris, who is already rated number two of under-seventeen climbers in the US. There is just a chance for Dominic. If he can find the lucky Summit coupon (just like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory visit!) he could go to the boot camp from which the team will be selected.

Reality TV meets extreme sport! It’s fantastic. They start out with sixteen hopefuls and put them through the Hell of night climbs and pitching tents in snowstorms. Dominic is years younger and a lot smaller than all the others so his chances are slim, but his enthusiasm and natural flair (of course) for climbing ensure that he survives, as other more obvious candidates are eliminated. The cast of characters includes a talented but objectionable kid with a big chip on his shoulder; the nephew of the sponsor who is actually scared of climbing; and a wacky girl who is into extreme sports in an extreme way.

The Contest seem to be the first of an Everest trilogy. Gordon Korman has written another trilogy called Island which is also published by Scholastic (on horrid paper). The adventure story as soap opera. Heartland for boys?

Mrs Rush's Reviews - Kazuo Ishiguro

2005-11-16T15:02:00.000Z

Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro

As Kathy drives around the country she remembers her school days with Ruth and Tommy. They all went to a strange boarding school where the only adults they came into contact with were the teachers, who were very protective towards them. The children have never met their parents. As Kathy remembers more the reader slowly realises that her life is very odd indeed.
The book states that it is set in England in the late 1990s but as you read more you realise that this is not the England we know but one with slight differences. The frightening thing about it is that it could happen. I can't say too much more about it as I would give away the terrific plot.
The book is beautifully written, as you’d expect, and left me feeling very sad and angry.

Mrs Rush's Reviews - Anthony Horowitz

2005-11-16T14:59:00.000Z

The Killing Joke
Anthony Horowitz

Have you ever wondered where a joke came from, or who was the first person to tell it? Guy Masters is told a tasteless joke in a pub. When he protests about it he is headbutted and then wonders whether it is possible to find out who originally told the joke. This leads to him travelling around the country but other people are intent on preventing him from finding anything out.
The book starts off as a crazy quest and becomes something a lot more sinister along the way. If you enjoy(ed) the Alex Rider series you’ll like this. Comes complete with the quirky bad taste Ian Fleming (James Bond) female names. The characterisation is pretty threadbare but there are plenty of jokey leads and clues along the way. About half way through I realised that the head-butting, lazy builder was probably just another joke.
It becomes slightly more surreal as it goes on with an ending similar to that of Scorpia . Did AH just give up or is it cleverer than it appears?
Reminds me of a joke I know -
There’s this guy, goes into a bar . . . .

Mrs Butler's Blog 17

2005-11-15T15:56:00.000Z

Number 17 November 2005

Two great books for girls!

Deep End by Sam Hutton
I’ve just read a girl’s answer to Alex Rider. It’s fantastic. Maddie Cooper is a star at the Royal Ballet School, dreaming of a career as a professional dancer, when her life is wrecked in an instant A hitman shoots her mother dead, wounds her father and shatters Maddie’s hip. (I have considerable fellow-feeling for her at this point!)

When she gets out of hospital and begins to consider a new career she opts to visit her father’s office for work experience. Now, even though he is in a wheelchair, her dad is a top cop, in charge of Police Investigation Command. Somehow Maddie gets herself on to the team (at sixteen!) gets kidnapped, rescued and gets revenge on the crooks who killed her mother – all in 24 hours. I’m sure there will be more Maddie Cooper adventures. Stand by for a series of Special Agents.

Mates, Dates and Cosmic Kisses by Cathy Hopkins
I’d never read any of this popular series so I thought I’d try it this weekend. I started on Number 2 but it didn’t matter.

It opened with a bang! Izzie is disgusted that she’s got to wear a bright green bridesmaid’s dress to her step-sister’s wedding so she dyes her hair green to match. She’s very funny.
“Then my grandma would have been proud – Irish roots and all that. Geddit? Emerald green roots?”
She’s really surprised that everyone is upset!

Izzie has two good friends, Nesta and Lucy, but she nearly fouls up her friendships because she’s a real pain, drooping over the dream-boy she met on the aromatherapy stall at Camden Lock market. The relationship with Mark is off-on throughout the book. Will they ever get as far as the Cosmic Kisses?

I do hope the other books in the series are about the same three friends because I liked them so much. I was tickled by the reference (homage?) to Angus, Thongs and Full-frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison and I thought Izzie’s song lyrics were stunning. I’ll have to try another to see if she can keep it up.

Mrs Butler's Blog 12

2005-11-15T15:54:00.000Z

Number 12 November 2005

So what happened to the real Blog 12? Did I delete it by mistake? Or did I simply make a mistake in the numbering? No idea!

Another mystery plaguing me is the disappearance of Fergal’s Brain from the Library. He was the gruesome centrepiece of the Philip Ardagh display. He was a bit small and a bit too vulnerable to leave on his own, so we tied him in invisible thread and suspended him in a pickle jar. It looked quite convincing.

Now some little toad has stolen him. (My money is on Year 11.) I’ve offered a suitable reward for his recovery but I suspect that he’s been chopped in bits and thrown away because he was no fun anymore.

Mrs Butler's Blog 16

2005-11-12T12:29:00.000Z

Mary Wimbush died this week. She was a radio and TV actor. All the obituaries – including E J Thribb’s in Private Eye – mentioned her three characters in The Archers.
I didn’t see any which described her early work on radio.

She had a strange influence on my life. In the sixties I went to a bleak boarding school and I would listen after lights-out to Book at Bedtime (little transistor radio under the blankets). I guess this is the equivalent of watching late-night movies in your bedroom these days. One reader had the most wonderful deep voice. It was Mary Wimbush. I remember her reading The Moonstone and The Woman in White in particular. She made them seem so exciting, so easy to read that as soon as I was allowed out of school I bought copies of the books in Penguin. Do you suppose this started my career as a Librarian?

I notice that The Archers is doing her the great honour of killing off her character, Julia Pargeter, immediately. Her funeral will be held next week, which must be unusual because they record all the episodes three months in advance.

She did loads of radio plays too. I remember Caramels for Carlotta about the woman who was for a very short time the Empress of Mexico. I wrote recently about a radio play I’d listened to in the car. One of the two batty ‘librarians’ was played by Mary Wimbush, of course. I wish I’d written to her.

Mrs Butler's Blog Number 15

2005-11-11T15:51:00.000Z

Number 15 November 2005

If you have read any of my blog you will know that I am normally positive about all the books I read. This is an exception. This book is a best-seller. It worries me that parents and children all over the world have been persuaded to spend a lot of money and a lot of their scarce reading time on this book because they have been assured that it is good. It worries me because I don’t think that a book this bad would survive in the adult market and I am angry that this inferior product should be palmed off on children simply because it was written by a child.

I am ploughing my way through Eldest at the moment. I’ve only reached page 100 of 668 and it feels like a penance. Eldest is the sequel to Eragon by Christopher Paolini.

When Eragon was published two years ago the hype was intense because of the extreme youth of the author and, presumably, its extreme length. I resisted buying it until it came out in paperback and several students persuaded me that it was brilliant.

I’m an addict of epic fantasies but I was desperately disappointed in Eragon. It combines all the worst excesses of American fantasy writers: it has a good basic plot but it is slavishly derivative (the obligatory dwarves, elves and orcs from Tolkien, dragon telepathy in italics from McCaffrey, etc.). There is no shame in following fantasy conventions but some spark of originality is required. It is tediously descriptive and completely lacking in any surprise. Every meal, every person, every journey is described in plodding detail as if it were written by a schoolboy, as indeed it was.

I had hoped that with the author’s increased years Eldest might be an improvement but, alas, I can only add illiteracy to his crimes. Consider this exchange on Page 24:
“Do not dishonor me.”
“Nor you I.”
or this sentence on Page11:
It felt like he had been sawed in half.

I’m afraid I laughed aloud at this bit:
Lathered over the remnants of his grief, anxiety now twisted his gut. He worried
about his own role in the upcoming events. Page 59
I don’t think he was talking about tummy trouble!

Like all fantasy writers he loves technical terms; there are loads of hauberks, brigandines and gambesons, but he has a talent for using a flat word or a grand one at inappropriate moments, and it seems to me that he does not always understand the meaning of his words (or am I failing to allow for American usage here?). I can’t decide whether he has absorbed too many fantasy novels without attention or if he uses a thesaurus rather badly.
Upon his head was a helm strewn with precious jewels. Page 55 [studded, set or even encrusted with – but strewn suggests that they might fall off at any moment!]
Deep in Tronjheim, a drum gonged. Boom. Page 56 [gonged? A drum?]
In the center, on a raised platform, was a great crypt open to waiting darkness.
Page 57 [a crypt is an underground chapel or burial place – tricky on a platform. Does he mean a tomb or a sarcophagus?]
Turning to the podium, Nasuada gripped it on either side and looked up...Page 62 [Imagine the Olympic winners’ podium. It is a platform – no sides. He must mean a lectern.]

As you can see I have taken most of these examples from a few consecutive pages but it is all like this. I find the constant jarring of misused words and the constant need for translation such an effort that it destroys all my pleasure in reading. I doubt if I shall persevere through the next 568 pages and the threatened third volume.

I’m a reader not a writer and I don’t usually worry too much about style as long as the story is good enough to carry me along. I’ve read Terry Brooks, whose dull prose only comes to life when he describes a battle; David Eddings, whose coy American humour makes me cringe; and Robert Jordan whose overblown writing has filled eleven volumes of The Wheel of Time (so far - and that excludes the prequel) but I’ve never read anything which made me want to give up so early. Sorry, Jess! I tried.

Mrs Butler's Blog Number 14

2005-11-11T15:49:00.000Z

Number 14 November 2005

At last, a book to give to fans of Witch Child! The sequel, Sorceress, was a bit too adult for many of the keenest Witch Child readers, but The Merrybegot by Julie Hearn may fill the gap.

I’m not sure if the word Merrybegot is an invention or a real rural superstition, but its meaning of a child born as a result of May Day merrymaking (frolicking!) sounds authentic or it ought to be. The other attributes of a Merrybegot as midwife to the fairies and protected by unearthly powers are the real concerns of this tale, which is set at the time of the Civil War, when the rise of the Puritans made it fairly hazardous to be involved with witchcraft.

The book is laid out in an intriguing way with the main story of Nell, the cunning woman’s granddaughter, interrupted by frequent remedies and spells, set in a wonderful typeface like ancient handwriting. Then it is framed and chopped up by another version of the story, (The Confession of Patience Madden), told by one of the vicar’s daughters nearly fifty years later in Salem. There are strong echoes of The Crucible in the witch-hunt and pretence of teenage hysteria – using the same sources, I suppose - but the surprise ending makes up for it all and Nell deserves her fate. By the end I was rather fond of the piskies - and the brown chicken.

Mrs Butler's Blog Number 13

2005-11-11T15:47:00.000Z

Number 13 November 2005

I have done a lot of reading but I haven’t had as much time to record it now that I am back at school. So some if this may be a little sketchy because I can barely remember the
details.

You may recall the pack of Agatha Christies which was such a bargain from The Book People. All ten titles turned out to be Miss Marple mysteries – Miss Marple Pack, it said on the delivery label which may have been a clue. I dipped into The Thirteen Problems, which is a book of (thirteen) short stories, in which the finest brains are turned on apparently insoluble mysteries but they are all solved, in a very domestic way, by the old lady knitting in the corner.

I also read The Moving Finger, which by coincidence featured in a weirdly retro radio play about two batty sisters who run a ‘public library’ (afternoon radio can be as dire as daytime TV!). I noticed that it had been published in 1943, which explained why the very gentlemanly hero had to be a wounded pilot; I doubt if a non-combatant would have appealed to her wartime readers. It involved a small village, plagued by anonymous letters. Miss Marple only appeared at the end and it all ended happily with our hero marrying an etiolated half-wit – well, Christie laid it on a bit thick to make you think the girl might have been a mad murderess.

Mrs Butler's Blog 11

2005-10-19T10:29:00.000+01:00

Number 11 October 2005

Surprise of the week: Very Different by Anne Fine.

I came back to school this week so there hasn’t been as much time for reading – or writing the blog – but I must tell you about this book. It has a very bright yellow cover with a cartoon-like face of a smiling gnome on the front, which suggests that this is one of Anne Fine’s books for younger readers. I found it in the Quickread section.

I am a passionate Anne Fine fan and I hadn’t read this one. It was a huge surprise. It is a book of very funny short stories; the first one is about a stolen garden gnome; in the title story a young couple try to get an abortion: another is about a boy’s difficulty in coming out to his parents – so, not a book for Year 7s after all!

I loved the one about a Scottish miner who cannot bear the idea of his son doing embroidery - his daughter can service the car so it’s a bit heavy-handed against gender stereotyping, but it is so funny that you won’t mind. (Anne Fine has always had a thing about the dumbing-down of what you learn in school. This story reminded me of a splendid diatribe in Goggle-Eyes, I think, when daughter says she’s got to wash her hair as homework because they are studying shampoo.) As well as the funny ones there is one truly creepy story and a sad one about the results of emotional cruelty.

By the way, I forgot to tell you that the gnome is wearing dark glasses. I didn’t realise the significance of this at first. You’ll have to read it to find out why.

Mrs Butler's Blog 10

2005-10-10T09:38:00.000+01:00

October 2005 Number 10

I’ve just read three really good animal stories by Geoffrey Malone. The first one I read was Kimba. It is the story of a lion cub, growing up in a pride; being ousted by two new males; his survival on his own; and, finally, his return to take over the territory. There are some lovely details of wildlife on the plain but the thing that strikes you most forcibly is the short lifespan of any creature that is injured. Accidental wounds caused by the kicks of the prey, porcupines, or bites from jealous lion, can be as fatal as hyenas and crocodiles or the snares of the poachers. Only the fit survive.

The second book was Elephant Ben, and, as the title suggests, it is about elephants but it has human characters as well as the animals. Ben Sitole is the son of a game warden. His dad has promised to take him on safari. His adventure alternates with the story of a family of elephants on their annual trek to the swamp during the dry season, until Ben and the elephants meet and they are all in danger from ivory poachers. Geoffrey Malone’s observations of animal behaviour are very convincing and I particularly liked the description of the fight between the elephant and the old crocodile. He has cleverly used the terrain around “M’goma” where the lion book was set, and several animal characters appear again – I think the crocodile may have been the same one that threatened Kimba, but I cannot be sure without checking.

Wolf , (I’m sure you can guess what this one is about) is set in Wyoming, where the needs of cattle farmers are in opposition to the needs of the wolves. Family of vets moves to a small country town and tending a wounded wolf makes them very unpopular - plenty of opportunities for a spot of bullying on the school bus. As in the other Geoffrey Malones much of the book concentrates on the wolf and his family. This book is unusual for its tragic ending.

Just one thing: I’m getting very fed up with the mistakes which are ignored by computer spell-checking. Twice in as many weeks I have come across “dowsing” (meaning water-divining) instead of “dousing” (meaning getting soaked).

Mrs Butler's Blog 9

2005-10-05T12:24:00.000+01:00

October 2005 Number 9

OK, it’s time to tell you about Spirit Walker by Michelle Paver. It is the second book in Chronicles of Ancient Darkness, which started with Wolf Brother. I’m afraid many of my recent books have been sequels because it is much easier to order second instalments from a mail-order catalogue than books which you know nothing about. (The second Book People order came today with a curious selection of books which, I hope, does credit to my catholic reading tastes: a set of ten Agatha Christies, a boxed set of Cat in the Hat, three animal stories by Geoffrey Malone, Guinness World Records 2006 and Match! Annual. They will all be in the Library as soon as we can cover and catalogue them.)

Torak first appeared on Wolf Brother. His father died horribly, gored by a terrible spirit bear, and Torak had to make his way through the Deep Forest to find help in destroying it. On the way he befriended a wolf cub and learned to speak Wolf, not just in howls and growls but the body language of animals. It is a fabulous book, evoking a Stone Age world in which spirits are all around, which can be read by the priests or witch-doctors of each clan and placated by ritual. I was raving before about Across the Nightingale Floor which is a fantasy set in an unusual country. Wolf Brother is a fantasy (or even a thriller) set in an unusual time, the Stone Age, and it is brilliantly done.

In Spirit Walker a deadly disease attacks the Raven Clan and Torak knows that he must move on because he fears that he has attracted this plague and feels that it is up to him to find a cure. The journey takes him to the islands of the Seal Clan and, quite apart from the riveting adventure, we find out so much about the coastal fishing tribes. He is followed by Renn, the apprentice Raven mage and also by the wolf, who returns from living with the wolf-pack. He needs both these friends to save him before the end. The climax is gripping and the cause of the plague is unexpected. (Well, it fooled me.) And we discover the secret of why Torak and Wolf are able to talk to one another.

I’m afraid I’ve only bought one copy of Spirit Walker as it has only just come out in hardback. Wolf Brother is in the library already and I will buy more paperbacks of that if it gets the demand it deserves. I recommend these books.

Mrs Butlers Blog 8

2005-10-05T12:23:00.000+01:00

October 2005 Number 8

Recently I read So Below: Key to the City by Matt Whyman. I had great hopes of this book because of its prize-winning author (Boy Kills Man) and the terrific format; inside the silver cover are brilliant manga (or anime?) illustrations. Key to the City is obviously the first in a series called So Below

It starts dramatically as Yoshi 5 escapes from a distinctive man in a white mink coat and a nasty taste in deadly pets. He squeezes between the bars of a drain cover and finds himself in the home of a gang of street-children, living in a forgotten nuclear bunker below China Town. They survive by performing conjuring tricks in tourist hotspots like Covent Garden and travel along London’s many subterranean tunnels. Yoshi has lost his memory after a blow on the head, but he was obviously persecuted by our friend in the mink coat, so he is invited to join them.

There’s a father-figure to this underground family in the curious figure of Julius Grimaldi, part tramp, part mystic – who knows? – who maps the tunnels and lost rivers beneath the city. He has a theory about the churches built by the architect Nicholas Hawksmoor and he thinks that Yoshi, because of his metal name-tags, could be involved. At this point Yoshi begins to remember his past and the action becomes fast and complicated. By the end we are prepared for another long series of books about children with paranormal talents fighting dark forces.

I loved the beginning with its cast of interesting and original characters but I’m afraid, as an adult, I was not gripped by the action. I think London readers will be fascinated by new associations with familiar landmarks but I’m not sure how gripping readers from Gloucester will find Seven Dials, the Hawksmoor churches and old spurs of the tube system. I would really like to know what you think of this book so please tell me.

The series has possibilities as a fantasy series about super-talented kids but I’d probably recommend The Power of Five series by Anthony Horowitz which is about to be reissued. If I remember it right it had more energy, more excitement and more wit. I remember with particular affection that the villain of one of the books was a businesswoman called Evelyn Carnate. Say it aloud. I didn’t get it for ages.

Mrs Butler's Blog 7

2005-10-03T10:22:00.000+01:00

September 2005 Number 7

Helen Cresswell died on Monday. She was one of the best-known children’s writers of the last century. Her most famous books were stories about Lizzie Dripping but she also wrote lots of others: The Piemakers, The Bongleweed, Moondial and the fabulous Bagthorpe Saga which begins with Ordinary Jack. You’ll find these in the library. So I was really surprised when I read in her obituary in The Guardian that her reputation was confirmed by her TV adaptation of her novel The Demon Headmaster. Fantastic – except that she didn’t write The Demon Headmaster. Most of you will remember that Gillian Cross wrote it. (Year 9s went to see her at the Cheltenham Literary Festival) Yes, they are both women, they both write for children and their names both begin with Cr, anyone could make that mistake!

At some point in English lessons you will have to write an obituary. And the first thing you will do is some research into the life of your chosen person. In real life you only get one chance to write an obituary about someone - when they die - so I think you owe it to that person to get basic facts right. It seemed so sad that the journalist devoted a whole paragraph to a book Helen Cresswell didn’t write. I was so angry that I wrote to the newspaper, which is something I have never done before although I’ve often been tempted. If you, or anyone you know, appear in a local newspaper you can be sure that your name will be spelt wrong or your age will be wrong or they’ll muddle up something. (A few years ago I did a Harry Potter Marathon at school and The Citizen wrote a lot of rubbish although I’d written down the facts myself.) I don’t know why I expect national newspapers to get things right.

Mrs Butler's Blog 6

2005-09-29T18:06:00.000+01:00

September 2005 Number 6

I came in to school this week, clutching the crutches, to see our famous visitor Philip Ardagh, author of the Eddie Dickens series, the Fergal books, the Hieroglyph Handbook and loads of others. I wasn’t going to miss it. He is just amazing; enormous, bearded and armed with the most surreal sense of humour, as you can imagine if you’ve read any of his books. You really must try his website to get the authentic flavour – www.philipardagh.com It has lots of quirky information and pictures on it and I find the journal fascinating (but long – because he has been writing it for quite a while).

When I first saw him, a couple of years ago, he insisted that his beard was bifurcated. It didn’t look like it this time so I was a bit disappointed. (This word will be familiar to anyone who reads Terry Pratchett because Ankh Morpork is always described as bifurcated. If you don’t know it – you could look it up. Your new word for the day. I guarantee you will not forget it, but I doubt if you’ll be dropping it naturally into conversation.)

Anyway, this amazingly successful author was working with our very own Year 8 students. He’s written the beginning; they write the rest – and then they perform it for him at Cheltenham Town Hall during the Literature Festival.

The beginning of the story was a cliff-hanger, but very cleverly ambiguous – you couldn’t pin down anything about the place, time or the characters – that was up to our intrepid Year students. Their only clue: Viking Times. I have no idea what happens next. They will perform on 11th October in front of five other schools who have produced five different endings.

But the really great thing is that I get to see him twice because we are running a trip for 46 lucky Year 7s to the Olympus Theatre on 12th October. I hope he’ll tell us about the next book in the Further Adventures of Eddie Dickens.

At this point I suppose I ought to plug the books, but I think you’ll be disappointed if you go down to the library because they have all disappeared in a reading frenzy. Mrs Rush bought loads more copies of Awful End and extra copies of all the others but you’ll be lucky if you find them in this week. You’ll have to reserve them. Mrs Daniels has put up a little display of all his titles just by the door so you’ll know what to ask for.

I haven’t read The Fall of Fergal or Heir of Mystery yet, but I do have in my possession a sponge model of Fergal’s brain. I suppose it ought to be displayed proudly in the library. I’ll need a glass case - or a pickle jar.

Mrs Butler's Blog 5

2005-09-29T18:05:00.000+01:00

September 2005 Number 5

When the library was closed for exams in June I did an awful lot of cataloguing and I skimmed through an awful lot of fiction. I do try to read the books before I put them on the shelves but I’m afraid they tend to blur into one another. Heartland by Lauren Brooke hooked me, even though I am not passionate about pony books, so I was quite chuffed when I saw a special offer in the Red House catalogue for the first four books in the series. They have been my reading this week.

Heartland, more than just a pony book, more a soap opera! Amy’s mother heals problem horses in her animal sanctuary, Heartland. Unfortunately she dies tragically in an unnecessary accident early on in the first book, Coming Home. Amy and her older sister Lou try to keep the horse sanctuary going on their own. It has all the ingredients of a really good adventure story (no parents), a good school story (villainous rivals), teenage romance (young stable boy), animal story (the ubiquitous horses), teenage problems (grief and sibling rivalry) a talented, but troubled, heroine and fabulous new age theories (horse whispering and loads of aromatherapy) to bring it right up to date. I hope that pony addicts will love it.

I’ve also been reading Spirit Walker, the sequel to Wolf Brother but I need to think about it.

Mrs Butler's Blog 4

2005-09-29T10:05:00.000+01:00

September 2005 Number 4

Since I’ve been at home during the day I’ve discovered the delights of mail order and internet shopping. It’s hopeless when you are out at work because you miss the deliveries. But at the moment it’s terrific; I get parcels every day. I don’t know if I’ll get a silk shirt (Patra) , tulip bulbs (Spalding) or weird kitchen gadgets (Lakeland). I’m sure you’ve seen the painless pineapple-peeler and, my favourite, the mushroom brush – Why do people want these things? But the most exciting parcels have been from The Book People and Red House. I’ve been able to buy some must-haves for school and I’ve been able to read them as soon as they arrive, which is a real luxury.

This week I’ve been introduced to Horrid Henry by Francesca Simon. I’ve always been a bit snooty when I’ve been asked if we have any Horrid Henry; I said I thought it was for Primary Schools. But now I’m a fan. Henry is a wonderfully bolshie child who lives with his angelic brother Perfect Peter. He’s a modern version of My Naughty Little Sister or Ramona but much more fun, and of course, he’s a boy. I bought a pack of ten titles so I hope they go down well.

I’ve also bought three books about Harry the Poisonous Centipede by Lynne Reid Banks. They look like cute centipede family stories but they are filled with stunning natural history for those who aren’t that keen on stories. So they were a surprise too.

Mrs Butler's Blog 3

2005-09-29T10:02:00.000+01:00

September 2005 Number 3

I’ve just finished Brilliance of the Moon by Lian Hearn. This is the third book in the series which began with the stunning Across the Nightingale Floor. Try it!

Across the Nightingale Floor is fascinating; it’s quite different from any other fantasy I’ve read before. Unlike most sword and sorcery stories which are set in a Lord of the Rings landscape before the industrial revolution (Think archers, horses, village mayors and inn-keepers!) it takes place in an island country resembling Japan, which is ruled by warlords and samurai-type warriors.

The first book began with the adoption of the boy-hero by the chief of the Otori clan; his education and his warrior-training. His aim is to get revenge on Iida, the ruthless warlord who killed his family. The politics of the kingdom, the feuds and alliances of the powerful families, are the causes of the wars and battles. There is no Lord of Darkness to defeat. The sorcery element is found in ‘The Tribe’, a mysterious family of professional spies, endowed with supernatural hearing or the art of invisibility (pretty useful talents for spies!) and it seems that our hero, Takeo, has both these particular gifts, although he did not realise that he was related to The Tribe.

The Japanese names are a bit tricky to get your head round at first (They work backwards, surname first, and some of them seem unpronounceable.) but they add to the terrific atmosphere of strangeness. I can really recommend this book. There are copies in the library. The Trilogy is called Tales of the Otori. Book Two is Grass for his Pillow.

ANYWAY, I’ve just the third book in the series, Brilliance of the Moon. It is quite horribly bloodthirsty. In order to claim the leadership of the Otori clan, and to assert his wife, Kaede’s, right to her inheritance Takeo has to fight just about everybody. There’s a prophecy that he will fight five battles: four to win and one to lose. (or it may have been 4 battles; 3 to win etc. I’m sorry I’ve already sent the book in to school so I can’t check.) The battles are gruesome skirmishes – lots of people and lots of horses get maimed and killed. It reads like real blood and real wounds - no magic involved.

There are some curious details at the end, about pale foreigners with telescopes and even guns, and an even stranger connection between the rites of the Hidden People and the religion of the foreigners. Lian Hearn has promised to add two more books to the trilogy which could well be about a ‘Japan’ which gradually opens up to Westerners and new technology. We shall see.

Mrs Butler's Blog 2

2005-09-29T10:01:00.000+01:00

September 2005 Number 2

After the Harry Potter binge I had a break; I felt that my brain needed a bit of exercise. I’ve learnt how to do Sudoku and I’ve started to do the Guardian Crossword every day. I say “started” with reason, because at first I could only fill in one or two clues. Now I am proud to say that I have completed one entirely on my own. I suspect that it was an easy one since it was set by Bunthorne.

The Guardian always tells you who set the crossword. The compilers have pseudonyms like Rufus and Gordius and there has been a debate this Summer about who sets the best puzzles. There was agreement that the hardest and the cleverest are created by Araucaria, the longest-serving compiler. (Araucaria is the Latin name for the monkey-puzzle tree. I know this because it turned up in a clue.)

In August I read an awful lot of ancient novels by Angela Thirkell but I shall not tell you about them because they are very dated and out of print. Very funny too.

Mrs Butler's Blog 1

2005-09-29T09:59:00.000+01:00

During the Summer Holiday I broke my leg so, instead of abseiling, windsurfing or judging the comedy awards at the Edinburgh Festival, I have spent a lot of time with very little to do. Great, I thought, I’ll have time to read the new Harry Potter. It will take my mind off the leg and it will be entertaining too.

I think I was probably affected by the medication but I found it very hard to get started. I soon lost interest in this weird kid who insists on leaving his friends to follow up dodgy clues and gets himself into all sorts of unnecessary difficulties, just because he loathes Malfoy. Didn’t he ever see early episodes of Dr Who or read adventure stories in which it is fatal for the goodies to separate? You long to shout, “Don’t split up!” because you just know that something nasty will get one of them.

BUT I regret now that I didn’t pay attention to the early chapters because J.K.Rowling is quite brilliant at plotting and she scattered lots of hints, which I missed.

The second half of the book is gripping; the pace picks up and what started as mere teenage rivalry becomes of life-threatening, possibly earth-shattering, importance.
I’m not going to tell you what happens because many people haven’t finished it yet and it would be truly mean to spoil it for them. I enjoyed it so much that I rationed out the last few chapters to make it last as long as possible. Don’t you think that is the highest praise I could give it? Normally I would rush to the end to find out what happens – but the thought that it would be another year, or possibly two, before the final instalment made me delay the pleasure. I don’t think I have ever done that before. But I will say that I cried. (OK, I was tired and dopey with medication at the time.)
What more can I say? The ending is powerful stuff.