InkyThink

Written by Neil Gaiman

Illustrated by Dave McKean

Nobody Owens, or "Bod" to his family and friends, cannot remember who his real parents are, and is never told. He grew up in a graveyard with his adoptive parents, Mr. and Mrs. Owens, his guardian, Silas, and many other ghosts who had died long before Bod was  born. Life is as normal as it ever is in the Graveyard, and because Bod has the Freedom of the Graveyard, he is able to walk through walls and fade pretty easily from sight. He doesn't clearly understand the world outside the Graveyard, but that doesn't stop him from being curious.

Later on in his life, Bod finds out that the man who killed his parents and sister is still looking for him. Bod does not like this. Before he knows it, he is in the middle of a mystery. Something's not right, and what Bod finds out will keep you reading all night!

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I loved this book. It took me a record breaking 5 hours to finish, and I do not anticipate that happening again in the near future. The Graveyard Book; sounds spooky, doesn't it? Don't worry, it's not. I had a blast reading it, and I'm sure any child who picks it up will enjoy it immensely. It's a great book to read together. When I was little I remember reading a chapter or two a night of some classic books like Charlottes Web, or Heidi. I believe this book will become a classic as well. I was impressed to learn that it won the Hugo; and this is not the first Hugo for Mr. Gaiman either. His Novella Coraline, won a Hugo in 2003, and in 2004 A Study in Emerald won the Hugo for Short Story. (If you would like to know more about the Hugo, look forward to my post about it that should be up in a day or two!) I was surprised to read in the Acknowledgements that a "Mr. Riddell" was attributed by Mr. Gaiman in illustrating some of the book. I wondered if it was the same Mr. Riddell who wrote and illustrated "The Emperor of Absurdia" so I looked it up. I was right, though in the copy I bought, the illustrations were done by Dave McKean. I admired his work as well. It fit perfectly with the story. I devoured this book, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Written by Daniel Pinkwater

Illustrated by Jack E. Davis

Morty and Ray watch a movie at night about a man who has a painting made of him. As the man does more and more mean things, the painting becomes uglier. Morty and Ray think this is neat, and paint a picture of themselves. They do bad things too, to see if their painting becomes ugly. Do you think their painting will become ugly, like the one in the movie?

I liked the use of cunning in this book. It's easy to read, and even though you know Morty and Ray are going to do bad things, you wonder if their painting will change the same way the man's did. It's a simple, fun story. It has a sort of quick, muddled ending, but overall it's a "what if..." story that concludes the only way it really can. Pinkwater is a clever writer.

Written by Linda DeMeulemeester

Cover Illustration by John Shroades

Cat is thrilled she's been picked to be on the Darkmont soccer team. Finally, after starting at her new school, she's becoming popular, her teachers love her, and she's quite the soccer player to boot! Everything seems to be going very good for Cat until her little sister, Sookie, starts acting weird, and telling Cat she should not play in the Halloween soccer match. Does Sookie know something Cat doesn't? And why does Sookie always hang out with the creepy girl in black clothes on the bleachers? Soon, Sookie disappears, and Cat finds herself caught up in mysteries both in her world, and a world not her own! Will Cat be able to find Sookie? Or will the mysterious Fairy world capture her forever?

Winner of the Silver Birch award - an award where children read the nominated books and cast the votes themselves - it's no wonder The Secret of Grim Hill made its mark on the children who read it. It is fun, intriguing, and mysterious. The characters are relatable, smart enough to figure out what's going on, and yet real enough that readers aren't left in any doubt as to whether, or not, this could have played out the same had it been happening to them. It's frustrating in the right moments, and relieving in the next. I really liked this first book, and was even lucky enough to have it signed by Linda herself! The Secret of Grim Hill is a great adventure, and I'm thoroughly looking forward to starting the next book.

Written by Kit Pearson

 

When Corrie's mother died, her and her siblings would gather around their Round Table and pretend to be King Arthurs knights. Without realizing it, it helped them cope with the loss of their mother. Quite quickly Corrie finds that, despite their gatherings, her family is falling apart. Fa doesn't pay much attention to them, and their housekeeper "The Elephant" barely notices them. Suddenly Corrie's older sister is too busy for Round Table meetings, and Sebastian, Corrie's older brother, is taking them way too seriously. Corrie is left to look after her younger siblings and it proves too much to handle for the eleven year old. With everyone too busy to help her, and Sebastian going slowly "out of his wit", can she hold her family together, or will it all come apart?

 

This is the first Kit Pearson book I've read, and I must say it has made quite an impression. It is a sweet, gentle book. From the first chaper you are pulled into the lives of the Bell family from young Corrie's perspective. I could have easily liked this book, but what made me love it was the depth to which you are taken. You sympathize with Corrie and you worry about Sebastian's sanity, but you also hope their lives will improve for the better. Kit Pearson can make you care enough about her characters that you not only hope the story will turn out okay, but you long for their safe arrival at the end, like a friend on a long journey. To critique it a bit, I would have preffered a bit more of a climax, but that is a personal preference. It seems to happen quickly, and be done with. I do recommend this book, but with a few words of warning: You will most likely need tissue, (I did!) and a good chunk of free time as you will not want to put it down.

This book was also shortlisted for the Canadian Library Association's Book of the Year for Children Award.

 

4.9 Knights out of 5.0