This has got to be my all time favourite book trailer and it’s done exactly what a good book trailer should do – it has made me desperately want to read the book.

[via we heart books]

Wherever you happen to be reading it now, Jonathan published this post at: BookBoy.net

Pearl struggles to fit in at school. She is not part of the footy group, the ballet group, or the rough kid group. She is in her own group of one. She lives with her mum and her granny. Always has. Always will. Pearl loves to write poetry. But not poetry that rhymes. This is a problem as her teacher Mrs Bruff says all poetry needs to rhyme.

Granny’s health is deteriorating, the prettiest girl in school thinks Pearl has stolen her boyfriend, and all Pearl wants to do is write poetry that doesn’t rhyme.

I am certainly not an expert on the form and structure of poetry but I love how well verse novels use language. This verse novel (which of course does not rhyme) is no exception. No words are wasted. It is tight and evocative.

Pearl verses the world is a great introduction to verse novels for younger readers. It is a well written, sad and beautiful story that will tug at the heart strings of adults too. Oddly, just as I was getting to the end I got some dust in my eye. Yeah, that’s what it was. Dust in my eye.

[cross posted from aboutthebooks.blogspot.com]

Wherever you happen to be reading it now, Jonathan published this post at: BookBoy.net

Originally posted over where I blog for work, here are my thoughts on James Roy’s latest:

Edsel Grizzler lives a bland life in a bland street with over protective parents he can’t stand. They won’t let him do anything fun, worried that everything is too dangerous. But when Edsel finds himself transported to Verdada, a strange world in another dimension, his life is changed. For a start, there are no adults telling the kids what to do. They do a small amount of work each day and can then do whatever they like. Surfing, skateboarding, computer games. You name it. Plus, an endless supply of every delicious food you could imagine.

It sounds perfect right? It would seem that way on the surface, but as Edsel spends more time there he begins to have his doubts about how perfect it really is. Along with his new friends Edsel starts to investigate and ask questions, but may just cause more trouble than he hoped for.

Voyage to Verdada is the first of the new Edsel Grizzler series by James Roy. Edsel is a likeable character and the book is a fun read. The world of Verdada is an intriguing place and it’s true nature will keep you guessing. The book also includes a sneak peek at book 2 which has me keen to see where the story goes next.

Wherever you happen to be reading it now, Jonathan published this post at: BookBoy.net

Here is my review of Nit boy: Lift off! as posted to my work blog aboutthebooks.

Eleven year old Lewis Snow has a wild blonde afro and his hair has never been cut. It is filled with nits of course, and he considers them his pets. He has even made some money by passing them to other kids so they could get a few days off school. However, adults typically want to get rid of Lewis’s nits. None more so that Mrs Herrick, the deputy principal. She is after Lewis, or more specifically after his nits, and will stop at nothing to get rid of them.

Interlaced with this story is the story of Ned, the world’s first jumping nit, who lives on Lewis’s head. Ned’s father is determined to see nits learn to jump and spread through humans like no nits have ever done. But Ned is a home body. He’s not interested in jumping and exploring the world.

Lift off is a wonderful and funny story about the tightly linked lives of Lewis and Ned as they face the expectations of those around them and the danger posed by Mrs Herrick, their mutual enemy.

There is also sequel called Bug out! which I have just started reading, I’ll post a review shortly unless someone beats me to it.

Wherever you happen to be reading it now, Jonathan published this post at: BookBoy.net

In the first lesson, Sarah passed me a note, It read, I’m Bree’s best friend now in big blue texta on the front and on the back, in pencil, So you’ll have to sit next to Sharnie.
Nobody sat next to Sharnie. She was the meanest girl in the whole school and her chinese burns hurt for hours and hours. It wasn’t fair. Sarah and I had been best friends for years – I couldn’t even remember when we hadn’t been.

Life is not going well for Ruby. Her mother is having another baby, and there are complications with the pregnancy. Her father is too busy caring for her to worry too much about Ruby. Then she has a falling out with her best friend.

One day when Ruby gets home from school she finds Mrs Wiseman, the new lady living across the street, in the kitchen. Ruby’s Mum had to go to hospital and Ruby has to be looked after by an old lady she hardly knows.

Ruby gradually gets to know the somewhat eccentric Mrs Wiseman (Magda) although the more she gets to know her, the more mysterious she becomes. Ruby also befriends Bailey, a boy who with his two friends are known as The Three Geeketeers.

Magda turns out to be a wonderful support for both Ruby and Bailey and there may just be more to her than meets the eye. The same goes for the the little pony figurine she gave Ruby. Magda called it the Wish Pony.

A sweet little story for younger readers that acknowledges life can be difficult but opens the possibility that there is still room for a little magic in the world, even if that magic is subtle and unnoticed.

Wherever you happen to be reading it now, Jonathan published this post at: BookBoy.net

Feel like reading Neil Gaiman’s wonderful, Newbery Award winning The graveyard book but too lazy to do so for yourself and feel that listening to an audio book doesn’t quite cut the mustard? Perhaps you would rather watch a video of Neil himself reading the books. Well, now you can. Head over to mousecircus, his site for young readers and you’ll find videos of Neil reading The graveyard book, chapter by chapter.

While there, you can watch the Coraline movie trailer, download wallpapers, screensavers and printable posters. Watch more videos. Read about his books old and new, and more. Well worth a look for fans of the great man.

Wherever you happen to be reading it now, Jonathan published this post at: BookBoy.net

Tristan Bancks, author of the Mac Slater, Cool hunter books has a new series for kids coming out soon which I have been looking forward to for a while. The two books, called Lift off, and Bug out make up the Nitboy series, and are about a boy with the world’s worst case of nits. there’s even an animated trailer which you can see below.

Wherever you happen to be reading it now, Jonathan published this post at: BookBoy.net

Cake Wrecks blog has posted pictures of some beautiful book related cakes. Very hungry caterpillar, Where the wild things are, Dr Seuss, and others are all deliciously presented.

[via abby the librarian]

Wherever you happen to be reading it now, Jonathan published this post at: BookBoy.net

Blackbringer is Laini Taylor‘s debut novel and the first book in the Faeries of Dreamdark series.

It is set in a world of faeries and devils and also an ever growing human population. Most faeries live in the secluded city of Dreamdark, hidden from humans and oblivious to the fact that more and more devils are being released back into the world by ignorant humans. The devils were sealed in bottles twenty-five thousand years ago but as humans continue to spread and explore the world, these bottles are found and opened.

Magpie Windwitch is a faerie with more understanding of what is happening than the average faerie as she spends her life traveling the world hunting the escaped devils. However, even she finds herself in trouble when the Blackbringer is released threatening to wreak more havoc than a few ordinary devils. Her battles sees her journey to Dreamdark and seek the great Djinn, creators of the world who have been sleeping for thousands of years.

The above synopsis probably doesn’t do the story the justice it deserves. Magpie is a likable character, as are her companions – a group of cigar smoking crows who were once a traveling theatre troupe. There are several threads that gradually develop through the book, including Magpie’s own background, the identity of the Blackbringer, and the very nature of the magic in the world.

The book contains a wonderful collection of characters. Some whimsical and likeable, others annoying but relatively harmless, and yet others that are pure evil. Taylor avoids the temptation to explain too much too soon, but rather lets the reader enjoy a journey of discovery along with Magpie. As the story progresses it becomes clear that Magpie’s adventures are part of a larger story that has been building for thousands of years.

All up, I liked Blackbringer. It took me a little bit to get into it, but once it got going I was very keen to see where it went and enjoyed the world I was taken into.

For those in North America, the second Faeires of Dreamdark book, Silksinger is due out in September. For people here in Australia, Blackbringer itself will not be available until August.

The kind folk at Penguin USA sent me a copy to read so I am happy to pass it on to another Australian reader. Simply comment on this post, including the words “yes please” by 5 pm, Friday April 3rd (Melbourne time). I’ll draw names from a hat and send it to the lucky reader. Fine print: The book is essentially new, but has been read once. Only open to to residents of Australia.

Edit: In case you are wondering,  Blackbringer is probably aimed at what we here in Australia would call the upper years of primary school or early teen years, sort of 10-13 year olds or thereabouts. But hey, I’m 38 and I read it. Make of that what you will.

Wherever you happen to be reading it now, Jonathan published this post at: BookBoy.net

The Ranger’s apprentice series by John Flanagan is one I must confess to having not yet read. However, I know plenty of people who have, and they all speak highly of it. Enough so that I have added it to Jonathan’s-great-big-list-of-books-to-read (TM).

Here in Australia, the land of John Flanagan, we are up to book 8, while our friends in the USA are about to see book 6 released. As part of the book 6 launch festivities, Penguin have made book 1, The ruins of Gorlan available in ebook format for free, nada, nix, but for a limited time only. So if you haven’t already read it, pop over and have a look. But it will only be there until Feb 15th, so don’t dilly-dally.

Wherever you happen to be reading it now, Jonathan published this post at: BookBoy.net