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Annabel Hall reviews The Rise and Shine Saturday Show by Emma Lee-Potter
This fiction book is a very descriptive, fun and original story about five (normal!) children who go to live in a house in Scotland together. Here they are in the final stages of a talent contest which the children’s television programme – The Rise and Shine Saturday Show - had organised. Emma Lee-Potter writes about the events that take place in and out of the house! The children go through the auditions, face gruelling training with the scary dance coach, ‘GG’ and have many adventures. The other characters include Didi and Zaza (the presenters of the programme with their amazingly descriptive clothes), Daniel Drewsome (the programmme's moody director), Dottie (a kind young lady who works for the programme) and the book includes many more inventive characters.
I think the audience for this book are children aged about 9-13, especially children interested in singing, dancing or any type of performance.
Personally, my favourite part of the book is near the beginning when Dottie approaches Kate, one of the Starspotters finalists waiting in the audition queue. I like this moment because Dottie is so warm and friendly (unlike the weather) and offers Kate a sandwich. This is very amusing because later Dottie makes the decision to select the finalists. Kate was very nice to her in the audition queue so can you guess whether she gets through?
This book is up-to-date, very descriptive, original, and had ‘cool’ characters. My one small criticism would be that Emma Lee-Potter kept repeating the phrase ‘as if butter wouldn’t melt in his/her mouth.’ This might be quite hard to understand for a child of 9-13.
I enjoyed this book very much because it was fun and true to life.
Lance Mitchell reviews Medicus and the Disappearing Dancing Girls by R. S. Downie
Medicus and the Disappearing Dancing Girls is the first of a series of novels that follows the misfortunes of a Roman Army Medical Officer, Gaius Petreius Ruso, after his posting from the warm climes of North Africa to the dreary grey drizzle of Deva (pron. Dewa); that’s modern day Chester.
Ruso is down on his luck and doesn’t own much more than a few mounting debts. As well as trying to support his own life in the British garrison town, he is obliged to send funds home to his brother in southern Gaul lest his family find themselves destitute and homeless.
His medical colleague at the garrison hospital, who shares his squalid house with Ruso, takes life as it comes and has a wicked sense of humour, and is no help at all. Consequently, Ruso has very little support from anyone as he tries to traverse his difficult life. Almost by accident he finds himself burdened with further unmanageable debts, becomes the reluctant owner of an injured slave, Tilla, and is in continual conflict with the hospital administrator and many of the local Britons.
There are many reflections of twenty-first century society in this book, ranging from the financial and administrative pressures on the health service to the very serious issue of the white slave trade. I am sure that these parallels are deliberately drawn by the author to provoke the reader into thoughts beyond the main storyline.
Ruso becomes an unwilling detective, trying to track down the truth behind the disappearance of several dancing girls from the local brothel and bar. The story moves at a leisurely pace and, in the main, insinuates the brutality of the age rather than going into explicit detail.
I have always been a big fan of historical novels as, with conversations and images, they bring history to life around those dry, boring dates and names that I had to learn in the school classroom. Medicus does this for me and, at the same time, introduces some interesting characters whom I very much look forward to meeting again as the series unfolds. I strongly suspect that Ruso’s slave, Tilla, will become his driving force.
This is an excellent detective story, and the links between Roman Britain and Modern Britain are particularly pleasing. I would recommend Medicus to anyone who enjoys a good historical fiction.
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Emily Jolliffe reviews White Summer by Luke Bitmead
White Summer is the story of Guy, an everyday sort of bloke drifting through his days, and drinking too much at night to dull the pain of his boring job and his sneaking suspicion that there should be more to life.
 | | Author Luke Bitmead at a signing |
His wake-up call arrives in the form of Daisy, a customer at the ‘Go Away Travel Agency’ who he swiftly becomes infatuated with, wreaking havoc with his peace of mind and routine existence. Despite embarking on a ‘relationship’ with another woman (the awful Kathy) he manages to win Daisy over, but the path of true love does not run smoothly. In fact, it seems to be the signal for everything else in Guy’s life to implode.
White Summer is a page-turner, punctuated with humorous incidents that will ring true to all men and women who have ever had too much to drink, slept with someone and regretted it, or got themselves into ridiculous situations through an inability to tell the truth. Guy’s behaviour is often cringe-inducingly embarrassing, pathetic and sometimes cruel, but he manages to remain likeable through a mixture of honesty and humour that makes his behaviour ring true. His interaction with the colourful supporting cast of friends and family creates some genuinely very touching moments, and you end up rooting for all of them. My only criticism is that their stories remain unresolved and I want to know what happens to all of them! I’ll have to wait for the forthcoming sequel. |
