Review: Curious Words For Clever Kids by Sarah Craiggs & Fiona Powers (Children's, Non-fiction, 10E/10E)

  August 2023, Hodder Children's Books, 68 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Book summary from Hachette Children's 

Have you ever wondered what an Indri is, eaten a Clapshot, grown a Cloudberry or come across a Colugo? Do you always find yourself looking up CURIOUS WORDS?

From Nefarious and Knots to Yuzus and Yews, this brilliant tour through over 1,000 wonderful words and their meanings, packed with awesome illustrations is the perfect book for kids who always want to know what EVERYTHING means!

Colourful pages burst with curious words on subjects from space and dinosaurs to colours and actions, while language spreads explain how different types of words can do what you want them to do.

Nayu's thoughts

Words to any language are strange and require time to learn, something I can still appreciate as I do speak more than one language and while I don't formally learn French and Japanese any more, I still pick up new words as I read manga and watch anime. It is impossible to learn every word that exists, and children have to learn a lot of words throughout school. Anything that makes learning memorable and interesting is an absolute must. Sarah's choice of words along with Fiona's illustrations are a perfect combo to portray over 1000 words stated in this book. I liked how immersive each double page is, no two pages are alike. Words are displayed at different angles; food words are shown through a food market, weather words are shown in a picture of the world including weather system. Some are brightly coloured, others in pastels. 

All are presented in unique ways  that hopefully makes assimilating the words easier to comprehend. I may be in my early fourth decade but I didn't know all the words in the book. I'd never heard of a "crwth", a welsh musical instrument played with a bow, and as a bird lover I'd never heard of an ovenbird, a bird who builds dome shaped nests (I guess like domed ovens). No matter our life experience we all have something to learn, and ok some of us may never need to know that a group of rhinos are called "a stubborness of rhinoceroses" (very apt name given their size and strength), but they might prove useful for general knowledge quiz games and are amusing to think about. The book itself is about A4 sized, which is plenty big enough to read alone or with a friend. I'm going to be giving this to my helper as I know her 4 children will enjoy reading this (two are far too young for now but it can wait until they are older). 

See more of Fiona's work on her website. 

Suggested read

If you love new words I believe there are some in A Kiwi Year and A Canadian Year by Tania McCarney and Tina Snerling (Children's, Non-fiction, 10E/10E)

 

 

Review: Pirates and Sea Monsters by Gill Lewis & Irina Avgustinovich (Children's, 7 years +, 10E/10E)

 11th April 2024, Barrington Stoke, 72 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Book summary from Barrington Stoke

 Tia’s mum has a new job as the vet on Gull Haven Island and there are a lot of animals who need her help.

When she’s called away to help a sickly cow on a nearby island and gets trapped there in a storm, Tia has to step up and care for the animals staying in the surgery. It’s a big responsibility and then she has to deal with a mysterious creature that washes up on the shore after the storm.

Their new life on the Haven Islands is clearly going to be full of adventures!

Nayu's thoughts

Starting life in a new home is never easy, and often those involved can dread it because it is a massive upheaval. I really liked that Tia is looking forward to it because all the things she couldn't do on the mainland she can do with her mum on friendly Gull Haven Island. I liked how instantly the close-knit community feel of the island is portrayed, everyone looks out for each other. Rather than being fed up of having to look after the animals it's all Tia wants to do, so when her mother is unable to return home one night she is really eager to take care of everyone. She knows what to do from watching her mum, and what I liked is that she was taken care of by a nice lady called Peggy. Tia did miss her mum from time to time, as nice as Peggy was she wasn't Tia's mother, but they all survived the storm safely which is what mattered. 

As for the sea monster - it was an amusing encounter, and the resulting plot twist was quite unexpected and well written. I am so eager for the next book in the series, partly so I have an excuse to reread this. I mean look at the cover by Irina, it looks so warm and inviting just like Gull Haven Island. It has the standard Barrington Stoke off-white pages which an easy to read font. 

Find out more on Gill's website.

Suggested read

If you like animal adventures try The Pocket Dog by Holly Webb and Sharon Renta (Children's, 7 years +, 10E/10E)

 

Nayu's Gaming Time #29 Early thoughts on Stellar Blade PS5

FYI the age rating is 18 not 8 - blame my in a hurry photo skills for missing out the 1 on the label.

Stellar Blade, Developer Shift Up, Publisher Sony, Console PlayStation 5, Released April 2024

 I thought about writing several sentences about Stellar Blade on social media but it felt easier to say what I think here. 

Way back when it's place holder name, Project Eve, was announced, I hadn't heard of it. I didn't have a PlayStation 5 back then, hadn't thought about getting one even when it launched as a) it took a lot of time to save for it and b) there were so few games (or so I thought) that I'd be interested in I never paid any attention to upcoming game presentations that Sony regularly shows. Fast forward a few years to last year, when I actually got my PS5 (end of April, or early May), and I decided to pay attention to State of Plays just in case I like any games. 

 When I saw Stellar Blade I was totally wowed by how awesome Eve is. Ok, some of the outfits aren't that pretty for me but overall she looks totally gorgeous and I love her signature long ponytail. I watched the trailer at least a few more times, and vowed to preorder it on release. Which I did, and that brings us to today. Or rather yesterday when I started it. 

My preferred genre is turn-based games as I have more time to think (mostly), or farming sims where again I don't have to think too much. I have a few action-y titles under my belt now, while never amazing at them I can get through them. Way back in the day of the first PlayStation console, with a woman called Lara Croft who I spent dozens of gaming hours using walkthroughs to get through the tricky parts. The way I felt back then with Lara is how I feel now with Eve. PS5 games are not cheap, think I managed to get it for £65 which I had to save for and is a lot of money, so if I'd made a mistake and disliked the game I'd have been annoyed with myself. 

Thankfully I hadn't misjudged the game at all. It plays as the trailer looks, there is so much exploration of the mostly deserted world I'm super happy playing it. It's interesting because Eve isn't fully human, she doesn't know human history so ordinary things like an elevator intrigue her. There is a skill tree for several different sets of skills  which feels overwhelming as I feel i won't recall 99% of the moves. I read an online review that said button mashing won't work with boss fights and that is so true. I kept button mashing but each boss takes me over 4 attempts to eliminate. There is a way to train at certain camps where i don't have to worry about death (I must be almost at 20 game overs now), although I'm on the easier of the 2 game difficulties, have activated prompts on screen so in theory i should be able to dodge fatal attacks but in practice I miss at least half of them. I am really very poor at action games like this. I get frustrated (why can't every game be turn based? It's so much easier!!) but I love the story. I already have theories about who Adam is and how he will or won't help Eve (I'm eyeing him with suspicion). I want Eve to succeed her mission but I also want her to live life and am afraid at the end of the game she may die. (Please DO NOT tell me if you know the end. I will be upset if that gets spoiled). 

I love using the scan feature on the droid to see where both enemies and items are. I love that some areas need a passcode that has to be found then used. I already know I'm going to replay this one day. I've almost enough material to create a whole new outfit for Eve which is exciting. Yes some of her looks/camera angles are a bit much, like Tomb Raider was, but overall I love playing as Eve and how she dresses makes sense for her character. I might have some conservative views in the real world, but fantasy life I'm ok running around in a skin-tight suit. I focus on improving defence mostly since my combat skills are not good. I'm definitely in a happy place with Stellar Blade especially as my current area is a construction site and apparently we get to use the crane to make a bridge! I've not yet got to can collecting but I'm eager to get to that, and get to the base where other humans are that was shown in the trailer.

We need to talk about the soundtrack. It is so beautiful, I love listening to songs which are easy on the ears and fitting for the overall atmosphere of the game. I could listen to the music all day. I'm using the English voices, whose tone fits how I'd expect characters to sound. It's a Korean game, I sadly don't speak Korean, or else I'd listen to it but I wanted to give the English a go. Maybe in my second playthrough one day I will play in Korean or even French I think might be an option. But oh the music....

Stellar Blade is a PS5 exclusive, and I for one absolutely love it. The only less than great element is there are no manual saves. I save every time I visit a camp which is helpful as they are usually right by where as boss appears, but I still have to take those steps from the camp to the boss which when it is repeated over and over due to my ineptitude it takes time to do. I love how it looks, sounds, the plot is intriguing for me as someone who rarely plays apocalyptic games (not into Nier which I've seen it referenced to). For me this is a really spectacular game, and I really hope they make another game like it one day.

Review: Finding Figgins by Shayna Leib (Children's, Picture book, 9/10E)

 October 23, SNL Design Works Publishing, 38 pages, Hardback, Review copy

Book Summary

Figgins is a lonely stuffed animal who feels forgotten by his human friend, Julian. Figgins has a rich, secret life unbeknownst to Julian in which he is a professor, a painter and scuba diver. But when Figgins goes missing, Julian has to venture beyond his comfort zone into an unusual magical world. By retracing Figgins' steps Julian finds out just who Figgins really is, with a little help from Mrs. Zebrasky's cats who know all that goes on in their neighborhood.

Nayu's thoughts

An alternate title could include the fact that cats are EVERYWHERE and Mrs Zebrasky has 18. Eighteen cats! That seems so many, my family only ever had 2 at the most. Those 18 cats are very busy, they help Julian on his journey to find Figgins. I still love my plushies, but it is normal for some to neglect childhood plushies as they grow up. Julian wondered where his past-favourite bear was, and it turns out he was quite the adventurer. 

The bright and mostly colourful illustrations truly bring the unique story to life. At one point there is a field of crayons - I was convinced I could smell that specific crayon scent as I read about it. Flying penguins was a sight to behold, although the water labyrinth made me feel a bit odd (a me thing, I like solid land). The range of adventures really bring out Shayna's talent in the varied pictures that invite pondering over them, looking at all the intricate details.  Plus there are a lot of active cats who aren't lazing at home on a blanket on the sofa like my family's cat. It is hard to tell who is having the most fun, the cats, Figgins or Julian. Or me as looking at cats is very comforting! 

Find out more on Shayna's website.

Suggested read 

If you love stories with cats check out this gem with a cat on the cover Jump by Tatsuhide Matsuoka (Children's, Picture book, Board Book, 10E/10E)

 

Review: Sebastian the Kid Detective: Gossip Gone Haywire by Jalen Roddey (Children's, 7 years +, 8/10E)

 

 February 2024, Independently Published, 70 pages, Paperback, review copy 

Book summary

Sebastian and Telly are on the case and need YOUR help to solve the mystery!

Like stale cheese pizza for lunch, every Middle school is going to have a bit of gossip too. And no lie travels faster than one about the most popular kid in school.

When Blakeney's star lacrosse player finds out an embarrassing rumor about him floating around the school halls, he panics and hides away from his own pep rally.

With only hours before the big game, what will he do?

There's only one option, call on the school's detective duo Sebastian and Telly to find out who's stirring up all the gossip.

 

Nayu's thoughts 

School stories are usually a hit with me, and Sebastian the Kid Detective: Gossip Gone Haywire is no exception. First of all can we admire the cover art. The rest of the illustrations all have this style which I find really appealing. Seeing the flicker of another illustration whenever I turned the page made me smile and wonder what element of the story would get highlighted through Jalen's drawings. 

The story itself is a very curious one, I mean what else would have a team member too scared to play a game? Sebastian and his best friend Telly had to find out the root of the issue which had some unexpected turns. Unravelling a well-kept secret takes team-work and spotting seemingly non-existant clues that most people would fail to grasp. The truth of the mátter relates well to image, and how concerned some people are of maintaining a set image when really their interests are in an unexpected direction which is all I can say without spoiling the tale. Mean kids will always been mean but justice does get served eventually. 

The one criticism was partly style/narrative as it took me out of the immersion: most of the conversations rather than being integrated in the story with he said blah blah blah have the person's name in bold then the speech. If it was done for the entire book it might make a bit of sense: it might be easier for some readers to read it like this and I've seen similar in other books but some sentences were seamlessly added to the rest of the narration without this style which made it stand out even more when it was done. If that was more consistent I wouldn't have noticed it as much in what is a solid and engaging tale. I'm eagerly awaiting book 2!

Find out more on Jalen's website.

Suggested read

Other detective tales include Blog tour - Review & Guest Blog Post: The Case of the Exploding Loo by Rachel Hamilton (Children’s, 9 years +, 10E/10E)

 

Review: Scroll by Hui LI (Children's, Picture book, 10E/10E)

  September 2023, Little Brown Young Readers, 40 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Book summary

 After Grandpa introduces calligraphy and Chinese characters to Lulu and her dog Dumpling, they find themselves magically transported to a world where the characters they draw come to life! Soon Lulu and Dumpling meet a bird, a zither-playing musician, and many other animated friends. But when they discover an angry dragon, Lulu is not sure how to draw them out of this tense encounter.

Nayu's thoughts

I'm fascinated with non-roman alphabet languages, as there is so much to learn. I can understand and speak Japanese, it took years to get to a point where I can understand anime. Japanese has three alphabets, hiragana and katakana plus kanji which is pictorial. Chinese as a language is much more complex, there is simply the pictograph form creating thousands of characters. I'm in awe of both native speakers and those who learn it as a second language as it seems way more complex than Japanese which is more than enough for me.  

Hui Li uses images to explore the picture world of the Chinese language through Lulu  and Dumpling's eyes. It is easy to see how some words form because they really do look like the words they describe. Lulu's magical adventure with her canine partner take them to a world with a scary looking dragon which Lulu is desperate to avoid, but the eventual meeting did not go as I expected which was a wonderful twist. Lulu uses the characters in her journey and finds help in unexpected places. 

There are pages with extremely detailed watercolour illustrations that cram in so much Chinese culture. Other pages are simpler but no less symbolic, the lack of some details means the focus is on the characters, which is the centre of the story. I can see how this would help new learners to Chinese, I really hope Hui Li creates more books like this as they are stunning to look at and quite educational at the same time as being fun. 

Suggested read

If you like culture filled reads check out this tale about American pioneer life The Little Pioneer by Adam Hancher (Children's, Picture book, 10E/10E, short 'n' sweet review)

 

Blog tour: The Tower Ghost by Natasha Mac a'Bhaird and Lauren O'Neill (Children's, 9 years +, 10E/10E)

 

 April 2024, The O'Brien Press, 304 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Book summary from The O'Brien Press

 A ghost lurks in the tower above the first year dormitory at Sycamore Hill. Can Clare, Rose and Molly solve the mystery – before a killer strikes again?

Nayu's thoughts

I adore boarding school stories, and I'm patiently waiting for Natasha to hurry up and write book 2! All the classic elements of boarding school tales are present in young Clare's life: there is much detail about all the meals and snack boxes, there is plenty of friendship but it is not all smooth sailing which makes it all the more interesting. I liked that it is a school run by nuns, some slightly odd ones, others are really strict. I like it's set in the past where there are no mobile phones yet it never feels dated as the issues are as relevant back then as they are now.

What makes The Tower Ghost stand out from other boarding school stories are how it focuses on Clare not having it easy as she is a scholarship girl, something she tries her best to hide as she feels she will be viewed differently. She constantly feels she has to work hard, but thankfully by the end she lets herself have fun and doesn't only study all the time. Clare easily makes friends with Rose, it takes longer for them to become a trio with Molly for reasons that were interesting to unravel. 

The second major difference is the spooky element. It was creepy enough that I only read it in daylight hours, I'd have had kittens if I'd read this at night and had an unexpected noise as one my guinea pigs decided to eat some of their hay covered boxes! I liked that the supernatural element was woven in sensitively; by that I mean as someone who is religious I wasn't offended by how the ghostly goings on were portrayed. They got quite intense but thankfully there is humour throughout the tale which helps balance it out. I was positively delighted by the major twist at the end which I hadn't seen coming making the true culprit a wonderful surprise. I already want to re-read it to see if I can spot any clues of who it is 

Find out more on Natasha's website.

Suggested read

If you enjoy boarding school tales check out this ballet school mystery 

Peril En Pointe: Swan House Mystery #1 by Helen Lipscombe (Children's, 9 years +, 10E/10E)