M y Summer Reading of 2016

Well after I finished my GCSEs, I had nearly three months of holidays - need I say more? Come on, that's awesome! Sure on a wider scale nothing particularly good has happened this year, the news mainly consisting of ISIS attacks, and celebrity deaths, but for me, this has been one of the best years of my life! Over the Summer, I did indeed bake a couple of times (the first for charity, the second to celebrate my pretty solid GCSE results), I met plenty of babes and as you can see here, read a lot of books

Arranged Worst to Best From Bottom to Top (actually it's a bit random, but have a list anyway.) 

The Worst:

The Sherwood Hero by Alison Prince:

Probably one of the dullest books I've ever read with largely unmemorable characters and a story cleverly structured for a big reveal that just disappoints with a mediocre ending. Wait, this won an award?

Finn's Folly by Ivan Southall:

Without a doubt, the most depressing book I've ever read, but in a good way really - unlike Sherlock Hero, it actually evokes emotions other than boredom. I was just so emotionally invested in some of the characters including a great portrayal of an autistic person, but a cringey insta-love takes away from the book's realism and the ending - or rather the absence of an ending - it's so terrible I can't talk about it!

Enjoyable Stories:

Warriors of the Balance by Samsun Lobe:

I feel a little guilty putting this one quite low on the list because I met the author and he was really nice. The characterisation could have been better, but we get an entertaining team of aliens and a rather likeable human. The space politics was largely lost on me and some of the action wasn't that involving, but the world-building is very good, the fighting is intense in parts and the story is quite fast-paced and energetic - a fun romp.

The Worst Witch Goes to Sea by Jill Murphy:

Because I want to appear sophisticated to the ladies, I read this one mainly in the privacy of my own home. The Worst Witch books have wonderful charm that leads to a pretty consistent quality throughout the series, but for some reason fourth instalments in book series never really do anything for me - it just feels like it's just another Worst Witch book. Apart from exploring the relationship between Mildred and Tabby (in as much depth as you can with a cat) it doesn't bring much new to the table and is largely predictable. Her dimwitted cat is really cute in this though...

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton:

It's clear to see why this recent debut was something of a hit. Its gorgeous cover, interesting style and ethnic diversity all make it something else, but Amani, despite some pretty good character development, basically comes down to the fairly typical loudmouthed teenage tearaway, a character we've seen done before and done better. Some of the writing is pretty good and the villains were quite good, but the in-your-face romance that just comes off as a far too obvious attempt to appeal to teenage girls.

Jeremy Hatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville:

I loved Bruce Coville's My Alien Classmate series when I was ten, but reading one of his books years later (when I'm legally an adult, but not bothered) just feels like meeting an old schoolfriend and finding they're actually quite dull. I reckon Bruce, when planning this, went "okay, boy gets given a dragon egg, it hatches... how do I pad this out for about two hundred pages?" The plot is quite poor and the attempts at romance and slapstick comedy fail pretty miserably. Admittedly, I'm being a bit harsh on this one. The likeable, somewhat interesting protagonist, a surprisingly poignant teacher-student relationship and a pretty cool dragon redeem it. Not to mention, the illustrations in this edition are gorgeous.

Really Good Stories:

Return to the Lost World by Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore:

Nazis, gliders, dinosaurs, oh my! It's basically a teenage Indianna Jones with prehistoric animals and is as tongue-in-chic and silly as it sounds. Luke and Nick make a pretty good team as they race some pretty solid antagonists to Conan Doyle's Lost World with some huge plot twists along the way. There's a great blend of action and comedy that makes enough room to develop the characters.

Horned Helmet by Henry Treece:

At times, as emotionally wrenching as some of Treece's other historical fiction, this one didn't have characters as memorable and the story just seemed a bit too similar to Viking's Dawn and again, the illustrations aren't the best. It's certainly not a bad book, with some great writing, but it struggles to live up to expectation.

The Spud from Outer Space by Susan Gates:

From a decent book that didn't live up to my expectations, to a book that exceeded them by a huge margin. Your first impression of this book is sheer ugliness, but once it gets going, it's brilliantly non-stop. Susan Gates is a really good author and she just keeps throwing all these mad creative ideas at you, anything to stop you falling asleep. Most of the main protagonists are unlikeable or just disposable, but that way there seems to be more chance of them dying than the near-perfect kids in most children's books, so it's still a fun and exciting read.

Unbelievable! by Paul Jennings:

Though not quite as good as Thirteen Unpredictable Tales, Paul Jennings still delivers an anthology with a variety of stories, some of which are weird and wonderful, some of which are funny in a more ordinary way and they all have his signature huge twist. One of these short stories, The Busker, was the first fiction to make me feel strong emotions for a pet in years and that one really stood out.

Sisters of the Sword #1 The Warrior's Way by Maya Snow:

Basically Mulan only Japanese and done as a revenge story. There's exciting action, intense training, some pretty good character development and plenty of insight into the culture and social history of Japan. It's entertaining and educational, just not quite as good as Children's Crusade or The Fire of Ares.

Torchwood #3 Slow Decay by Andrew Lane:

Although Lane isn't great with dialogue, he does get the members of the Torchwood team right in this psychological, enjoyably gory story. There are certainly creative ideas, some decent action and some beautiful description.

The Best

The Dare by John Boyne:

John Boyne is doing what he does best here and as the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas haters from school will probably have guessed, it's a bleak story seen through the eyes of a child. About a family that starts to fall apart after the mother hits a small boy with her car, this short story could have turned out way too much like a soap opera. Thankfully it doesn't - the focus stays in the right places, there's twists and, like Blitz Boys it's proof that you don't need big words for big emotion.

Predator's Gold by Phillip Reeve:

Okay, mainly down to a slightly grating love triangle, it's not as good as the first Mortal Engines book. That said, Tom and Hester are still really good characters (most of the time at least) having overcome some of the problems they had in the first book, yet remaining flawed and human characters. The new ones are good as well, with some genuinely sweet people to some believable and despicable villains. The world-building is just as imaginative, the action is perhaps even better than before and the twists and turns of the story just make it a great roller-coaster of a read.

Super Zeroes by Rhiannon Lassiter

For some reason I doubt it was coincidental that this book was published just a year after The Incredibles came out. That said, it certainly brings something new to the superhero-parody subgenre with the ordinary children of superheroes and supervillains getting together to bring down their egotistical, neglectful parents and take over the world themselves. This imaginative and childlike concept and Tony Ross's Quentin Blake-esque illustrations makes it great fun for kids of any age.

Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell:

Another nominee for the Carnegie Award, far more deserving than The Bunker Diaries, this book is lovely and child-friendly and genuinely heartfelt. Rundell tells the story of a strange tomboyish girl searching for her mother on the streets of Paris, with help from some semi-wild homeless orphans, beautifully. It's no secret that France has some great scenery, but this author really brings it to life, along with the truly memorable characters, with her gorgeous writing. Even if its not as deep as she perhaps thinks it is, it's still a real treat.

Bad Dreams by Anne Fine:

I can really believe Mel is based on Anne Fine's eleven year old self as she's perhaps one of the most relatable main characters in a book I've ever read. I'm not a big fan of fantasy books where the supernatural elements are so subtle they're barely visible, but in this book, it works so well with really interesting psychic powers and an involving mystery that's simply told. Plus, the illustrations are really nice too.

Harper and the Sea of Secrets by Cerrie Burnell:

This was one of about a dozen short books given away to children for free for World Book Day (with the tokens all schools give out.) It's great that a book as short and sweet, as imaginative and non-intimidating as this one is so readily and easily available to children across the country. Just little bits of fun ideas like using an upside-down umbrella as a boat (in reality an ideal way to fall in the sea) are enough to get small children into reading with some lovely descriptive writing and great illustrations with the charm of Lauren Child's.

The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School by Kim Newman:

I'm surprised I managed to finish this one with my roommates on NCS stealing and hiding it all the time. Not that I minded, it made this dark quirky book last even longer. Set in a boarding school for unusual girls, many of whom have supernatural powers, there's no shortage of mystery, scares, imagination and action heroines so memorable and so immensely loveable, they need to be in more books. (Mr Newman, please take the hint and write a sequel!) On top of all that, the nineteen twenties style, costume and great language is the lovely rich and creamy icing on the cake. It's definitely a YA book that needs more attention.

And the best book I read all Summer is...

ratatatatat (that's a drumroll)

Skyline by Patricia Schonstein Pinnock:

This is a real hidden gem, this book also deserves more attention. It's loosely based on the author's own life, about a teenage girl living in central Cape Town during Nelson Mandela's term as president of South Africa. In truth, there's not really much of a plot, it's all just really character heavy. We spend the entire time meeting refugees and people from so many different minorities all with their own stories and it's surprising just how emotional it is. As well as experiencing all these quite raw feelings, the beautiful imagery, created by Pinnock's poetic writing make it feel like a walk through an art gallery more than a story. This one could be quite Marmite, but in this case, I'm definitely a Marmite lover.