Having worked for Bristol Libraries for nearly 20 years, I am always delighted when I read that an author lives and works in this vibrant city, although I have just heard that Susie has moved to Devon; yet another hub for fantastic authors and illustrators. I first came across Susie Bower when her book “School for Nobodies” appeared in 2020 and was excited to hear about this new title.
Pushkin, 9781782692928
“The Three Impossibles” is the story of a young girl called Mim, who is actually Princess Jemima, but hates all of the trappings that go with being a ‘perfect princess’. She lives in a castle, but is forbidden to leave its grounds and the whole town is said to suffer from a curse that occurred when her mother died, just as Mim was born. The arrival of a new governess called Madame Marionette soon sets the cat among the pigeons. There is something very sinister about this teacher, her servants and her so called ‘pet’ that she keeps hanging in a covered cage; she appears to have a secret agenda and Mim is worried by what that might mean to the inhabitants of the castle. Mim is a very inquisitive person and loves escaping to the library and reading her way through the books, unfortunately she can only reach those at the start of the alphabet. But then she comes across a book that is definitely out of place and there is something very unusual about it. “The Three Impossibles” positively glows, as if it want to be found, but Mim finds it impossible to open the book, which just makes her more determined to investigate this puzzle. the story develops at a tremendous pace as Mim uncovers the secrets surrounding her home and the inhabitant of the lighthouse that is just off the shore. Will the book finally reveal its secret and can Mim actually break the curse that has ruined lives for so many years? Well, you will have to read the adventure to find out, I am afraid.
This is a fabulous story about a young girl who just doesn’t fit in to the world that she lives in. She loves science and finding things out, hates dressing up and wants to have more freedom, but I think above all she wants to be loved by those around her, especially her father. There is magic and mystery, curses and creatures of myth for Mim to contend with, but with the help of her friend Smith and Miranda (the cursed grand daughter of the court alchemist) she battles to overcome evil. There is a wonderful lesson for us all about striving to be the best we can be, whilst also being true to our inner selves. So often, this world tries to mould us into something we aren’t, so Mim reminds us to recognize our true selves.
What made you want to write for young people? Or was it a happy accident?
By the time she hit her teens, Susie Bower had lived in 8 houses and attended 7 schools. This theme continued in her
working life: she’s been a teacher, a tour-guide, a typist, a workshop facilitator, a PA and a painter. She formerly wrote and directed TV programmes for children at the BBC and Channel 4, for which she won a BAFTA Award, and she currently writes audio scripts. School for Nobodies, her debut novel, is also available from Pushkin Children’s. Susie lives in Devon.
This is the second book about Pirates that I have had the pleasure of reading in the last few months. this one is aimed at a slightly older audience, age 8 years and above and definitely makes it onto the reading list for “Talk like a Pirate” day.
seem possible for the general population. But is everything really better?
This is a story of deep fantasy, set during the Christmas period and with a young central hero who is pitted against some very dark and dastardly villains. The story was written in 1935, so we have a real sense of time, although the place itself is totally fictitious. The story centres around young Kay Harker as he travels to stay with family at Christmas. He meets with a mysterious old Punch and Judy man called Cole Hawlings, who gives him and old box to safeguard. However, the villainous Abner Brown and his hired thugs are also after the box; because this box allows the owner to travel through time! The story is full of action, adventure magic and fantasy and the twist at the end leaves you wondering if it was real, or just a dream. You really have to read the book and make up your own mind about that.
evident in the way that he writes about the author and his work. This work is a wonderful introduction to the life of Masefield and to his other works, but especially his role as the Poet Laureate. I must admit that my knowledge was limited to reading some of his poetry at school in Abingdon. It has just come as something of a surprise to discover that the great man was living only about 6 mile away, at Burcote, until his death in 1967 and that there is every possibility that I could have passed him in the street without knowing. We do indeed live in a very small world.
What a really great concept for a story. The heroine, Morgana is a witch and lives in a world that has divided into the magical community and the non-magic; the latter have become a highly technical society and robots are used in order to do all of the more menial tasks in life. The main problem is the absolute dislike that the two societies have for each other, it really is a case of “Ne’er the twain shall meet”. The only reason that the magical community visits the city is to get supplies from the small magical community, who live in the ‘undercity’ and are looked down on by the non-magic. Morgana is definitely different and has a fascination for robots; her magical abilities are nearly non-existent and she really wants to go to school. When her father takes her on one of his trip to the city she is delighted and together with her friend Esther she makes several secret visits to the metropolis. A turning point comes when school inspectors arrive in the village and she demands that she be allowed to attend school, something unheard of in the past. The consequences not only put her at odds with her community, but it also puts her life at risk, when she and her new friend Jonathan find that robots have been changed and are ready to take over the world.
When you read that a book was instrumental in giving J R.R Tolkien the inspiration for his Hobbits, then it is time to get excited. The plot of the story is similar to frameworks that we have become used to over the last decades. The two main characters Pip and Flora are orphans and both find themselves living in a somewhat unusual orphanage. The owner, Miss Watkyns, is strict but the children are well looked after. However when a strange woman tries to kidnap Flora, the two children decide to run away and hide. They then accidentally pass through a magical door and find themselves in the land of the Snergs; these are small rather round individuals who have a love of eating cake and other sweet things. Our first introduction to these characters is through the person of Gorbo, who ends up being central to the whole story and helps the children navigate the strange world they find themselves in. The children soon discover that Flora is the target of a rather nasty witch called Mrs Meldrum, but the reason for this is unclear; however she turns out to be the same person who had tried to kidnap Flora at the beginning of the story. How they solve the mystery and save themselves and others from a terrible fate makes for a really tremendous adventure.
original version of the book is still in print and it is still possible to buy both an audio and e-book version. The original author would have appeared to be a bit of an adventurer in his youth but he started writing children’s books after World War I, perhaps as a respite from the horrors of war. the original book has been written with a slightly older audience in mind and the text is much fuller, with quite long sections of description and explanation. However it would be a great choice for avid readers who want to see how a story can have more than one way of being told.
because of his habit of doodling what his father calls ‘squirls’ because they are between squiggles and swirls. He lives with his father as his mother is in a home, due to an accident where she was hit by lightning and his sister disappeared. Then one day Kit is presented with an puzzling invitation, by a drone of all things and he finds himself at a school like no other. Quicksmiths College of Strange Energy is like nothing that Kit has ever seen. The teachers bear no resemblance to those in his previous school and are full of magic, quirkiness and an often odd sense of humour; the school itself is a mix of science and magic, which really appeals to our hero. Kit quickly makes friends with his roommate Albert and their mentors Leela and Timmi. Things start to get very interesting when the school is read a 400 year old letter from the founder of the school, Eartha Quicksmith. She has left a challenge for the whole school to find and solve 10 riddles in 10 days; otherwise the world could face disaster. Of course Kit and his friends are determined to win the challenge, in the hope that it will help him find a cure for his mother, but they find themselves facing an unknown enemy who is determined to beat everyone to the prize; Eartha Quicksmith’s ‘Ark of Ideas’ and maybe even the legendary ‘Aeon Light’.
Loris Owen live in Kent but was born in Bolton and also spent time living in Zimbabwe. She first started writing ideas for children’s stories in 2015 and this is the first of her stories to be published. Firefly Press are a brilliant small press in South Wales and have developed a real reputation for producing some fabulous books by people such as Eloise Williams, Horatio Clare, Shoo Rayner and Catherine Fisher. I have been a fan of theirs for several years and I am delighted to see them go from strength to strength. Thank you so much for the review copy and giving me the chance to share my enthusiasm for this fantastic story.
In the Midnight Howl we are taken back to this magical version of London, that has been frozen in time since 1859. Emily is allowed to go there with her father (a postman in this magical realm) in order to practice her shape changing abilities, but she is banned from contacting any members of her mother’s family, because her mother was banished from the clan years ago. Unfortunately Emily discovers that things are not well and that magic is creeping out of the Hour, because someone is bringing in goods from the real world. The adventure that follows sees Emily re-united with her friend Officer-in-training Tarkus as well as the magical force called the Library (representing Literature) as they try and prevent the total destruction of the Midnight Hour and all of its inhabitants.
Last Chance Hotel” and “The Bad-luck Lighthouse” so I was delighted when this book dropped through my letterbox. I was even more happy when I was asked to take part in this blog tour.
both in characters such as Nightshade and in the names that the author has used. I absolutely love the quirky and zany names that abound in the book. It is not just the characters but also some of the potions that are part of the magical businesses in the town; there are people such as Haddock Troutbean, Herb Camphor and Sagacious Pewter, whilst the potions include Sinful Skin and Delicious Demise. The author has really gone to town with her imagination. This is a world that we are able to identify with, even though there are some very strange differences to the world we live in. However the people have the same personality traits that are found all around us; we have examples of insecurity, greed, jealousy, prejudice and friendship. The author keeps the action going and we are never quite sure who is trustworthy; there are twists and turns that keep us guessing and on the edge of our seats.
