The Puffin book of spooky ghost stories

I seem to have discovered a veritable treasure trove of ghost stories recently! While I haven’t written about the rest yet I figured I’d do this one first. First, because it’s the freshest and second, because in its way this is something new to me – probably, technically, the first book of ghost stories for kids that I’ve read. Seems odd somehow.

The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents

What do you get when you have a talking cat (he prefers to be called Amazing, thank you very much) in cahoots with a “clan” of “thinking rats” (and yes, they talk too) and a “stupid-looking kid” as an added accessory? Well, apparently you get the Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents. And a side to […]

Inkworld Trilogy 1: Inkheart

It isn’t really a new idea. Any storyteller would toy with the idea of writing one about storybook characters come to life. But like I once read somewhere, there are no new ideas. Only old ideas told in a new way. And to give Inkheart credit, it doesn’t take much away from you wanting to […]

A hat full of sky

So … if your body was to be possessed and owned and almost filled by something else that had the ability to think like you and act like you … then which part of you would really be you? Are we a function of things we do or is it the other way round? If it […]

Inheritance series book 4: Inheritance

And so it finally draws to a close. Eragon and Saphira finally end their protracted journey and face their arch nemesis, Galbatorix in this, the final instalment of the Inheritance series by Christopher Paolini. For those of you who find too much war in books fatiguing, be warned: the book positively abounds in battle scenes. […]