Category: historical stories

Viper’s Daughter by Michelle Paver

Viper's daughterA boy. A wolf. The legend lives on.

Viper’s Daughter is the seventh book in the award-winning series that began with Wolf Brother, selling over 3 million copies in 36 territories. Like them it can be read as a standalone story.

For two summers Torak and Renn have been living in the Forest with their faithful pack-brother, Wolf. But their happiness is shattered when Renn realizes Torak is in danger – and she’s the threat.

When she mysteriously disappears, Torak and Wolf brave the Far North to find her. At the mercy of the Sea Mother and haunted by ravenous ice bears, their quest leads them to the Edge of the World. There they must face an enemy more evil than any they’ve encountered.

I had a nice surprise earlier this year when I found out there was going to be a new book in the series and I wasn’t disappointed.  I re-read the first 6 books recently and Viper’s Daughter is every bit as absorbing as the rest. The story rarely slows down and there are plenty of twists along the way. Miss McGill *****

The Blitz Next Door by Cathy Forde

9781782502036Pete has never even heard of Clydebank in Scotland, but when his dad finds a new job at last, Pete finds himself leaving his home in London overnight.
There are advantages to his new life, including a massive new bedroom and his first ever garden, complete with a real-life bomb shelter.
He’d even be ok with the sound of the girl next door crying all the time — except that there is no house next door…Pete makes two new friends: Dunny, who knows all about the Second World War, and Beth, the girl next door who somehow seems to come from it.
He slowly realises that Beth has returned from the 1940s for a reason.
But does Pete have the courage to step into the past to solve a mystery that’s over seventy years old?

It was a really good book because of all the characters. I loved the character Beth Winters. RW (S1) *****

The Piper by Danny Weston

piperHe who pays the piper calls the tune. When Peter and his little sister, Daisy, are evacuated from London to the countryside, they find themselves on an isolated farm in the middle of a treacherous marshland.
As Daisy gets drawn deeper into the secrets of their new home, Peter starts to realise that something very sinister is going on.
What is that music they can hear at night? And who are the children dancing to it?

Fabulous! It was the best book ever. AG (S1) *****

A Medal for Leroy by Michael Morpurgo

Michael doesn’t remember his father, an RAF pilot lost in the war. And his French mother, heartbroken and passionate, doesn’t like to talk about her husband. But then Auntie Snowdrop gives Michael a medal, followed by a photograph, which begin to reveal a hidden history, a story that will change everything – and reveal to Michael who he really is.

A very touching story. Well described characters. L McC (S1) *****

The Seeing by Diana Hendry

The second world war is over in the quiet town of Norton. When wild, dangerous, break-all-the-rules Natalie arrives, thirteen-year-old Lizzie is drawn irresistibly to the new girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Desperate for Natalie’s friendship and respect, Lizzie soon discovers a side of the town – and of herself – that she had never imagined.
As the girls grow closer, Natalie and her strange, eerie brother, Philip, reveal a shocking secret. For Philip has a second sight, and all around them he sees evil – ‘left-over Nazis’ lying in wait until the time is right for revenge. Natalie and Philip believe it’s up to them to root these people out of Norton.
Lizzie is swept up in what starts as a thrilling game – but the consequences of Philip’s ‘gift’ quickly spiral into disaster.

It was OK. Beginning was very slow & about the middle something happened which made me think that it mught actually become exciting but I was wrong. This book was boring and (did not) grip me at all. Suitable for ages 9 or 10 up to 13, I think.  L (S2) **1/2 

It was a dark out of the ordinary book in a good way. I (S1) ****

I thought the start was a bit creepy but it got more interesting later in the book. I (S1) ***

It is a good book but I don’t really like it because that isn’t the kind of book that I like. J (S1) ***

Exciting. Keep wanting to read on. J (S2) ****

Good book but very slow. J (S3) ***

Soldier’s Game by James Killgore

Ross is fed up with being on the losing side, as Bruntsfield Primary football team suffer another humiliating defeat. But after football practice each week he goes to visit his grandmother, and this week she has a special present for him. Pat digs out a pair of old football boots and strip which belonged to her father, who once played for Heart of Midlothian Football Club. Ross is amazed that his great-grandfather, Jack, had played for the famous Hearts. As he finds out more about Jack, an incredible story unfolds — a tale of Edinburgh’s young heroes and a battalion of footballers and fans who fought in the First World War at the Battle of the Somme. Based on the true story of the 16th Royal Scots, otherwise known as the ‘Heart of Midlothian Battalion’, this moving book brings a fascinating moment of Scottish history to life.

Okay. It was a bit different. S (S2) ***

Great book but may confuse younger readers. A (S1) ****

It was a very good book and interesting. I really liked it. S (S2)

It was a great book. I enjoyed it. A (S1) ****

 

The Prince who Walked with Lions by Elizabeth Laird

The British Army is circling the stronghold of the King of Abyssinia. Under orders from Queen Victoria, its mission is to rescue the British Envoy, held prisoner. Watching with terror and awe is the king’s young son, Alamayu.
He knows that his father is as brave as a lion, but how on earth can he and his warriors stand against the well-equipped foreigners? As battle rages, everything that Alamayu fears comes to pass. The fighting is cruel and efficient. By the time it is over, Alamayu is left without parents, throne or friends.
In a misguided attempt to care for him, the British take Alamayu to England. There he is befriended by the queen herself and enrolled in Rugby College to become a ‘proper’ English gentleman. What the English see as an honour is, to this lonely Ethiopian prince, a horror.
This is Alamayu’s story, seen through his eyes: the battle, the journey to England and the trauma of an English public school as he comes to terms with the hand that fate has dealt him and tries to build a new life.

It was a very good book but a very sad book. I thought it was a very interesting story. I would definitely recommend it. 🙂 M (S1) ****

It was a brilliant book, very good to read. I couldn’t put it down. S (S2) *****

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Two young women become unlikely best friends during WWII, until one is captured by the Gestapo. Only in wartime could a stalwart lass from Manchester rub shoulders with a Scottish aristocrat, one a pilot, the other a special operations executive. Yet whenever their paths cross, they complement each other perfectly and before long become devoted to each other.
But then a vital mission goes wrong, and one of the friends has to bail out of a faulty plane over France. She is captured by the Gestapo and becomes a prisoner of war. The story begins in “Verity’s” own words, as she writes her account for her captors.
Truth or lies? Honour or betrayal? Everything they’ve ever believed in is put to the test…

It is a very good book but it takes too long and is a bit confusing sometimes and takes a while to get into it. But it is a very interesting book. S (S2) ***

Very confusing at the start and may confuse other readers. M (S2) *

It was good but it was a bit confusing. S (S2) ****

A brilliant book, very interesting. I couldn’t put it down. A (S1) *****

Boring book. It’s a bit confusing. P (S2)

It was a very good book. It was a bit confusing but if you read to the end you would have got it. M (S1) ****

Keys by Grace Cavendish (Lady Grace Mysteries)

When the Court clockmaker, Mr Urseau, is found dead in his workshop – a dagger in his chest and a key clutched in his hand – rumours start flying. Was the murderer his young assistant? Or maybe his wife? Both could be after Urseau’s private treasure. And where is the key from? What is it for? Lady Grace, Queen Elizabeth’s own Lady Pursuiviant is determined to get to the bottom of all these questions. But things get even more complicated when Grace discovers that a mysterious clock was delivered to the palace on the day Urseau was killed.

I think this book would be very good for children. O.C. (S1) *****

Jinx by Grace Cavendish (Lady Grace Mysteries)

It’s the height of summer and the palace is full of ambassadors and ladies from the Spanish court. When a visit to the famous St Bartholomew’s fair is planned to entertain the guests, Grace jumps at the chance to get out for the day. Not everybody feels the same though and there’s a lot of superstition amongst the ladies about the gypsies, fortune tellers and herbal medicine that will be at the fair. When a mysterious fire at the fair leaves Lady Sarah injured and a gypsy woman dead, it seems the ladies were right to be worried. But was the fire started on purpose? And can Grace get to the bottom of this mystery?

I would recommend this book. It is a really good book. O.C. (S1) ***