Chicklish

REVIEW: Burning Secrets by Clare Chambers

Review by Liz of Planet Print.

Burning Secrets begins with Daniel and his family moving to the island of Wragge. Wragge is nothing like London, or anything that Daniel and his sister are used to; all the neighbours are friendly and happy, gossip travels faster than a bullet and the strangest of all – everything seems perfect. There’s no crime, no fighting, no arguments. Everyone gets along with one another, and everyone knows everything about everyone else. As outsiders, Daniel and his family find the island quite hard to take in. But after witnessing several strange events, Daniel begins to question whether all is as perfect as it seems.

I really enjoyed Burning Secrets; I was literally hooked from the first page. The book was like trying to piece together a puzzle – you found bits of information all over the place and then had to fit them together correctly. I liked the mystery of this; we were told certain things but didn’t find out why or how they were relevant until later. There were pages in italics which were flashbacks, and I found these the most interesting part of the book, because they were describing things that had happened which we hadn’t actually been told about. I thought this withholding of information really helped increase the tension and suspense, and I also felt there was a very eerie kind of tone from the beginning; I knew there was something not quite right about Wragge but I couldn’t place my finger on it. For example, there was this scene I loved where Daniel and Louie went to a cafe and ordered some Coke, and the waitress said they didn’t have any. They thought she was joking...but they really didn’t have any Coke, 7UP or Pepsi. I didn’t know whether to laugh or be seriously creeped out!

I really liked Daniel as a character; I felt like he had been through so much and that all he deserved was to settle down and have a bit of peace and quiet. But he just seemed to attract trouble and soon enough he was pulled into some very dodgy business. I think the author did a great job of making his character seem realistic too; like the way he was protective of his sister and how he felt about Ramsay. Everything seemed real in my head and I had no trouble imagining the situations. Ramsay was another character I liked; at first I didn’t know what to make of her because she seemed so strange (when we were first introduced to her, her teeth were green) but as the book progressed she grew on me, and I really liked the way she questioned herself and the way she over-analysed things. It made her seem more intelligent, as if she knew something was wrong but wasn’t sure exactly what. I also liked Louie; she was constantly struggling with her emotions and had experienced tough times, and though she complained a lot and was prone to outbursts, I couldn’t help but feel for her. She thought she was “weak and scared” but I actually felt that she was a lot stronger than she gave herself credit for. Mrs Ivory was another character I couldn’t help but pity despite all that had happened.

Overall, Burning Secrets was a compelling, page-turning read that kept me guessing until the end. I would definitely read a sequel, if one were to be released and I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys mysteries and an unlikely ominous setting.

Review by Liz of Planet Print

REVIEW: Phoebe Finds Her Voice by Anne-Marie Conway

Review by Shakira.

Meet Phoebe. Big heart, big laughs, BIG dramas! Why won't Phoebe's annoying neighbour, Monty B, leave her alone? Can she get her dippy dad and over-worked mum back together again? Will class mean-girl, Polly Carter, just get off her case for once? And most important of all will she overcome her stage fright in time to sing her musical solo? A warm-hearted story about the triumphs and traumas at the Star Makers Drama Club a special place where everyone has their moment to shine!

Phoebe is a mouse like girl, very quiet, and not very happy. In primary school she was the bold bouncy one, but her secondary had crushed her. She has only one true talent... ACTING. So when an acting club comes along, Phoebe joins, and has fun, until she is given a solo in the play they are acting. Fear overcomes her, and it doesn't help when her sister is taken seriously ill. Will Phoebe find her voice in time to sing?

I really enjoyed reading this book, as it has a lot of twists and turns. On more than one occasion it made me cry, but on hundreds of occasions it made me laugh heartily. I rate this 8/10. I would rate it more, but sometimes it is a bit unrealistic, which I don't really like in fictional diaries.

Review by Shakira, aged 12

REVIEW: Keys to the Repository by Melissa De La Cruz

Review by Daria.

"Lavish parties. Passionate meetings in the night. Bone-chilling murders. Exams. The day-to-day life of Schuyler Van Alen and her Blue Bloods friends (and enemies) is never boring.

But there's oh-so-much more to know about the beautiful and powerful Blue Bloods. Below the streets of Manhattan, within the walls of the Repository, lies a wealth of revealing short stories, journal entries, and never-before-seen letters about the vampire elite dating back through time. Won't you come inside?"

Keys to the Repository is a companion novel to the first four books of the popular Blue Blood series. The concept of a series companion, or guide, is one that lends itself well to fantasy series. There is always more minutiae in the fantasy world that the author has built than can be easily crammed into series novels – story off-shoots, secondary characters, obscure points of history or mythology – there is no end to the extras that can fill a fantasy series companion guide. This makes it all the more noticeable when there isn’t anything new or much “extra” content in one.

I found that Keys to The Repository had little by way of new content. It starts with a recap of the story so far and then it moves into the character dossiers, supposedly the records of the Blue Bloods that the Wardens keep in the Repository. The character dossiers read like another version of the story-so-far recap but this time concentrating on the actions of individual characters. There is nothing here that the vaguely attentive series reader wouldn’t already know and little new insight to be gained into the characters.

(Don't read this book if you haven't read the ones before because it is confusing and contains spoilers!)

I personally didn't understand a word I read because I didn't read the Blue Blood books before. I did like the little stories in between all the facts because I could understand them at least a little.

Review by Daria, aged 14

REVIEW: Conspiracy 365 (August) and Conspiracy 365 (September) by Gabrielle Lord

  Review by Kate.

“On New Year’s Eve, Callum Ormond is chased down the street by a crazed man with a deadly warning: They killed your father. They’ll kill you. You must survive the next 365 days!

Forced into a life on the run, Cal finds himself hunted by ruthless criminals and the police. Somehow he must uncover the truth about his father's mysterious death and solve the Ormond Singularity, a secret from the past, before the year is up. But who can he turn to when the whole world seems to want him dead? The clock is ticking. Any second could be his last. Callum Ormond has been warned. He has 365 days. The countdown has begun.”

I don’t think I have ever tried to read a 12-part story, especially not one described as “one explosive series”! I usually don’t have the patience to get as far as books 8 and 9 – I like my books to come to a nice conclusion by the end of the last page. Amazingly though, the Conspiracy 365 series has kept me engaged all through the year so far and I can imagine it will right until the very end.

In August, it becomes clear to the reader that a lot more is at stake for Cal than simply discovering the mystery that surrounds his family. Cal also finds himself preoccupied with other issues, which leaves him unable to progress much further in the quest to clear his name however the reader is not left feeling tired of the series – there was always something to keep me reading!

As August turns to September, Cal finds himself once again travelling to several locations in the one month. Now back on track, Cal spends this month strategising and tying up a couple of lose ends whilst trying his best to stay out of trouble. As usual this doesn’t work out quite as he wishes.

I don’t know what I’m going to do next year, when I won’t be able to look at the title of my current read to know which month I’m currently in. I really hope that Lord follows this series up with another equally engaging series. Conspiracy 365 wins my heart, despite being something that I would’ve avoided had I seen it for sale last December.

Review by Kate

GIVEAWAY: Blood Ties and Blood Ransom by Sophie McKenzie, NOW CLOSED

**GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED. WINNER IS R.O'G. CONGRATULATIONS - WE HAD OVER 300 ENTRIES!***

We had one set of two books by Sophie McKenzie - Blood Ties and Blood Ransom - to give away to a resident of the UK. You can read a review of Blood Ties and an extract of Blood Ransom, or find out more below...

Blood Ties by Sophie McKenzie
When Theo discovers the father he thought died when he was a baby is still alive, he's determined to find him. The clues lead him to the lonely Rachel, who has problems of her own, including parents who compare her unfavourably to her long-dead sister. But when Rachel and Theo are attacked by men from RAGE - the Righteous Army against Genetic Engineering - at Rachel's school disco, they are rescued by strangers and taken to meet a mysterious figure. There, they both make some startling discoveries about their identities, which will affect their past, present, and future in dramatic and life-altering ways...

Blood Ransom by Sophie McKenzie
Clones Rachel and Theo now live thousands of miles apart. They keep in touch, but things just aren't the same. When Rachel discovers that evil scientist Elijah is still working in secret for a section of the government and about to murder Daniel, she sets out to rescue the little boy, but her plans backfire with disastrous consequences. Across the Atlantic, Theo becomes suspicious when Rachel misses their weekly internet chat. He discovers a report online saying she's killed herself and travels to Scotland to find her, certain that she has been kidnapped. A clue leads him to Elijah's mysterious clinic, where the sinister Aphrodite Experiment is underway. But what is Elijah really planning? Why does he need to track Rachel down so badly? And will Rachel and Theo be able to pay the ultimate ransom that he demands?

*** GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED! The lucky winner, R.O'G, has been contacted. Thank you for entering, everyone, and please watch out for future giveaways here!***

EXTRACT: Blood Ransom by Sophie McKenzie

Blood Ransom by Sophie McKenzie, the sequel to Blood Ties (reviewed here), is out in the UK on 1st October. Read an extract below... and watch out for our giveaway!

Extract from Blood Ransom by Sophie McKenzie

Rachel

I was trapped.

Slowly I turned, taking in the rest of the room.

It was lit with a soft pink glow – and appeared as high-tech on the inside as it was old and crumbling on the outside. A bank of computers ran down one side of the room. A massive metal tank stood in the middle. Clear tubes came out from the tank and then narrowed as they passed into each one of a row of clear oval pods.

Inside these were the weird beings that Theo had talked about.

I peered into the nearest pod. It contained something vaguely oval, and alien-looking, with a rounded head and tiny flippers budding out of its sides. It was semi-transparent and definitely alive, moving slowly from side to side and vibrating internally with a fluttering motion. It was suspended in a thick, syrupy liquid that was obviously being pumped into the pod via the clear tubes that led from the central tank.

The pods themselves were made of some sort of thick plastic – solid, but not entirely rigid. I’d never seen anything remotely like any of this… and the overall effect made me shiver.

Elijah charged around the room, checking on various cases. He seemed to have forgotten I was there. I hugged Theo’s jacket tighter around me. Whatever Elijah was working on here must be directly connected to why he’d gone to such lengths to kidnap me. I shivered again. Theo and Lewis had gone – at least for now – but maybe in here I could find some answers.

“What are these things?” I said.

Elijah’s head shot up. He was bending over a pod in the far corner of the room, partly hidden by the huge tank. He had taken off his jacket. The small black gun Milo had brought him earlier was strapped to his belt.

“Ah, Rachel.” His voice was icy. “Come here. We don’t have much time.”

He beckoned me over.

I stood my ground. “Tell me what these things in the pods are first,” I said.

Elijah rubbed his hand through his hair. “Can’t you tell, Rachel?” His tone was lightly mocking… challenging. “Come on, we have to move fast. I can’t give you long to work it out.”

I looked round the room. Each pod contained an identical, alien-looking creature. Except… I stared more closely. Some of the creatures were slightly bigger than the rest. Maybe two or three centimetres longer.

One of the creatures kicked out its flipper and I realised, with a jolt, that the flipper was actually a tiny foot… attached to a leg.

I met Elijah’s gaze. Oh. My. God.

“Babies,” I gasped. “You’re growing babies.”

*

Blood Ransom will be published on 1st October by Simon & Schuster.

REVIEW: Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick

Review by Evie.

It's 1910. In a little cabin, 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Sig waits for his sister and step-mother to return. He is alone with his father who is lying on the floor, he had frozen to death that morning. The cabin is completely silent, until there is a knock at the door. It's a stranger who has some unfinished business with Sig's father and will not leave until it's finished. As the day goes on, he becomes more and more threatening to Sig.

The man is convinced that Sig's father has stolen his gold. He will not leave without it and, he has a gun. But so does Sig, his fathers revolver. It is then explained why this man, Gunthur Wolff thinks that Sig's father has his gold.

Sig's sister Anna then returns, but this does not change anything. Sig only has his father's gun to rely on and he gradually forms a plan of how to defeat Gunthur whilst abiding by his mother's pacifist religion.

Revolver is a short and good book and includes many messages about violence today.

Review by Evie, aged 13

NEWS: Ivy4Evr - interactive teen drama

Latest news from the Iv4Evr SMS drama team, aimed at teenaged UK residents aged 16 and over (or younger teens with parental consent):

Ivy has left home because Lil sis has done the dirty on her and she's no longer sure who her friends are.
For a week she'll tell you **everything** but can she trust you and what will you tell her?

Ivy4Evr is an SMS drama for teenagers created by the BAFTA-nominated interactive artists’ group Blast Theory, written by author Tony White and commissioned by Channel 4 Education. Ivy4Evr uses SMS to go places that other dramas can’t go - onto your phone and into your pocket.

For seven days starting on 10th OCTOBER 2010 you will receive SMS messages from Ivy, you can send messages back and give her advice on the burning issues in her life.

To sign up to participate is free, messages you receive from Ivy are free, SMS messages that you send to Ivy are sent to a standard mobile phone number and will be charged at your normal rate. To register for the pilot episode please go to www.ivy4evr.co.uk. Everyone who registers and verifies by midnight on 9th OCTOBER goes into the running to win an iPad.

NEWS: Dark Ride by Caroline Green

I haven't posted a "Waiting on Wednesday" for a while, but this week I can't resist sharing details of a book I'm absolutely dying to read.

(From the Piccadilly Press site)

Dark Ride by Caroline Green

A mysterious boy. A haunting secret.

A shiver crawled up my spine. It felt like the loneliest place in the world. For a second I thought I caught a snatch of music in the air, but it was just the wind whistling through cracks in the fairground hoardings.

My instincts screamed, ‘Run away, Bel! Run away and never return!'

But instead my fingers closed around the ticket in my pocket.

Admit one.

Bel has never met anyone like Luka. And the day she follows him into the abandoned fairground, she is totally unprepared for the turn her life is about to take.

Dark Ride will be published by Piccadilly Press in spring 2011.

Read more about the book and the author, Caroline Green.

Waiting on Wednesday is from an idea by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Posted by Luisa.

REVIEW: Skate School: Stars on Ice by Kay Woodward

Review by Luisa.

Things are hotting up at Skate School and Frankie's got her sights set on gold at the World Championships. She's also falling for the gorgeous Dylan. When they skate together it's magic. The problem is that any hint of romance is strictly forbidden by their coach so Frankie and Dylan end up skating with each other in secret... (from the back cover)

Stars on Ice is the third book in this wonderful series about 'the world's coolest boarding school', but it would work equally well as a standalone, as all the characters and relationships are brilliantly re-introduced.

I've been a fan of the series from the start, and I absolutely adored this latest instalment. It was great to meet the characters again - the lovely Alesha, the hilariously big-headed Scarlett, our intrepid, relatable heroine Frankie, the gorgeous Dylan... and Madame, for whom the word 'formidable' was practically invented.

Oh, how I wanted to shout at Madame when she tried to put a damper on the sparks that flew between Frankie and Dylan! Oh, how I cheered when Frankie defied Madame and met Dylan in secret... and then I worried, because I knew it couldn't go on forever and Frankie had some big decisions to make. The inclusion of a comical and intrusive camera crew was a fantastic touch.

This book was brimming with drama, laughs, romance... and amazing, tense ice-skating scenes where you could almost hear the swish of blades on ice. I can't wait for the next book!

Sparkling, feel-good fiction recommended for readers aged about 10+.

Review by Luisa

Check out Usborne's site for more information.