Damian Magee reviews the latest offering from Aardman Animations. Damian is a West Australian writer and reviewer and a member of the Sherlock Holmes Society. He’s a life long fan of crime, sci-fi, anime, literature, history, biography, TV & films who has been writing reviews, non-fiction, & presenting seminars on these genres for the past 30 years. 

The latest film from Aardman Animations is Shaun the Sheep, a feature length version of the TV show.  It is a delight seeing Aardman doing what they do best: stop-motion animation.  This film is about Shaun going from the farm to the big city with fun results.

Shaun and the sheep flock want a day of summer holiday, so have to concoct a plan to keep the farmer in bed, in a caravan, and asleep for the day.  After a series of unfortunate events, the farmer ends up in the big city, lost and with amnesia.  Shaun, the sheep flock, and Bitzer the dog go in search of him, having to navigate the hostile city streets, and the rabid animal control officer voiced by Omid Djalili.

It’s wonderful to see the stop-motion animation breathe life into these characters.  I like that the film gives you a brief flashback to the farmer starting out as a young man, with a puppy (Bitzer), and a lamb (Shaun).  The opening shows Shaun getting his famous haircut, setting up a vital plot point further on.  Like the TV series, the film is filled with wonderful gags similar to the great silent comedies.  A great example is where Shaun and the flock are in disguise in a restaurant and chaos ensues.  Some might find the plot a little thin, but there are jokes aimed at both adults and children, so all can enjoy.

There is a very silly ending in the credits, so stay if you can.  Shaun the Sheep is a good length at baa-rely 85 minutes.

Zoe has an unconventional pen pal–Mr. Stuart Harris, a Texas Death Row inmate and convicted murderer. But then again, Zoe has an unconventional story to tell. A story about how she fell for two boys, betrayed one of them, and killed the other.

Hidden away in her backyard shed in the middle of the night with a jam sandwich in one hand and a pen in the other, Zoe gives a voice to her heart and her fears after months of silence. Mr. Harris may never respond to Zoe’s letters, but at least somebody will know her story–somebody who knows what it’s like to kill a person you love. Only through her unusual confession can Zoe hope to atone for her mistakes that have torn lives apart, and work to put her own life back together again.

Rising literary star Annabel Pitcher pens a captivating second novel, rich with her distinctive balance between humor and heart. Annabel explores the themes of first love, guilt, and grief, introducing a character with a witty voice and true emotional resonance.

Hardcover, 261 pages

Published November 12th 2013 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Going into this story after reading the blurb, I was excited to jump into a mystery. The letter writing format of the storytelling was just like a diary format; Zoe chooses to share her thoughts about her daily life, and things that led up to the event.

Not only do we get to know Zoe, we also get to know her family, friends and love interests. She has had terrible event happen in her life, but she was also going through some turmoil at home. She takes advantage of her home situation to break rules and be more adventurous in her own life, especially romantically.

This story is completely contemporary, dealing with love and family at its core. Zoe is carrying a lot of guilt and sadness. The fact that she decides to pick a murderer she heard about in the paper to write her story to, is interesting, and she sometimes tries to find connections to the murderer’s situation and her own guilty conscience.

There is something very compelling about this story, yet I didn’t completely feel that it was the story I wanted given the synopsis and introduction. I did like the way the romance and family situations were handled. Both were very real situations especially the confusion and frustrations that can come along with falling in love.

I thought the book was well written, yet not as dark as I was hoping it would be. I do recommend this book, those who enjoy contemporary stories with family issues and love triangles.

Joelene:

Cover

The cover markets the book really well. From the pastel blue background, swirly pink font, heart drawing and photographs, it’s easy to tell that this is a light YA romance set in the real world. I don’t like the cover personally, but that’s more to do with the fact that I never look out for this genre.

Characters

The protagonist is a shy fifteen-year-old called Penny Porter. The only time she feels authentic is when she’s writing her blog. The other characters are her friends, her frenemies, her family, and the people she meets when she goes to America.

Favourite

I didn’t really connect with anyone in this story. Some of them had moments of being okay – but only moments. Megan was probably my favourite, partially because she was so unapologetically demanding, nasty and confident; partially because she moved every bit of the plot in the story – she was the recurrent inciting incident – so as a character she worked.

Least Favourite

Penny. While Megan owns her awfulness, Penny seems to think that she’s a wonderful person. Despite the fact that she genuinely has no idea what’s going on in her best friend’s life and, in fact, forgets about him at significant moments without ever seeming to feel guilty about it. Oh, and she lies to him – about things that make no sense to lie about.

Beginning

Things aren’t going well for Penny. Her school-friend, Megan, is being crueller to her than usual. She keeps embarrassing herself in front of Ollie, the guy she has been crushing on but who is way out of her league (and possibly a little too in love with himself). At least she has her best friend, Elliot; and her blog.

Storyline

When Penny’s parents have the chance to fly them all to America, it may be the answer to all of Penny’s problems or her worst nightmare.

Ending

It’s a rocky journey, but the end delivers everything the cover promises. Light, fluffy romance galore.

Thoughts

I’m significantly outside of the target audience and, with this book at least, it shows. It wasn’t my thing. It felt a little like the author/s threw every romantic movie/book cliché ever in there and hoped that it would all work out. There were moments of genuine sweetness; Elliot helping Penny overcome her fears by teaching her about superhero alter egos was cute. Less cute is the fact that while Penny is the central character she initiates no action.

Quote

“…don’t you just love the way photos are able to freeze special moments in time forever?”

Bel:

Cover

I loved that Zoe and the publishers held a competition for her followers to add an image to the cover of her book, for both the US and the UK editions. Daisy Trodd’s picture of the Brighton Carousel is on the cover of the copy I own. Zoe’s personality comes through in the instagram type pictures and fairy lights. The font is bright and airy. The background is a pretty duck egg blue. Over all it is very relevant for the story inside and visibly fresh.

Characters

There are really no surprises to be found, bullies, cute guy, loving yet slightly distant parents, great best friend and our introverted leading lady.

Favourite

Elliot has to be my favourite because he’s what I’d want in a best friend.

Least Favourite

Ollie, oil isn’t as slippery as that sucker.

Beginning

Penny is making her way through life in high school and starts an anonymous blog to sort through her angst. Her parents are contracted to organise an event in the US.

Storyline

Penny, her best friend, Elliot, and her parents head to the US, and Penny meets Noah.

Ending

Expected, but still enjoyable.

Thoughts

I enjoyed this book for its light and airy feel. I like the journey of self discovery Penny goes on. The themes of cyber bullying and dealing with fame are covered and though both are quite vicious, I was able to find an abundance of positivity.

Quote

“OK, from now on can you please just assume that my response to anything you say is prefixed with a “WTF”!” ~ Elliot talking to Penny.

 Krista:

Cover

The cover of the book reminds me of a background image on what we may find today on a blog online. It fits the story perfectly.

Characters

Penny and Noah are the main characters, but we also get to get to know Elliot (Penny’s best friend) very well and he’s a great side character.

Favourite

Noah was my favorite character, his story is very touching. I felt he added a lot to the character growth of Penny. The story really wouldn’t be as thought provoking without him.

Least Favourite

Megan. There is always a mean girl and she fits the bill. Her actions are all selfish and she seems to relish in the drama.

Beginning

Penny decides to start an anonymous blog and a place that she would feel more comfortable writing her feelings. Anonymously.

Storyline

Penny is a quiet, self conscious girl who tends to stay out of the crowd; she’s insecure and only comfortable with her close family and best friend. They take a trip from the UK to the US as Penny’s mom gets a job assignment, and they are lucky enough to stay for a week or so over the Holiday season.

Ending

With the help and encouragement of Noah, Penny learns how to focus on what is important to her in life and become more self aware and positive.

Thoughts

I thought that this was a very cute story. It relayed a very important storyline of staying strong, positive and courageous when times get hard. Sure, it’s unlikely that any of us would go through the extreme publicity that Penny goes through in this story. But we all can relate to her story in some way; not only being unsure about yourself, but how staying positive on a daily basis is hard! Sometimes turning everything off is the best coping method, but no matter who the bullies or haters are, your personal willingness to persevere and communication is the key. Surrounding yourself with people who really want the best for you is best and staying as true to yourself as possible. These are the things that I walked away with from this story, and I am impressed with the way this book handled these hard subjects.

Quote

“Every time you post something online. You have a choice, you can either make it something that adds to the happiness levels in the world or you can make it something that takes away from them. I tried to add something by starting girl online and for a while it really seemed to be working. So next time you go to post a comment and update or share a link, ask yourself is this going to add to the happiness in the world, and if the answer is going to be no, please delete there is enough sadness in the world today, you don’t need to add to it.”

Discussion Topics:

Today the norm is social media. Online security, privacy and anonymity are all subjects up for discussion with people of all ages. In today’s world do you believe that subjects of online security and privacy should be taught at school?

Zoella makes no secret of her anxiety attacks and how she manages them, both in the book, in her YouTube videos and on her blog. Do you have anything special you do to beat the stress?

Do you think the book glossed over the cyber-bullying a little too much?

http://www.zoella.co.uk/

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published November 25th 2014 by Atria / Keywords Press (first published January 1st 2014)

ISBN 0141357274 (ISBN13: 9780141357270)

I devoured Undeadly, book one of the Reaper Diaries, and I was a fan of Michele’s books under the pen name Michele Bardsley. I needed a pick-me-up book and turned to book 2, Unchosen, to make me smile and giggle. Did it work?

Absolutely.

Molly Bartolucci, daughter of an Egyptian god, and student of Nekyia Academy, is in the cross-hairs again. Who is trying to stop her from locating the book she needs to answer her questions, and who dobbed her in for using illegal magic?

The cover art is still on point; the storyline hits all the right buttons. Each chapter starts with an entry from Molly’s Reaper Diary, and everything is going swimmingly with Rath. My only qualm is it just seems to stop at an odd point. It feels like it is perhaps 3 steps away from a nail biting cliff hanger.

I’m glad Michele found a way to have this book published; (through Freeman YA Publications) I just wish it didn’t take me two years to get my hands on a copy. Book 3, Unbroken, doesn’t seem to have a release date, and this makes me sad.

I want to find out how Molly evolves. I need to see the big fight scene. It HAS to happen, and hopefully it happens sooner rather than later.

Paperback, 194 pages

Published October 29th 2013 by Freeman Publishing Company (first published October 26th 2013)

ISBN 0615909094 (ISBN13: 9780615909097)

**Middle Grade Readers

As a mother of four who is keen to do everything within her most humble power to ensure that her children grow up with a love of reading, happening upon a book like Anyone But Ivy Pocket is something akin to discovering a jewel-filled treasure chest in the backyard.

It’s unexpected and, to borrow a phrase from Ivy Pocket herself, monstrously exciting.

Ivy is wrong in all the right kind of ways. A 12 year-old maid with next-to-no tact and a very big opinion of herself, she’s an unlikely heroine who you just know is going to get herself into lots of trouble.

And she does. When the dying Duchess of Trinity summons Ivy to her bedside and offers her 500 pounds if she will deliver the very rare and rather magical Clock Diamond to England and put it around the neck of the revolting Matilda Butterfield on her twelfth birthday, how can Ivy refuse?

From here Ivy is swept up into an adventure of mystery, intrigue and the odd raw potato. Her Clock Diamond quest involves funny little men in flowing brown cloaks and a shriveled up Governess who is not quite what she seems. Then there’s that revolting Matilda Butterfield…

There’s lots to love about Anyone But Ivy Pocket. For a start it’s enchantingly illustrated hard-back cover instantly makes you want to open it up and dive on in. Once you have, Ivy and her quirky narration of the story place you right in the centre of all the madcap mayhem.

I note comparisons are already being made between this and Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, a series that stretched to 13 books. Indeed, at the end of Anyone But Ivy Pocket there is no doubt left in the reader’s mind that Ivy has many more adventures in her. My guess is she’s set to win a legion of dedicated fans.

Anyone But Ivy Pocket is recommended for ages 9-11. My 10 year-old began reading it last night and continued to do so over breakfast this morning. Just quietly, I think Ivy might already have won her.