Dolphin Song - Lauren St John

Dug out by... Dave

If you enjoyed Lauren St John's first novel, The White Giraffe, then you'll enjoy this one too. Now settled in South Africa, we meet Martine once again, picking up with her after the dramatic events of her first adventure.

Still only 11 years old, her second adventure is equally thrilling as disaster strikes on a school trip. Her affinity with animals is brought to the fore once again and Lauren St John fills you with the sights and sounds of the African continent.

Martine is growing up fast. She has to. She's getting closer to Ben, who she met in The White Giraffe and she's becoming more and more independent.

This is lyrical writing that takes you firmly into another world.


Longlisted for Carnegie 08.

For the writers among you...

At the end of the novel, Lauren St John explains why dolphins are so important to her, giving us details from her own experience. Choose your favourite animal and write a piece which explains how you came to be so fond of that particular creature.

If you like it, try...

What I Was ~ Meg Rosoff
Treasure Island ~ R L Stevenson
Adults Only ~ Maurice Gleitzman

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K.Rowling

Dug out by... Dave

The final instalment. Harry's quest is to find and destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes. The two superpowers literally go head to head in a cat and mouse battle that ebbs and flows throughout 600 pages. Friends and enemies old and new present themselves as The Boy Who Lived blossoms from boy to man.

The epic tale which ends the epic schooldays of Harry Potter begins with a dastardly plan to kidnap and kill our boy wonder. Can he thwart The Dark Lord? Will Snape achieve his long-held desires? Will Harry survive his final outing?

Does anyone really need to be prompted into reading it? Probably not. Enjoy...

Longlisted for Carnegie 08.

Postbag ~ Empty

The Invisible Man's Socks - Alex Shearer

Dug out by... Dave

A marvellously entertaining book with a brilliant plot idea, whacky characters and great humour.

The gloriously named Brian's Buses (owned and driven by Dave and he's only got the one bus!) takes Mr Ellis's class to The Museum of Little Horrors.

Mrs Abercrombie (or is it Mrs Apple Crumble?) does warn them not to touch the exhibits: "We don't want you having nightmares after. We don't want none of you getting the heebie-jeebies or the jitters or the wambling trots."

So what would happen if you were to disobey a warning? What if you touched The Invisible Man's Socks? What if you tried out some Vampire Teeth or picked up some Werewolf Hair?

Brilliant humour, with great illustrations by Tom Morgan-Jones, this tale also gives you something deeper to think about, especially with it all being told by an old man in a railway station waiting room.

Longlisted for the Salford Children's Book Award 09, this book certainly has the quality and depth to make it to the shortlist.

If you like this, try...

Nudie Dudie - Michael Lawrence
Tins - Alex Shearer
The Ancient Mariner - Samuel Taylor Coleridge (This is an old poem with a warning to us all, which is mentioned in the book)

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Twin Freaks - Paul Magrs

Dug out by... Dave

Eunice and Helen are not quite making it on all the TV talent shows they audition for. They're an odd couple of sisters. Helen's not got the looks and Eunice is lacking a voice, but together they've got what it takes. So their mum's new boyfriend comes up with a ridiculous plan - to pretend to be Siamese twins.

It can't possibly work, can it?

Satirising one of our modern scourges, there's some funny stuff in this book. Long-listed for the Doncaster Book Award 08, voted for by children.

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