Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: silver

  • The Silver Arrow

    The Silver Arrow

    Thank you so much Mr Grossman, for transporting me to my childhood and keeping me enthralled in a dream. Many children will relate to this fantasy story, The Silver Arrow which has several gentle messages for us all. The author has very cleverly incorporated an escape in time and place for the two young characters, who nevertheless find out that they are important and necessary for the well-being of the planet.

    Bored, grumpy, and not looking forward to her birthday, Kate writes a letter to her fabulously wealthy Uncle, asking for a gift. She posts it without an address the night before her birthday, with no real hope that he will receive it.  Imagine the surprise for all, when the next morning the family wake to find a full-size steam engine sitting on the front lawn. Mum is furious with her brother for such a gift and demands that he move it around the back at once.

    Kate and her younger brother Tom are enthralled and of course a journey is inevitable. There is a computer outlet in the cabin which types out instructions for them and can issue orders, so what could possibly go wrong? As with the best fantasies, the wonder and delight precede the issues which must follow. It is here that we become aware of Kate’s strengths and her determination to do the right thing. She has a wonderful role model in Grace Hopper, a woman who rose to become a Rear Admiral in the Navy, years before.

    Cleverly woven into the story is the plight of many animals. They are waiting to be picked up by the train and gradually Kate realises that they are refugees. They are fleeing for their lives because of dwindling habitats and warming seas. This is an important message to impart to children and also is a wonderful way to do it. Distressed for the passenger animals who have become her friends, Kate is determined to do all she can to protect them.

    The many levels and layers of this story make it a compelling read, but also essential messages are explained before Kate gets home to her own bed.

  • Silver

    Silver

    Chris Hammers first work of fiction, Scrublands, burst onto the literary scene is a fast and furious manner hitting the best seller list after only four weeks and remaining there for months. Therefor following on with a second book not long afterwards was always going to be interesting.

    Silver has simply confirmed Hammers place in the list of people who really can write a seriously good story, that contains all the elements to keep the pages turning long, long, long after the lights should be out for the night. Fast paced, enthralling, enjoyable, utterly engaging and very easy to relate to, Silver is once again a definitely binge worthy story, expanding the characters of Martin Scarsdale and Mandalay Blonde and what comes next in their lives!

    Carrying on from Scrublands, Mandalay Blonde has taken up her inheritance and made the move away from the hot, dry and terrible legacy of Riversend to the coastal town of Port Silver, a place where the air is fresh and there is an old, but lovely house high on the cliff she hopes to make her new home, with Martin and her small son Liam.

    Martin has, in the months prior written his book on the events of Riversend in record time and feels he is ready to settle down, but has some serious doubts about how returning to the home of this childhood is going to work out, as he realises he will have to confront so many issues from this past he hoped were well and truly buried.

    As he rounds the bend at the top of the hill into Port Silver an old meme from his childhood comes to haunt him, ‘Can you see the sea?’ bringing back memories of his father, memories he would sooner stay buried. He offers a lift into town to a couple of hitch hikers, dropping them off at the backpacker’s hostel, granting himself a little time to spend reacquainting himself with the small town, before going onto the place Mandy is renting, all the while hoping that the past really was the past and this now, was the beginning of a new future.

    But fate has not finished with Martin Scarsdale, as when he opens the door to the rental unit there is a body lying at the foot of the stairs in a pool of blood, a postcard clutched in his hand, and Mandy sitting there looking shocked, her hands covered in blood.

    The body is that of old friend Jasper Speight and so begins another fast-moving race against time, a cathartic return to the past and another frontline job for Martin, as he is once again the journalist at the scene of what turns out to be a story bigger than he ever imagined.

    As the investigation becomes more complex, the body count sadly keeps on rising with the reasons for this appearing to be somewhat obscure, time is fast running out for Mandalay with their new life together once again placed in jeopardy.

    Can Martin face the ghosts of the past, find a way through the ever-increasing list of suspects, each with their own agenda and eventually come find peace and a new life in Port Silver.

    Grab a copy and enjoy another fantastic read from Chris Hammer.

  • Pirate Pug The Dog Who Rocked the Boat

    Pirate Pug The Dog Who Rocked the Boat

    Oh Dear, it looks like Pug could be in some serious trouble if Lady Miranda goes ahead planning a holiday by the seaside. Not that Pug minds holidays, quite the opposite in fact, he just does not like the seaside. There is water there, something he is not at all fond of, but Lady Miranda, being Lady Miranda, is sure Pug will absolutely love it!And so off they go have a happy time at the seaside staying at the Smugglers Rest Hotel in their very best suite. Pug is trying to wake Lady Miranda up to go and find some breakfast when Wendy, Lady Mirandas housekeeper, arrives with a lovely tray for freshly baked jam tarts, Pugs favourite breakfast treat, as well as lady Miranda’s.
    But just as they are about to have their breakfast there is a very loud SQUAWK and a very large parrot landed in the room, eyed off the jam tarts and then flies out of the window with a silver tea spoon in its beak!
    It turns out the parrot’s name is Rio and he is owned by the owner of the hotel, Mr Gregory. He also likes bright shiny things and is pretty good a pinching them and flying away, which is bad but not so bad as the day he pinches the Mayors Chain of Office and takes it to Finders Keepers Island, an island that was once the home of a ferocious band of Pirates.
    This island has a legend and superstition attached to it which also involves the Mayor chain and if things go very wrong, the Pirates may well come back to Pebbly Bay and make terrible, terrible, pirate trouble for everyone.
    Lady Miranda takes on the task of finding the Mayors Chain, which sees poor Pug have to take to the ‘high’ seas in a raft and possibly even have to walk the plank!
    Join Pug in his latest adventure, Pirate Pug: The Dog Who Rocked the Boat and see just how Pug overcomes his fear and saves the day.
    Once again, a ripping great adventure from Laura James, with fantastic illustrations from Eglantine Ceulemans as they, along with Pug and Lady Miranda, take to the high seas in search of adventure.

  • The Silver Hand

    The Silver Hand

    Terry Deary has become a legend in his attempt to bring history to young adults, in a way that is easy to read and intermingled with fiction. His HORRIBLE HISTORIES has gained world wide recognition and has been adapted for TV and stage. Access to the people involved at the time, their feelings, roles they played, lend themselves to a deeper understanding of the times. Terry deals with the characters in a well rounded manner, and brings a personal tone to the story.

    In this most readable book, we are taken to the village of Bray in northern France. The time period is the last days of the First World War, where we meet Aimee, a school girl. The British have left her village and the Germans have entered it. Everyone is exhausted and life is very cheap. Being in the village is almost like being on the outskirts of the battlefield. Many observations of aeroplanes, tanks, troops and trucks can be made by just looking outside. This information is essential for the British, and it is here that Aimee discovers her Mother is part of a spy network, which cleverly pass on this information to those troops.

    Being practical and desperate, Aimee’s Mother needs to enlist her help, and so the schoolgirl becomes involved with the spy network. Here we meet people who vary greatly. From the exhausted soldiers to the doctors who work under basic conditions; they are all suffering. A young boy who is gifted at using herbs has come to the German army to help alleviate their influenza outbreak. Although he is German, he and Aimee become friends. When he needs to escape but is ill himself, Aimee accompanies him to the border.

    The beauty in this story is the way Dreary has been able to show the horror of war, and the lot of the common soldier. Most of the men just want to go home to their families, but expectations force them to fight. The sub plot deals with Aimee and her mother always on tenterhooks in case they are discovered passing on information. They have a job cleaning the school which is where the Germans have their headquarters. Through being vigilant, they are able to pick up snippets of information.

    The final chapter is warming. It tells us how Marius, the German boy who Aimee saved comes back to visit the family in the village. He will become a doctor and their friendship will flourish. This book would be a fantastic aid in Australian History Curriculum