Showing posts with label Alex Woolf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alex Woolf. Show all posts
Friday, 30 January 2015
Chapter Book Roundup - January 2015 kicks off with squirrels and gladiators!"Squirrel
Labels:
Alex Woolf,
Chapter Book Roundup,
Dan Scott,
Dave Lowe,
Gladiator School,
January 2015,
Phoenix Yard Books,
Scribo,
Squirrel Boy vs the Bogeyman
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| "Squirrel Boy vs the Bogeyman" by Dave Lowe (Phoenix Yard Books) |
So what's occuring in children's chapter books this month? We all love a good superhero tale - particularly when it's a squidgy squishy squirrel-based hoot. "Squirrel Boy vs the Bogeyman" by Dave Lowe follows in the comic footsteps of awesome authors like Roald Dahl and David Walliams to conjure up a new breed of superhero. He might not be able to fly, he doesn't have a cape, and his outfit leaves a lot to be desired but Walter Kettle AKA Squirrel Boy is our last best hope against the most nefarious menace known to mankind. Bogeymen!
Thanks to a visit from a radioactive squirrel, Walter can become Squirrel Boy every time he eats a nut. But his arch nemesis, Jeremy Winkleman-Grubb has radioactive talents of his own.
What's going to happen when the two engage in a climactic battle? Can squirrel overcome snot? We're not going to spoil the story for you, but track down a copy of "Squirrel Boy vs the Bogeyman from Phoenix Yard Books and watch out for more from this series very soon!
Now we're off to Ancient Rome...
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| "Gladiator School - Blood Oath" by Dan Scott (Scribo Publishing) |
Dan Scott's awesome "Gladiator School" series is now up to book six, and the series goes from strength to strength. Chock full of atmosphere and history, Gladiator School brings together Lucius and Quintus, two brothers enrolled in the toughest school in Rome. Training for the arena, for combat and for strength, Lucius and Quintus struggle to survive under the watchful eye of the harsh Crassus, a combat-hardened gladiator trainer as grizzled as a pit-bull.
Dan's stories are superbly immersive and chock full of action as well as a ton of facts and figures for your own little Rome fans. We took a look at Blood Oath and Blood Justice (book 6) but you can find out a lot more about the books on the Scribo website.
Don't forget to check out the awesome Gladiator School book trailer at www.youtube.com/user/BookHouse100
(Books kindly sent to us for our review roundup by Scribo and Phoenix Yard Books)
Monday, 1 September 2014
Iron Sky - Dread Eagle by Alex Woolf (Scribo Publishing)
Labels:
Alex Woolf,
Iron Sky Dread Eagle,
Scribo Publishing,
Steampunk
Iron Sky - Dread Eagle
Written by Alex Woolf
Illustrations by Matthew Laznicka (cover) and Mark Bergin (Foldouts)
Published by Scribo Publishing
Happy publication day to a superb steampunk thriller, "Iron Sky: Dread Eagle" by Alex Woolf.
It's 1845 and in an alternate reality, coal and steam power rule the land and skies. Vast clanking machinery has evolved beyond static engines to powerful and mobile weapons of war. As Britain engages with France in bloody conflict, a deadly new shield technology could signal defeat for Britain's forces, and ultimate victory for the aged but all-conquering Emperor Napoleon.
Alex Woolf sets out his bookworld with rich texture and tapestry, immersing the reader in a parallel universe that is as intoxicating as the choking coal-fumes issuing from every page.
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| The terrifying Dread Eagle (Illustration by Mark Bergin) |
I was hooked from page 1. From page 10 onwards I began to get slightly obsessed with Alex Woolf's steam powered world and Arabella. At times feeling like a classic steampunk bodice-busting tale of derring-do, mixed royally with a good dose of sinister underplotting this is the sort of story that begs, nay PLEADS to become a series as the alt-britannia is so expertly given flesh and steel under Alex's direction.
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| Arabella's awesome plane, and Miles, her faithful robotic sideckick (Illustration by Mark Bergin) |
The added bonus fold-out illustrations and machine blueprints to help you visualise the story brilliantly from the text makes this a novel that'd be a really fantastic starting point for your own little steampunks as they start to explore one of the standout genres in literature today. Though Charlotte's a little young to dive into Iron Sky, I started to tell her about Arabella and her brilliant robotic sidekick Miles, and imagined her one day tucking herself away with this and being instantly hooked too.
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| Tirailleur Class Airship. Another awesome terror of the skies! |
Fantastically accomplished, lapped up with great gusto! Do not miss this book!
Check out the fabulous book trailer for Iron Sky: Dread Eagle below:
Daddy's Favourite bit: I like a novel that sets out to build an intoxicating world from the first turn of the page to the last, Alex's descriptions and pacey dialogue will draw you in and you'll want to spend a lot more time wrapped up in this brilliant book. Pop on your topper, do up your bustle, fire up your boiler and get cracking with Iron Sky: Dread Eagle, you won't be sorry!
(Kindly sent to us for review by Scribo / Salariya)
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