Bookbabbler Pamela has reviewed Titanic Death on the Water for us…

The shipyard has always been a part of Billy’s life. His Da worked there and would take Billy around, introducing him to the men, listening to their morbid jokes about the hazards of working in such a dangerous place.

But then Billy finds himself with a job there…something he fought hard against. Billy and his Da are hard at work on the newest ship being built in their yard. The Titanic.

Billy’s fear of the shipyard is amplified when his Da falls to this death from the side of the enormous liner. But an idea occurs to him. Maybe he could get a job on board it…

The sinking of the Titanic is something almost everybody has heard about, seen films about, or read books about at some time or another. Titanic, Death on the Water is one of the first I’ve read that is totally accessible for children. Billy is a charming character, hard working and likeable. As he scurries about his duties on the ship, we are taken back in time and shown for ourselves how opulent and grand the ship truly was.

Billy is around for key moments that lead to the demise of the Titanic. We are introduced to Mr Ismay, Mr Andrews and Captain Smith, just a handful of men who were greatly involved with the ship.

The reader isn’t hit over the head with details and minute facts that weigh down the story. Billy explains to us easily what it was like and the heroic lengths people go to save another person. This book sent shivers down my spine and was so well written I felt the water lapping at my feet.

Thanks Pamela and thank you to A & C Black for sending us a copy to review.

To commemorate the centenary of Titanic’s ill fated maiden voyage, Usborne have produced a fascinating sticker book packed with information, pictures and stickers.

Bookbabbler Jan has reviewed the Titanic Sticker Book for us here:

I had always dismissed sticker books in the past on the assumption that they weren’t ‘proper’ books. Either this particular book is a superior version, or I’ve made the proverbial mistake of judging a (sticker) book by its cover!

The book part comprises 31 pages, divided into sections in chronological order: “A golden age of travel”, “Rivalry at sea”, “Building Titanic”, “Fixtures and fittings”, “The maiden voyage”, “Staff on Titanic”, “Luxury living”, “Fine dining”, “Activities on board”, “Iceberg, right
ahead!”, “Abandon ship”, “Carpathia to the rescue”, “The Aftermath”, “Passenger stories” and “Discovering the wreck”.

The text is simple, relevant and thankfully neither morbid nor overly romantic in its telling of the world’s greatest maritime disaster. Each
section contains about eight to ten illustrations, each of which is accompanied by a short block of text. These ‘bite-sized’ pieces of
information give the book a really wide appeal across lots of age ranges and reading abilities and makes it a lovely book to pick up and dip into.

The overall design of the book is very appealing with reproduction vintage adverts, photographs and lovely muted colours of the pages. The detailed illustrations (by Ian McNee) are in keeping with this retro-style and not as whimsical as some of Usborne’s other titles. It
is enlarged versions of the images from across these 31 pages that appear again in the ten pages of stickers at the end of the book.

I’m really glad to have received this book as it is not something I would have chosen myself. This book really changed the way I thought
about sticker books!

We have a copy of The Usborne Titanic Sticker book to giveaway. Just retweet this post or leave a comment to enter. UK only. Closes 30th April at 5pm.

Thank you to Usborne for sending us a copy to review and giving us a copy for our giveaway.

The Titanic sticker book is available to buy now.

Call Me Drog is a great story, which is quite unlike anything I have read before. It is a debut novel from author Sue Cowing and follows eleven year old Parker and hand puppet Drog.

Drog is not a normal toy that you can pick and choose when to play with. Once Parker has put him onto his hand, he cannot find a way to get him off. Drog also seems to have a life of his own and lands Parker in all kinds of trouble.

Parker Lockwood is a normal sixth grader until Drog turns his life upside down. Before long his best friend Wren thinks he has turned against her and his father thinks he should be sent to military school. How will Parker prove that he is not making things up?

I can’t believe how much I enjoyed this book, I started reading and just had to keep going to find out more about Drog. Is he really magical or is it a trick? Will Parker ever be able to get him off of his hand? There were some heart wrenching moments too when Parker talks about his parents divorce and has to make decisions about splitting time between his mother and father.

This is a unique, moving and ultimately hilarious novel that I would highly recommend.

Thank you to Usborne for sending us a copy to review.

Read a guest post from Sue Cowing here:http://bookbabblers.co.uk/2012/04/guest-post-from-sue-cowing-author-of-call-me-drog/

You can find out more about Call Me Drog and Sue Cowing at www.usborne.com/drog

If you’re looking to do some family cooking this Easter holiday then look no further than the fantastic ‘Easter Cooking’ from Usborne. It is a lovely cooking book filled with lots of step by step cooking guides and colourful illustrations. Recipes include Easter truffles, chocolate nests and a stunning Easter cake among many others. There is also a handy section at the back which gives instructions on wrapping ideas and Easter gift tags.

This is a practical and beautifully presented cooking book that will make the Easter holidays lots of fun!

We have a copy of Easter Cooking and an Easter egg to give away. Just leave a comment or retweet this post. Closes Monday 9th April at 5pm. UK only.

Thank you to Usborne for sending us a copy to review and for providing a copy for our giveaway.

Easter Cooking is available to buy now.

We are taking part in the Crave blog tour today. Here is our review:

Crave is a fantastic paranormal romance. I was instantly taken in by the stunning cover and the content was equally good.

When the novel begins Savannah Colbert seems like an average fifteen year High School student, but she has been forbidden from being friends with ‘Clann’ children since fourth grade. There was no real explanation and Savannah still wonders what happened five years later. The Clann are leaders of the local community, but are also a powerful group of witches that many normal people don’t realise exist.

When Savannah is taken ill with flu like symptons she returns to school looking and feeling different. She is also suddenly irresistible to male students and finds herself with a strong following by the end of the day. What has changed to make this happen? Tristan is the son of the Clann leader and should be ignoring Savannah, but part of him misses their childhood friendship and he stills feels drawn to her.

I loved Savannah and Tristan’s characters; they’re both strong , likeable people. Crave feels like a paranormal Romeo and Juliet. Savannah and Tristan have been forbidden to make contact with one another by their families, but their desire for each other becomes too strong. What will the consequences be?

I enjoyed the way that there were a lot of twists and turns in the plot, which left me wondering what would happen next. The chapters are told in alternating voices from Savannah’s and Tristan’s point of view, which really helped me feel like I knew both characters.

This is such a great novel and I am so excited to see that it is the first in a trilogy with Covet and Consume continuing with the story. Darnell has created a world of witches and vampires that is unlike anything I have read before.

Thank you to Mira Ink for sending me a copy to review.

I am a massive fan of Rachel Hawkins and her Hex Hall trilogy, so I was really looking forward to Spellbound. I re-read Hex Hall and Raising
Demons (with it’s HUGE cliffhanger!) to refresh my memory, and then opened Spellbound with tons of excitement and anticipation. I ended up reading the whole book in one sitting, in the space of a few hours that seemed to fly by.

The plot was absolutely delicious–a mixture of expertly-blended,fast-paced, crazy action. I don’t think there was even one dull moment
throughout the whole novel! Hawkins’ writing was absolutely breath-taking and I think from now on, she should be known as the Queen of Drama, because the drama in this book? Off. The. Scales.

I thought I loved Sophie when we first met her in Hex Hall, but that was obviously nothing, because she blew me away in Spellbound. She was fierce and determined and adorable all at the same time, and as far as YA heroines go, Sophie Mercer is one of my favourites. I just love her sarcasm and snarky comebacks! Archer was charming and witty, as usual, and I loved how much he looked out for Sophie in the book. And Cal! If I had to choose between the boys, I’d say let Sophie have Archer and give me Cal! He was incredibly sweet and I wished we got to see him a bit more of him. We were also introduced to lots of new characters in the novel, all well-thought-out and fascinating to read about.

Spellbound, the final installment of the much-loved Hex Hall trilogy was everything I hoped it would be, and more. I fell in love with the cast of characters all over again, and while this was probably the heavier of the three books, it was definitely the most gripping and thrilling. An ending with a bang indeed. Really looking forward to reading more of Rachel Hawkin’s writing!

Thanks Iffath and thank you to Simon and Schuster for sending us a copy to review.

Max Pendragon is not looking forward to attending Morgana Le Fay’s summer Spell School. Not only is his battered cauldron producing slimy sludge instead of perfect spells, but ever since he and his sister Olivia foiled evil Morgana’s plot against King Arthur, they have been wary of her plans for revenge.
But Spell School has more in store for them than they ever imagined. With the help of Merlin and a mysterious bard, Caradoc, can Maz and Olivia outwit Morgana and save Arthur for a second time?

I love stories about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and I adore Harry Potter so was really pleased to read about Max and Olivia Pendragon going to Morgana Le Fay’s summer Spell School.

I particularly liked the language used (“Sir Bertram told them off most of the way home for wandering around in the middle of a serious dragon hunt like a pair of idiots”) and the funny names of the characters (Snotty Hogsbottom).

Cauldron Spells is a great book with believable characters and a good plot.

Reviewed by Bookbabbler Emily.

Thank you to Templar for sending us a copy to review.

Bookbabbler Wendy has reviewed Fitter, Faster, Funnier Olympics for us…

This book is a guide to the Olympics with a difference as it contains all the silly, unbelievable facts about the Olympics past and present. It can be read as a whole and also as with other ‘fact’ books you can dip in and out of the various sections.

The book is divided into sections that include facts on the ancient Olympics, the modern Olympics and then the various events such as swimming and track and field. Our favourite section was the do it yourself Olympics with tips on running your own opening and closing ceremony as well as the events. There is also a handy glossary of terms at the end of the book.The book is written in black and white with some comic illustrations.

It is recommended for ages 7 to 9 and my daughter who is 6 found it very funny especially the tips on running your own Olympics which include using cabbages for the shot-put and using adults as horses for the show jumping. A great book to read to get ready for this year’s Olympics.

Thanks Wendy and thank you to A & C Black Books for sending us a copy to review.

The Prince Who Walked With Lions is based on a true story of Prince Alamayu of Abysinnia (now known as Ethiopia).

Alamayu is taken to England after the defeat of his father King Theodore in battle. It is an epic journey for a young boy who has never left his home village. In England everything is more different than he ever could have imagined, but he still remembers that he is a prince. However, not everyone in England feels the same and Alamayu becomes more of a curiosity than anything else. When he is sent to board at Rugby School things continue in the same manner. Can Alamayu prove to his peers that he is of royal heritage or will he be bullied for not having the same background as them?

Laird is a fantastic writer, the scenes and descriptions in this book are mesmerizing. From the cliffs of Malagwa to the harsh environment of the desert and on to the Isle of Wight and Rugby School, everything written in this book seems so real. There are some lovely touches with the illustrations in the book, which help bring this story to life. I also really enjoyed Laird’s style of writing with the chapters alternating between Alamayu at school and looking back on his life with his parents in Abysinnia.

This is a moving and powerful story of a young boy trapped between two very different worlds. I would highly recommend this book, especially for fans of historical fiction.

This book was first published in Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman but has now been published in a single volume with brand new colour illustrations by Tony Ross. It is part of the Early Reader collection from Orion and is printed in larger text with illustrations on each page to keep the younger reader’s interest.

It is book week at school and Horrid Henry is excited as his favourite author TJ fizz is coming to visit his class. Henry has read every one of her books. Perfect Peter is excited too as his favourite author Milksop Miles who wrote The Happy Nappy is coming to visit.

Mrs Battleaxe has told the class she will not tolerate any bad behaviour – and Henry cannot manage to behave and gets caught eating snacks and is sent to Miss Lovely’s class where he has to endure the Happy Nappy song! Horrid Henry pretends he is nappy phobic in order to get sent back to his class where he arrives just in time for TJ Fizz’s visit.

This is a great Horrid Henry story and a great addition to the early reader collection. What I particularly like is that even though Horrid Henry is naughty he loves reading and finds TJ Fizz’s books amazing. My children found the book very funny and liked both having it read to them and trying to read it themselves.

Thanks Wendy and thank you to Orion for sending us a copy to review.