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Theodore Boone: The Abduction - John Grisham
by sbw80
Some of the best stories in recent years have been aimed at children. Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, The boy in the striped pyjamas by John Boyne and let us not forget the Potter boy. Now adult writer John Grisham has branched out into writing stories aimed at 8 to 13 year olds. This is the second in the series.
This review ... is for the hardback edition of the novel. Paperback and Kindle versions are also available.
~The Plot~
Theodore Boone, a character introduced in John Grisham's previous novel of the same name, is back. This time whilst faced with the standard every day issues of doing his homework, helping people with legal issues and surviving his mother's cooking, also has to investigate the disappearance of his fiend April. April disappears from her bedroom one night and Theo must use his legal knowledge and investigative skills to find out what happens to her. The story has some twists and turns but it isn't an edge of your seat page turner. It is enjoyable though.
~Characterisation~
The characters are a little over idealised... good, bad black, white. Others have complained about this but in my opinion it's what gives authenticity to the story being told from the perspective of a child. Yes, know it all Theodore may be a little too perfect with his constant doing the right thing, good grades and manners but that's not such a bad role model for a child to have. Other characters such as Theo's parents and the other adults around him, such as his uncle, teachers, judges, are not as fully fledge as the children in the story but this in a way made mem remember how I saw the world at age 13 (A very very long time ago).
~Ease of Reading~
As with all of Grisham's work, the story is incredibly well written and is very easy to read. In the hardback version the font is slightly larger than a standard novel and is spaced out and chapters are chapters are generally around six or seven pages to make it more suitable for children to follow and a pretty quick read for adults.
~Wider Context~
The Theodore stories are aimed at 8-13-year-olds, I would put it in the same category as Famous five/Secret Seven type stories. Yes, it lacks the thrills and excitement of the famous Potter kid but on the whole it is grounded in reality, I think wholesome is the word I am looking for. I also find that there is an intelligence behind it, that the cleverness that Grisham expels in his stories for grown-ups is still evident in Theodore Boone, it just takes a slightly different form. The conclusion is the same though; it requires the reader to use their brain but is still fun at the same time. Those inquisitive children who ask a lot of questions would really enjoy it.
~The Author~
John Grisham is a legal thriller/suspense author who has sold over 250 million copies of his books worldwide having written 24 novels based at adults, three children's novels and collection of stories. Having practised law for over a decade and it is clear to see ther influence of this on his work. Whilst the Boone stories are entertaining, they are not the best example of what he can do. If you have never read a John Grisham novel before I would recommend that you start with The Street Lawyer or The Rainmaker. Nine of his novels have also been adapted into films including The Firm, The Chamber, The Client, A Painted House, The Pelican Brief, Skipping Christmas, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, and A Time to Kill.
~Technical Details~
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton; First UK Edition, First Printing edition (9 Jun 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 144471452X
ISBN-13: 978-1444714524
Product Dimensions: 13.6 x 2.4 x 22.3 cm
This review is published under my user name on both Ciao and Dooyoo.
July 2012
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The Tiger Who Came to Tea - Judith Kerr
by walsha11
This is a book I grew up with and now that I am training to be a Primary School teacher it is a picture book I have added to my extensive collection. This is a story I would happily read the classes when I am teaching in school and also something I would share with the children that I nanny for.
The plot of the story really ... captures the imagination of children and adults alike, with a bright orange tiger coming round for tea with a little girl called Sophie and her Mummy. The concept for the book is instantly fun and magical whilst retaining everyday elements that all children can relate to. The tiger politely asks if he can come in and once welcomed he eats them out of house and home - in fact, he also drinks them out of house and home. The beautiful illustrations really bring to life this simply story whilst the bright colours are eye-catching and exciting for young readers. I love the slightly kitsch element to the pictures (which were first published in 1968) as they give the book a real retro feeling.
Nowadays a lot of picture book illustrators obviously feel the need to bombard children with glitter and pages packed with colour. This book actually works very effectively because of the amount of space which is white. There is a lovely contrast created in this way between the bright colours and the empty areas in the book. I also think the text is kept very simple with equal amounts descriptive and dialogue. The text flows really nicely and the narrative is very clear for younger readers. There are also a mixture of known and challenging words for children who are beginning to read for themselves. The text is big enough and spaced out enough for them to be able to read with ease, I also think the white spaces in the book aid in this as reading black text on bright colours can often be tricky. My only issue with this would be that it might not be ideal for children with dyslexia as many struggle to read black text on a white background - although this can easily be aided by coloured plastic which you lay over the writing.
In terms of appropriate ages for this story I sort of think there are no boundaries. I would read this with very young children (2-4) as they will love the narrative combined with the clever illustrations. I also think this is a great read for children who are beginning to read for themselves (4-7) and a classic story I might share with older children to spark an imaginative story writing class maybe (7+). I also think this is the perfect story for adults to enjoy too, now I realise not many adults love buying themselves children's books like I do but perhaps use children/god children/nieces and nephews as an excuse to indulge!
My only other slight negative would be that due to the age of the book (published in the late 60s) there are some rather outdated gender stereotypes present in the book. I actually think nowadays these seem rather quaint as opposed to offensive so I wouldn't worry too much about children getting the wrong idea. In fact, I would hazard a guess that they wouldn't even notice but it is important to be aware of this anyway.
Overall, I think this is a fabulous classic picture book which sets the standard for modern counterparts.
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The Gruffalo - Julia Donaldson
by sparkymarky1973
Julia Donaldson and Axel Schaffer are two extremely talented childrens authors and illustrators who have written a whole succession of very popular childrens books that will no doubt continue to entertain generation after generation to come! The Gruffalo is amongst their most popular creation and with good reason! This is a lovely tale ... with a neat little twist in the tale and a highly engaging narrative!
Told in the style of rhyme, the story follows one little mouse who takes a walk through the big, bad woods all alone. Along the way, he encounters a series of animals from a hungry fox through to an eager owl and a cunning snake....all of whom wish to invite him into their lairs to be eaten!
Luckily the mouse is not easily persuaded and manages to convince them all that he has a prior engagment...with The Gruffalo. When they press him for details, the mouse then goes on to describe The Gruffalo to each of the animals with varying descriptions but it is not until he reaches the end of the woods that he gets a big shock!!! The Gruffalo exists and is real and is just as determined to eat the mouse as the other animals were....
Thankfully, the mouse is a quick thinker and comes up with a plan and so leads The Gruffalo back through the woods to meet all the other animals with hilarious results!
There can be few people out there and cannot have heard of The Gruffalo! Over the last few years he has been exposed to maximum exposure with his likeness depicted on everything from cushions to bed linen to pencil cases with both an animated feature and numerous activity books released all based on his tale. But this original story is still the best and there is much here for adults and children to enjoy alike!
This really is as heart-warming as it is entertaining and is a lovely crafted tale with wonderful illustration! The Gruffalo has become such a worldwide, widespread phenomenon for a reason and that reason is because it really is THAT brilliant!
My daughter absolutely loves this and the only thing that comes even a close second to this is the follow-up tale, The Gruffalo's Child!
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