Pages

Friday 23 September 2011

Still here!

Hey guys,
Just to say I am still here and blogging! It's been a hectic few weeks and I have been non-stop! Been asked to write a few things for my other blog and some charities too! My other blog is: www.smallprintlarger.blogspot.com in case you want to be nosy! Thanks for following the blog and I hope to have something for you to read soon :)

Dizzythinker

Monday 5 September 2011

Stone Cold - Robert Swindells

For Link life is tough. His mum gets her new boyfriend, Vince - a drunken fool who is violent and cruel.  Vince used to Lock Link out of the house at night and turn his mum against him. Then he isn't welcome anywhere - not even at his sister Carole's house because of her moody boyfriend Chris. To top it all off he was given a sleeping bag for Christmas. So Link sets off in search of a better life on the streets of London - he wants a flat, job, friends and to be happy. After struggling with mad landlords, muggers, job centers and cold winter nights he meets Ginger. Ginger could be the answer to all his problems - just her smile makes him feel warmer even in the coldest winter night. But Link better watch out: mentally unstable Shelter could be at every turn. Shelter is ex-army and on a private mission to 'save' the country from homeless people. His techniques to do so may not be classed as law abiding or humane though...

Another Robert Swindells Book that I have enjoyed, Robert is clearly an exceptional writer. This book will make you laugh and cry. This addresses the growing issue of homeless people in the UK perfectly. Shelter is a very complex but brilliant character and Link is very charming too. You must read this book because there are lots of amazing surprise twists! A Fabulous Five star!





Abomination - Robert Swindells

Martha is a good girl. She wears the dresses her Mother makes her, and receives her Dad's beatings gracefully. She says her prayers and is a quiet girl. She is a good member of the righteous church and looks after abomination well. Under no accounts would she be friends with a boy! Surely not? Scott is new in town and trying to make the most of being at a new school, it's a clean slate and anything could happen. Why then, does he make friends with Martha the weird religious old-fashioned kid? But he can't help it: he thinks Martha could be his true love. Martha comes with strings attached though:

1. Kids chase her home from school everyday yelling 'Raggedy Anne' after her because, apparently, she looks like one of those hideous dolls.
2. Her parents possibly beat her. they are so strange!
3. She looks after abomination. A secret which he is going to struggle to keep.

This book was excellent. We read it at school last year and it has stuck with me, it is an amazingly powerful plot. Abomination is dual narrated and is all about Martha and Scott and their rapidly changing lives. You become very affectionate towards the characters and it is absolutely un-put-downable read! I love it, I love it, I love it! I give it five stars for an amazing tale!




Thursday 1 September 2011

Life at the Shallow End - Helen Bailey

Life at the shallow end has been on my list of 'to reads' for a while so I finally got round to picking it up. It is a classic young adult fiction and is based around Electra Brown who is a teenager and is sensitive about her looks and desperate for a guy called Jags to notice her. Electra has two best friends: Sorrell and Lucy. Sorrell is a forced vegetarian and spends all her money on buying meat and Lucy has the perfect home and family and is forced to be very tidy. Electra's life goes into meltdown when her dad announces he is leaving: but why? She has to find out!

I found this book a bit tedious at times. I couldn't help but compare Electra to Georgia Nicholson from 'Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging'. In my opinion the plot and characters are too similar to Louise Rennison's books. Even down to the fine details like in Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging there is a snog scale, In Life at the Shallow End there is a snogability scale which is more metaphorical. Also there is the whole 'Dad leaving' scenario which also occurs in both books. I know I probably shouldn't compare the two but they are too similar for my liking. But on the other hand it did have a few laughs in it - and made me smile.  


I found this book funny but I got really bored in some parts I'm afraid. I give it One star.



read the printed word!