the return of the psammead, helen cresswell

after the success of jill paton walsh with harriet and peter i thought one might just try breaking that rule of never -- really really just don't try to -- even touch sequels by anyone other than original authors.  and helen cresswell, with her bagthorpes, seemed perfect for continuing the story of that huge squabbling family and their adventures with the irritable psammead.  well, no.  too obsessed with time travel, is that woman.  over sentimental twaddle, a lot of it.  and awful pictures.  don't bother really

moondial, helen cresswell

now what i feel about this helen cresswell is -- delightful with the bagthorpes.  not so hot with young kiddy books.  and with this delicate story -- completely wrong.  her style of writing can't seem to sustain the pensive languid charm necessary to her really rather well-conceived time travel plot, and therefore it annoys because it can't satisfy.  why are bagthorpes all in woodlands?

a stitch in time, penelope lively

a wistful tale gracefully told, skirting the always rather clumsy device of time travel by only hinting at it at the edges of the story. 

the white horse gang, nina bawden

king of shadows, susan cooper

wow.  wow, truly; what i said when i tore my way to the last page and put the book down.  the premise, of a talented boy actor translated to shakespeare's london and playing puck to shakespeare's oberon, sounds dodgy, but she handles it with such tenderness and delicacy that the weaknesses -- there are some weaknesses -- lose themselves as she pulls you into the force of the story.  really rather beautiful; please do read it the next time you feel in need of some comfort.

granny the pag, nina bawden

the other side of silence, margaret mahy

under the net, iris murdoch

dogsbody, diana wynne jones

it won't be one of my favourites, but i rather think it is one of her best

the real plato jones, nina bawden

quite a moving account of plato's search for identity; in part, though, what i felt about sport applies.  less so, but it does

sport, louise fitzhugh

it was enjoyable, but the thing is she didn't need an established character, from another book, for the plot?  as in, any boy would have done as well; one wishes she could have dreamed up something less spectacular, more in keeping with character, for harriet's best friend

the changeover, margaret mahy

a writer for young people we would do well to notice

carrie's war, nina bawden

inordinately pleased with this. it isn't that often books with good reputations live up to them, but this held me right through to the end

the long secret, louise fitzhugh

there are harriet (the spy) sequels!  such a thrilling discovery

bagthorpes v. the world, helen cresswell

the documents in the case, dorothy l. sayers

i maintain that detectiveless detective stories are rather trying.  and i think dorothy sayers' mysteries are entirely too clever and too scientific and too too technical for anything!

power of three, diana wynne jones

actually a quite sophisticated piece of fairy tale on its head writing.  cool.

the merlin conspiracy, diana wynne jones

her imagination is so effervescent and her plots so involved that i always find her books repay a second reading.  i get it better, the second time.  maybe i'm just really stupid; these are yp books are they not?  ah well.

absolute zero, helen cresswell

i think it is a mark of her skill that i want to slap one or another of the bagthorpes most of the time.  yay.

the temple of dawn, yukio mishima

without the central figure of an impassioned young japanese boy living in that white flame of passion -- as in the two earlier -- this made for much swifter, shallower reading, i thought. or perhaps it was the atmosphere in which i read it -- the teacher's room; relieving a (sec four n(a)) class; on the train from school to orchard. however i was touched by the portrait of ageing honda and his sudden steadfast unbelievable love. one awaits the resolution of the tetralogy with pleasure, perhaps the best kind, which feels certain of satisfaction

bagthorpes unlimited, helen cresswell

minzhi was right -- 'big family, v your thing', as i recall she said. exactly my thing. bring them on

a presumption of death, jill paton walsh

almost i think she should write more ... not maybe quite as ingenious, but i like more harriet in the books, and peter seems to have toned down in old age :)

gemma in love, noel streatfeild

was always ashamed to be seen taking out a book of this title, but ah well. it's good!

gemma the star, noel streatfeild

the white mercedes, philip pullman

bleak, tragic, with the driving inevitability of some chilling play.

the sittaford mystery, agatha christie

ooh. clever. but without a detective the solution presentation becomes a little weak

runaway horses, yukio mishima

immense loyalty, dedication, courage, love. without the measured ceremony of the first but just as impassioned, just as fanatical, cold and single-minded as the blade that figures so much in the tale. he's kind of well, fanatical, isn't he? but still. is honda going to be chasing kiyoaki's reincarnations through the quartet?

the big four, agatha christie

not a mystery at all *pout* spy type things shouldn't be allowed

mennyms alive, sylvia waugh

often the most touching of the books; the character of daisy and how she treats the mennyms was a brilliant stroke. i wish, though, someone would explain the names; i was hoping aunt kate would :( magnus, tulip, joshua, vinetta -- okay; soobie, pilbeam, appleby -- strange but you know, acceptably so; poopie, wimpey, googles -- almost rude, no? ah well.

mennyms alone, sylvia waugh

my heart nearly stopped when the door opened again, and when i read the last page i was very very very glad the next book was immediately to hand!

mennyms under siege, sylvia waugh

want to slap appleby and sir magnus!

when marnie was there, joan g. robinson

the blurb said it was the best of its genre since tom's midnight garden, which i thought was annoyingly too much of a giveaway. the story is quite beautiful in parts, and the little girl protagonist very sympathetic, but the end is a little too neat. another accidental find

fire and hemlock, diana wynne jones

i'd read this before, but i liked it a lot better this time. after all these fantasy writers go on about it so i should find about tam lin shouldn't i?

mennyms in the wilderness, sylvia waugh

oh poor pilbeam!

when hitler stole pink rabbit, judith kerr

written with a great deal of courage and humour
and -- pink rabbit does not actually feature in this story, on account of having been stolen :)

time out, helen cresswell

for rather young readers. enjoyed chicken tender sticks alongside!

the witch's daughter, nina bawden

about -- finding your own power? i like the way she handles three or more quite major characters, and has them interact and grow and you know, aid in the finding-self-and-wisdom-in-self of each other

jeeves and the tie that binds, p.g. wodehouse

featuring the junior ganymede club :)

momo, michael ende

a beautiful fairy story ... which means, a rather obvious fable like lesson :) but some very well drawn characters (not momo though, not really my type of thing) not excluding a very special tortoise called cassiopiea! i think i spelt that right ...

unnatural death, dorothy l. sayers

introducing miss climpson! wonderful woman that :)