Children’s Books
The story features small, impoverished Johnny Swanson who lives with his mother in a constant struggle for survival. When Johnny spends his mother’s money to learn the secret of instant height, he is instructed by the scam artist advertiser to “stand on a box”. In desperation to replace his mother’s savings, Johnny resorts to placing similar advertisements. When his mother becomes an unlikely suspect in a murder, Johnny does his best to clear her name. This is a warm and human account of a youngster whose loyalty and resourcefulness overcomes every obstacle. An excellent mix of humour and social history.
Feast at the Castle by Anna Claybourne (A&C Black; €11.93) is a fascinating and colourfully illustrated book of bite-size information on the eating habits of Kings and Emperors. Menu choices vary from roast dolphin, and dog, to fried grasshopper. The objective of the huge feasts was to display the power of the ruler. The Romans, we learn, weren’t great on dieting, and the Vikings’ table manners left a lot to be desired. Fun and facts for age nine and upwards.
In the same series and same price, also by Anna Claybourne, Mummy Makers is an informative, though not too grisly, explanation of why and how mummies were made. Preparation for mummyhood is the consumption of tree bark and sap tea which, though lethal, will ensure that your family can hold on to you for centuries.
Accomplice by Eireann Corrigan (Chicken House; €8.35). When Finley Jacobs and Chloe Caffrey hatch a fake kidnapping of Chloe, the objective is to become famous and, in a perverse way, qualify for Harvard University as students who have faced adversity and overcome it. An interesting character study of imaginative teenagers whose actions put them under immense pressure. The ironic ending is perfect.
