First Night by Tom Weston

Synopsis from back cover:

Alexandra O’Rourke, aged 16, is not a happy camper. It’s New Year’s Eve. She should be partying in San Diego with her friends, but instead she is stuck in Boston, with just her younger sister, Jackie, for company. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she is being haunted by Sarah, the ghost of a seventeenth century Puritan. Oh, and there is the small matter of the charge of witchcraft to be sorted out. Armed only with big shiny buttons and a helping of Boston Cream Pie, the sisters set out to restore the Natural Order. Can Alex solve the mystery of the Devil’s Book? Can Jackie help Sarah beat the sorcery rap? And can they do it before the fireworks display at midnight?

‘First Night’ is a highly original, quirky arrangement of humor, intelligence, research and a dash of courtroom drama. What first drew my attention to this novel was the level of history it appeared to draw upon, classing it in my mind as Historical Fiction for young adults. Indeed, it doesn’t disappoint. The author’s passion for history and love of the city are quite clear in the depth of research applied. Each chapter begins with a photo of an actual building, monument etc. in Boston, and a historical quote, which are often related to the central focus of that chapter. This supernatural story is firmly rooted in facts, and offers an abudance of information about Puritan life, customs and witch trials. This adds a level of realism and appeal which struck a chord with the adult in me, while my inner child was entertained by the witty, quick fire exchanges which highlight an action packed adventure of mystery and suspence.

First Night reads like a Young Adult novel – which is precisely what it is; it’s a fast paced, easy read which never gets overly involved. Well defined (but slightly underdeveloped) characters and a short although deep plot never quite allow you to forget that it is, in essence, aimed at a younger audience. Despite this, I found myself slightly disappointed that it is a Young Adult novel, as the standard of writing and concepts it explores surpass any typical Young Adult novel I’ve read. The language is precise, at times sarcastic, and above all highly intelligent. With regard to concepts, this novel doesn’t treat it’s audience as something to be merely entertained, but also as something to be educated, and provoked to deliberation about various ideas in the process.

The story starts out light-hearted and humorous, but gradually, layer by layer, it escalates into the realms of moral contemplation, as the mystery surrounding Sarah Pemberton’s trial becomes unraveled and exposed. It contains philosophical and sociological infusions contrasting two time periods, which are seperated by 300 years worth of change in culture and perception. Perhaps the only downside is how rushed the ending is. It isn’t by any means forced, in fact it’s a superb ending, but it struggles to express itself within the page limit. By the end, I almost wished it had been a 500 page adult novel with more detail. All the same, if more authors wrote like this for teenagers, they’d be a lucky bunch. Overall, this is a carefully crafted gem for knowledge-seekers. Impossible to put down, I’d recommend this to anybody, teen or adult alike, who wants a bit of light-hearted, but intellectual substance in their reading.

Rating: 8/10

Kicked Out ~ Richard W Hardwick

Kicked Out ~ Richard W Hardwick

Sixteen-year-old Danny is kicked out by his parents and has nowhere to go but a shelter for homeless teenagers. There he finds a friend in the more experienced Goochy, who helps him find his feet. But the other residents are every bit as troubled and complex as Danny, and with drugs, alcohol, crime, sex and violence always on the cards, the house is soon simmering like a pressure cooker about to blow. In this turbulent environment, between binges and wild escapades, Danny begins to reflect and grow. But a discovery about his family places him under a pressure he cannot contain…

Kicked Out draws on the author’s experiences of working with young homeless and young offenders and is essential reading for anyone hoping to understand today’s unwanted youth. Hard-hitting and unsentimental without being bleak, gripping, at times hilarious – you will never look at kids on the street in the same way again.

My thoughts:

I knew from the very first page that this book was going to be great and I was right; I finished it in four days which for me, is very quick!

The book follows the life of Danny, a 16 year old who finds himself in a Children’s Home. He quickly makes friends, and enemies. Bearing in mind that the author is writing from his own experiences of working in such an environment I found this book really rather sad that these forgotten children could end up living such a life.

The characters were all so different and each had their own individual traits. Some I found really rather amusing and I laughed at their antics. The children had all been abused in one way or another and its not surprising that they were mostly very angry and turned to drink and drugs for a release.

Apart from Danny ‘the angry new one’, my favourite characters were Goochy ‘the experienced one’, Paul ‘the smackhead’ and Lucy ‘the I’m too good to be here one’.

The storyline was brilliant and I haven’t stopped raving about this book to all those that would listen. It has given me some real insight into how homeless children are cared for and the reputation that they are often given when all they really wanted was to be loved. They are the way they are because of other people mistreating them.

I feel that I could write and write about this book but I wouldn’t want to give anything away.

A gripping book which I couldn’t put down and when I finished it, I hugged my 13 year old son a little tighter.

I really hope the author writes some more books about his experiences.

Kicked Out by Richard W Hardwick

This is the tale of sixteen year old Danny who is made homeless when kicked out of home by his parents after disappearing for two days after his sixteenth birthday.

I started this and really wasn’t sure it was going to be to my taste, but I was glad to be proved wrong. I found the writing style easy to read, but initially it was interspersed with other bits of writing that made the story a little difficult to follow, but this became less over the course of the book. I found that initially Danny came across as a very shallow young lad, but after being made homeless and then finding himself a place in a young people’s hostel I started to see another side to Danny appear. He makes a pal there called Goocher, although finds himself sharing a room with a ’smackhead’ Paul. Lots of fighting happens at the hostel along with drugs, sex and drink, but we also see the camaraderie of the young people and how they will look out for their pals.

When Lucy comes into the picture we can really start to see the softer side to Danny and it makes you feel so sad that his own family have become dysfunctional.

I found that through the story I really started to root for Danny and really hope that he could pull his life around and make something of himself. I then start thinking about life on the streets and those that are homeless. Many probably have much they could give to society, but with their upbringings and hardships that they have had to face make this an almost impossible task for them.

Overall I would say this is a novel that really draws you in and can help you understand the lives of those less fortunate than yourself and I felt could make you think under different circumstances “that could be me!” I have certainly been surprised by other’s behaviour (people that I think I know well) when they have been put under a certain set of circumstances and so I know that people can be a mix of many things depending on their situation. I think this is a book that will stick with me for sure and it’s certainly one that I would recommend.

Published by:  Burning House

RRP: £7.99

Love Begins in Winter by Simon van Booy

Synopsis from www.harpercollins.com:

On the verge of giving up—anchored to dreams that never came true and to people who have long since disappeared from their lives—Van Booy’s characters walk the streets of these stark and beautiful stories until chance meetings with strangers force them to face responsibility for lives they thought had continued on without them.

This book contains five short stories. In all of them the protagonist is lost and looking for love. They all find it, but the journey each take are individual and life-changing. The characters are all likeable, and you find yourself wanting the best for them. The outcomes are not always as you expect, but that just adds to the joy of this book.

This is a beautiful book. Everything from the cover design to the stories is just gorgeous. Van Booy explores the power of children, growing up and the power music can have. The sentences are short but the stories just flow from the pages. It is a quick read, gripping and thrilling. This is a real page-turner. As I sit writing this I can’t think of a bad thing to say about this book. I was hooked right from the beginning. All five stories are different but with one theme: love. This is an uplifting book, and I highly recommend it.

10/10

Published by: Beautiful Books

RRP: £7.99