The Book of Legends (by Lenny Henry)

(Amazon UK link)

I knew of Lenny Henry as a comedian many years ago, but had no idea he had also written some children’s books. I would quite likely have continued in my ignorance, but for my grandson, aged 9, who asked me to read ‘The Book of Legends’ to him in evenings while I was visiting. 

I had no idea what to expect - I was imagining it might be a retelling of some classic legends, but I was wrong. My grandson said it was one of his favourite books, and he thought I would like it. He was correct.

The main characters in the book are the twelve-year-old twins Bran and Fran. Bran is deaf, so Fran is an expert in signing, and they’re both courageous and intelligent. We quickly learn that their father disappeared a few years earlier during a thunderstorm. He’s assumed dead, but no trace of him was ever found. They go camping with their mother, and in another thunderstorm, she, too, disappears. 

The twins are taken in by their mother’s employer, whom they know as Aunty Madge, but she finds them very difficult and feels that the only option is to send them to boarding school. They are horrified, and are also convinced that their mother is alive, if only they can find her. They are sure there must be clues in a book she wrote, with legends about ‘the Kingdom of the Nine Dimensions’. So they set out, with a few ideas from one of the stories, and eventually find themselves in this kingdom.

Most of the book, then, charts their adventures as they attempt to locate and rescue their mother. The narrative is interspersed with ‘legends’ from their mother’s book, and they meet a lot of interesting and likeable people (and magical creatures) as well as some enemies. 

Adventure stories and fantasy aren’t my favourite genre, but the writing is nicely paced with some low-key humour here and there (including some that made my grandson laugh aloud). I loved the way that signing is treated as a normal way to communicate, and I also liked the way that there are hints in the ‘legends’ of what is to come, but the children have to work through the details, and learn a lot about themselves as they do.

It’s the kind of book that can be appreciated by adults as well as children, so it made an excellent read-aloud; I can see, too, that it’s the kind of book that merits re-reading (or listening) as there are so many undercurrents - and knowing in advance who was whom would make it more interesting, although less tense.

Definitely recommended to fluent readers of nine and upwards who like magical adventure stories, but even more so as a read-aloud. 

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews

Mr Planemaker's Flying Machine (by Sheilagh Watkins)

(Amazon UK link)

I had not heard of Sheilagh Watkins, though she's apparently quite a prolific writer. However her book ‘Mr Planemaker’s Flying Machine’ was available free for the Kindle in 2011, and the title intrigued me. So I downloaded it. It sat on my Kindle for twelve years, unread, until I picked the title at random from my lengthy list of unread books, and read it on a recent flight. 

I probably shouldn’t have bothered. Or at least, I should have checked the blurb. It’s not biographical or historical although I thought perhaps it might be. And it’s really a children’s book although the first part of the story is about a man - Mr Planemaker - who is only in his forties but has retired from work as he has a heart problem. He keeps having dreams about a mansion being built for him by people with names that are puns.

Then he decides that he wants to build a large model plane, and starts doing a lot of research, noting down lots of details on his son’s computer.  But in between there’s a surreal scene involving a computer repair place that insists the computer was custom designed for Mr Planemaker. There’s a lot of discussion about how to get online and to find files and folders on a computer, all of which seems extremely dated now - but even given that it was accurate fifteen years or so ago, it’s far too detailed to be of much interest.

Mr Planemaker is a quirky, quite likeable kind of person. But I could see that something was being obviously foreshadowed - and it happens.  It would have devastated a normal family, but that isn't explored at all. There’s no mention of any emotion. And there’s my biggest problem with the book - most of the characters are so flat that I couldn’t bring myself to care in the slightest what happened to any of them. There are hints of some significant themes, and yet no resolution. 

The second part of the book is about Mr Planemaker’s children, Dell and Emmilisa, and - to some degree - their cat Cosmos, who appeared in the car when Dell’s computer was fixed. Cosmos apparently has some unusual power over the computer and can cause an ‘assistant’ - who seems to be a real person inside the screen - to appear, and even to take them inside the computer to start following a trail…

I think it could have been quite an interesting story if it had been more coherent and consistent, and if the Planemaker family had been more three-dimensional. I don’t have a problem with surreal fantasy as part of a book, but it is all quite random, and doesn’t seem to have any real purpose. Emmilisa has a problem with bullies at school, but that isn’t resolved at all, other than a vague notion that she’s going to be more confident and self-reliant. 

The puns in the names of the odd characters who appear are quite clever, though they’re explained rather too much, and it really wasn’t necessary for the reader to be told three times that however long the children spent inside the computer, it would be no time at all in the real world.

I kept reading, wondering if it would get better, and how it would end. It was light enough that it was easy to read on a flight when I was tired, but it really wasn’t a satisfying story. I wouldn’t recommend it to children; even if the technology were updated, it’s far too long-winded and could have benefited from significant editing.

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews

Bride Leads the Chalet School (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

(Amazon UK link)

Slowly re-reading my way through the lengthy Chalet School series by Elinor M Brent-Dyer, I reached the one which was 27th in the original series, 31st  by the time they were published in Armada paperbacks. ‘Bride Leads the Chalet School’ returns us to the main Chalet School in the UK, after a temporary diversion to Switzerland to see the new finishing branch in ‘The Chalet School in the Oberland’. 

The last time I re-read ‘Bride…’ was in 2012, so it’s not surprising that I had no memory of the story. I assumed that Bride Bettany would be promoted to Head Girl, which is correct, after the sudden and surprising departure of Bride’s friend Loveday, the previous Head Girl. Bride isn’t too keen on the extra responsibility, but realises that she is the obvious choice.

There are a lot of new girls, far more than would be normal in the spring term. But another school has closed, and since there’s plenty of room the Chalet School has taken on about thirty or forty new girls. And we quickly learn that their former school wasn’t just lax in discipline, it didn’t believe in any kinds of rules or structures at all. Even lessons were optional, meaning that most of the girls are well below their expected academic level by age. 

In addition, the Chalet School encourages girls to do some of their own chores - bed making, and clearing tables, for instance - and frowns on any kind of snobbishness. Some of the new girls take a long time to adjust, particularly Diana, a beautiful but not very bright girl whose father is a self-made millionaire. She had a lot of influence at her former school and doesn’t find it hard to attract a few of the weaker characters in the Chalet School…

It’s not really a new plot idea. The same kind of thing happened in one of the earlier books, when another school closed (‘The New Chalet School’), and there were similar issues in ‘The Chalet School and the Oberland’, when Chalet Girls and others combined to create the finishing branch. However it’s well handled, with a huge shock for Bride along the way.  

A more poignant subplot involves Julie Lucy getting nasty stomach pains, ending up with an emergency operation. The author was perhaps trying to make the point that sharp pains should not be ignored. She also used the opportunity to talk about the importance of prayer, and we see Tom Gay making the first shaky steps in her new career.

There’s a sale at the end of term, with a new theme. It’s based on a book I knew nothing about, but explained clearly and although there’s more detail than I feel necessary, there’s enough human interest that I did read that chapter rather than skimming it rapidly.

Overall I thought this a good read; not one that stands out, but not entirely run-of-the-mill. Best read as part of the series, or at least after a few of the earlier ones as so many characters recur. I’m pleased to know that there were no cuts made in the Armada edition of ‘Bride leads the Chalet School’, so I have no reason to try to find a hardback or Girls Gone by edition.

Recommended to anyone who likes these books. Unfortunately not currently in print, and very expensive second-hand online. But the paperback Armada versions can sometimes be found in charity shops. 

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews

In His Image (by Paul Brand with Philip Yancey)

(Amazon UK link)

I very much liked re-reading the book ‘Fearfully and Wonderfully Made’ by Dr Paul Brand (in conjunction with Philip Yancey) about three months ago. So I decided to re-read the sequel, ‘In His Image’. I have both these in a compilation volume called ‘In the Likeness of God’, which I read at one sitting just over 17 years ago.  I recalled that both books were well-written and extremely interesting, but not much more.

‘In his image’ delves more deeply into the concept that we were made in God’s image, and that our individual bodies have counterparts - metaphorically speaking, for the most part - in the worldwide and local church. It’s no accident that the church is known as the ‘Body of Christ’. We are God’s agents in the world, and if we are to function as intended, we need to be linked to each other as well as directly to God.

That’s about as far as it goes in general understanding; Paul Brand takes the metaphor to its extremes, and in doing so manages to be both educational and inspiring. ‘Fearfully and Wonderfully Made’ looks at the way we’re made and how our different systems work together. ‘In His Image’ is more about communication. 

So the first section looks at what we mean by ‘likeness’. Using anecdotes as well as medical language, Brand explores  how ‘likeness’ can be passed from person to person, not just via genetics but sometimes by manners of speech or quirks of language. It also discusses some of the incredible surgeries that can be done to aid victims of serious burns or illnesses that can ravage skin, particularly faces. 

The second section is about blood. There’s a lot of detail, some of which I found too technical, about how blood cells and plasma function. But I was very struck by some of the analogies drawn by the author. He looks at blood as power, as the life force; he demonstrates what is meant in the Bible by blood ‘cleansing’ us: a strange phrase at first glance. 

Then the author looks at the head, and in particular the brain, and what is meant by spirit. Finally he gets back to one of his favourite topics: that of pain. He acknowledges that some chronic pain does not seem to provide any useful function, while repeating how important most pain is, in alerting us to problems. Dr Brand worked for many years with leprosy patients who had lost all sensation of pain; this would lead to them exerting too much pressure on limbs, or being unaware of dangerous nails on the ground, or even rats biting. So he knew from many experiences how important it is that our bodies are tuned to be aware of potential damage. 

I found the book very interesting, but not as mind blowing as I did the first time. I’m not sure why. Perhaps I had subconsciously recalled some of it; perhaps it was assimilated in my mind, so that instead of being incredible revelations, it was reminders of the analogies and metaphors. And some of the medical descriptions, particularly parts about animal experiments, made me feel rather squeamish. 

Still, I thought the book well worth re-reading, and would recommend it highly to anyone who would like to explore the idea of being made in God’s image, and what the implications are of the idea of the Body of Christ.

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews

The Horizontal Epistles of Andromeda Veal (by Adrian Plass)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m glad I decided to re-read my fictional books by Adrian Plass; I finished the wonderful ‘Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass aged 37 ¾’  about six weeks ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it all over again. In the last couple of days I’ve re-read the sequel, ‘The Horizontal Epistles of Andromeda Veal’, which I last read in 2017.

I knew the story, such as it is, of course. Andromeda, a small and determined girl is in hospital with her leg in traction, after breaking her femur. She writes a letter to the fictional Adrian’s wife Anne, asking if she can write to her. Andromeda’s father left them after some arguments, and her mother has gone with a friend to Greenham Common, to protest against cruise missiles. This was a significant issue in the 1980s when this book was published, but I think even those who don’t recall the crisis would get the point. Andromeda’s mother is so caught up in political fighting and trying to save the world that she doesn’t have time for her lonely daughter.

Anne is very touched, and sends Andromeda several addresses, as well as some envelopes and stamps. Despite being flat on her back Andromeda manages to write a lot of letters to different people in the church, and some famous people too. In the introduction, Adrian says he gathered together all the letters which Andromeda had kept, and also as many of her originals as he could find from amongst the recipients. 

I wasn’t all that keen on this book when I first read it, feeling that it didn’t begin to compare with the first ‘Sacred Diary’ book. And certainly it isn’t as funny; there’s a deeply poignant thread in Andromeda’s loneliness, despite the attempts by her mother’s friend Glenda to indoctrinate her into militant feminism. Andromeda longs for affection, and would really like a doll… 

However there are some very amusing sections, partly in Andromeda’s frequent misuse of words and phrases, and partly in snippets of Adrian’s ‘diary’ which are sent to her.  I think her spelling is exaggeratedly bad for a child of eight, and some of her malapropisms unlikely for an intelligent girl (would she really think a celibate monk was a ‘halibut nunk’?  Would she continue to misspell people’s names even when they write to her…?  It’s done for the sake of humour, but although the vocabulary is good, the spelling reminded me of that of a five-year-old.  

It’s a minor niggle; I had to slow down to read Andromeda’s letters, and that was not a bad thing. Some of her misunderstandings or mistakes made me smile. And on the whole I liked reading this - it’s not a long book, less than 200 pages, with some of it in quite large print. 

There are low-key Christian points made about God’s love and forgiveness; Andromeda herself, in her innocence, points a finger at some of the reasons that churches split or don’t recognise each other. The writers of the letters are friends of Adrian’s and Anne’s in their church so it’s hardly surprising. There are also some slightly risque references here and there which Andromeda is clearly entirely unaware of. 

I didn’t have a problem with understanding who the famous people were - politicians or church leaders, mainly - but those who weren’t adults in the UK in the 1980s might struggle to understand some of the references. With that proviso, I would recommend this highly - but do read the first ‘Sacred Diary’ book first, to understand who the characters are.

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews