Our Rating:

Library Formats:

Hardback, eAudiobook

Age Group:

10+/YA

Genre:

Magical Realism

Review by Polly Read

The Cat Who Saved The Library is about thirteen-year-old Nanami Koskake who loves books and reading. Her favourite place is the local library where she is a frequent visitor. But when books start disappearing from the shelves without being borrowed or returned, Nanami gets suspicious about who could be taking them. She then notices a mysterious man in a grey suit taking the books of the shelves and disappears. Just as she is about to follow him, a talking ginger tabby cat called Tiger appears and warns her that it would be a very dangerous thing to do. Nanami is very determined to save her beloved library books. So she and the cat go on an exciting adventure to find out were and why the books are disappearing.

I read this book as it is the second book that the author has written that involves Tiger the talking cat. I have read the first book The Cat who Saves books that I thoroughly enjoyed. I was curious to find out about the second book in the series.

I thought that the story was good, I liked Tiger the cat, as he can be very sarcastic, funny, but he is also very wise. I also thought that there is a strong message that the author is trying to tell through the story. That books are very powerful and can offer strength and companionship. The story gets quite adventurous and a little weird nearer the end, and it felt like you where there in the action. I would definitely suggest reading the first book though before reading this one, as some of the other characters that are in the first book appear later on in the story.  

 This book is recommended to readers aged ten and over, but I think that it may be better for older teens and young adult age group. The book has been translated into English from Japanese and the story is set in Japan. There is still a few Japanese words in the book that could be a bit difficult for younger readers to read and understand. However, if you love cats and books then I think this is a story that you will enjoy.

I would give this book a four and a half stars out of a five-star rating.

The post The Cat Who Saved The Library by Sõsuke Natsukawa appeared first on BaNES Virtual Library.

Our Rating:

Library Formats:

Book, eBook, eAudiobook

Age Group:

Nine and up

Genre:

Fantasy, Adventure

Review by Polly Read

This book was recommended to me by a friend. She said that it was extremely good, and it is full of magic and unicorns. I did a bit of research about the story and found that it was described as the new Harry Potter. As I like this type of book, I decided to give it a read.

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief is about Skandar Smith who desperately wants to be a unicorn rider. When he gets to be one of the lucky few selected to hatch a unicorn and train as a rider, he is delighted. But he finds out that he is allied to an illegal magical element and unicorn that he has to try and keep hidden from his training and the other riders. Then a dark and evil rider steals the most powerful unicorn in the world and threatens all other riders and unicorns. Skandar discovers a deep and disturbing secret that puts the life of his friends, other unicorns and himself in danger.

This is a very good book that is full of magical adventure and mystery, that makes you want to keep reading. I enjoyed reading how the bound between Skandar and his unicorn developed though the story. I also liked how the unicorns all have different characteristics.

The book is fairly easy to read and it flows well, although I did think that some of the chapters went on a bit too long. It did take me awhile to get into the story as I did not like how the wild unicorns were described and portrayed which is quite gruesome. This is not a cute and cuddly story about unicorns.  However, I found it difficult to put the book down, once I had read a couple of chapters. The ending is very mysterious and exciting that had me on the edge of my seat and wanting to know more.  

The book is aimed at children aged nine upwards, but as an adult I also enjoyed reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys reading fantasy novels, have read Harry Potter and wants a different type of magical adventure. I would give this book a four and a half out of five star rating.

The post Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A.F. Steadman appeared first on BaNES Virtual Library.

Our Rating:

Library Formats:

Book, eAudiobook

Age Group:

8+

Genre:

Adventure, Classics

Philip, Dinah, Lucy-Ann and Jack are back for another adventure. Staying at a holiday cottage in the Scottish countryside, the children are excited to find a mysterious castle shares the hillside. However, when investigating the castle they undercover a sinister plot…

If you’ve read any of the other books in this series, then you’ll know that both Philip and Jack have an affinity for birds and animals. In this book we meet a fox cub and a family of eagles. This is a fun element to the series, and I even found I learned something about these animals.

The story is quick paced, has a bit of mystery and adventure to keep you hooked. It conjures images of long, hot summer holidays and makes you want to escape to the countryside in search of adventure.

There are eight books in this series in total, with the Valley of Adventure next up.

The post Castle of Adventure by Enid Blyton appeared first on BaNES Virtual Library.

Our Rating:

Library Formats:

Book

Age Group:

Children, Young Adults

Genre:

Fantasy, Adventure

Bored? Ah well, just jump in your car and take a drive through The Phantom Tollbooth.

That’s not what Milo planned to do, but when he did —— an amazing world of fascination and  wonder confronted him. The Phantom Tollbooth isn’t just another adventure story, it’s a voyage of discovery. A discovery of language, imagination and delight.

You’ll soon find yourself with Milo in the court of King Azaz and on a visit to the Word Market. There, you can find ‘Juicy, tempting words for sale’ and where you can actually eat your words.

In the company of Tock, the watchdog, and the Humbug, Milo takes to the road on a quest to rescue the sweet Princesses Rhyme and Reason from the Castle in the Air. They had been banished from the Land of Wisdom after the feud between King Azad and his brother the Mathemagician over the relative importance of words and numbers.

Meeting with adventures in the Mountains of Ignorance, conducting A Colourful Symphony and attempting to find their way to Infinity the resolute trio boldly pursue their quest. Rhyme and Reason are safely taken home to Wisdom with immense celebrations throughout the land.

Has Milo recovered from his  boredom? Of course you know the answer.

While filling his story with an abundance of playful ideas Juster also manages to pass on little gems of wisdom…

“But it’s only a pencil.”

“True enough, but once you learn how to use it there’s no end to what you can do.”

This is a world of can do, a world of never give up. Keep your principles, care for others, be socially responsible, treasure both words and numbers. Above all remember “So many things are possible so long as you don’t know they’re impossible.”

Who is it for?

Independent readers will revel in the fun and playfulness of this story. Alternatively, if you’re reading aloud to younger children there are many delightful moments to inspire them in their talk or creative play. It’s also a wonderful piece of escapism to entertain readers of any age.

While you’re here, you might also like to find Norton Juster’s cartoon ‘The Dot and the Line’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_QhIVYlcmE

– David Cohen

The post The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster appeared first on BaNES Virtual Library.

Our Rating:

Library Formats:

eAudiobook, Spoken Word CD

Age Group:

Children age 6+

Genre:

Classic Fiction, Adventure

This book is part of our Centenary Collection.

I’ve always been a huge fan of the Famous Five and spent my childhood reading and rereading the books. I was curious to see if they still held appeal as an adult, so decided to listen to one on BorrowBox.

I wasn’t disappointed, this title had a good narrator (which is key!) and I was instantly transported back to childhood. I think these books still hold appeal for children, they’re light-hearted, absorbing and keep you guessing. This one is the second in the series, though they can be read in any order, and is another classic adventure for the Famous Five.

Would recommend for kids to read, or parents to read to their children. The audiobooks are great for car journeys too.

The post Five Go Adventuring Again by Enid Blyton appeared first on BaNES Virtual Library.

Our Rating:

Library Formats:

eAudiobook, Book

Age Group:

9+

Genre:

Adventure

This review was written by Zach, aged 10, he wrote:

This book is part of an adventure series inspired by real train journeys. It sees the return of the Reza family from ‘Kidnap On The California Comet’.

I like it because the mystery carries on for most of the book and is revealed right at the end. I love this book (and series) because I really like trains!

The post Sabotage On The Solar Express by M G Leonard and Sam Sedgman appeared first on BaNES Virtual Library.

Our Rating:

Library Formats:

Book, eBook

Age Group:

Kids 9+

Genre:

Adventure, Historical Fiction

Daisy sent us her review; she gave the book 5 stars!

“I think this book is very interesting and gripping because there is a lot of suspense building up in the book.

This book is about an arctic convoy sailing their ships to the Soviets. The characters in this story travel through dangerous seas making this journey a life or death situation.

Recommended for 9 year olds or older.”

The post Arctic Star by Tom Palmer appeared first on BaNES Virtual Library.

Our Rating:

Library Formats:

Book, eBook, eAudiobook

Age Group:

Children

Genre:

Fantasy, Adventure

Jess, aged 10, sent us this review:

The book is about a boy called Harry Potter who is a wizard and goes to wizarding school called Hogwarts, he has 2 friends called Ron and Hermione.

There is a dark arts wizard called Sirius Black and there were rumours that he killed Harry’s parents. But later in the story Harry found out that Sirius was his Godfather and is hiding from the Ministry of Magic and the dementors.

I recommend this book because it is very interesting and it is an adventure.

The post Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling appeared first on BaNES Virtual Library.

Our Rating:

Library Formats:

Book, eBook

Age Group:

Young Adult

Genre:

Adventure, Thriller

A good book for any reluctant teenager who wants to read a story that is not about magic and wizards!

The author has created a series of stories about the young James Bond. Silverfin is the first of the series and introduces the young James Bond – it begins with James starting at Eton and of course with any James Bond adventure he meets his first enemy and starts breaking the rules.

However soon he finds himself on the shores of Loch Silverfin and something deadly is definitively can be found in its waters. James of course is itching to find out and makes a discovery that threatens to unleash a new breed of warfare.

This book is definitively for young adults aged between 13-15 years because of some of the content but it is a great read – full of adventure and fast paced action.

Review by Keynsham Library Staff

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Our Rating:

Library Formats:

Book

Age Group:

Adults

Genre:

Historical Fiction, Romance, Adventure

This book has a wonderful cover which first attracted me to the story, and it has proved a lovely read. Translated from the French, this is the story of two men looking for the plant Venus in the sky but in fact ending up finding something entirely different. In 1760, Guillaume Le Gentil, a real-life astronomer, has been instructed by King Louis V to set out into the Indian Ocean to document the transit of Venus – one of the rarest astronomical phenomena – occurring every 121 years with an eight-year gap then occurring next in 105 years. The journey is full of adventure with new discoveries both on land and in the sky.

In parallel, 250 years later, Xavier Lemercier, a Parisian estate agent, chances upon an old telescope in a property he has sold. He brings it home hoping it help him bond with his son and as he looks out across the rooftops of Paris, he discovers a fascinating woman with a zebra in her apartment! Then she walks into his office, and everything changes.

Part adventure story, part modern-day love story, this is a lovely, enchanting book – witty and heart-warming.

The post An Astronomer In Love by Antoine Laurain appeared first on BaNES Virtual Library.