British SCBWI

February 2009 Blog Posts (21)

Search Blog Posts

First review of The Quiet Woman and the Noisy Dog


Write Away features a review of our new picture book on their website.

Added by Sue Eves on February 21, 2009 at 16:02 — 4 Comments

Sometimes,

you have to stop writing for a while, else this happens to your socks:


and it is just the beginning.

Added by Lesley Moss on February 18, 2009 at 13:59 — No Comments

Book Review: Blood Red Snow White by Marcus Sedgwick

Movie: Fall -

Drink: Russian Vodka -

Meal: A thick Russian stew with cabbage -

Color: White, maybe Beige -

Animal: Polar bear -

Rating - 4.3 -



Very poetic and beautiful. This book made me want to read more contemporary Russian literature. Although it was a politically charged love story, all I remember are the fairy tales and the snow. Have I mentioned the snow? It was snowing when I read it, and my mind was full of white drowsiness, fireside stories and… Continue

Added by Lauren Sabel on February 16, 2009 at 20:35 — No Comments

Book Review: Walking a Tightrope: New Writing by Asian Britain edited by Rehana Ahmed

Movie: Old Yeller (for short story, "Yellow Dog) -

Drink: Jasmine tea -

Meal: Dim sum -

Color: A rainbow, with a bright yellow stripe -

Animal: Siamese Cats -

Rating: 4 out of 5 -



I loved the story "Yellow Dog" by Farrukh Dhondy. I really cared about the little girl and the fate of her little yellow dog. I think I'll always remember that one. I didn't love the rest of the book, but I liked it. I couldn't quite get through the whole thing, so I'm not sure what… Continue

Added by Lauren Sabel on February 16, 2009 at 20:30 — No Comments

Book Review: Chips, Beans and Limousines: The Fantastic Diary of Bathsheba Clarice de Trop by Leila Rasheed

Movie: Little Miss Sunshine -

Drink: Strawberry soda -

Meal: Cotton Candy -

Color: Bright pink with a little black dot -

Animal: Purse dog -

Rating - 2.8 out of 5



Disappointing. I was looking for a Gossip Girl type of book, maybe more like Meg Cabot's kind of writing. I just felt that although I really liked the idea: Famous mother writes about her daughter, Bathsheba, and Bathsheba begins to avoid the world by believing she's the character in the book… Continue

Added by Lauren Sabel on February 16, 2009 at 20:15 — No Comments

Book Review: The Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks

Movie: Twin Peaks -

Drink: Vodka -

Meal: Meat pie -

Color: Navy blue -

Animal: Dead mutt -

Rating: 4.3 out of 5 -





Probably my favorite of his books, although not the best written. I read it twice- on accident. But it does say something for the book that once I realized I had read it a year earlier, I read it again anyway (and I wasn't alone in the woods with only my favorite squirrel to keep me company). However, the reason I didn't immediately remember… Continue

Added by Lauren Sabel on February 16, 2009 at 20:03 — No Comments

Book Review: Blood Ties by Sophie McKenzie

Movie: Grease -

Drink: A light red wine -

Meal - Macaroni with cheese and chicken -

Color: Yellow and Orange -

Animal: Something in a zoo, like a large feline -

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 -



Nothing like a good cloning book. The mix of mystery, adventure, scientific experimentation, cruel absent fathers, and love between an unpopular girl and a popular guy. It made me think a lot of What If's, which I like. I also thought the love story between the two teenagers was… Continue

Added by Lauren Sabel on February 16, 2009 at 20:00 — No Comments

Book Review: Lucas by Kevin Brooks

Movie: Lucas
Drink: Half beer, half whiskey -
Meal: Bratwurst -
Color: Green. Dark green -
Animal: Leopard
Rating: 4.2 out of 5

I felt two distinctly different ways about this book. I loved the second half. Lucas was a wonderful character, full of tragedy and whimsical fun. In the first half, however, Lucas was barely involved in the story, and I was bored. It's worth skimming the first half to get to the second half.

Added by Lauren Sabel on February 16, 2009 at 19:51 — No Comments

Ho Humm

Haven't been here for a while and just checked in to see Sue Eve's lovely video outakes. Really cheered me up - that and the fact that i managed to find clear space to write today even though it is half term -what would we all do without friends
x

Added by Kathryn Evans on February 16, 2009 at 18:53 — No Comments

Book Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Compares to:
Movie: The Fall, Shindler's List -
Drink: The best French Pinot -
Meal: Homemade baked chicken. Perfectly cooked -
Color: Red, yellow, white -
Animal: Golden Retriever -
Rating: 5 out of 5 -

One of the best books I've ever read. Beautiful. Exquisite. A true piece of poetry woven into a story. It's narrated by Death. I want to cry thinking about the talent of that writer. To write that. That masterpiece.

Added by Lauren Sabel on February 5, 2009 at 20:30 — 2 Comments

Book Review: Stargirl by Jerri Spinelli

Compares to:

Movie: Juno -

Drink: Strawberry Shake -

Meal: Spaghetti with chocolate chips and peanut butter balls -

Color: Bright yellow. Almost too bright to see -

Animal - Jack rabbit -

Rating - 3.8 out of 5 -



Quirky. Fun. A great read. Full of life and joy and good ideas. I loved most of the book, but the ending was dull. I wanted to know more, feel more, even take some of it with me. But the ending killed it. Besides the ending, the rest was a true… Continue

Added by Lauren Sabel on February 5, 2009 at 20:28 — No Comments

Book Review: Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Compares to:
Movie: A Walk to Remember -
Drink: Hot chocolate -
Meal: Tomato soup with garlic bread -
Color: Light purple
Animal: Injured kitten
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

This book makes you glad to be alive. And healthy. Even for one more day. It reminds you how lucky you are to have life to live, joy to share with people. It sits you down and says: Pay Attention. Look how good your life is.

Added by Lauren Sabel on February 5, 2009 at 20:22 — No Comments

Book Review: The Boy in Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

Compares to:
Movie: Life is Beautiful -
Drink: Everclear -
Meal: boiled cabbage with salt -
Color: Red and white -
Animal: small, picked-on white hen -
Rating: 5 out of 5 -

Wow. A really unique, amazing look into the Holocaust from the POV of a young boy whose father is high-up in the SS. Wow again. A shocking ending. I'm still shocked today, and I read it months ago. Everyone should read this book, at least once.

Added by Lauren Sabel on February 5, 2009 at 20:00 — No Comments

Book Review: Unique by Alison Allen Gray

Compares to:

Movie: Johny Mnemonic, Meet the Robinsons -

Drink: Whiskey -

Meal: Yellowtail sushi -

Color: Black -

Animal: Half-robot, half dog -

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 -



Fascinating premise. A believable character with some vicious secrets. Gets more and more suspenseful as you go along. (But a little dull in a few parts.) It starts off seeming like a fairly benign plot, then gets exciting when it turns out to be about cutting edge science and the… Continue

Added by Lauren Sabel on February 5, 2009 at 19:30 — No Comments

Book Review: America is Me by E.R. Frank

Compares to:
Movie: Manic -
Drink: Red Bull -
Meal: Hamburger with no toppings -
Color: Black with bits of dark purple -
Animal: vicious German Shepard -
Raing: 4.5 out of 5 -


Wow. A powerful book. Not my favorite read, but an important one. It read quickly, and made me think a lot. It's about a teenage boy in a youth detention center. I like the twisting of plot lines, present and past, and the message of hope.

Added by Lauren Sabel on February 5, 2009 at 19:30 — No Comments

Book Review: Centre of My World by Andreas Steinhofel

Compares to:

Movie: Boys Don't Cry (but not as violent) -

Drink: White wine -

Meal: Brie and Proscuitto Crepes -

Color: Pink and Deep Green -

Animal: Terrier (dog) -

Rating: 4 out of 5 -



Unique. However, it's hard to get into at first. About halfway through it gets really interesting, with the homosexual love affair. The book is a great read for boys (gay and straight) because it really shows how it feels to be a teenage homosexual in our society, both…

Added by Lauren Sabel on February 5, 2009 at 19:30 — No Comments

Book Review: New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

Compares to:
Movie: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (tv show) -
Drink: An expensive Malbec -
Meal: Sesame Chicken -
Color: Red. Shiny nailpolish red -
Animal: Siamese Cat -
Rating: 5 out of 5 -

Impossible to put down. Made me angry to stop reading. Made me want to fall in love again, with someone mysterious, gorgeous, dangerous. Flashbacks to being a teenager.

Added by Lauren Sabel on February 5, 2009 at 18:30 — No Comments

Book Review: Finding Violet Park by Jenny Valentine

Compares to:
Movie: Wonder Years (tv show) -
Drink: Chocolate milk -
Meal: Hot dog -
Color: Pale yellow -
Animal: Teddybear Hamster -
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 -

A really fun read. I wouldn't read it twice, but I enjoyed it the first time around. Secrets are exposed through a dead lady's urn, found in a taxi stand. A beach book: large writing, easily understandable character.

Added by Lauren Sabel on February 5, 2009 at 18:30 — 1 Comment

Book Review: Newes From the Dead by Mary Hooper

Compares to:
Movie: The Scarlet Letter -
Drink: Bloody Mary -
Meal: Russian borst -
Color: Dark, bloody purple -
Animal: Mole -
Rating: 5 out of 5 -

I loved it from beginning to end. It was creepy, mysterious, sexy. Great female character: a victim of circumstance, tragic and flawed, dead (for a while). And based on a true story. Always a good thing (or maybe not....)

Added by Lauren Sabel on February 5, 2009 at 18:00 — No Comments

Book Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Compares to:
Movie: The Matrix, Bladerunner -
Drink: Snakebite -
Meal: Szechuan Chicken -
Color: Red with orange streaks -
Animal: Bat with sharp teeth -
Rating: 5 out of 5 -

Wow. What a book. At first I was skeptical of the world I entered into. But by the end of the first chapter, I was hooked. A great female character, just how I like them: bitter, self-sacrificing, driven by love for family.

Added by Lauren Sabel on February 5, 2009 at 18:00 — 1 Comment

Featured Blog Posts

View All

Latest Blog Posts

Most Popular Blog Posts

Blog Topics by Tags

Monthly Archives

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

Members

Happenings

  • By Popular Demand

    August 24, 2013 from 1pm to 5pm – North West Region - Manchester

    Children's Author Steve Hartley's workshop 'Keeping up Appearances' is both entertaining and interactive, giving you a simple behaviour model that will aid you in giving distinctive and consistent ch…

    Organized by Stephanie Williams - lilyboo147@googlemail.com | Type: workshop

Support the Campaign for the Book

British SCBWI Events Visit SCBWI British Isles' homepage at www.britishscbwi.org

Small Print

BritishScbwi.org is copyright SCBWI British Isles. Articles and artwork featured in this website are copyright to individual authors and artists. All Rights Reserved. Links to other websites are provided as a service but we have no control over these external sites. The British SCBWI Ning is a social network updated by individuals and SCBWI makes no specific endorsements of any books or products mentioned on these pages.

© 2013   Created by candygourlay.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service