Reading in the Greenhouse: A Few Reviews.

I’ve been reading a few books by fellow Greenhouse authors – In fact both myself and Ruth Steven have set ourselves the challenge of trying to read ALL the books by our fellow Greenhouse authors, but so far I’ve only managed three.

A Dog called Homeless by Sarah Lean

 

My name is Cally Louise Fisher and I haven't spoken for thirty-one days. Talking doesn’t always make things happen, however much you want them to.

Cally Fisher saw her mum bright and real and alive. But no one believes her, so Cally’s stopped talking.

 

A mysterious wolfhound always seems to be there when her mum appears and now he’s started following her everywhere. But how can Cally convince anyone that Mum is still with them, or persuade Dad that the huge silver-grey dog is their last link with her?

This is a wonderful book aimed at children in the 8-12 age group. I found it deeply moving and yet uplifting at the same time. It is beautifully and sensitively written. I dare you not to cry. A strong recommend.

Fracture by Megan Miranda

 

 

By the time seventeen-year-old Delaney Maxwell is pulled out of the icy waters of a frozen lake, her heart has stopped beating. She is in a coma and officially dead. But Delaney pulls through. How? Doctors are mystified. Outwardly she has completely recovered. But Delaney knows something is very wrong. Pulled by sensations she can't control, she finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her brain predicting death or causing it? Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who lost his whole family in a car accident and emerged from a coma with the same powers as Delaney. At last she's found a kindred spirit who'll understand what she's going through. But Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature - or something much more frightening?

 

Oooh – if that hasn’t sent chills up your spine nothing will! This is a thriller that keeps you guessing, right until the end. Great stuff, and the bleak winter backdrop makes for an atmospheric setting.

 

The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan

 

Armed with a suitcase and an old laundry bag filled with clothes, Kasienka and her mother head for England. Life is lonely for Kasienka. At home her mother's heart is breaking and at school friends are scarce. But when someone special swims into her life, Kasienka learns that there might be more than one way for her to stay afloat.

This book is absolutely stunning. I’ve never read anything like it. I wasn’t sure at first how a book written entirely in poetry would work – but this really does. It’s a delightful and touching story.

Forest Folk

They were there, amongst the trees, watching me. Shadowy people, almost not there, standing on the marshy ground between the birch and ash. Forest Folk.

Bunting and Sailing Boats

The games are in full swing and the country is caught up in Olympic fever. Down here on the coast the atmosphere is electric.

 

The boats in the harbour are decked out with bunting and out in the bay the racers skim over the swell, their sails sporting their nation’s colours.

 

There are bands playing on the harbourside, and on the beach two large screens make sure we don’t miss out on any of the action.

I’m impressed with how well organised everything is, and how much there is to see and do.

Even the weather is hinting at summer! (Just hinting mind – this is Britain, after all)