The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B White

A couple of years ago, the only book I would ever talk about was The Trumpet of the Swan.  Although I don’t love it as much now, it is still one of my earliest memories of reading.

It is the story of a young swan, Louis, who has no voice. When Louis falls in love with another swan, Serena, he cannot declare his love. Louis’s father steals a trumpet from a local music shop to help him. Louis then seeks the help of a young nature watcher named Sam in order to pay off his father’s 

debt.

This story portrays emotion and determination on Louis’s part and devotion on his father’s. Sam is passionate about animals and is only too pleased when Louis requests help from him. It is a moving book and has a happy ending which suits its age category. I think this book is aimed at children aged 8+ but my Mum enjoyed it too when we read it together.

Personally, I am a fan of animal stories, but even if that’s not your favourite genre then you should still give this book a try. The main protagonist may be an animal, but I’d say that second in line would be Sam, who is a human. The book also demonstrates that animals and humans can be friends.

The Trumpet of the Swan is filled with emotion right from the word go. Love. Envy. Fear. Sadness. Determination. Grit. Friendship. This book has it all. It’s like a rollercoaster, dipping and diving, twisting and turning, and it will take you on a journey you'll never forget.

FictionFan1 Rating: 9.5/10

If you liked this author you might like: Holly Webb, Rebecca Stead

About the author: E.B White is commonly known as the author of the popular children’s book, Charlotte’s Web, which tells the story of a pig and a spider’s friendship. I particularly enjoy books that are by renowned authors but which are not their most famous works.

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Coming up soon: Stay tuned for my review of Itch by Simon Mayo...

First Light by Rebecca Stead

First Light is a story about two worlds colliding and the resulting impact. Thea lives in a cold world, underneath Greenland. In another world, above the ice, lives Peter, who begins the story living in America, but then visits Greenland for his father to do some research about global-warming. Meanwhile, Peter’s mother is meant to be writing a book about mitochondrial DNA, but she gets ‘headaches’ and won’t talk or do anything she normally would insist upon during these periods. But Peter begins to suspect these ‘headaches’ are more than she tells of, some sort of sadness.

In the cold world, Thea is determined to find out more about her mother Mai who is now dead. Thea becomes unsure of whether her grandmother tells the truth when she says Thea’s mother drowned in the lake, and sets out on an expedition to find out the truth. With the help of her cousin Mattias, she embarks on a dangerous quest, to leave her birthplace and seek refuge in the outside world.

When these two very different worlds collide, they unravel a ball of secrets, of mystery and dishonesty. Peter joins Thea on her quest and takes his mother to see the cold world, not for the first time...

This amazing book tells not just a story of bravery, courage and friendship, but also touches on some science, about mitochondrial DNA and global warming. This gives the reader a chance to understand the natural world better, particularly the cold areas of it!

My tendency is to read books about emotional journeys or even physical journeys, but I will typically choose mystery over sci-fi, murder over sci-fi, adventure over sci-fi, love over sci-fi, friendship over sci-fi; in short I am not big on that particular genre. But, like most readers, I will give a book a try and if I don’t like it, put it down and reach for it again in a couple of months’ time. In this case although I am not keen on science fiction, I only needed to read the first chapter before I was convinced that I had to read the whole book! It is my absolute favourite book and has been re-read so many times that the pages are starting to get a bit tatty!

First Light is written in the first person, but after every chapter (5-10 pages) the narrator changes. The three narrators in First Light are Thea, Mattias and Peter and through these three viewpoints, you can understand everyone’s opinion, which is just how a book should be!

FictionFan1 Rating: 10/10

If you liked this author you might like: Sharon Creech, Simon Mayo

About the author: When I was younger, I was given a copy of Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead. Liar and Spy was one of my first proper books that in turn my brother and some of my cousins have read. So when I was asked by my grandmother what authors I liked, I said Rebecca Stead. Since then, she has kindly bought me First Light and I have devoured it. Recently I added When you Reach Me by Rebecca Stead to my collection and enjoyed that as well. These are not the only three books Rebecca Stead has written; she writes for children and teen and has several other books to her name.

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Coming up soon: Stay tuned for my review of The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White and Itch by Simon Mayo...

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

This book is one of my all-time favourite books and tells the story of a young boy named Jack opening up to his teacher Miss Stretchberry who urges and then teaches Jack to write poetry. Slowly he reveals more about himself, after being asked by his teacher to write about his pet dog, Sky.

You might wonder why I love this book so much. I know I’m always curious as to what makes someone recommend a book! Before ever reading a book, I will always read the blurb and any comments on the back, plus the first few pages. First, this book’s blurb: it’s original, quirky and intriguing and that made me want to know more.

The comments on the back of the book give an insight into what is to follow. One particular comment really strikes me every time I look back at it:

‘Is it a diary? Is it poetry? Is it a novel? Who cares? It’s simply the most original book I have read for years, and I see it as my duty to tell the world that the ‘book that cannot be pigeonholed’ has been written. Long live the author, may her imagination touch us all.’

In my opinion, this unusual comment by Benjamin Zephaniah is true to the spirit of the book, (which you can’t always say!) and is exactly how Love That Dog should be described. I would tell you more, but I don’t want to spoil it for you!

I am recommending Love That Dog to anybody looking for a book to take them on an emotional journey, up mountains and down canyons as they watch Jack exploring the world of growing up.  Particularly aimed at those aged 9-14, but if you are an adult, don’t be ashamed - get reading!

FictionFan1 Rating: 9.5/10

If you liked this author you might like: Michael Morpurgo, Eva Ibbotson, Rebecca Stead.

About the author: Sharon Creech has written several other books, including an equally amazing sequel, Hate That Cat which describes Jack’s changing emotions towards cats and getting over an emotional obstacle that has been in his way for some time. At the end each of some of her books Sharon includes a list of some of the real-life poems used in her book. To all you budding poets, these might be of interest!

Join the fun: Please subscribe or comment below.  I will be posting updates whenever I read or remember a good book, which is pretty often!

Coming up soon: Stay tuned for reviews of First Light by Rebecca Stead and The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White...