Book Review: THE MURDERER'S APE (Sally Jones #2)

 

Title: The Murderer's Ape

Author: Jakob Wegelius

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Pages: 605

My GoodReads Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Henry Koskela, Chief to Sally Jones, the gorilla he rescued, is arrested for the murder of Aphonse Morro. He has motive. It was Morro that had sent him on a misadventure that caused him to lose his beloved boat, the Hudson Queen, and their hard-earned savings. But Koskela has no way to prove his innocence.

Only Sally Jones knows that her Chief has done nothing wrong. That he did not seek to kill Morro. That Morro fell by accident. But what can an ape do? Particularly when powerful people are determined to keep him imprisoned forever.

Now Sally Jones is on the run from the powerful men who want to bring anarchy to Portugal. Luckily, she meets Ana Molina, a young woman with an angelic voice who works in a shoe factory. Soon Ana’s friends become the friends of Sally Jones, but danger is never far away from Sally Jones.

 

The story is told in the first person past tense PoV of Sally Jones, not Sally. Always Sally Jones. It is, in fact, being typed out by her on a typewriter, long after the incidents described in the book are over.

This book started well. I didn’t realise who the narrator was until the last line on the first page when she said that her fur is itchy with coal dust. As a character, Sally Jones had great potential. She is literate, she can type, repair stuff, play chess and she serves as first engineer on a ship.

 

As a rule, I don’t read fantasy, but this one was targeted at children and promised to be warm and fuzzy. So I made an exception. The characters were all sweet, but not really unforgettable. Sally Jones herself didn’t live up to her potential. The adversaries weren’t really evil, in keeping with the target audience. This is children’s fiction after all.

The writing was sweet, especially the scenes where Sally Jones meets the Chief after their prolonged separation.

The writer does a good job with the time period. Set in the early 20^th century, there are accordions, motor boats, steamers, typewriters etc. Illustrations of these would have helped young readers to get an understanding of older technologies.

But there was tremendous room for improvement. For the greater part of the book, the Chief was in jail, serving a sentence of 25 years in prison. Considering that the Chief and Sally Jones were the main characters, they both should have a greater role to play in the book. As it is, the story picks up the thread of the plot only with about 100 pages to spare.

With the Chief stuck in jail, Sally Jones is sent off on a grand adventure, heading off to Egypt and spending a long spell in India, beating a king at chess and being his confidante, but not really advancing the plot of the story. Given that the title of the book is The Murderer’s Ape, I thought that Sally Jones should have been shown to be doing more to get the Chief released.

It’s a fantasy after all. If the author could make her literate, able to understand English, why not get her to grunt some words? If she is good at “fixing broken things”, why not make her use that skill to enable the Chief’s release rather than spending time fixing broken accordions with nothing to break the monotony for the Chief. The poor guy spends years in prison.

Also, at 605 pages, it is much too long and the pace far too slow. Young ones are bound to lose interest in such a heavy tome. I do think the author could have done more to bring out the themes of love and friendship, loyalty and innocence. As it is, with Sally Jones travelling around the world, those themes get diluted a fair bit.

The illustrations, the grainy pencil sketches were charming, quaint and inviting. 

(I read this book on Edelweiss. Thank you to the author, the publisher and Edelweiss.) 

Book Review: THE MYSTERY OF BANSHEE TOWERS

Title: The Mystery of Banshee Towers (The Five Find-Outers #15)
Author: Enid Blyton
Publisher: Mammoth
Pages: 180
My GoodReads Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The last and only Five Find-Outers book by Enid Blyton I read was when I was 10. Back then, I’d been quite impressed with the book, even more so than her Famous Five and Secret Seven series of books, which tended to display a certain sameness after a while. But I hadn’t managed to lay my hands on the other books in the series. We just didn’t have access to many books then. Very soon I moved on to Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys and left Blyton behind.

Recently La Niña picked up some books from the Five Find-Outers series at the library, and I decided to read it soon after she had finished, for old times’ sake. The first one I picked up was The Mystery of Banshee Towers. The characters are siblings Bets and Pip, siblings Larry and Daisy, and only child Fatty. Fatty is one of those people who always found themselves in the middle of something thrilling.

There were some good messages that the book enforced. The importance of being well-mannered, warning readers about how a hot temper led you into doing silly, rash things you were sorry for afterwards – and then it was probably too late. The book also said that describing someone as a friend is about the best thing anyone can say about anyone else.

In later years, we read critique about Blyton being racist, but back then we just didn’t latch on to that. We hadn’t assumed a racist mindset as a result of reading the books and so we vociferously defended the long-dead Blyton when this accusation was hurled at her. But the truth is we simply weren’t paying attention. 

We were so naïve then. We let ourselves get carried away by this enormously exciting world, where kids were left on their own, allowed to have exciting adventures without having to account for every moment of their day to their parents. And then there were the picnic baskets with scones, profiteroles and things like that, foods that we just couldn’t put a mental image to, but they excited us all the same.

The mystery of course was rather tame, looked at from an adult standpoint, although the child-me found it great, and La Niña was duly impressed.

In this book, we have Ern, nephew of Mr Goon, or Clear Orf, as the kids call him. Ern’s family has the measles and so he and his dog, Bingo, have been sent to his uncle’s house. Offended by his uncle’s ill-treatment of him and Bingo, Ern leaves his uncle’s house and moves into Fatty’s workroom. This is how he becomes a temporary member of the Five Find-Outers.

Clearly something isn’t right about the place. Also, the banshee wails every Thursday and the owner insists that it is real. Then Ern learns that a red boat painted in one of the paintings has been painted over. The investigation into the missing boat catapults them into yet another adventure.

Book Review: THE BOOKSHOP GIRL

Title: The Bookshop Girl

Author: Sylvia Bishop
Illustrator: Poly Bernatene

Publisher: Peachtree Publishing Company

Pages: 144

My GoodReads Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I can never resist books about books or bookshops or the writing process. And so, I naturally gravitated towards this one, and it helped that this charming story was a treat and the illustrations were beautiful.

It is the story of a five-year-old girl whose parents forget her in a bookshop, the White Hart, owned by Netty Jones and her 10-year-old son Michael. The Jones treat her kindly and make her part of their family. And because she is somebody’s lost property, she is named Property Jones.

When the story begins, Property is 11 years old, and we come to know of a dreadful secret, one that Netty and Michael have never suspected, and that secret is that Property cannot read.

It is at this time that the family comes to know of the Object of Wonder, a contest run by Albert H Montgomery, the owner of the Great Montgomery Book Emporium, the biggest bookshop in Britain, and probably in the world.

The Joneses go on to win the prize, which includes a very surly kitten, named Gunther, who is as far from a pet as you can imagine. You might think that it would be the beginning of a happily-ever-after for them. But that is not the case. 

There is no story without conflict, and it is the same here. A huge challenge threatens, forcing the Joneses out of their Book Emporium and even out of the White Hart Book shop. It will be up to Property, with a little help from Gunther, to save the day. But how can a little girl who doesn’t even know how to read go about saving the only family she has?

The pace is breathtakingly fast as Property works hard to win back her family home.

The book was originally written in German. The English translation was sweet and quaint and the illustrations a total delight.

The book conjures up amazing visual delights, not unlike the world created by Roald Dahl in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I’ve always imagined Paradise to be crammed with books from floor to ceiling, similar to the library in the Beauty and the Beast, but the Book Emporium has a device that ups the ante, adding ambience to enhance the effect.

Another delightful aspect of this book was the friendly manner in which the narrator addressed the reader, talking to us in the second person.

The book evokes so many of the feelings that are close to a book lover’s heart, the smell of the books, how we love them even when they are old and yellowed, the sound of pages rustling. I also liked the fact that this book makes a strong case for abilities, in the face of inabilities, pointing out that every skill has its significance. The importance of the family is underscored here, as being the people that care about you, no matter what.

We don’t get much backstory about Netty and Michael, nor about Property, and we don’t care. It is this adventure that concerns us. Even so, the few details that we gather are enough to make us care for this family of Joneses.

I liked Michael. He loves dictionaries. I do too. On winning the Great Montgomery Book Emporium, Michael’s face lights up at the thought that they will have every book in the world. What a treasure that must be!

Property has amazing powers of observation; she can tell a lot about books even though she cannot read. She can figure out the genre of a particular book by the cover and the thinness of the paper alone.

My daughter and I both enjoyed this book very much.

(I read this book through Edelweiss.)

Book Review: THE CURSE OF THE CHEESE PYRAMID

Title: The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid (Geronimo Stilton #2)

Author: Geronimo Stilton

Publisher: Puffin

Pages: 128

My GoodReads Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

I first came to know of Geronimo Stilton only when a book from the series was gifted to La Niña. It was the first book that she began to read on her own. Prior to that, she enjoyed reading but preferred to be read to, claiming that it left her free to exercise her imagination.

It was the formatting of this series, complete with words in different colours and fonts, text in various sizes, and numerous small illustrations scattered throughout the pages, intermingled with the text, that invited her to read for herself. She hasn’t stopped reading since.

Geronimo Stilton is the editor of The Rodent’s Gazette, a popular newspaper on Mouse Island. When his grandfather, William Shortpaws, a notorious cheapskate and the founder of the newspaper, decides to cut back on the expenses, Geronimo discovers that he is in for a most terrible time.

Grandfather William fires all the employees and orders Geronimo to do all the work, including writing, printing, and being general errand boy. Geronimo’s sister Thea is named the Page Three correspondent, while his cousin, Trap, who cannot hold a job, is appointed Grandfather’s personal cook. Geronimo’s nine-year-old nephew, Benjamin, is named Grandfather’s personal assistant.

The elderly mouse sends Geronimo off to Egypt to write a special report on the pyramids. But the flight and other arrangements that have been made are so cheap and dubious that the young hero wonders if he will ever return alive. 

Instead of a seat belt, there is a piece of string. The windows are broken and passengers are urged to buy overpriced parachutes and lifebuoys. To make matters worse, when he wants to visit the washroom, he is given a bedpan, and the plane runs out of fuel in mid-flight.

Once he lands in Egypt, he discovers that Prof Alrat Spitfur has invented a new way to create energy using camel dung. The professor invites Geronimo to visit the pyramid of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh, Cheops.

Geronimo will be kicked at and spat on before this adventure is over.

La Niña loved the book. She loves to draw and paint and was entranced by the colourful illustrations.

The characters have such evocative names as Sammy Slickpaw, Alrat Spitfur, ‘Crash’ Ratjack, Ted Simplesnout, Miss Sally Skinnyfur, Daniel E Deadfur etc, all guaranteed to amuse kids. The locations in the book are Mouse Everest, the Great Mousewood Forest.

The figures of speech, Quick as a water rat doing the pawstroke, I looked like a tired lump of mouldy green cheese and Like a cat with a fur ball stuck in its throat etc and other expressions Slimy Swiss balls, Holey Cheese, Crunchy Cheese Chunks etc are all examples of regular expressions adapted to the mouse world.

Along the way, young kids get a not-quite-authentic (since the pharaohs are all mice) but still thoroughly entertaining lecture on Egyptian culture.

(I read this book through NetGalley.)

RE-LEARNING THE ABC WITH MAMMA -- Now available on Amazon Kindle

As we stand at the beginning of a brand New Year 2019, I come bearing glad tidings.

This December gone by, I gave myself a Christmas gift that had been years in the making. Five years, to be precise.

My first book, a work of non-fiction, is finally available on the Kindle store. Re-learning the ABC with Mamma consists of the life lessons I learned from my parents, lessons that I now want to share with my kids. 

I'd be mighty thrilled if you'd click on the link in the paragraph above right now to check out my book.

I'd be even more overjoyed if you would click on the link that says, BUY NOW.

And my joy would absolutely hit the roof and sail upwards through the air if you would go on to read the book from cover to cover, and leave behind a review to tell me, and the world, that you loved it, or liked it, or even if you didn't.

Meanwhile, I want to draw your attention to the cover. The image has been drawn by my 10-year-old daughter, who's been my biggest cheerleader on this journey. Art professionals and publishing experts might scoff and sneer and tell me the book won't get noticed if the cover isn't a professionally managed job. That it will never sell. That it will gather a lot of figurative dust.

I'm choosing to listen to my heart.

This is my way of honouring her. Of thanking her for cherishing my dream and rooting for it through the many hurdles that have sprung up, when I came so close to giving up.  

Sometimes you make decisions that are more important than the ringing of the cash register. 

Not that the sales numbers aren't important.

The sales proceeds, I promised the One Upstairs long before the book was even fully written, would go to the Missionaries of Charity, and so every sale matters. Particularly to those who will benefit from the proceeds.

The sales figures, so far, have been in the lower end of the single digits, but the joy these rare species have brought us has been immeasurable. My little girl and I have held hands and danced around the room each time we saw that oh-so-tiny spike on the sales chart.

This book has been a labour of love for us both.

As I write this, still awash in the glow of a season that someone far wiser than me described as one  "which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love," I believe and hope that the love with which this book has been infused will go around and be shared and return to bless all those whose lives it touches.

Happy New Year to you and yours!

Book Review: MAID OF SECRETS (MAIDS OF HONOR #1)

Title: Maid of Secrets (Maids of Honor #1)
Author: Jennifer McGowan
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pages: 416

Maid of Secrets is the story of Meg Fellowes, a 17-year street thief who makes a living by lightening people’s pockets. Part of the Golden Rose acting troupe founded by her grandfather, Meg’s fortunes change dramatically when she is chosen to be one of five maids to spy for Queen Elizabeth.

Meg is caught and taken to Windsor Castle, where she expects to be punished. Instead, she is inducted into an elite group of five maids who will serve as the Queen’s ‘eyes and ears.’ She is to be the Queen’s property, utensils she can bend and shape as she wishes or throw into the trash heap without a backward glance.

Should she refuse this assignment, the members of her acting troupe will be hunted down and tortured, while she would be imprisoned for life.

While the adventure sounds exciting, poor Meg has to make do with tedious attempts to translate and study texts in Latin, French, Dutch and Spanish, besides politics, social graces, observation skills and poisons, manners and food, dancing and elocution, language and court behaviour and how to kill or maim without creasing our skirts. All this under the tutelage of Sir William Cecil, who does nothing to hide his disdain for her.

The other four maids are Anna Burgher, Sophia Dee, Beatrice Knowles, and Jane Morgan, who Meg nicknames the Scholar, the Seer, the Belle and the Blade respectively. She herself is named Rat by the others, on account of the task she is enjoined with, ferreting out secrets and reporting them to the Queen.

While Anna and Sophia treat her with kindness and Jane tolerates her, Beatrice does nothing to hide her contempt of Meg, of the fact that is unlettered, and her humble background.

Meg herself cares nothing for literacy skills, but she does want to learn to read well enough to decipher the contents of a book that her grandfather gave her on his deathbed. The book and a set of golden picklocks are his legacy to her.

The queen assigns her to spy upon the newest member of the Spanish delegation, Rafe Luis Medina, the Count de Martine, who she suspects of being an agent of King Philip of Spain. King Philip was married to Elizabeth’s late half-sister, Mary, and Elizabeth suspects him of causing disruptions at the court in an attempt to prove her unfit to rule. She asks Meg to find out who is causing the disturbances and brutal attacks. It is a top secret mission and Meg must trust no one. 

Meanwhile, Cecil and Sir Francis Walsingham, the Queen’s spymaster, urge Meg to spy on the queen herself. Meg is torn between fulfilling her duty to the Queen and following their orders, knowing that she and her troupe will be punished if she doesn’t.

Intrigue is rife and everyone has secrets and is playing games, manipulating situations for their own ends.  The danger is very real, Meg realizes, when she comes to know that she has been brought in as a replacement for Marie Claire, a spy who was brutally murdered for her pains. Marie’s ears and tongue had been cut off and her eyes hollowed out of their sockets.

It’s all overwhelming for Meg, and the situation gets even more complicated when the Count turns out to be astonishingly handsome and charming. Isn’t her assignment hard enough without having to guard her heart?

Unfortunately Meg has no idea who is a friend and who a foe. She has to follow conflicting orders while ensuring that she doesn’t meet Marie’s fate. And it all comes to a head when the Queen announces the masked ball when there will be Sworn enemies.

Desperate conspirators. 

Fawning opportunists. 

Cunning traitors. 

And every one of them in disguise. 

God save the Queen.

Written in the first person of Meg, the story is an engaging one that sweeps you off your feet, straight into the London of April 1559, shortly after the coronation of Elizabeth as Queen.  The voice is friendly, winging her way into our confidence and goodwill.

Meg is an interesting character, intelligent and witty. I wouldn’t say her voice is distinctive, but she manages to meet adventure and danger head-on without simpering in the manner of other heroines of the time. And that is an achievement. 

I liked the fact that marriage wasn’t the end-all of her existence, as well as her sense of loyalty to her troupe and her secret skills. These include her light-fingeredness and the ability to repeat verbatim anything she has heard once, down to inflection, no matter what the language.  I also appreciated the fact that she fell into the deep end and learned to swim.

The author conjures up the London of the time, the sounds and smells of the streets, the rotting fish carcasses pooled in narrow ditches, the foul-smelling passages, that one knows from the works of Charles Dickens.

She also does a fine job of making the milieu come alive. It is a time when men have all the rights, and a married woman is at best a prize goat or a sturdy cow. She also excels in her descriptions of the outrageously flamboyant and slightly ridiculous costumes of the era.

I appreciated this book for the strength of the women in it. Elizabeth says she does not need a husband. She says The people need only a strong monarch to rule them, not a male one. And I need no one but myself to rule. It is a reminder that strong women have always stood up for themselves. Yet again, Elizabeth says, All men are a threat to women…no matter if she is maid or monarch…Especially those men we most want to trust.

Above all, kudos to the author for keeping the excitement burning throughout the story. The nervous tension, the danger all felt real. The Trenchmore dance where Meg steals the letters from Rafe’s pockets and has to return them to his pockets before the dance ends was a moment when I had my heart in my mouth.

I found myself getting caught in the excitement of it all. I also liked the fact that the romance here was not intrusive, and did not ever supersede the intrigue and the adventure. In this book, set within the genre of historical fiction, the romance was not without its charm.

With a sound knowledge of the Elizabethan era and its history, and a feisty and independent minded heroine to recommend it, Maid of Secrets is a book that deserves to be read.