Book Reviews

The Wood for the Trees
by Richard Fortey
pub HarperCollins pbk  4th May #9.99
When Richard Fortey retired as a palaeontologist at the Natural History Museum, he felt the ‘time had come … to escape into the open air’. With the proceeds from presenting a television series, he bought four acres of Chiltern beech wood. For many, owning a wood could have been a simple escape into ‘nature’, but Fortey starts to keep a diary recording wildlife and seasonal changes. His inquiring turn of mind and naturalist’s training deepen his investigation into a wide-ranging and compulsive exploration of all aspects of his small wood. From its geology and prehistory, to the creatures that inhabit it, to its long history of human use, this four acre patch of bluebell and beech wood illustrates the wider story of the eternally changing English landscape.

The Children of Jocasta
by Natalie Haynes
Pan Macmillan £16.99
The ‘cursed child of cursed parents’, Ismene is attacked in her home at the age of fifteen. She survives being stabbed, but who can she now trust? At fifteen, her mother Jocasta was told she must marry Laius, King of Thebes, an old man she has never met. Passed from uncaring parents to neglectful husband, Jocasta’s life will never be her own, unless she takes matters into her own hands.
The story of Oedipus and Jocasta is a well-known one, one of the best known of classical stories, brought to prominence in the modern world by Freud. But Haynes’s fresh retelling, using alternating chapters from Ismene’s and Jocasta’s viewpoints is rich in detail and full of unexpected revelation – the stories you are told, aren’t always the truth.

Children’s Books

Dragon’s Green
by Scarlett Thomas
Canongate £12.99
Novelist Scarlett Thomas has built up a devoted following for her quirky, clever novels for grown-ups, such as ‘The Seed Collectors’ and cult hit ‘The End of Mr Y’. She has now published her first book for children, ‘Dragon’s Green’, which contains many of the elements familiar from her adult novels…. A cursed book, portals to alternative realities, and nerdy, sassy modern characters – but with added magic!
The story is set in this world, strangely altered after a Worldquake which has erased the internet and allowed magic to seep through from the shadowy Otherworld.  After the suspicious death of her beloved grandfather, young Effie Truelove is bequeathed his library of ancient books, and directions to read a specific book. As Effie turns the pages of ‘Dragons Green’, she is transported to the Otherworld, where her magical abilities begin to unfold, and she discovers that dark powers are seeking control of her grandfather’s books and the powerful magic within them. 
Effie and her new friends Wolf, Max, Raven and Lexy must discover and nurture their latent magical abilities, and level up their ‘M-Currency’ by collecting magical boons, in order to avenge the murder of her grandfather and rescue the library from the clutches of the evil Diberi sorcerors.  
‘Dragon’s Green’ is a fast-paced, magical yet utterly modern fantasy, and although it is billed as the first in the ‘Worldquake’ series it is a perfectly formed story by itself. It is full of marvellously convincing magical details, with nods to videogame culture, witty literary allusions, and sharp observational comedy, and should appeal to independent readers aged 9-13 who are wondering ‘What next?’ after finishing the Harry Potter series. It’s definitely worth a read for Scarlett’s grown-up fans too! 

The Tale of the Castle Mice
by Michael Bond.
Illustrated by Emily Sutton
pub Random House Children’s Books £6.99 pbk
We can never resist a book illustrated by Emily Sutton, whose greetings cards and prints we love, and this nostalgic story by Paddington Bear author Michael Bond was immediately snapped up at the bookshop by Alice who has managed very ably to train her children to appreciate sweet old fashioned tales. A family of mice live in a castle dolls’ house but disaster strikes when the dolls’ house is taken away. What will they do? Age 3-6

Bee: Nature's Tiny Miracle
by Patricia Hegarty
Illustrated by Britta Teckentrup
Little Tiger Press £6.99
A delightful peep through book following the progress of a bee as it travels from flower to flower. The lyrical text provides a useful insight for a young child into the process of pollination and growth while the glorious coloured illustrations make this a gift book to cherish.