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The Paranormal Puppet Show is the first installation of the Invisible Detective series in which four clever kids combine their talents to become Brandon Lake, otherwise known as the Invisible Detective. Set in London in 1937 (but featuring an interesting time-twisting paradox I hope is eventually explained) the story is well-paced, well-written, and a little scary. Compared with the two Doctor Who books, this one lacks serious undercurrents, but has enough layers to keep the pages turning. Read the rest…
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Shining Darkness is also from the Doctor Who series. This one exchanges the likeable Martha for the consistently annoying Donna. And yet … I really didn’t hate Donna in this book. It wasn’t that the author reinvented the character, he just found a way to exploit her strengths in a way the television series never did. And while superficially this book is a kind of Great Race in Outer Space, there is an undercurrent of ethics which causes ripples and waves on the surface and gives this adventure a sophisticated Read the rest…
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Wooden Heart is a recent offering in the book series accompanying the popular television series Doctor Who. We join The Doctor (as portrayed by David Tennant, affectionately known to us hard-core fans as the 11th Doctor) and Martha as they explore a vast, deserted spaceship. Or maybe not so deserted. This is a traditional Doctor Who adventure, long on the mystery and excitement, fast-paced, and with interesting guest characters. The Doctor and Martha are perfectly portrayed. But this adventure has a deeper, Read the rest…
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Lately I have been reading a lot of kids’ books. Not exactly intentionally, but because they were around. My husband has a small collection, half a dozen books, no more, from the new Doctor Who series and the tenuously related Invisible Detective series (written by former BBC books editor Justin Richards). Read the rest…
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The Shrieking Stones is the first book in a new series of children’s horror books (a la Goosebumps) and is suitable for children 8 and up. Not only suitable, enjoyable, pacey, and just scary enough. In fact, even adults can read it.
The Fright Night series follows the adventures of twins Adam and Lana as they accompany their Uncle Larry during filming of an unsuccessful ghost-chasing TV show. Read the rest…
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The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell drew me in, even when I wasn’t sure I wanted to be drawn. This is one of those books where scenes shift from one age to another like strands in a plait. Memories come in fragments, particularly in the case of Kitty, the elder of two sisters, whose mind may, or may not, be failing. But it’s younger sister Esme who has been institutionalized for over 60 years, whose remembrances finally fill in the story. Esme was the ultimate victim of an era when women Read the rest…
(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5)