Norhtern Lights by Phillip Pullman

Posted on Thursday, 1 October 2009, 10:15 a.m.

Thursday, October 1, 2009
Northern Lights by Phillip Pullman
This is one of the books that has been on my to read list for an absolute age and I finally managed to do it when it was featured on my OU course reading list, and it was well worth it.

The plot races along and so much happens quickly, the characters are mostly divided into good or bad although there are some that can cross the divide and redeem themselves. Now also a major film, (the golden compass) I knew some of the plot before reading but the book really draws out the characters and wonders of the child that is the main character.

Lyra is a feisty girl, a tomboy in many ways although her initial encounter with Mrs Coulter allows her to explore her more girly, feminine side and so she appeals to girls and boys alike. Written for older children the book although easy enough to read has real danger, intrigue and fear that could frighten more able younger children and there are a lot of characters to keep track of.

The idea is that all humans have daemons that are linked to their soul, when they feel pain so do the humans to which they belong and when the humans die so do the humans. There is however a board that wants to find out what happens when you separate a child from their daemon and then there is the strange dust that settles on everything but also seems do disguise other worlds hidden behind the Aurora in the North.

This is a read that has a little bit of everything, the struggle between good and evil, witches, fantastic creatures, daring children and of course towards the end the blurring of the divide between good and evil and the problem of deciding which is which. For those aged 9 and upwards and adults I would recommend this book.

Divas by Rebecca Chance

Posted on Monday, 7 September 2009, 01:40 p.m.

Lola Fitzgerald has everything, pin up boyfriend, tabloid celebrity lifestyle and a pin-up boyfriend, that is until her trust fund is frozen and the locks have been changed, her boyfriend is in the papers for all the wrong reasons and the people she once thought of as friends are busy stabbing her in the back and making money out of her misfortune. Lola has to learn to stand on her own two feet and find out some real lessons about life.

Evie on the other hand, the other lead female is street wise and used to having to do unspeakable things to squeak by, that was until she met a sugar Daddy who met her every desire, sadly he is now ill and she too is out on the street.

The characters are spot on, the dialogue well observed and the action relentless. Towards the end I found I was greedily devouring the book to see how it would all turn out as the characters find themselves in ever more disastrous scenarios. A perfect read for holidays or for some wonderful escapism, a solid debut.

Lazy Town live stage show

Posted on Sunday, 23 August 2009, 01:43 p.m.

It was a gloriously sunny day, we had taken a railway journey and then had lunch al fresco, followed by a walk along the sea front. We arrived at the Cliffs Pavilion twenty minutes before the show was due to start. We queued for overpriced neon flashing toys which delighted the children (5,3 and 1.) We bought a program with stickers included and visited the toilets!

We took our seats in the stalls, in the centre of the fifth row and the babble from the assembled children, many of them dressed in the blue of Sportacus and the pink wigs of Stephanie had an excited tone. On time a warm up lady appeared to set the scene, we were going to voyage to Lazy Town, and we did.

The show was superb, high energy, bright and true to the show. A mixture of two well known episodes, the pirate adventure and the one where Sportacus forgets who he is. The premise being that if the apple tree in Lazy Town ever died life would effectively end! The actors were clear and the singing and dancing brilliant, the kids were encouraged to join in a few times which of course they loved. Having been to the original show I was pleased to find the cast was pretty much the same, but had grown into their roles and were performing with more precision. The children really believed they were in Lazy Town and loved the show. There were plenty of gasps and shouts at the right moment and I for one will be booking tickets should they tour again with a new show. 5/5