Soldier Dog by Sam Angus

Rating:

5 Stars

Themes:

Historical Fiction, World War 2, Middle Grade

Thoughts:

This book is split up into three parts, in the first part we are in Lancashire, England and with the way in which Da behaved towards Stanley I was starting to think it was a bit too down for me atm but it is actually important to the rest of the story. Stanley’s love for animals, especially Soldier, is soo sweet and the way in which he describes them makes such a clear picture in our minds. I was torn between thinking Stanley running away to war felt like a severe overreaction and underestimation of what he was signing up for and being glad the situation with Da would be ending. It was interesting to see the way that many different soldiers reacted to Stanley since we knew he was only 14 and records suggest that as many as 250,000 boys under 18 actually served in WW1. I liked the way in which many of the older soldiers as senior officers did what they could to keep Stanley away from the horrors of the front line and that some such as Hamish and James taking him under their wings at training base and again in the trenches. The horrors of war are well communicated without being overly brutal so I can see how it would be great for the age range Scholastic recommends of 11+ as at that age I was doing trench warfare in class so it would have been a really great book to have read then.

Favourite Quote:

“This is no place for dogs, or horses, no place for sons or fathers or brothers.”

Comments

Mint and Murder by Carly Winter

Rating: Stars Themes: Short Story, Cosy Mystery Thoughts: Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I had to read this book, seeing it was available, after reading Pipers Piping and Puppies last year. I did read it as a standalone (it’s not the first time I’ve read a series out of order and likely won’t be the last) I managed to follow along fine although I’m sure I’d have understood the relationship dynamics better had I read it in the correct order. I found the story great and as for the mystery I was guessing myself right the way through until Sam figured it out. Sam is a strong female main character who feels worth investing in so I may have to go search some more of the Heywood Herbalist series out. I enjoyed seeing Sam interact with her friends as they had great chemistry and it felt real, and also really liked Sam’s interactions with Doug as it added another layer of humanity to her and reality to the town. I would love ...

Porn is Not Sex Ed! by Jessica Melendez

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Young Adult Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. In the age of lessening sex education this book could be a great tool to help bridge the gap. I appreciate the talk to an adult bits that can encourage children to start to have conversations that are important but they often think are cringy. The note to trusted adults bit at the end is great too and there’s quite a few useful activities to help the messages really sink in. Some of the points here such as fetishisation and body image are really important ones that I never learned that young (which could be the reason I had such poor body image as a teen) and for the most part the book talks to kids on their level although some areas may feel a little immaturely worded for older teens. With thanks to Hachette UK and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy of this book.

The War of Sober by Edward Rand

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Self-Help, Addiction, Psychology Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a great book not just for addicts trying to establish and maintain their sobriety but also psychologists, counsellors and the people working with them. It approaches the experience of addiction from the perspective of going to war and may help those who can’t get along with the 12 steps, contingency management or other forms of therapy traditionally used. It’s also helpful to have Edward detail his own experiences and approaches throughout so it feels less clinical and shows he does know what he’s talking about when he mentions the difficulties so it comes across less patronising than some self-help addiction books. Favourite Quote: "It doesn't matter what happened yesterday. Win or lose, if we are still alive, we must decide to be different today and then make the correct choices today, because friends, ...

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