Children's Express reporters review two new books for young people.
| It doesn’t feature talking animals so some people may prefer it... |
Castaways Of The Flying Dutchman
by Brian Jacques, published by Puffin
There are several legends about the Flying Dutchman, but according to this book the ship left Denmark in 1620 and was meant to reach the Pacific side of the Americas, where the captain was going to pick up a shipment of diamonds.
At the beginning of their journey, the crew find a half-dead boy on their ship whom they call him Neb. Afterwards a dog finds his way onto the ship and Neb befriends him, calling him Denmark. Unfortunately, they go through terrible weather and have to turn around many times.
At this point the captain has a fit and shouts terrible abuse at God, who responds by forcing them to sail around for eternity. However, Neb and Denmark, because they are innocent, are saved so they go around the world helping people.
This book is suitable for anyone aged between nine and 12, and it's by Brian Jacques who's famous for the Redwall books. This book, however, is better and more advanced, and his writing style seems to have changed over the years.
It doesn't feature talking animals so some people may prefer it, but it's basically still a fantasy book. Don't expect it to challenge you, but give it a try - you might just love it.
The Ghost Hunter’s House Of Horror
by Ivan Jones, published by Scholastic
This book is quite short but very captivating. The story is about (surprise, surprise) a ghost hunter who is trying to capture 99 ghosts so she can become immortal. She succeeds in collecting the ghosts but things don't go to plan and everything builds up to a cliffhanger ending.
I enjoyed this book because it was very amusing. I'd also seen some of it on TV before I read the book so I found it quite interesting to see how the storyline had been adapted to fit TV.
All things considered, it is a good book and now I would like to read the first two in the series. Perfect for readers aged eight to 12, it's a book for people with a good sense of humour.
About these reviews
Castaways of the Flying Dutchman reviewed by Daniel Cohen, 12. The GhostHunter's House of Horror reviewed by Maija Marsh, 11. The reviews were published at World Online Kids.
