Pupil review of GREAT MINDS: 2500 Years of Thinkers and Philosophy

Today's post is a book review by a pupil at Kingsland Primary School in Scotland, as part of the Blog Tour for GREAT MINDS, written by Joan Lennon and Joan Haig, and illustrated by André Ducci.

Templar Books, Bonnier Books, 2023

This fantastic book, GREAT MINDS, is full of heaps of motivating and factual stories of different inspiring people from around the world. One of the things that we thought was best about this book was the way that it is very inclusive to all cultures and religions of people all with different beliefs and philosophies.We love the way it splits the stories and ideas into different sections, it is a clever and uniform way to lay out the information.

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Thanks to Mrs. Grainne Smith and her bookworms!

Tyger - written by SF Said, illustrated by Dave McKean - reviewed by Dawn Finch (McLachlan)

 

First the blurb...

"In a strange alternate world, where the British Empire is still a cruel ruling force, a young boy called Adam has uncovered something incredible in a rubbish dump in London. A mysterious mythical animal.

A TYGER

The Tyger is in danger, and Aam and his friend Zadie are determined to help. However, they soon realise it isn't just the Tyger's life at stake: the world they live in is also on the precipice of darkness. Luckily, the two children have great powers within them, and the Tyger can show them how to harness what's inside."

It is not hyperbole to say that this is one of the most anticipated books of the past few years. Talk and whispers of what Tyger might look and read like have been drifting around social media for a good long time and it was with no small delight that I opened the package that dropped onto my mat. An advance proof of a book with such an advance buzz around it is always a thrill and this was no different. 

Said is a most unusual writer because it is so hard to fit his books into any particular slot. They often walk a beautiful line along the parallels of graphic novel (working alongside the superb illustrations of Dave McKean* SEE FOOTNOTE) and cult novel. Said's fans (of which I'm one) are happy to talk for hours about the subtle undertones and messages within the text and to discuss deeper meanings. Varjak Paw is an absolute classic and with books like Phoenix adding to the Said shelf it is clear that there was a lot of weight and expectation on Tyger.

Breathe easy, it delivers. In spades.

Adam lives in London. A sort-of London. A London of slavery and subjugation, of violence, racism, and ruin. A London where the Empire continued to develop into brutal colonial fascistic masters. Art, imagination and creativity are crushed and there is no space for many for anything other than adherence to the brutal rules of the state, In this hideously broken (yet painfully familiar) city Adam ekes out an existence helping his father with deliveries from their little alterations and repairs shop. It is on one of these deliveries that Adam is saved from a violent attack when he is protected by a great beast that is hiding out in a vast city rubbish tip.

This is Tyger. This wounded and hunted beast has been speared through its shoulder and yet still comes to Adam's rescue. Adam instinctively does not fear this wild animal and instead helps to remove the broken arrow. The great animal then thanks him. Not with an animalistic sound or act, but with a voice that he can hear and that makes his skin tingle. She calls him "Guardian" and thanks him for helping her.

This is the start of an adventure that whirls through the streets of this hideous London as Adam learns more about Tyger and her purpose and her needs and his vital importance in finding this "Guardian". He meets both friends and foes as he develops his own natural gifts and the city is revealed to him as something new and different. Bit by bit Tyger teaches Adam that everything is not always what it seems to be. In darkness there is light, in desperation there is hope, in filth there is gold. As Adam's perception is altered and expanded by these new powers and philosophies the city and his life takes on a new perspective.

Adam, and his new friend Zadie, must do all they can to protect and help Tyger, but she is hunted. They are being stalked by forces that want to trap Tyger and cage her, and kill her. If this happens she will never fulfill her purpose. In a city that is bubbling up with fear, hate, resentment and violence, can Adam and Zadie save her and and help her carry out her task on Midwinter Night before the hangings? Nothing is certain...

There is no doubt that this book earns one of those rare spots on the shelf marked "Future Classics". It is a remarkable work that will be forever discussed and dissected as people analyse every aspect and write essays on the metaphors and deeper meanings. But set that aside for now because to dissect this work too much is to risk the joy of losing yourself to the story and the imagery. Tyger is not a blunt instrument of warning or metaphor but rather an elegant tapestry of threads that catch you and make you look longer, and deeper. A tapestry that you will return to and follow the threads anew to things you had not noticed at your first glance.

We can learn from Tyger, but not in a way that preaches or nags, We can absolutely learn that nothing is ordinary.

Tyger - written by SF Said and illustrated by Dave McKean will be published by David Fickling Books in October 2022

*FOOTNOTE ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATIONS 

It is worth noting here that I have chosen to not review the illustrations for Tyger yet as the proof copy only has a very small selection. The first few, however, show that this book is going to be every bit as extraordinary as McKean's work usually is. I have decided that I will review the illustrations of Tyger separately later in the year when I can do them justice and review the visual experience of the book properly.

Dawn Finch (McLachlan) is a children's writer and poet and is the current chair of the Children's Writers and Illustrators Group (CWIG) at the Society of Authors.

www.dawnmclachlan.com

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The Reluctant Rebel by Barbara Henderson - review by Alan McClure

 

The well-aired complaint that Scottish schoolchildren learn nothing of their country’s history, in common with many a teaching myth, doesn’t hold up under much scrutiny. In over a decade of teaching I’ve seen classes immersed in Medieval Scotland and the wars of independence; stone-age Scotland; Roman incursions; Scotland in the industrial age; and of course, the ubiquitous Life and Times of Robert Burns (every year, as regular as Christmas). The Curriculum for Excellence always had room for teachers with particular fascinations to pursue them in line with pupils’ interests, and this has led to many a creative and locally-relevant bit of historical topic work. Whether this empowering approach can long survive the post-Covid catch-up agenda remains to be seen: however, even in full flow I’ve seldom (in fact, never) come across a class taking the opportunity to tackle the Jacobite uprisings of the 18^th Century.

 

I’m happy to be corrected about this, but I suspect the period suffers from being so extremely complex. William Wallace and Robert the Bruce can be drawn in fairly bold strokes, often covering a multitude of sins – their contribution to Scottish history is something of a founding myth and took place so long ago that the issues of the time fade into obscurity against the bright, primary colours of A Good Story. Romans, Vikings and the builders of Skara Brae are even more obscure, their marks on the landscape enigmatic, the stuff of fairytales.

 

Bonnie Prince Charlie is a much harder nut to crack. Although the social upheaval that followed his rebellion is still clearly visible in the Scottish landscape - primarily in empty, ruin-strewn glens - he seems easy to pass over en-route to less confusing figures. The binary Scotland vs. England narratives of the 14^th Century don’t hold, despite regular attempts to make them do so, and ‘Government vs Jacobite’ needs a lot more backstory. The religious aspect of the Jacobite cause may also be a block for some teachers: sectarianism is a very live issue in a lot of schools around the country. The Prince himself plays a confusing role in the drama, the subject of a hundred songs of doomed romance but with a pretty chimeric claim to glory or influence.

 

Of course, ambiguity and nuance have the potential to make an excellent and enlightening class topic, so surely the Jacobite story is ripe for investigation. If so, Barbara Henderson has given any aspiring classroom historian exactly the starting point they need in her latest historical novel for children, The Reluctant Rebel.

 

This is the fourth of Henderson’s historical books that I’ve had the pleasure of reading and like Dark Water, The Siege of Caerlaverock and The Chessmen Thief it frames some very big-picture history in an accessible, personal story. The hero of the title is Archie, a 13-year-old who has witnessed the Highlanders’ crushing defeat at Culloden and, in the company of his devoutly Jacobite cousin Meg, manages to escape the post-battle carnage to return home to his widowed mother. The chaos and confusion of the time is cleverly evoked through Archie’s eyes: “So many souls. I taste bile at the back of my throat.”

 

Archie already has ample reason to be suspicious of the Prince’s campaign: his father was killed in the Battle of Prestonpans, leaving Archie in sole charge of his pregnant mother. As a consequence he is quick to conclude that the Cause is dead and that simple survival is the order of the day. This outlook is neatly contrasted by Meg’s unshakable loyalty – she can barely be persuaded to remove her white cockade, symbol of the Jacobite cause, even when the scrutiny of government troops is inevitable.

 

There is ample description of traversing bleak landscape in desperate circumstances, and the sense of uncertainty over who is a friend and who is an enemy haunts the story from the outset. Archie’s continued loyalty to clan over king is an intriguing glimpse of the old Highland order. However, the tale comes into sharp perspective at the appearance of Charles Edward Stewart himself.

 

Henderson is nothing if not a thorough researcher, and the Prince’s appearance in the tale matches his real-life escape route after the catastrophe of Culloden. In The Reluctant Rebel he is beautifully portrayed, a personally ambiguous figure – deeply charismatic, so much so that even Archie feels his doubts disappearing. This is no celebration of royal birth right, though: the reader never once forgets the carnage and horror that this man’s adventurism has caused, and his efforts to save his own skin seldom seem anything other than cowardly.

 

Students of the period will know, of course, of the Prince’s eventual escape, and perhaps of his ignominious waning years as an expatriate royal in the courts of Europe. The intensely personal perspective of our Reluctant Rebel brings the oft-told tale beautifully to life, and I fully expect this novel to become a fixture in upper primary classrooms around Scotland. This is the perfect springboard to a better understanding of a pivotal point in our country’s history.

Freddy Vs School by Neill Cameron, reviewed by Joshua (for Dawn Finch)

My slot this week is being taken over by a guest reviewer - Josh (aged 9) has very kindly agreed to review Freddy Vs School by Neill Cameron.

First the blurb...

"Okay humans, listen up! My name is FREDDY. I live with my Mum and Dad. I go to school. Oh yeah, the MAIN thing: I am an AWESOME ROBOT! With awesome robotic SUPERPOWERS! But I'm hardly ever allowed to USE them, and definitely not at SCHOOL. Which is going to be a PROBLEM... A hilarious first novel from Neill Cameron, creator of the Mega Robo Bros series and How to Make Awesome Comics."

Josh's review...

Freddy vs school was an interesting, rollercoaster story which would thrill any reader especially someone my age. Freddy being a robot adds another adventurous aspect to the book. The plot of the book is very easy to identify once you start reading; a robot boy with fun and sometimes disastrous school adventures!

Freddy is a very funny and cool character with lots of friends. I like Freddy because he's a robot schoolboy around my age. Freddy has some wow superpowers but can't always use them very well. This book is good because it has so many different and interesting characters and such an exciting plot twist at the end.

The layout of the book was engaging and the pictures help set the scene and let the reader visualize the storyline really well. Neill Cameron used his imagination to tell a story that could have been written and illustrated by a 9-year-old it was so captivating.

I would highly recommend this book to other kids around the world that are my age, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Dawn says - I am hugely grateful to Josh for agreeing to take a guest reviewer slot this month. I love it when I can give a book to a discerning reader and when I read this one I knew just who to ask to review it. Cameron has written and illustrated a book here that is an absolute blast. This book is smart, funny and very engaging and I'm sure it will find many fans!

Dawn Finch is a poet and children's writer and the current chair of the Society of Authors' Children's Writers and Illustrators Group (CWIG)

Joshua is a huge book and comics fan and is also a keen historian and chef.  The reviewer was given a copy of the book in return for an unbiased review. This is Joshua's first professional book review, but I'm sure it won't be his last.

 Freddy Vs School by Neill Cameron is published by David Fickling books.