Sa Toya – Amazon Reviewer.
I received this book from the Goodreads First Reads scheme. I have an 8 year old bro and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Read it a few time since. I always encourage to read as many different books as possible. He really enjoys a good book.This is a great book for ids illustrated by kids and the author. It's a refreshing look at the Golden rule. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."My issues: What is a shongololo? I know now but would've liked to during reading. Why is he 'good-for-nothing'?I know it's a common saying but he's only little and at that age a lot of children aren't experts in an field and everyone is always good for and at something.My brother was a bit concerned of the little boys's and his family's potential ostracism. More of what I like! The culture differences shown. I like learning about other cultures and I think all children should be exposed to other ways of life. Overall it's a good book for early readers...5-7 and perfect for reading out loud.
Merissa (Archaeolibrarian) Amazon reviewer.
Wonderful! If you want a book to get your child (or yourself!) interested in the Anglo-Saxon period, then this is the book to do it. The author has an amazing knowledge of Northumberland and Lindisfarne which is written into the story without taking it over. The period of the piece is also extremely well written, giving excellent descriptions of life, clothing and food etc. There is a young hero that you will be rooting, a strange helper that you will find intriguing, a villain you will be booing and a young girl that you will like. Gripping!
Book review of First Wolf by writer and journalist Julie Phillips.
From the moment I read the first paragraph of Carole Anne Carr's First Wolf I was hooked. We follow the journey of twelve year old Toland and his family who are forced to flee from the horrible Eorl Uhtred who is attacking villages, and due to Toland's father's refusal to give Eorl Uhtred what he wants, their village is next. I really cared about what happened to Toland and I was amazed by the ferocity of his sense of honour and courage as he helps his grandmother, mother and younger brother to safety. I forgot several times in the book that he is a boy and not a man. Despite his disability and young age, his dogged determination to follow his father's instructions and the quest entrusted upon him by the monks of Lindisfarne endeared me to him and his plight. It's a coming of age book that shows older children that although unfair and bad things do sometimes happen, the power of the good in people does win through over the bad. Sometimes children are forced to take control and lead the way. Poor Toland has enough trials and danger to last him a life time in First Wolf, but with his beloved dog Bodo by his side, and his friendship with a young girl Kendra, and help from others they meet on the way, mixed in with a little mythology and the supernatural, First Wolf is an excellent read.
Sophie Corness
Want to find a brilliant children’s book which will encourage them to read while offering historical accuracy? Check out this latest novel. In ‘Candle Dark’, published and written by Shropshire-based author Carole Anne Carr, she has once again used her wealth of experience as a primary school teacher to create a world set against a backdrop of what life was really like for children working in coal mines in the Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire during the 18th century. This book highlights the hardships of life down the mines for youngsters as it follows the book’s hero, Joshua, on an exciting adventure. Carole has written a novel that will not only engage children but also encourage them to read for pleasure. This publication can be enjoyed by youngsters and adults alike, and offers a valuable teaching tool for those keen to learn more about life in Ironbridge at that time. I really enjoyed this, it is superbly written and it proved to be very difficult to put it down! Although the characters and events are imaginary, Carole has portrayed the working conditions and the life of the family living in the Gorge at a time of rapid industrial growth, and as well as being an exciting read, is a wonderful teaching tool for Key Stage 2. The author is at present writing a sequel to Candle Dark, entitledRiver Dark, which has the River Severn and the trows as an integral part of the story.
Sue Horder-Mason – Amazon Reviewer.
5 out of 5 stars Wonderful book! I don't often read 'childrens' fiction but this book grabbed me from the start. Carole Anne Carr takes you on an adventure, the book is fast moving and you can feel your heart beating as fast as the characters. Her description of life in by gone days in the Ironbridge Gorge is amazing, you can really see it as it was and how life was like for people in those days. I can't recommend this book enough for both young and not so young.
Susan Kane – Amazon Reviewer.
The Industrial Revolution changed the world in broad strokes. More important is how it changed the lives of individuals, like the hero of this book. Children in the labor force then suffered terribly, without a hope for an upward mobility. This book provided a hope for light in a dark dark place.
Alex S – Amazon Reviewer.
If only more people knew about it! I first heard about this book when the author visited a bookshop, and I was lucky enough to get it signed... and it's brilliant. Really absorbing, extremely gripping and basically a must read.
Lizzie – Amazon Reviewer.
5 out of 5 stars Exciting and very moving. Thoroughly enjoyed this book even though it was written as a child's book I couldn't put it down. Very well written and extemely moving and I want to read more.
Ann Carbine Best – Amazon Reviewer
5 out of 5 stars If you love great poetry, I’m confident you’ll love this collection. Other reviewers have summarised the intriguing evocations of childhood and then the adult persona who has become, in a way, a child again as she thinks about her experiences of a lifetime in England and Africa, places that in themselves resonate with me emotionally, not because I have ever lived in either of these places, or even been there, but because of the history associated with them. Those poems are fascinating as are all of the others especially because of the sensory images Ms. Carr uses to draw us emotionally into each poem. Only a poet as skilled as Ms. Carr could write poems that capture times and places in such a way that they become universal. Skilled in associational movement and concrete imagery, she draws me into the poem in such a way that I feel as if I’m, for example, the “teenager, consumed by a religious fervour” or the “princess, dazzling, beautiful / where the hot bellied dragon / gazes in awe at the sight of her.” These are only two of the poems where Ms. Carr exhibits her skill with free verse. I was also impressed with her rhyming skills that reminded me of the great poets Robert Frost and Richard Wilbur. The rhymed poem I especially like is the delightful “Writers’ Weekend,” with its apt Dickensian allusion. For example, the following stanza: “Huddled by the fire we shut the door the fuel in the bucket’s growing less. Oliver like, I dare to ask for more but, sad to say, with just as much success.” I especially smiled at the last line, which ends in surprise, a surprise enhanced by the fact that it stands alone and doesn’t rhyme with anything before it. Form enhancing meaning. I’m still smiling. EVERY poem in this collection begins in delight and ends in surprise, as every great poem does. Great poems are also those you can read again and again and experience something new each time. There is so much to enjoy and ponder from the narrative flow, the vivid imagery, the wry humour, and the interesting characters that include the poet as she shares with us a lifetime of wisdom and discovery. I’m very glad I have a print copy of Kaleidoscope, as well as a copy for my Kindle. I encourage anyone who loves poetry to get this in any form. I hope Ms. Carr will write more poems, but if not, there are her children’s books. I especially want to read Candle Dark. Such an intriguing title.