Little Women (a retelling) by Laura Wood

Pages: 132 

Publisher: Barrington Stoke 

Released:  6th of April 2023 

Bestselling author Laura Wood brings the adventures of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy to even more readers in this beautiful retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s coming-of-age classic.

Little Women, the charming story of the brave and resilient March sisters, has been adored by generations of readers who have identified with the struggles of kind and pretty Meg; gentle, delicate Beth; precocious, artistic Amy; and of course wild, tomboyish Jo, determined to forge her own path and become a writer.

Follow the girls as they come of age during the American Civil War and fall in love with the story all over again in this retelling by award-winning writer Laura Wood.

What I Have to Say 

A heartwarming and faithful retelling, that captured the heart and soul of the original, this book is perfect for anyone who wants to read Little Women but finds the original a bit long. Whether for younger children, or anyone who finds reading a struggle, or even people who just want a taste of the book with setting aside the time to read the whole thing, this retelling covers all the important moments of the first half. 

I read the original book a while ago, so can't remember all the details, but the most important thing about the book to my mind is the relationships of the Marsh sisters. This book set them up perfectly and succinctly, getting enough on the page to show the different personalities and the ups and downs of their relationships with each other, while still remembering that the reader is young or possibly dyslexic. It has all the intricate details while catering to the reader. 

I definitely would recommend this to anyone struggling with the full book. I really hope they continue on and do the second half, originally called Good Wives. 

4 stars 

My thanks goes to Netgalley and Barrington Stoke for providing me with this copy for review. 

Sophie Takes to the Sky by Katherine Woodfine

Synopsis (from Goodreads and Katherinewoodfine.co.uk) 

Pages: 104 

Publisher: Barrington Stoke 

Released: 15th of September 2019 

Scaredy-Cat Sophie is afraid of everything! So when a balloonist comes to the town fair, Sophie is left behind while everyone else goes to watch him fly in his marvellous balloon. She’s far too frightened of the crowds, the commotion and even riding in a horse-drawn carriage.

But Sophie longs to watch the hot-air balloon sail across the blue sky. If she could just be brave enough to face her fears, who knows where her journey might take her … A touching tale for young readers of learning to overcome anxiety and follow your dreams.

Illustrated by Briony May Smith, and published by Barrington Stoke as part of the super-readable Little Gems series.

What I Have to Say 

A really cute imagining of the early life of the world's first female balloonist, Sophie Blanchard. Sophie Takes to the Sky is a great book for young readers. With gorgeous illustrations by Briony May Smith, and Barrington Stokes' attention to making their books as easy to read as possible, this is a great book for young or dyslexic readers (and I adored it immensely even in my late twenties).

I loved the way that Woodfine's imagining of Sophie made her scared but stubborn, showing a girl conquering her fears through sheer determination to get to the fair to see the balloon. It's a great message to any young person that determination can get you far.

A really great book for younger readers.

My thanks go to Barrington Stoke for providing me with this free copy for review. 

The Wild Robot and The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 279

Publisher: Bonnier Zaffre 

Released: 2nd of January 2018 

When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. Why is she there? Where did she come from? And, most important, how will she survive in her harsh surroundings? Roz's only hope is to learn from the island's hostile animal inhabitants. When she tries to care for an orphaned gosling, the other animals finally decide to help, and the island starts to feel like home. Until one day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her....

Pages: 288
Publisher: Bonnier Zaffre
Released: 9th of August 2018

Shipwrecked on a remote, wild island, Robot Roz learned from the unwelcoming animal inhabitants and adapted to her surroundings--but can she survive the challenges of the civilized world and find her way home to Brightbill and the island?

What I Have to Say 

(slight spoilers for The Wild Robot in the first two paragraphs, spoilers for both in the third)

So this has got to be both the weirdest book I have ever read and the most fun I have had in a long time. It starts with a robot massacre with otters playing with a severed robot head complete with pictures. It goes on to see Roz adopt a gosling (after accidentally killing it's family) a fact that is never addressed even after he finds out he's adopted. Roz talks to animals, climbs up and down cliffs and builds a house for her and her adopted baby goose to live in. I thought this would a kind of cute story about a robot learning to adapt to an environment with no humans but instead it 

was this strange, quite disturbing story of inter-species adoption and mass death. 

I'm being way too harsh. It's really fun to joke about this book, but actually I think it would be great for a kid. I think they would love Roz and Brightbill and really engage with their adventures. I did wonder while reading it whether the death, both of the robots at the start and of various animals and robots throughout the book might be a bit much, so maybe read it before giving it to your kid. But really, it would be fun for a kid to read on their own or with an adult. Plus it's great fun for adults to read and laugh at, sorry, but I gave my friends and running commentary as I read it and enjoyed it immensely. 

It was also very philosophical. It really looked deeply into what it would be like for a robot to learn how to live away from civilisation, how the AI would develop for self-preservation. The second book goes even deeper into the issue, showing Roz missing her family on her island and trying to get back there. Though it was a lot slower than the first book. It seemed really strange to me that Roz was being so slow at planning her escape. I definitely preferred the first book. 

As I said, a great book for early readers or reading aloud with a child, fun to laugh about if you're an adult.

My thanks go to Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for providing me with this copy for review. 

The Girl Of Glass by Holly Webb

Synopsis (from Netgalley) 

Pages: 132

Publisher: Orchard Books 

Released: 9th of March 2017 

Mariana lives with her family on the Venetian island of Murano - famed for its artists who create masterpieces from glass. But when Mariana's little sister, Eliza, dies of consumption and her mother's heart seems as though it will never heal from the pain, Mariana's father decides to use his glassmaking skill - and a dash of magic - to create a girl of glass in Eliza's image.

The remarkable glass doll, who sings, dances and talks, draws attention wherever she goes, and soon Mariana is famous for having the magical glass sister. But as the glass girl takes on more and more of Eliza's personality, Mariana begins to suspect that there is more than just magic at play. Could the girl of glass be her sister's ghost made real?

What I Have to Say 

I still haven't read the first two books in the series, but the beautiful thing is, it doesn't seem to matter. It's the kind of series where you can engage in each of the books and the magic world within in them without having to worry about loads of backstory you may have missed. Some of the same characters reappear, but only in minor rolls. It's both a series and a standalone in the best way. 

Eliza (the glass version, not the real version who we don't get to spend as much time with) is the most wonderful, beautiful character. She's an excitable little thing who you want to protect from all the harm in the world especially as being glass makes her so much more fragile. I truly fell in love with her as a character and felt the same towards her as Mariana does, ready to do whatever it takes to keep her safe. 

Mariana also is a really interesting character. She has magic but is unable to train properly as glass making magic is for men. Throughout the book she does a lot to protect her sister, but she also has her own desire to learn magic and see where her talents lie. 

This really is a beautiful series and so great for younger readers. I want to get everyone to start reading these books. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Orchard Books for providing me with this copy for review.