PHILIP WOMACK: julia gray

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Wednesday, 2 December 2020

Literary Review Christmas Children's Books Round Up

I've been reviewing children's books for Literary Review for about 15 years now... and it never fails to please me how many powerful and wonderful books there are. I wish I had space to cover more. This year, I've reviewed:

The Monsters of Rookhaven by Padraig Kenny

The Midnight Guardians by Ross Montgomery

Voyage of the Sparrowhawk by Natasha Farrant

I, Ada by Julia Gray

The Midnight Swan by Catherine Fisher

The Haunting of Aveline Jones by Phil Hickes

The Great Godden by Meg Rosoff

You can read the review here, but do get the December/January issue - a bumper double one.

One other small item of news: I received the CD audioboook of How to Teach Classics to Your Dog. I always enjoy the physical versions, rather than the digital ones - somehow it makes a more satisfying experience to load the CDs into the machine. My lurcher, obviously, is already listening...

Wednesday, 4 July 2018

Children's Book Round up for Literary Review

Here is my latest children's book round up for Literary Review. The featured books are:

The Colour of the Sun by David Almond
The Family Tree by Mal Peet
Little Liar by Julia Gray
The Surface Breaks by Louise O'Neill
The Sword of Ice and Fire by John Matthews
McTavish Goes Wild by Meg Rosoff
The Boy Who Grew Dragons by Andy Shepherd
The Story of Tantrum O'Furrily by Cressida Cowell
Square by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

Thursday, 2 June 2016

Summer Children's Book Round Up for Literary Review

Morning,

I've done my Summer Children's Book Round up for Literary Review, which features:

The Nest by Kenneth Oppel
Queen of the Silver Arrow by Caroline Lawrence
The Otherlife by Julia Gray
Chosen by Lucy Coats
Eliza Rose by Lucy Worsley
The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman
Erica's Elephant by Sylvia Bishop
Louie Lets Loose! by Rachel Hamilton
The Dragon and the Nibblesome Knight by Elli Woodward and Benji Davies.

You can read the whole piece here.

Quotes

Praise for The Arrow of Apollo

"The Arrow of Apollo ... drawing deeply and with great intelligence on classical mythology, is beguilingly original. ... The prose is both elegant and muscular ... There is much to admire in this intriguing, ambitious, immersive book." Julia Gray, Literary Review.

"Womack is a classicist so his grasp of the intricacies of Greek mythology is sure. Here he weaves the complexities of family relationships, the dark deeds that arise from jealousy, passion and revenge – and the consequences with assurance. He is not retelling the myths, already well known, he is carrying them forward, creating a group of very believable characters in so doing. The result is an exciting, immersive and engaging story that carries its learning lightly ... Though this is a novel to appeal to KS3 readers Womack’s uncluttered contemporary style – no anachronisms here – make it ideal for confident KS2 readers whether they have met the mythological world of the Greeks and Romans or not. Excellent." Books for Keeps

Praise for The Double Axe

"I began to leaf through, then could not put the book down, so easy to read it was like being in a trance. You can virtually taste the blood, smell the sea breezes, touch the stone walls of the palace as you run your hands along them, inhabit the strong young body of the 13 year old narrator and feel his fear and exhilaration. The pages almost turned themselves as my brain was effortlessly filled with data normally the preserve of scholarly classicists." Mary Killen, The Lady

"Womack’s fifth novel, unsettling, original and absorbing, shows him at the height of his powers." Imogen Russell Williams, Literary Review.

"Learned and exciting." Suzi Feay, Financial Times.

"...a clever rummage through the myth that manages to turn it on its head and recast it in a new light... promises great things to come." Toby Clements, The Telegraph.

" You should try this book. The spare, simple narrative tightens the tension in every page and keeps you reading. There is suspicion, trust, betrayal, and death. Curses, prophecies and magic. Excellent stuff!" Reading Matters.

Praise for The King's Shadow

"The King's Shadow, like The Broken King and Womack's two previous books, remains full of atmosphere, menace and lightly-worn learning. Classical influence is evident in the lunar names of King Selenus and his daughter and in the compass directions of the Roman winds; and there are nice, unsettling touches of warped courtliness and chivalry throughout. A darkly disconcerting high fantasy, in the vein of Alan Garner or Susan Cooper, it should appeal to adventurous young readers." - Imogen Russell Williams, Literary Review

"Womack delivers a whole, satisfying story ... Giants, dwarfs and magic all bubble in the mix - along with a dash of romance." Suzi Feay, The Financial Times.

Praise for The Broken King

"Philip Womack is one of the best contemporary writers of children's fantasy... There's a real sense of deepening menace... will please any young fantasy fan." Philip Reeve, author.

"[Womack] does conjure an eerie poetry of the subconscious, a kind of Alice in Terrorland." Suzi Feay, The Financial Times

"A magical story full of powerful images and unexpected consequences." Julia Eccleshare, Lovereading4Kids

" The Broken King is superbly written and totally gripping, and I want the next bit now." Kate Saunders, Literary Review.

"Like Alan Garner, Philip Womack takes ancient fairy-tales about searching for a child kidnapped by dark magic, and turns it into a haunting adventure exploring love, courage, fear and friendship. Written with sensitivity, intelligence and conviction, it's the kind of classic story readers can't get enough of." Amanda Craig

"A cracking pace, enigmatic characters and terrifying adversaries will have you clamouring for the next in the series. " - Sarah Naughton

Praise for The Other Book

"Philip Womack is a writer of huge talent" - Artemis Cooper in The Daily Telegraph

'Womack is not simply writing for children, he is, like many of the best children's writers, remembering how it felt to be a child'. Roz Kaveney in Times Literary Supplement

'Womack excels at vivid and lyrical phrasing ... Can't wait for more.' Elspeth Barker in Literary Review

'A ripsnorting children's adventure ... the helter-skelter pace will keep any right-thinking ten year old hooked.' Archie Bland in The Spectator

Praise for The Liberators

What is so rewarding about Womack’s book is that the quality of the writing is good enough to slow you down. From the “pall of fear” that “hung over London as its citizens mobbed around, uncertain of the dangers that hid in their midst” to the conversations between children and adults, the pace and mystery are underscored by a poet’s imagination. This is a proper, copper-bottomed magical story of the kind once written by Alan Garner and John Masefield, and it uses the sinister side of Greek myth with brio.' Amanda Craig, The Times

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