Tag: Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize 2017

Orangeboy by Patrice Lawrence

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

It is a fact that I cannot be without a book and, on a recent trip, I needed an emergency book as I had finished the one I had with me. I entered trusty Waterstones and not being too sure what I fancied to read (I can be lost in a bookshop for hours, or possibly even days) and I saw Orangeboy on the table with the other Waterstones Children’s Book Prize winners for 2017. The cover attracted me immediately so I thought I would give it a go. There is one exclamation for this title…wow!

Orangeboy is a great young adult fiction title that will stay with me for a long time. The opening chapter has you hooked and you are left in no doubt that you want to know what will happen next.

Marlon Sunday is introduced to the reader just as the date he is on ends in tragedy, and very quickly he is caught up in a world of gangs and fear. Unfortunately, it is a world that he is not completely unaware of due to the antics of his older brother, but Marlon is torn throughout the novel with his desire to do the right thing but also protect his own family. You find yourself on the journey with Marlon as he tries to navigate this underworld and you are rooting throughout for him to be okay, to make the right choices and to solve the mysteries of why Orangeboy is such a target – what really happened to his brother, Andre?

This is such a well-written novel, narrated by Marlon. You feel like you know each character, although, with some, you are certain to question the choices they make or the way that they live their life. It may be young adult fiction but I think it is a book that should be read by all, as it will stay with you for a long time!

The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I am not always one that selects prize-winning titles, but this is a well-deserving winner of the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize 2017.

The art work on the cover of this book is absolutely stunning and immediately catches your eye, even before you reach the magical sounding title. This is a story that takes you on a real adventure and, most importantly, there is wonderfully strong and independent female lead character in Isabella. She is a girl who will fight with real courage and fierce loyalty for the people she loves and the beliefs that are important to her.

When Lupe, Isabella’s best friend, goes missing, it is Isabella who uses her great knowledge of the stars and maps to support the search party. As you follow the characters on their adventures, there is a great use of myths and stories to influence the decisions made by those living on the island. It really reflects on how the ideas that can be with a nation of people for as long as they can remember, passed on to each generation, can lead some to have fear and misunderstanding and others to have the courage to fight for what they care for. You see the characters really form as each part of their adventure influences them personally.

You are on the edge of your seat throughout the story, never sure what is going to come next. You feel the danger and excitement as you turn each page; it is impossible to put this novel down. It may be a children’s book, but it is one that adults will enjoy just as much.