Jake in Space: Volcanoes of Venus Candice Lemon-Scott

Jake dropped his old backpack in amazement. He couldn’t believe he was actually here at the Floating Hotel of Venus.

‘Wow! This is the best prize ever,’ a voice said.

Jake turned. It was Rory, who had just arrived from Mars with his mum and dad. And Rory was right – the hotel was even more incredible than Jake had heard. The foyer was round, with gleaming bronze pillars and walls that shimmered bright yellow like a golden waterfall.

Jake dropped his old backpack in amazement. He couldn’t believe he was actually here at the Floating Hotel of Venus.

‘Wow! This is the best prize ever,’ a voice said.

Jake turned. It was Rory, who had just arrived from Mars with his mum and dad. And Rory was right – the hotel was even more incredible than Jake had heard. The foyer was round, with gleaming bronze pillars and walls that shimmered bright yellow like a golden waterfall.

Jake and his friends are on Venus staying at the unimaginably luxurious Floating Hotel of Venus courtesy of a reward for saving the world from being taken over by robots. But it’s not long before a new mystery finds them. The action quickly moves from deciding which luxury treat to have first, to who to trust and how to find out just who has dangerous secrets. There are fast vehicles and near misses, red herrings and volcanoes to be navigated. And as always, time is running out before catastrophe ensues. Chapter headings are illustrated and there is a flip space race happening across the bottom of each spread.

As if there’s not enough to be had on Earth, Jake and his friends, Rory, Henry, Skye and Milly, take the action off-Earth and into space. They are trained in space driving but more than that, the friends between them have the skills and insights necessary to solve all manner of mysteries. They don’t always get it right first time, but with teamwork, they consistently out-think and out-manoeuvre their foes. The stakes are high, and there is plenty of high-tech equipment at their disposal. These fast-paced adventures are ideal for newly independent readers.

Jake in Space: Volcanoes of Venus, Candice Lemon-Scott New Frontier Publishing 2015 ISBN: 9781925059281

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Jake In Space: Robot Games by Candice Lemon-Scott

Whoosh! A robot in a jet-powered winged suit flew straight past Jake and his friends. It looked like a cross between a person and a plane. Jake could smell the burning fuel as the robot shot upwards. The heat from the jets was so intense it almost burned the skin on his face.

Zoom! Another robot came out of nowhere.

Jake jumped as it roared by, making him spill his super-fizz swurpie all over himself. The rainbow-coloured fizzy bubbles started popping all over his pants, leaving a wet, sticky mess.

‘Great!’ he mumbled, pulling an instant-dry cloth from his shirt pocket.

He was busy trying to wipe his pants clean when Rory nudged him. Following his gaze skywards, Jake’s jaw dropped open.

Whoosh! A robot in a jet-powered winged suit flew straight past Jake and his friends. It looked like a cross between a person and a plane. Jake could smell the burning fuel as the robot shot upwards. The heat from the jets was so intense it almost burned the skin on his face.

Zoom! Another robot came out of nowhere.

Jake jumped as it roared by, making him spill his super-fizz swurpie all over himself. The rainbow-coloured fizzy bubbles started popping all over his pants, leaving a wet, sticky mess.

‘Great!’ he mumbled, pulling an instant-dry cloth from his shirt pocket.

He was busy trying to wipe his pants clean when Rory nudged him. Following his gaze skywards, Jake’s jaw dropped open.

Jake and his friends are attending the Robot Games, arena spectacular competitions and displays by the most advanced robots ever developed. But something’s is wrong with their cyborg friend Henry. It could be that he has eaten too many of the weird popping snack, Gob Pop, he seems to love. They’re not sure what’s going on with him so they take him to the nearby medical centre, despite having to miss some of the Robot Games events. Black and white images appear with each new chapter and across the bottom of each opening.

‘Jake In Space: Robot Games’ is a third instalment in a series for young readers from New Frontier Publishing. Three more titles are to be released soon. Each adventure involves Jake and his friends in a mystery that only they can solve. Each is set in a future where robots are familiar and children control their own space cars. Characters require clear-thinking skills and imagination. Action is fast-paced and there are plenty of wonderful gadgets to keep readers engaged. Recommended for newly-independent readers.

Jake In Space: Robot Games, Candice Lemon-Scott 2014 New Frontier Publishing ISBN: 9781925059120

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Jake in Space: Moon Attack by Candice Lemon-Scott

Remedial Space Car Driving School! Remedial! Jake thought. Why didn’t Mum and Dad just put a big sticker on my forehead that said ‘Universe’s Biggest Loser’? He scrunched the letter up in an angry fist and threw it back at his parents – except the letter stuck fast to his fingers. He tried to shake it off but the paper just seemed to hold tighter to his skin.

‘It’s Slooper Goo. We thought you might react this way ,’ Mum said, shrugging.

‘There’s no getting out of it,’ Dad added. ‘You have to get that licence.’

Remedial Space Car Driving School! Remedial! Jake thought. Why didn’t Mum and Dad just put a big sticker on my forehead that said ‘Universe’s Biggest Loser’? He scrunched the letter up in an angry fist and threw it back at his parents – except the letter stuck fast to his fingers. He tried to shake it off but the paper just seemed to hold tighter to his skin.

‘It’s Slooper Goo. We thought you might react this way ,’ Mum said, shrugging.

‘There’s no getting out of it,’ Dad added. ‘You have to get that licence.’

Jake is mortified. His parents have signed him up for remedial driving lessons. Everyone at school will know. But he’s tried every driving instructor on Earth and now he’s about to start on the moon. The instructor, Gradock, is so confident that all his students will graduate with their licences, he offers a money-back guarantee. But all is not well on the moon and before long Jake can tell that something dodgy is going on. As his course progresses, he is determined to not only pass, but to solve the mystery. ‘Moon Attack’ isa sturdy blue and silver covered paperback with illustrations beginning each chapter and a border along the bottom of each page.

Moon Attack  is the first of three ‘Jake in Space’ titles slated for 2014 release. Moon Attack introduces the reader to a futuristic universe where it’s entirely feasible to do your driving training on the moon. And it’s accepted that you should be driving to school long before you are eleven (as Jake is). Adventures unlimited by gravity – what’s not to like? Throw in a mystery to solve and ‘Moon Attack’ shows that there is fun to be had on the moon in space cars, both inside and outside the space centre. There’s a nod to examination anxiety which it seems has contributed to Jake’s previous licence failures, but it’s not laboured. Moon Attack will appeal to confident young readers and to older readers not yet ready to progress to longer novels. Recommended for lower- to mid-primary readers and beyond.

 

Jake in Space: Moon Attack , Candice Lemon-Scott New Frontier Publishing 2014 ISBN: 9781925059090

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Silver the Silly Sorcerer by Candice Lemon-Scott ill Janet Wolf

Silver is not a very skilled sorcerer, in fact very little of his magic works out as he planned. In a family of skilled magic-makers, this makes him feel even worse. His younger sister, Star, is already ahead of him at Spell School. And if he doesn’t pass his Eggs (basic spell) test this time, his father has threatened to send him off to be a circus magician – the ultimate indignity for a boy who wants to be like his hero, Merlin. Silver does fail his Eggs, and he with his snake Slither are duly dispatched to work at the circus. Despite – in fact because of – his magic-going-wrong talents, he becomes very successful and revives the fortunes of the ailing circus. But though he craved success, Silver is not entirely happy with how he’s achieved it. And there’s still the matter of the failed Eggs test … Colour illustrations are dispersed throughout the story.

Silver searched until he found a big area of muddy muck. There must be a toad in here somewhere, he thought as he oozed his way into the mudflat. He wished that he’d worn waterproof pants and gumboots. But seeing as he was wearing a long cloak instead – as all sorcerers do – he felt himself getting heavier and heavier as his cloak got muddier and muddier. Before he knew it, he was stuck.

He wiggled this way. He wiggled that way. But every time he moved he just seemed to get more and more bogged down in the mud. It began to get dark as the sun set over the mudflats. Silver started to panic.

He was going to be stuck forever. But then he remembered. He was a sorcerer. All he needed to do was make a spell.

Silver is not a very skilled sorcerer, in fact very little of his magic works out as he planned. In a family of skilled magic-makers, this makes him feel even worse. His younger sister, Star, is already ahead of him at Spell School. And if he doesn’t pass his Eggs (basic spell) test this time, his father has threatened to send him off to be a circus magician – the ultimate indignity for a boy who wants to be like his hero, Merlin. Silver does fail his Eggs, and he with his snake Slither are duly dispatched to work at the circus. Despite – in fact because of – his magic-going-wrong talents, he becomes very successful and revives the fortunes of the ailing circus. But though he craved success, Silver is not entirely happy with how he’s achieved it. And there’s still the matter of the failed Eggs test … Colour illustrations are dispersed throughout the story.

Some families have high expectations for their children, and Silver’s family fits into that. Silver’s parents are both skilled, and even his younger sister is better at magic than he is. He tries to be like them, but somehow it doesn’t work. Lemon-Scott uses humour to suggest that each of us must find our own path to success, even if it diverges from that of our family. Left to his own devices, Silver does find skills to make him famous, before acknowledging that there are other things in life beyond fame. Like being with family. Being yourself, whatever that may mean. Silver the Silly Sorcerer is a new offering in the Little Rockets series from New Frontier Publishing. Recommended for newly confident readers.

Silver, the Silly Sorcerer

Silver, the Silly Sorcerer, Candice Lemon-Scott ill Janet Wolf
New Frontier Publishing 2013
ISBN: 9781921928499

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookstores or online.

Hubert & the Magic Glasses by Candice Lemon-Scott ill Joe Spellman

Hubert loves soccer. Unfortunately, although his best friend is the team star, he is dreadful. He’s the goalkeeper and the ball always seems to find a way past him. Hubert tries, but the ball is always faster. He’s not sure what to do, and spends his waking and sleeping moments worrying about it.

Hubert sat on the bench in the change rooms and slowly put on his T-shirt and soccer boots. He was so nervous he could barely tie his laces. He was goalkeeper for Goodview’s Under 12s Able Ants soccer team; and he was hopeless.

They were about to play the Wandering Wombats, the worst team in the region. But that just made Hubert feel even worse. If he couldn’t keep the ball out of the goal with that team playing, the Ants had no chance of making it through to the next round.

Hubert loves soccer. Unfortunately, although his best friend is the team star, he is dreadful. He’s the goalkeeper and the ball always seems to find a way past him. Hubert tries, but the ball is always faster. He’s not sure what to do, and spends his waking and sleeping moments worrying about it. There’s one thing he is sure about though, and that’s that glasses will not fix his problems. Mum takes him to the optometrist, despite his protests, and he is issued with a pair of magic glasses. How can a pair of glasses turn his life around?

Hubert and the Magic Glasses is a new title from the ‘Little Rockets’ series from New Frontier Publishing. They are short chapter books for newly independent readers, designed to help the transition from fully illustrated books to longer works. There are colour illustrations scattered throughout, and text is large and widely spaced. ‘Hubert & the Magic Glasses’ explores the relationship between skill and confidence. Hubert does need help from those around him, but to really succeed he needs to take charge of his own responses. And a little bit of magic doesn’t hurt. Recommended for newly independent readers.

Hubert and the Magic Glasses, Candice Lemon-Scott ill Joe Spellman New Frontier Publishing 2012 ISBN: 9781921928246

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com