Tag: J C Jones

Pip and Houdini by J C Jones

Pip Sullivan’s middle name was trouble. At least that’s what people said.
She was the girl who’d gone on the run from the welfare in case they locked her up, broken into an empty house, bet on the horses, had the entire police force looking for her, brought down a very bad man and discovered why her mother had abandoned her as a baby – all in just a few days.
And she was still just ten (and a bit) years old.

Pip is back in a new adventure. After finding a new home with a new family, she’s trying to settle down and fit in, but somehow she always seems to be in trouble. This time the trouble is so big, she’s sure her new family will reject her and she will never find a place to belong. She and her dog Houdini sets out on a mission to find the mother who gave her up, Cass. The only clue she has is a postcard from Byron Bay. So that’s where she heads.

‘Pip and Houdini’ is the second instalment from J C Jones, about Pip. The first, ‘Run, Pip, Run’ introduced the reader to this feisty, independent character, Pip. Her early years have been unconventional, to say the least, but she has a very well-developed moral compass and an almost-inexhaustible store of openness, optimism and energy. Houdini is the perfect offsider: supportive and intuitive and up for any adventure Pip begins. ‘Pip and Houdini’ is a delightful and heart-warming novel. It introduces young readers to a world that may well be beyond their experience, and encourages them to look beyond first impressions to the heart of everyone they encounter. And it’s all wrapped up in a ripping yarn. Recommended for mid-primary readers.

Pip and Houdini, J C Jones Allen & Unwin 2017 ISBN: 9781780296056

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller
www.clairesaxby.com

Run, Pip, Run by J. C. Jones

Pip Sullivan was expecting her tenth birthday to be the best day of her life. She had done everything she could think of to make it so. Instead it was on course to be the worst – except for maybe her actual birth day when she had been abandoned in an apple crate on sully’s doorstep. Of course, Pip didn’t remember her actual birth day, having been just a ‘skinny squawker’ of a baby at the time. This was according to Sully, who said it was mostly best to ‘call a spade a blasted shovel’. Sully didn’t believ in bulldust, or that unexpected events – like the sudden arrival of a loud and smelly newborn baby in his life – were anything to celebrate.

Pip Sullivan was expecting her tenth birthday to be the best day of her life. She had done everything she could think of to make it so. Instead it was on course to be the worst – except for maybe her actual birth day when she had been abandoned in an apple crate on sully’s doorstep. Of course, Pip didn’t remember her actual birth day, having been just a ‘skinny squawker’ of a baby at the time. This was according to Sully, who said it was mostly best to ‘call a spade a blasted shovel’. Sully didn’t believ in bulldust, or that unexpected events – like the sudden arrival of a loud and smelly newborn baby in his life – were anything to celebrate.

Pip’s life has been a happy if slightly unusual one. Despite being abandoned by her mother at birth and not being related to Sully, they have a strong loving bond. Sure, Sully is somewhat unorthodox as a parent-figure, more than a bit grumpy and more inclined to study the form guide than recipe books, but he’s Pip’s only family. Now Sully is sick and Pip knows that everything could change. Sully has instilled in Pip a very strong sense of optimism and instinct for survival. So she takes off, evading the police, other authorities, tricky situations and her teacher. Pip discovers she has more friends than she knew and meets new ones in her flight, including an unusual cat and a smelly dog. She is determined to save Sully, get him better and return to her old life.

Pip is a wonderfully engaging character, full of curiosity, drive, compassion and an ability to connect with people. Despite her beginnings and unusual childhood, she is a wonderfully grounded child, avid learner, an astute judge of character, practical, loyal and trustworthy. Sully has taught her to be suspicious, a trait that will get her both into and out of trouble. Run, Pip, Run is a wild adventure and Pip an intrepid adventurer. Reader will cheer her successes, call out warnings as danger approaches and hold their breath as Pip appears to fall. Recommended for mid-primary readers.

Run, Pip, Run

Run, Pip, Run by J. C. Jones

Allen & Unwin 2015 ISBN: 9781743319222

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com