Ruby Red Shoes goes to London

Ruby Red Shoes goes to London by Kate Knapp (Angus & Robertson) HB RRP $19.95   ISBN 978-0-732297-62-6

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

Ruby Red Shoes Goes to London is the third book in Australia’s popular and most well travelled series that 4-8 year old children are sure to love.

Ruby the hare loves to travel and this time, wearing her ruby red shoes of course, she’s off to London with its red phone boxes, red letterboxes and red buses.  Maybe she’ll meet the Queen? Maybe she’ll have a delightful afternoon tea?  But there is more to this clever book than travel tales. It warms your heart from the inside out with family love and an understanding of death.  This book shows that we are all connected to the vast universe.  Ruby is full of wonder as she embraces the magic of living in and exploring London.  Most of all, there is gratitude for the place she calls home.

Kate Knapp’s illustrations shine with a whimsical touch that has superbly illustrated the story.  The soft colours have a very English feel and show life in London so well from the trains that run along burrows and swoosh alongside platforms to the hop on, hop off, red buses and all the London sights along the way. There are little snippets of information through the illustrations which help add to the story.  The sheer wonder of Buckingham Palace is so beautifully illustrated with detail.   London looks truly delightful.

The text paints London accurately with descriptive words and verbs -- for example ‘Ruby receives their affections with open arms, so much so that she is soon off-balance and sitting in a joyful pool of corgi cuddles and kisses.’

The book touches upon the topics of adventure and travel, family and friends, the universe, our global connection to the world and so much more.   Ruby Red Shoes is a book to be loved and treasured forever.  It is well worth a read for both children and adults.

The Blackthorn Key

The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands (Puffin) PB RRP$16.99 ISBN 9780141360645

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

This novel will be most enjoyed by the teenager who enjoys the challenge of solving codes and reading a convoluted plot with a host of characters. Set in London in 1665 during the reign of King Charles II, it covers a mystery that involves murders and numerous searches by an apprentice apothecary Christopher Rowe and his close friend Tom Bailey. 

Set over the months of May and June which stretches from Ascension Day to Spring’s End, the fast-paced story starts with the release of Christopher from an orphanage into his master apothecary’s care. Master Benedict Blackthorn is different from most masters insofar as he does not beat his apprentice but teaches him patiently and carefully how to mix potions, minerals and leaves to heal or for other reasons such as to melt iron and create keys.

However, Blackthorn, like ten other master apothecaries, is murdered. Then his workplace and home is ransacked with Christopher becoming homeless and learning that a man named Nathaniel Stubb and his apprentice Wic plan to torture him to learn a secret. Christopher has no idea what this secret is but his former master has gifted him a silver puzzle box and a set of clues in his ledger. 

With Tom’s help and that of his sisters and a pet pigeon, Christopher attempts to find what it is that his master had treasured and why so many other masters have been assassinated to protect this treasure.

This is not an easy book to follow as there are many twists and turns and many mysteries that require knowledge of Latin and of the Bible (which Christopher has), and an ability to follow the cracking of the a set of complex codes. Nevertheless, the plot unfolds with writing that is clear and interesting, and plenty of tension along the way as it seems Christopher is meant to be the next murder victim unless he can escape numerous close calls. 

The Apothecary

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy (Text)

PB RRP $19.95

ISBN 9781921758171

Reviewed by Nean McKenzie

The Apothecary is a novel for young adults with elements of fantasy, alchemy and adventure. The setting is the early 1950s in a London still recovering from the Second World War and the threat of nuclear weapons now looming. This fast paced and highly imaginative tale has the reader turning pages until the conclusion. Large black and white drawings at the start of each chapter add to the overall appeal of the book.

Janie is fourteen when her parents leave California, under suspicion of being communists. Janie starts her new school in London and quickly meets Benjamin, the son of an apothecary who has been kidnapped. Janie is drawn into a dangerous world where she is pursued by Russian agents anxious to steal an ancient book called the Pharmacopoeia. The kids decipher the Latin in the book and make elixirs to turn them into birds and make themselves invisible. This helps them to allude their trackers.

The Apothecary is also about first love and fitting in. The main character Janie is a brave, admirable heroine and the story exciting. However the events outlined in the story lack credibility in some ways. At the start of the book is a 'note to the reader' from the main character, now grown up. She mentions that she lost her memory and that although she has pieced it all together with the help of her diary, some of what happened seems unbelievable, even to her. Because it is written in first person, the fact that Janie's memory is unreliable could make the whole story less believable for the reader.

The Apothecary has an interesting setting (both time and place) and has likeable, courageous characters. It will appeal to young adults of around ten to fourteen years.