Running Wild, Michael Morpurgo

I blogged a little while ago about not judging a book by it's cover. Well, look at this cover, isn't it great? It's bright, vibrant and tells you what to expect on the inside, just what I said was important right? Well, if only the inside was as good as the cover...

Synopsis: When 10-year-old Will's father dies in the Iraq war, his mother surprises him with a trip to Indonesia. But little could she have known what awaited them both there.

The first Will knows that anything is wrong is when Oona, the elephant he is riding along the beach, begins to spook. Then, suddenly, she takes off into the jungle with Will on her back. And that's when Will sees the wave come crashing in!

With his mother almost certainly drowned, with nothing to cling onto but an elephant and nothing to help him but the clothes on his back, Will faces a terrifying future. But maybe the jungle, and Oona the elephant, can help him?

My Thoughts: *SPOILERS*

Being a big Michael Morpurgo fan, I was excited to read this book.

What a disappointment.

The narrative is clunky and uneven and I just didn't feel the fear that Will would have been going through when the tsunami hit. There didn't seem to be any major highs or lows and even when Will was captured by the hunters, I didn't fear for him.

Will himself is interesting with all of his back story and emotional luggage but I didn't completely connect to him as his voice seems too old for a ten-year-old.

Of course, it turns out in the end that it's his grandfather telling the story but I don't think this works at all, it would have been more empowering for Will - and therefore his readers - if he had been telling this story for himself.

The ending bothered me as well because it was all far too neat and felt like the ending to a Disney film.

The only positive for me was the character of Oona. I think that Morpurgo drew her well, especially considering that she doesn't speak.

Overall, this could have been a really inspiring story about a young boy surviving a horrible situation and overcoming the difficulties involved but instead it is dry, clunky and I would be surprised if many children were drawn in.

**

Warning by Jenny Joseph

This is one of my favourite poems, there is something so vibrant about it and it is comforting to think that old age doesn't have to mean invisibility.

Warning by Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.

And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves

And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired

And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells

And run my stick along the public railings

And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain

And pick flowers in other people’s gardens

And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat

And eat three pounds of sausages at a go

Or only bread and pickle for a week

And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry

And pay our rent and not swear in the street

And set a good example for the children.

We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?

So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised

When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Evermore, by Alyson Noel

After looking back at previous reviews, I realised that I haven't put up a review that is less than glowing. So, I thought I'd review this novel Evermore by Alyson Noel which didn't exactly jam my doughnut...

Synopsis: Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch. Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste…

My thoughts: I found this book to be mediocre at best. The writing is flimsy in places and none of the characters seem to develop properly.

Noel also doesn't answer a whole range of questions that are set up which is frustrating for the reader and makes the ending unexciting.

I did like the pace and the interludes with Ever's younger sister Riley who was like a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stale narrative.

Overall, this could have been a much better and more interesting novel but instead it was lukewarm and I won't be reading the others.

**

P.S. Sorry if this doesn't make total sense, I've got a lovely dose of tonsilitus right now! WG x