A book recommendation for older readers
(And their grown ups)
I spend all day, every day with my children. There are of course exceptions, but this is the rule. Much as I love them, it can get a bit intense, and I have had to find ways of staying sane.
One thing that makes me a much nicer person to be around is to constantly have a good book on the go. I feel a bit lost without one. Sometimes the children play together contentedly for hours and a good book stops me wasting time scrolling or (worse?) doing housework.
Back in January I read about Joan Aiken’s Wolves of Willoughby Chase series. In the past eight weeks I have read all nine books in the series. The first book was first published in 1962, but it somehow passed me by until now. In case it has also escaped your notice, allow me to introduce Dido Twite, ‘a child Odysseus… one of the great fictional heroines’ (says Amanda Craig). There’s also a distinct touch of Tom Sawyer about her.
‘Thanks, cully!’ Dido whispered. ‘I was starting to think they’d fall off.’ She rubbed her tingling palms together. ‘Now, the next thing is, how do we get out of here?’
‘There’s no way,’ he whispered mournfully.
‘Fiddle-de-dee! I’ve got out of worse places than this.’ She glanced assessingly around the room, went and inspected the view from the window.
‘Tiger pikes and alligators,’ Piers reminded her in a whisper. The moat, disturbingly bubbled and pocketed, lay brightly illuminated by gas lamps.
‘So, right, the moat’s out. Looks like we gotta learn to fly, Piers.’
I imagine you either love it or hate it. The books are set in an imaginary historical period and often in imaginary geographical locations, but always just about plausible. Apparently the genre is ‘historical fantasy’ but luckily I didn’t know that or I would never have picked it up. As befits a saga featuring a child Odysseus, there are some seriously nasty characters, violence, danger, and monsters. But I consider myself quite a wimp, and I had no problem turning the pages. I think it would be fine for 9+.
The only problem is: what on earth do I read now?
Did you love these books as a child? And what keeps you sane when spending your days with your children? Please share in the comments.
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