Haven of Obedience by Marina Anderson

You've devoured Fifty Shades ...Now it's time to lose yourself in the Haven of Obedience Twenty-something Londoner Natalie Bowen is envied by many, but her personal life is a disaster. Men can't cope with her career success and Natalie thinks she'll never find real happiness. Then she hears about an exclusive weekend retreat called The Haven, a place that specialises in introducing you to pleasures you could never have imagined. Shocked at the idea, but unable to resist finding out more, Natalie decides it's time to put her fears behind her. Once at The Haven, Natalie meets the enigmatic and disciplined Simon, a man who is used to getting what he wants. And Natalie may very well have met her match ...

I have read the Fifty Shades trilogy (review to follow soon) and although I enjoyed them, I think this was the better read with a storyline that could be followed throughout the book but with an ending that could lead to a follow on book.

The book was based in a country home where guests were taught to pleasure others. There were plenty of erotic scenes which were graphic, however the writing was very good and the scenarios full of intensity and desire.

I have recommended this book to many of my friends who have enjoyed fifty shades but have warned them that this is a more intense read!

Thank you to the publishers, Sphere, for sending me the book to review.
 

Help your kids with Science by Carol Vorderman

A simple, visual approach to helping your child understand science from Carol Vorderman

Reduce the stress of studying science and help your child with their homework by following Help Your Kids with Science, a unique visual guide that demystifies the subject for everyone.

Using clear, accessible pictures, diagrams and easy-to-follow step-by-steps - and covering all the important areas of biology, chemistry and physics - you'll learn to approach even the most complex science problems with confidence. Includes a glossary of key science terms and symbols.

Help Your Kids with Science is the perfect guide for every frustrated parent and desperate child, who want to understand science and put it into practice.

As soon as I saw that this book was published by DK I knew that it was a must have., DK are renown for publishing highly informative, clearly laid out and easy to read book. Put that together with Carol Vorderman as the author and I was even more eager to get the book.

The book covers Biology, Chemistry and Physics. The book starts with asking what is science? and explains the scientific method, which any scientist will go through while completing their research projects.

The book is filled with brightly coloured, clearly laid out pages which explains many of the basic principles which underlies much of the science taught in schools today. There is a mixture of brightly coloured pictures and easy to read definitions and explanations on each page. Most of the topics are summarized in a double page spread meaning the important information is included in the book and can be a starting point for further research into a topic.

I would recommend this book as a must have for anyone who has children going into a secondary school this September and should be read by both parents and children.

I received this book through the Amazon Vine Programme.

Olivia's Enchanted Summer by Lyn Gardner

School's out for summer! Olivia and her friends are going to be spending August in Edinburgh, home to the world-famous Fringe Festival. They can't wait to get there, to stay in the beautiful city and soak up the Festival atmosphere, while the Swan Circus performs every day to wild applause and rapturous reviews - With such passion, such good friendships and the summer stretching out before them, what could possibly go wrong?

This is the fifth book in the series by Lyn Gardner featuring The Swan Theatre School and in this instalment The Swans are taking their circus show to Edinburgh Festival for the summer season.

I really enjoy these books, they are a great series set within a stage school - but one where curriculum lessons are as important as the stage school classes. The school is ran by Lydia Swan and the circus is the brain child of her son in law Jack Marvell and his children, Olivia and Eel. The school all go to Edinburgh and work as hard as they can to promote their new show - this is an adventure for the whole cast and they have a great time up there. However, Olivia notices there are a number of jewel thefts around the city and in particular two girls appear to in the right place, at the right time, but when they get involved in the circus act, Olivia is unsure what to do.

This is a great book for children aged 9+ and I think it would appeal to both boys and girls, especially if they have an interest in performing arts or circus routines. The series are still a great school based set of stories which enlist the values that academic studies come before anything else. 

Thank you to the author and the publishers, Nosy Crow, for sending me the book to review and I am looking forward to the next instalment out this autumn.

Horrid Henry's Food by Francesca Simon

Packed with fun and freaky facts, this is the perfect guide to everything you ever wanted to know (and lots of things you might never have wanted to know) about FOOD - Horrid Henry style!

My children love the Horrid Henry story books and I think we have just about every book in the popular series,which have been read many times by both of them. These factbooks are a great addition to the series containing real facts about a number of topics.

This book is full of food related facts. Containing a wide and varied range of facts about food this is an interesting book which could be a starting point for further investigation into many topics.

There are facts about fast food, food from around the world, crunchy creepy crawlies and gross grub to name a few of the chapters in this book and each one has well known facts but there are also the wild and wacky ones which will keep the children amused for ages. There are facts included which I can imagine will be the talk of the playground the next day.

As with all Horrid Henry books the text is intermingled with the fantastic illustrations by Tony Ross which add more humour to the book.

This is a great non fiction book for children - both Horrid Henry fans but also for potential cooks and chefs to learn more about food.

Thank you to the publishers, Orion Children's Books, for sending me the book to review.

Poppy the Pirate Dog by Liz Kessler

Early Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing and reading together. A red Early Reader is the next step on your reading journey. Poppy is very excited to be going on holiday, especially when she is given a skull and crossbones scarf to wear. But life as a pirate dog at the seaside is trickier than she realises...

I have said previously on this blog that I really like the Orion Children's Books Early Readers series, they are great for early readers who are gaining confidence in their own ability to read alone. This book, is another great addition to the series, and will appeal to both boys and girls alike.

Poppy, along with his family, go on a family to the seaside and when he is given a skull and crossbones scarf, he believes he can be a pirate dog - but does he have his sea legs??

 The story is split into manageable chapters, giving the transition from picture books to 'proper' books. The story is intermingled with pictures which accompany the story perfectly and keep the reader engaged.  

This book is perfect to be read at story time or for an early reader to read out loud with a peer.

Thank you to the publishers, Orion Children's Books, for sending me the book to review. 

Is a Camel a Mammal? (DK)

This title presents tricky trivia to challenge you and your friends. Humans may be at the top of the food chain, but are you top of the class when it comes to the animal kingdom? "Is a Camel a Mammal?" will take your brain on safari with our wild selection of quizzes, graded by difficulty for easy reference. From the armadillo to the zebra, from the desert to the jungle, explore the planet's creatures, the creepy crawlies as well as the cute and cuddly and test your knowledge. Your family will go ape for the gorgeous graphics, while the fun quiz format will introduce you to a whole pack of jaw-dropping facts.

A pocket sized book which is packed full of quizes about all types of animals. The questions are rated easy, medium and hard and all have multiple choice answers. There is also a reference section at the end of the book which adds a little more information to the questions.

The book is great to test the whole family - the questions range in being things that are widely known about animals but also has questions in the hard sections that are more obscure. This would give a great starting point to a further search about the animals in the library or an internet search.

In all, this is a great little book, which would be a great gift for any young animal lover or future zoo-ologist. DK have done it again, with an informative and exciting fact filled book.

Thank you to the publishers, DK, for sending me the book to review.

Dirty Bertie My Joke Book - David Roberts compiled by Amanda Li

Why do apples on trees remind Bertie of bogeys? They're fresh, green and ready to pick!

This book is packed full of all my favourite jokes. There are smelly jokes, revolting jokes, snotty jokes and rude jokes ..... Take this book into school to amuse your friends and annoy your teachers!

This book is full of jokes that your kids will love! They are all around things that kids love to joke about stinky stuff, school, mind your manners, everything you need to nose!, what a load of rubbish and my family. The jokes are great for kids to retell in the school playground or even at family gatherings, without you having to worry about what the punchline will be. 

This is a great book for children who love revolting jokes. It would also be a great incentive for new or early readers to encourage them to read - the jokes are short and ideal for them to practice their new skills with.

Thank you to the publishers, Stripes Publishing, for sending me the book to review.