HI there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today, we're joining ZunTold Publishing to celebrate a BOOK BIRTHDAY that just happened yesterday (okay, a belated birthday) for a new Children's Fiction title you won't want to miss! It's a twisty, turny, right is left and left is right sort of novel that keeps you on your toes as you attempt to become one of the best....criminals ever! That's right, it's a school for criminals and the sons/daughters of those that came before them, where your average day consists of outwitting big-headed Year Eights, covering your good tendencies so you don't get expelled, and helping spread rumor of a ghost dog on the grounds...yep, just your average day, right? 😉 Anywho, let's get this party started and welcome straight away today's book of choice...
Blaggard's, Book 1
by
Kate Wiseman
9781999863319
ZunTold Publishing
About the book...
'I bet no other school gives you the chance to chase super villains through hidden tunnels!’
That’s what Milly Dillane has to say about life at Blaggard’s, A.K.A Gangster School.
Milly and her new friend Charlie have just started at Blaggard’s. But what’s it like to be in a school that teaches lying, kidnapping and stealing instead of Maths and English? Their parents and teachers are master criminals and want them to follow in their footsteps … but are Milly and Charlie just too … dependable?
In this funny and exciting adventure, smart Milly and super-hacker Charlie face some of the worst villains around, including the cold-hearted Pecunia Badpenny and her sidekick: Wolf the evil electronic dog.
Can Milly and Charlie beat Badpenny and her demonic plans? And are they criminal enough to keep their place in a school they’ve come to love?
(...for now...)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just finished my first year in Blaggards with the Year Sevens and I've got to say it was HORRIBLE, MINDLESS, RIDICULOUS, absolutely a waste of moments beyond anything you can imagine...
~whispers~ So...did I pass, Mr. Borgia? Ms. Vipond?
Looks like those lessons in Fabrication, and Defiance and Discourtesy took pretty well! 😉
Seriously though, IT WAS BRILLIANT! From curious start to fabulous finish, I enjoyed every moment shamelessly; so much so that it's practically criminal! Milly and Charlie are a great team, so very good for each other and to each other... which seems to be the opposite lesson they should be learning in a school for criminals, but you know, nobody's perfect. They are both trying to find their place in a school made for criminals at heart, which neither REALLY seems to be...though given the right circumstances, I'm sure their actions could be viewed as such. It's a fine line between above and below the law, and in a place like Blaggard's, almost anything goes. Really, the promo material toted it as Hogwart's for criminal kids...and that's pretty SPOT ON! I mean, I don't want to attend any time soon, but umm, yeah...these two have got it in the bag.
Along with our clever and somewhat conniving leads, we have a fully-fleshed supporting cast ready to steal your, well...whatever's not locked down! From the headmistress, Ms. Martinet (definitely a multi-layered woman), to the teachers and various staff around the school, each has a distinct personality, fatal flaw to be found (no matter how deeply hidden), and an impression to make, which is indeed a BIG one. Take the Badpenny lady, for example ("lady" being used very loosely). She sounds like SUPER bad news...and in truth, she TOTALLY is, but that's pretty heavy when you consider the whole book is filled with criminals and those learning to be them! But all is not lost or gone to the dark side despite the supposed cookie availability, for we have our four-legged friends to help us when things get really bleak. OMG...Gruffles! He was such a clever pup... *hugs* ...and Wolfie too! You gotta love a story with animal sidekicks.
In the end, I ADORED this book for oh-so-many reasons, and can't wait to head back next Fall, or whenever the next school year gets going....hopefully sooner as opposed to later because really,SO MUCH FUN! Highly recommended for older Children's Fiction fans and beyond for the topsy-turviness of the subject matter and concepts covered. This is one school year you'll be more than happy to attend!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About the author...
Kate [Wiseman] grew up in Oxford, UK and lived in lots of interesting places before settling in Saffron Walden, Essex, with her husband and son. She has worked in schools and libraries and went to university quite late, either because she was too busy or because she was scared, depending on how honest she is feeling.
Her achievements include:
* Having a tarantula named after her.
* Winning a prize in a Halloween fancy dress competition when she was wearing normal clothes, and hadn't entered, anyway.
* Fainting on an Oscar-winning film director in a London theatre.
She loves cats and buying clothes in thrift shops, which might account for the Halloween prize. Her pet hates are sultanas and raisins. She is an animal lover and a vegetarian and her ambitions are to carry on writing, to keep finding the world amazing and never to grow up too much.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Special thanks to Emily at Conker Communications and the ZunTold Publishing team for the ARC for review. (THANK YOU!) For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title just hit UK shelves May 21st, 2018 (Woo hoo!) and fingers crossed it will make its way across the pond soon!
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
1 comment:
This has to be my favourite review of Gangster School. Thanks so much! I'm beaming! Blaggard's rules!
Kate Wiseman xxxx
Post a Comment