Battle of The Beach Freaks - Review

10-year-old Jessie bites off more than she can chew when she offers her bridesmaids services to Sunny Bay’s resident ghost and bride to be Lena. However being the go get ‘em type of girl Jessie she is, Jessie is determined that nothing will ruin Lena’s big day. With the assistance of Lena’s ghostly brothers Jessie duals with the Duke of Spooks and his camera wielding ghouls in order to ensure that the course of love runs a lot smoother than Shakespeare intended it to.

On first impression ‘Battle of the Beach Freaks’ isn’t my kind of cup of tea. By the end of the 1^st chapter however, I am forced to eat my shallow words with the firm resolution never to judge a book by its cover again. Sam Hay succeeds in writing a funny, yet adventurous children’s story.  Jessie is totally likeable and relatable, the sort of girl you would probably want to be when you were 10 as she don’t take sh*t from no one.  The story line is endearing and romantic (two ghost lovers want to get hitched but can’t), but not in a  sickening 'pass me the bucket kind of way'. Big thumbs up to Sam Hay and the good people at Catnip Books for publishing ‘Battle of The Beach Freaks’, a pleasant and amusing read that would be welcome on any child’s bookshelf.

Nothing but Trouble - Interview with Non Pratt

Earlier this year, the very talented  Non Pratt released her debut novel 'Trouble' with Walker Books. Nominated for a Carnegie Award, 'Trouble' explores the world of Hannah, who just happens to be 15 and pregnant and Aaron - the new kid on the block with a disturbing secret. The book itself is genius, it encapsulates everything it means to be 15 and truly terrified of the world and all its complexities. From drinking vodka in the park to first time fumblings, Non has really hit the misunderstood teenage nail on the head. In this interview, she shares with me the inspiration behind 'Trouble', her next writing  venture and what's on her reading list.

One of the great aspects of the book are the  characters Aaron and Hannah who so are believable and credible. Where did the inspiration in creating these characters come from?

This is a really hard question. I think people think they know the sort of teenager that gets pregnant and with Hannah I wanted to subvert that expectation and show that’s not necessarily the case. With Aaron, he’s a little bit like some of the boys I knew when I was growing up.

The book deals with lots of real issues like pregnancy and death. Why was important to you to write about these issues?

The issues that was most important for me to write about was teen sex because when I fourteen that’s what I wanted to read about. I also think it's fun to question people’s prejudices, especially about teen pregnancy. After that everything just sort of snowballed from there. I didn’t actually set out to write about death at all, it just happened.

A lot of YA fiction, revolves around boy meets girl scenarios. One of great aspects of 'Trouble' is that is focuses on a wide range of relationships. Do you think that more YA writing should focus on more than just romance and boys? 

YA is a great space for girls. I think we focus too much on a romantic ideal whereby the fit boys will see you for who you really are and they don’t need you to be 'hot'. I would like to see more books where it’s like ‘ having a relationship is really hard, you need to put in a lot of work' and I’d quite like to see what happens after you get together.

When writing Trouble did you have any moments of ‘Oh God this is awful, I should just give this up?' or were you confident about what you were doing?

 Writing is the one area where I don’t feel any area of self doubt. I have been writing since I was fourteen. Even if I’d never got published, I’d still be writing anyway. I have to write, so I do.

 Your background is publishing, was that a help or a hindrance when it came to writing?

I think it's really helpful. I think working in publishing lowers your expectations wonderfully. Publishing is my space so I felt comfortable in going out talking to agents, talking to editors and never feeling uncomfortable talking to these people because they’re me. It’s something I wish authors would understand, you're all on the some team.

Tell us a bit about your creative process.

So you have an idea and I have to know the first line and the last line. I might have an idea for a scene and write my favourite bits first . In 'Trouble', there’s a scene where the popular girl Marcy spits in Hannah’s face and that’s half way through the book but it was the first scene I wrote . There was also a big hole where Aaron’s past was. I knew he’d done something bad but he’s backstory was a bit flimsy at first. One piece of advice, know your characters' backstory. 

Are you planning to write anything else soon and if you are could you tell us a bit more about it?

I’m writing a book called ‘Remix’ which is about two girls, two best mates Kaz and Ruby. They’ve just broken up with they’re boyfriends and it’s the summer after their GSCE’S and they’re going to a music festival called remix and the plan is to get away from home, get away from their ex boyfriends, put their troubles behind them, move on and it doesn’t work in the slightest.

What are you reading at the moment?

I’m currently reading ‘My Heart and Other Black Holes’ by Jasmine Warga. This is about a girl named Aysel who wants to commit suicide but can’t do it herself. I have to stop to cry, it’s just so sad; it’s beautiful but sad.

Frozen Charlotte - Be Prepared To Meet Dollies Who Are Sick, Sick, Sick.

Your best friend  dies in suspicious circumstances after you dabble in Ouija. To what lengths would you go to unravel the mystery? In Alex Bell's 'Frozen Charlotte' we meet Sophie, a run of the mill 15 year old whose life is transformed when she and her best friend Jay make contact with her dead cousin. Devastated by his death, Sophie sets out to the Isle of Skye to unravel the mystery of the evil Frozen Charlotte dolls  and to save her  remaining cousins from their tiny porcelain clutches.

The plot itself is full of action, drama and suspense. Bell's balance of the ordinary with the supernatural is such that you can truly believe  the horror of Sophie's reality. It must be noted that our heroine  can come across as a little self-righteous, but as she's grieving, scheming and solving all in one novel, I'm prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt.  Lilas, the youngest cousin is your classic disturbed morbid child with all her talk of death and skeletons whilst our male protagonist Cameron is brooding and likeable in a sort of misunderstood, somebody please save me sort of way.  However it is murderous cousin  Piper who stands out as the most thrilling and harrowing of all. Beautiful and psychopathic  she makes the book unpredictably interesting. There are a few plot questions  I would like the answer to : Why are the Frozen Charlottes so evil in the first place? How do they ensure  the death of a boy they have never encountered? Are Sophie and Cameron interested in each other and if so is that even legal? Bar my pedantries there can be no doubt that Bell has written a book that is chillingly entertaining.  Frozen Charlottes is not for the faint hearted, nor is it for anybody who has a profound fear of knives  or needles or talking dolls. However if you enjoy all of the above, then knock yourself out, just don't say I didn't warn you.