Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 819 KB
Publisher: Allen & Unwin (November 9, 2010)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B004BA5HOY

First sentence “Major Pettigrew was still upset about the phone call from his brother’s wife and so he answered the doorbell without thinking.”

What a delightful and interesting book. I will be up front and say this not normally my thing. Anyone who reads my blog regularly knows I’m more of an Urban Fantasy, or Young Adult fan. But I had heard lots of people raving over this book and I thought why not give it a try after I read the blurb. To be honest I was expecting something light and fluffy that was a little bit funny; just a story about a little old man and an unlikely friendship.

This book was all that, I admit, but only on the surface. It was so much more. For starters it dealt with some pretty serious and topical issues like racism, family dynamics, life/death, love, discrimination, class relations, modern living, religious differences and cultural difference. It never delves in very deeply to these issues which is good otherwise the book would have been difficult reading for me (I hate being preached to in a book). But it highlights them enough you get a strong over all idea of the issues involved.

There is not much to hate about the main characters Major Pettigrew and Mrs Ali. They are both delightful characters with wonderful senses of humour. Dare I say it but they are rather perfect for each other. The book focuses on this relationship the most, and follows it as it grows from literally first contact to the deep friendship it becomes. Their dry wit, clever remarks, and quick responses to those around them really make this book. You are cheering for them to overcome the hurdles thrown in their way by the end of the book.

If you are looking for a feel good, delightful read this is definitely the book for you.

Extras

I found this clip of Helen Simonson reading an excerpt from her book. I hope you enjoy it!

Which Book From Mt TBR Should I Read Next? Poll Results

Thanks to everyone who voted in my Which Book From Mt TBR Should I Read Next Poll. It was actually really close for awhile there with a three way tie, but at the last moment Nobody's Princess by Esther Friesner took the lead with 5 votes.

I have decided I will read the rest of the books in order of their votes. So next with be Delirium by Lauren Oliver then A Dsiscovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. These two were tied on 3 votes so I went with who got to three first. Then finally it will be Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich which got 2 votes.

Again, a big thank you to everyone that voted.

Cozmo's Day Off - ebook

Rating: 5 out of 5

Application: iPhone/iPad

Seller: Ayars Animation Inc

Price at time of Review: $4.99 AU (there is also a free lite version)

I have not been a huge fan of ebooks for children on the iPhone/iPad. Most of the ones I have downloaded were literally a slide show with pictures. For me this is was just a wasted opportunity. But Cozmo's Day off is not a narrated slide show, it is a fully interactive experience for kids and adults alike. THIS is how a children's ebook should be.

Cozmo is a little green alien who is having one of "those" days. He is trying to get to work and everything is going wrong. The story follows Cozmo's journey as he tries to get to work.

The story:

• The illustrations are amazing, they are bright colourful and incredibly detailed. Also the quality of the images and graphics is evident.
• Cozmo is incredibly adorable and likable.
• The narrator has a wonderful animated voice, it reminds me of those voices on the tv adverts from the 50's. I loved it and its the first narrated children's ebook I haven't wanted to change.
• The story is told through rhyme and is lyrical which makes it fun to read aloud. It is simple and cute with lines.

The cool stuff:

• Virtually everything on the screen can be animated. Just touch around the screen and you will be amazed at what happens. Things play music, move, jump, or in the case of the space ship steal alarm clocks. Some things need to be touched first to activate other things, and some things will say/do different things every time you touch them.
• Some pages have puzzles and games to play. I had way to much fun playing the "whack the alien" type game on one page.
• You can play with the narrators voice. By moving the slider you can have a normal voice, or you can have a robot or squeaky alien! I kept mine in the middle with the normal but slightly over the top narrators voice.
• You can record your own voice if you so wish.

My thoughts:

I am not sure if children over 5 would get much out of the story. The story is simple and cute, like wise the games are very basic. But for kids under 5 (my son is 15 months) they will love it. My son was entranced with the story and kept giving me big broad smiles as each new thing happened.

There is a free lite version which has some very basic animated features, if you want to give it a try first. I got this one first but fell in love with the story and pictures, and more importantly my son adored it so I happily paid for the full version. I would heartily recommend this ebook to anyone who has an iphone or ipad.