I expected this book to be brilliant so when it had such a slow start I was a little disappointed. I like fast paced, gripping books. However, it did get better and in the end turned out decent I think. It is a debut novel after all.

David Almond introduces his new picture book, A Way to the Stars, a story about perseverance and finding a way to make dreams come true. In this story of hope and endurance, we follow a scientist and her team during their search for the elusive 'Giant Arctic Jellyfish'. The rapper Akala’s debut novel, a magical realist adventure set in Shakespearean London, is quite frankly, just magical. Akala: Doublethink Interview (video)". The Orwell Foundation. 20 October 2010 . Retrieved 17 April 2020.So there’s a lot of potential here, but it didn’t quite work for me. More work needed to go into building up the secondary characters and the magic system so that they didn’t feel like incidental add-ins. More importantly though, there needs to be a main narrative hook and I suspect that won’t materialise until the sequel, as this is certainly not a stand alone. It’s almost like it’s a prequel to the action really starting rather than a full novel in and of its own right. Age recommendation and challenging content: Some violence – e.g. there is a reference to the death of a child and a stabbing near the beginning. Recommended for Year 9 or above.

Bringing hip hop to the lecture theatre". Manchester Metropolitan University. 26 November 2012 . Retrieved 13 July 2016.Agnes finds out that Henry has punched mathew and tries to punish him but when Joan steps him, she’s told him to write 10.000 words for punishment, without his powers. Some would argue that using his mainstream appeal to young people as a tool to get them to read what is essentially educational historical fiction is very clever. Some would argue it will inspire today's youth to view Shakespearean language and culture with new eyes. However, I, someone who has lived and worked among London teens for many years say differently. I would have liked to understand the curse clearer, but loved the bit about Shakespeare - he did not disappoint. All too often these famous historical figures in real life, behave in ways that can only be disappointing. Like finding out a famous person you admire is a racist. You feel so very disappointed in them and in yourself for seeing something in them good, that clearly wasn't there. Shakespeare in his teeny role, behaved well. Which I appreciated and was a relief despite it being fiction. Lol.