Posts Tagged ‘Reviews’
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LIBERTY’S FIRE reviews
0May 19, 2015 by Lydia Syson
‘remarkable…a novel of extraordinary resonance and power…Both as a gripping narrative which defines the meaning of ‘page-turner’ perfectly and also the bringing to life of a historical event of crucial importance…Liberty’s Fire works superbly.’ Armadillo
A Telegraph ‘best YA book of 2015′: ‘Lydia Syson does another fine job of bringing to life sometimes neglected periods of the past. . .the detail is great. . .’ Martin Chilton, Culture Editor online
‘a brilliant milieu for such a story, at a time and place that feel familiar – through stories of the French Revolution and Les Misérables – but which are both distinct and novel. Political ideas and agency are broached; themes of personal, class and gender liberation are all developed in an incident-packed plot. The main protagonists are faced with decisions of moral ambivalence relevant today…an unusual mixture of hard-hitting story-telling and subtle discourse on adolescence – and on the courage needed to face an uncertain world. Highly recommended.’ Historical Novels Review
‘Syson brings this pivotal episode of 19th-century history glowingly alive…a great read for young people – and adults for that matter – irrespective of gender.’ Morning Star
Category Reviews & more | Tags: Liberty's Fire, Reviews
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A WORLD BETWEEN US reviews
0April 19, 2015 by Lydia Syson
Christmas book pick in The Observer , The Telegraph , The Morning Star & Radio Suffolk, Teen book club choice on The Guardian Children’s Book website, recommended as a ‘hot read’ on teen website Sugarscape. Highly Commended for Branford Boase Award 2013, longlisted for The Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize 2013, shortlisted for WeRead Book Award 2013, longlisted for UKLA Book Award 2014 and Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize 2013, nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal, 2014.
Please follow links for full reviews….
‘A World Between Us is an outstanding debut novel for teenagers…what Syson captures so well is a sense of heartbreaking courage, comradeship and lost innocence…Thoroughly researched and beautifully written, for what I suspect is a keep reading
Category Reviews & more | Tags: A WORLD BETWEEN US, Armadillo, Book bloggers, Books Teen & Magazines, Booktrust, Celia Rees, Historical YA, International Brigade Memorial Trust, Jewish Chronicle, Jewish Socialist, Julia Eccleshare, Lydia Syson, Morning Star, Observer, Red House, Reviews, Sugarscape, teen book reviews, Telegraph, The Guardian, UKYA, We Love This Book
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THAT BURNING SUMMER reviews
2April 18, 2015 by Lydia Syson
Please follow links for full reviews (where available):
Linda Newbery wrote in Armadillo (Editor’s Choice):
‘Lydia Syson is the kind of writer who lets you know from the outset that you’re in safe hands…Like my last Editor’s Choice, Elizabeth Wein’s Rose Under Fire, this is an unusual angle on the Second World War and a excellent addition to the range of fiction available for teenagers.’
Nicholas Tucker in The Independent (‘Best Books of 2013’) wrote:
‘…the final resolution lives up to this story’s consistent excellence. This is only the second novel from an author very much to look out for.’
Suzi Feay in the Financial Times wrote:
‘During the Battle of Britain, fighters zigzagged across the wide skies above Romney Marsh in Kent and planes that crashed were engulfed almost immediately, along with their pilots. When Henryk, a Polish pilot, bails out over the marshes he is discovered by teenage Peggy, who is immediately drawn to him. Terrified of having to return to his flying duties, he hides with her help.
That Burning Summer is Lydia Syson’s second novel and her great strength is characterisation. Peggy’s mean aunt and shrewd but kindly uncle, her ebullient cousin and most of all her pesky but lovable 11-year-old brother Ernest are vividly drawn. Ernest is obsessed with government instructions about how to spot spies. Add to the mix a local bully, spiteful anonymous letters and the ready availability of guns, and the scene seems set for inevitable tragedy.
A touching evocation of a desperate wartime romance, which evokes a vanished era of hardship and fortitude.’
We Love This Book wrote:
‘Unearthing aspects of the Second World War that teenagers are unlikely to cover in schools, a wealth of history is entwined with the story of one family and a seemingly impossible romance…That Burning Summer is a refreshingly different war story, focussing as it does on the rarely mentioned Polish allies who joined the war effort, fighting for Britain as they were unable to help from occupied Poland. Henryk’s slowly revealed past is fascinating, as is the exploration of pacifism at home and the effects of the aerial dogfights on pilots. But it is Syson’s beautifully developed characters that make the history come vividly to life.’
Category Reviews & more | Tags: blog reviews, Book bloggers, latest reviews, Lydia Syson book reviews, Reviews, Teen fiction, That Burning Summer, UKYA, WW2 fiction, YA fiction reviews
