Lions of the Grail by Tim Hodkinson

Lions of the Grail is a historical adventure set in Ireland in 1315. The characters are well drawn and believable and the story flows smoothly. Tim Hodkinson sets the scene very well and the descriptive writing is excellent. He is at his best during the action scenes but maybe not so assured when it comes to the more emotional side. The period has obviously been well researched and I found the historical detail interesting and informative. It was skilfully fed into the narrative without sounding like a lecture.
I would have to say that the book is in need of editing as there are many grammatical and spelling errors which I began to find irritating. I am happy to recommend it nonetheless as it is a jolly good read.

Jaguar Sun by Martha Bourke

Jaguar Sun by Martha Bourke is a paranormal romance for young adults. Maya Delaney is an apparently normal teenager at a New Mexico high school who discovers that she has strange powers and that she is destined to fulfill an ancient Mayan prophecy. I absolutely love the cover and I'm sure it will encourage readers to look inside.  The novel is well written and well researched. The information about the Mayan culture is fed into the narrative without coming across as a lecture. The story moves quickly which is essential for a young adult book and mercifully, there are no vampires. Above all, it is a romantic, coming of age novel about love and freindship which will appeal to its intended audience. It appealed to this considerably older adult and I am happy to recommend it.

Blackmore's Treasure by Derek G. Rogers

I am very happy to recommend Blackmore's Treasure, a historical novel for children and young adults by Derek G. Rogers. Set during the English Civil War this is a time travel story about a thirteen year old boy Tobias Allinson who suffers a serious injury and dreams that he is his own ancestor who fights in the Battle of Naseby. The narrative is clear and easy to read and the period setting very well drawn. The transition from present day to the past and back were cleverly managed and entirely believable. I also enjoyed the historical content and felt that I had learned something. If I have one tiny nitpick it is that when characters speak in dialect this is done phonetically which does have the effect of halting the narrative flow. Having said that, I enjoyed it immensely and I do hope there is more in the pipeline from Derek Rogers. If we are to get children interested in reading and in history, this is the way to do it. Highly recommended.