And behind door number 22... a guide to some music of the more traditional kind
Catherine Munn and Jacob Martin list their Top 5 programmes to watch over the festive period.
And behind door number nine... some dazzling musical delights
The complete arts guide, for week 9
Pony in the Porch, Owl in the Office, Lamb in the Laundry...whatever alliterative title involving animals you can think of – this series had it. Revolving around the adventures of vet’s daughter Mandy at the surgery Animal Ark, she seemed to spend all her time rescuing/nursing/hunting for lost animals, and turned a generation of young people into wannabe vets.
Alanna is not your typical “wizards and elves” fantasy. The young girl Alanna disguises herself as a boy to train as a knight within a medieval court, battling others and her own feelings to become a woman that rides like a man. Tamora Pierce really knows how to tell a tale and I became enthralled in this medieval world of intrigue and battles, cheering on Alanna as she overcame all obstacles, even the boundaries within her own gender It’s very well written, doesn’t pull any punches and perfect for a bit of escapism.
By the end of Anne of Green Gables, I’d come to love Anne Shirley and the wonderful world that L.M. Montgomery had created around her, so getting to read seven more books about her, seeing her grow from an excitable young girl to brilliant mother and wife without losing any of her charm, was an absolute delight. And not just because of Gilbert Blythe.
Sparkly covers, high-tech fairies, boy geniuses and loadsa money. The Artemis Fowl series were a favourite of mine because they made fairies interesting and crime acceptable. Combine that with some appealingly nerdy tech language, a smart-alec centaur, Bond-standard villains, a kleptomaniac dwarf with explosive flatulence and codes to break yourself if you can be bothered. What more could you want?
The title is apt; all thirteen volumes fills your heart with woe, the misfortunes of the well-characterised Baudelaire siblings causes uncontrollable weeping, and the plot's snappy pacing has you addicted; shut away from the outside world and making your parents worry. Lemony Snicket attempts to save your soul with glorious dark humour, but it'll be too late - The Series of Unfortunate Events will make your life miserable - and you'll love it.
Whether duelling with the Red Baron, rescuing French maidens or rumbling pesky Arabian smugglers, the invincible Captain James Bigglesworth simply can’t stop being the honourable British gent. Yes, later entries in the 98-volume aerial colossus might be a bit thin, but tally ho, who cares? Tom Cruise eat your heart out. There’s a proper pilot present.
What is there to say about this series that hasn’t been said. J.K Rowling has created a generational event that has left Quidditch an actual university sport and Emma Watson a pin up worldwide. The characters are perfectly crafted – Ron’s eager friendship, Hermione’s bossy perfectionism – and each book, a landmark event with midnight releases, built upon this world of Death Eaters and Diagon Alley, a book about good and evil, but ultimately, growing up and facing the realities of the world. Admittedly the last three books need a good edit and Harry becomes a bit too grumpy but this series is still the yardstick by which all others are measured.
A vast fantasy epic set against numerous parallel universes is one thing, but what sets Philip Pullman’s works apart is its intelligent dark themes. As for all its armoured bears, spectres and strange-wheeled elephant-like creatures, this is a story all about the nature of the human soul, the very nature of existence and a brutal war that tears heaven apart.
I used to read J.R.R. Tolkien’s wondrous Lord of the Rings series at least once a year. LOTR tells a truly epic tale, and my favourite form of escapism was always to be transported into the richly described and ever-fascinating world of Middle Earth. It speaks volumes that the sheer size of the books never once intimidated me, only ever making me more inquisitive.
The Wind on Fire trilogy enthralled me in the way that only books can when you’re young. Following the adventures of the Hath family, struggling to journey to the homeland of the Manth people, it is set in an alternate realm to ours. With the dystopian themes of control, slavery and individuality ever-present, it’s a children’s book that horrified you, excited you and ultimately, made you think.
Honourable mentions go to - Narnia series, Alex Rider series, Animorphs, Babysitters’ Club, Girls in Love series, Mallory Towers
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