Smorgasbord Bookshelf – Summer Book Fair 2022 – #Children’s #Jungle Joyce Murphy, #Mystery Elizabeth Merry

Over the course of the summer months I will be sharing the recommended authors who feature in the Smorgasbord Bookshelf along with their books and a selected review.

The first book today is Kong and the Magic Jungle by Joyce Murphy

About the book

After a very bumpy plane crash, Joyce aged 8, Olan aged 7 and Fiona aged 4 are stranded in the jungle with their Dad. And it is a magic jungle where animals can talk and gorillas live in villages and there even a Magic Gorilla living there or so their friend Billy, the parrot says.

Joyce and Olan are so excited that they go off looking for the Magic Gorilla. On the way they have lots of adventures, with a baby gorilla and some missing bananas, a very angry Mama Gorilla and soon they are in trouble with a whole lot of other gorillas as well.

Will their friend Billy, the talking parrot and Fiona save them in time or will the nice gorilla with the red hat help them? Come and enter into the adventure and see what happens to the three madcap children and their best friend, Kong the Magic Gorilla.

A review for Kong and the Magic Jungle

Barry m.5.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable read  Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 May 2021

I bought this book for my nephew 9 years and my niece 7 years. They both loved it and their mother said they have reread it more than once. I read the story myself, being pulled in by the fun image on the front cover and found it funny, exciting and endearing. It is a fast moving adventure story of three children living in the jungle but the main protagonists are Joyce and Olan aged 7 and 8 and their friend the Magic Gorilla. The children explore the jungle and make friends with the talking animals living there; they get into fun scrapes, learn some lessons and get gifts along the way. It really is a breath of fresh air and a great story for boys and girls alike.  

Head over to buy the book: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US

Also by Joyce Murphy

Read the reviews and buy both children and poetry books: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US – follow Joyce: Goodreads – Blog: Joycie Reilly Poetry – Twitter: @JoycieReilly

About Joyce Murphy

I have been a scribbler all my life. We didn’t have money for writing paper in my house so I scribbled stories and poems on anything I could get my hands on. Wherever scribbling material was to be found, I wrote on it. This included between the lines of my Enid Blyton books, the white top and bottom margins of my parent’s ‘Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Coat’ program, bits of copybook paper and even blank pages torn from other books.

The poems found in my book, ‘Inner Rumblings,’ were written on small pieces of paper, torn out copybook pages and even on blank pages at the end of my biology book – lack of paper was never going to stop my urge to write.

My goal is to inspire joy and play in children and help them discover themselves and their world through story. To this end I also use my poetry and poems to run adult creative voice workshops. I am a proud self-published author with a unique vision of the world and our place in it. A love of animals and the environment is close to my heart and also runs through my stories for small children. I am also a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors.

The next book is one I enjoyed reading last year…a mystery for younger readers Felix Finds Out by Elizabeth Merry

About Felix Finds Out

Hennessy is the school caretaker. He is also a devious thief and a bully. Felix is ten years old, a quiet boy, and small for his age. How is he to find out what Hennessy is up to? ‘Felix wondered where Hennessy was. As he thought of the tall figure in the heavy anorak, his mouth went suddenly dry, his heart leaping and banging, his whole face squeezed up with frowns.’But when a new girl arrives at the school, Felix watches her closely; this could change everything. She might suit as an accomplice.'”Hello, I’m Samantha. Is your name really Felix? That’s a good name, I think.”‘Can Felix and his new friend find out what Hennessy is up to, and save Uncle Eddie’s job? Samantha has a plan!

My review for the book July 14th 2021

I stepped back in time to my childhood and my enjoyment of the adventures of The Famous Five and The Secret Seven by Enid Blyton.

Felix Finds Out is a full length novel for slightly older children and adults who wish to revisit the enjoyment of reading a well written adventure containing all the classic elements needed such as realistic plot, wonderful characters, heroes and villains, and a wicked witch….of sorts.

I loved the individual natures of the co-conspirators, on a mission to discover what the school caretaker has been up to, which might have a disastrous knock on effect on Felix’s future. The group grows from the solitary Felix anxious to hide his family situation, to include Samantha the worldly planner, shy Hubert who is the technical support and Joanne, slight but feisty.

This intrepid band of crime fighters are putting themselves at risk but at the same time forming a friendship that will strengthen them all for the potentially dangerous climax to the story.

The author writes with flow and clearly knows the minds of children and young teens caught between being a child and a young adult with all the angst that goes with it. Elizabeth Merry evolves the characters over the story giving them plenty of opportunity to grow and shine.

A very enjoyable read I have no hesitation in recommending the book.

Other books by Elizabeth Merry.

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Follow Elizabeth: Goodreads – Blog: Embookstuff WordPress – Twitter: @ElizabethMerry1

About Elizabeth Merry

Elizabeth Merry was born in Bangor, Co Down in the province of Ulster but has spent most of her life in Co Dublin. She has been writing for many years and has previously published a novel for children and many short stories. “We All Die in the End” is a series of interlinked “scenes” set in a seaside town on the Ulster coast where most people know each other. It is a book filled with miserable couples, meddling siblings, or individuals struggling to survive. Some of the “scenes” are twisted, some are macabre, and more than a few deal with abusive relationships. But there is joy here too, and a lot of dark humour.

Elizabeth has recently published a collection of poetry, much of which has been published over the years in literary magazines. Also two children’s books, Ghost’s in Trouble and Felix Finds Out.

 

Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you will be leaving with some books.. thanks Sally.